PRESS CRACKDOWN TARGETS SAIGON MARKETING NEWSPAPER

C O N F I D E N T I A L HO CHI MINH CITY 000649 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/AWH E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV VM SUBJECT: PRESS CRACKDOWN TARGETS SAIGON MARKETING NEWSPAPER REF: A) HANOI 827 B) 08 HCMC 739 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth J. Fairfax, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Reliable media contacts believe Saigon Marketing (Saigon Tiep Thi) chief editor Tam Chanh will be the next victim of Vietnam's ongoing press crackdown, following popular journalist Huy Duc's forced resignation in August. The economically-focused paper has grown in popularity over the past year, in part because of Huy Duc's insightful analysis of current events but also because the paper represents an alternative to the major dailies, Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien, which have seen their editorial boards and news content gutted during the ongoing crackdown. End summary. Editor Called in For Questioning -------------- ¶2. (C) Reliable media contacts reported to ConGenOff in early October that Saigon Marketing editor Tam Chanh may be removed from his position and sent away for one to two years of training, effectively ending his leadership of the increasingly popular economic newspaper. Chanh himself told us he was subjected to intense grilling by the HCMC Party Ideology Department--the Party's media regulator--in July and August, which gave him a list of some 100 "problematic" articles that triggered "negative public opinions" over GVN policies and decisions. Of the 100 articles cited by the Department, 57 were authored by former Saigon Marketing journalist Huy Duc, who was pressured into resigning from the paper in August. The rest of the articles were written by members of the now-defunct Hanoi think tank, the Institute for Development Studies (IDS),which fell victim to the GVN's Decision 97, which narrows the scope of all scientific research and analysis to a list of pre-approved subjects (ref A). Huy Duc's Press Card Revoked -------------- ¶3. (C) Former Saigon Marketing journalist and Humphrey Fellow Huy Duc told ConGen that the Ministry of Information and Communication revoked his press card in early September, a routine procedure when journalists resign, but all the more poignant considering that the card was issued shortly before Duc was pressured to resign from the paper in August. (Note: Journalists are not issued press cards until after they successfully pass a three year "trial period." Duc said his press credentials showed up in the office mail the same day he resigned. End note.) Duc said although he is under surveillance and has had to be more circumspect in his public meetings, he is still writing for his highly popular "Osin" blog (www.blogosin.org) and is also authoring a book about former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. ¶4. (C) Comment: The targeting of Saigon Marketing newspaper represents another qualitative escalation of GVN pressure on the press. In the past year, all major HCMC dailies--Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre, Phu Nu, Phap Luat, Saigon Giai Phong and now Saigon Tiep Thi--have had their chief editors replaced. News content has shrunk as papers recycle each others' stories and the public is increasingly turning to media outside the mainstream. But unlike major dailies Thanh Nien and Tuoi Tre, Saigon Marketing and Huy Duc avoided political polemics and did not aggressively pursue stories on corruption by high officials or their families/associates. In fact, Saigon Marketing is known for its straight-forward and balanced reporting of general economic topics. Huy Duc's reporting on the Chinese bauxite mines, for example, stated that the GVN did not weigh costs and benefits adequately before reaching a decision. While last year's replacement of chief editors was a direct result of the fallout after PMU 18, the latest wave of GVN actions is curtailing the activities of Huy Duc, IDS and others who are providing well-reasoned--and well-intentioned if decidedly pro-reformist--critiques of government/party policies. End comment. ¶5. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. FAIRFAX