This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


2000HANOI01193 - UNCLASSIFIED
 
 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ6218

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FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0002
INFO ASEAN COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001193 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, H, DRL 
H PASS TO INTERESTED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND STAFF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV VM HUMANR
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REJECTS CONGRESSIONAL CRITICISM OF VIETNAM ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE VIETNAMESE NATIONAL 
ASSEMBLY PHAN QUANG CALLED IN THE AMBASSADOR MAY 18 TO 
PROTEST HOUSE RESOLUTION 295, WHICH CRITICIZED VIETNAM FOR 
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND POLITICAL REPRESSION.  ON BEHALF 
OF THE ASSEMBLY, QUANG "REJECTED" THE RESOLUTION, AND IN 
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PARTICULAR CONGRESSIONAL CRITICISM OF ARTICLE 4 OF THE 
VIETNAMESE CONSTITUTION, WHICH ENSHRINES THE COMMUNIST PARTY 
AS THE COUNTRY'S ONLY POLITICAL PARTY.  QUANG SAID THE 
RESOLUTION "HINDERED THE PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF 
RELATIONS" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM.  FOLLOWING THE 
MEETING, VIETNAMESE MEDIA WIDELY REPORTED HIS REMARKS, IN A 
MUCH MORE STRIDENT TONE THAN GIVEN BY QUANG.  THE AMBASSADOR 
REITERATED THAT IN THE UNITED STATES, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 
FREELY EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS AND THAT THE U.S. WOULD CONTINUE 
TO WORK FOR NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS.  HE AGREED HE WOULD 
PASS ON QUANG'S VIEWS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
AMBASSADOR CALLED IN TO PROTEST HOUSE RESOLUTION 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. PHAN QUANG, ONE OF THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL 
ASSEMBLY, REQUESTED A MEETING WITH THE AMBASSADOR MAY 18 TO 
PROTEST HOUSE RESOLUTION 295, "RELATING TO CONTINUING HUMAN 
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND POLITICAL REPRESSION IN THE SOCIALIST 
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM."  THE RESOLUTION PASSED MAY 3 BY A VOTE 
OF 415 TO 3.  AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE RESOLUTION CALLS ON 
THE PRESIDENT TO "RESTATE AND MAKE CLEAR" TO VIETNAMESE 
LEADERS THAT "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE FIRMLY COMMITTED TO 
POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND ECONOMIC FREEDOM" FOR VIETNAM'S 
CITIZENS.  QUANG SAID A NUMBER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
DELEGATES, WHO ARE MEETING FOR ONE OF THEIR TWO MONTH-LONG 
SESSIONS DURING MAY, HAD EXPRESSED ANGER WITH THE 
RESOLUTION, AND HE HAD BEEN ASKED TO SHARE THESE CONCERNS 
WITH THE AMBASSADOR. 
 
¶3. THOUGH QUANG WAS POLITE AND MILD-MANNERED DURING HIS 
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REMARKS, HE READ FROM A PREPARED TEXT IN STRONGLY 
CRITICIZING THE U.S. CONGRESS FOR "BRAZEN INTERFERENCE" IN 
VIETNAM'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS.  QUANG CLAIMED THAT 
"REGRETTABLY, THE MOVE OF THE (HOUSE) HAS, FAR FROM MAKING 
CONTRIBUTIONS, HINDERED THE PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF 
RELATIONS" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM.  HE CLAIMED VIETNAM 
HAS NO POLITICAL PRISONERS OR "PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE," AS 
NOTED IN THE RESOLUTION; HE SAID ALL OF THOSE IMPRISONED IN 
VIETNAM HAD BEEN CONVICTED ACCORDING TO VIETNAMESE LAW. 
 
¶4. QUANG SAID ASSEMBLY MEMBERS WERE PARTICULARLY ANGERED BY 
CONGRESSIONAL CRITICISM OF ARTICLE 4 OF THE VIETNAMESE 
CONSTITUTION, WHICH ENSHRINES THE COMMUNIST PARTY (CPV) AS 
THE COUNTRY'S ONLY POLITICAL PARTY.  (NOTE: 85 PERCENT OF 
MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY ARE CPV MEMBERS.)  QUANG SAID THE 
CPV HAD PLAYED THE LEADING ROLE IN VIETNAM'S STRUGGLE FOR 
INDEPENDENCE, FREEDOM AND REUNIFICATION, AND IN CARRYING OUT 
"DOI MOI" (RENOVATION) REFORMS SINCE THE MID-1980'S.  HE 
CLAIMED THE RESOLUTION'S CALL FOR VIETNAM TO HOLD "FREE AND 
HONEST ELECTIONS" WAS NOT SOMETHING DEMANDED BY THE 
VIETNAMESE PEOPLE, SINCE THE PEOPLE HAD SHOWN THEIR SUPPORT 
FOR THE CVP SINCE THE "NATIONAL LIBERATION" STRUGGLE.  HE 
SAID THIS WAS A "GROSS VIOLATION" OF THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE'S 
RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF CHOICE AS EXPRESSED IN LAST NOVEMBER'S 
NATION-WIDE GENERAL ELECTIONS FOR PEOPLE'S COUNCIL SEATS. 
(COMMENT: THOSE ELECTIONS, PARTICIPATION IN WHICH WAS 
MANDATORY FOR CITIZENS, WERE CONDUCTED WITH NO TRANSPARENCY 
IN THE VOTE COUNTING.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶5. THE AMBASSADOR RESPONDED THAT IN THE UNITED STATES 
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE FREE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS AND THAT 
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THIS RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED BY MANY MEMBERS.  HE SAID THAT, 
DESPITE THE CRITICAL TONE OF THE RESOLUTION, MOST AMERICANS 
AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WERE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO WORK 
FOR FULL NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS.  HE NOTED THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT HAS FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM. 
 
¶6. AFTER THE MEETING, THE EMBASSY WAS INFORMED THAT THE 
MEETING WOULD BE PUBLICIZED IN THE PRESS.  OVER THE NEXT 
SEVERAL DAYS, VIETNAMESE STATE-CONTROLLED NEWSPAPERS, RADIO 
AND PRIME-TIME EVENING NEWS ON TELEVISION USED THE MEETING 
TO BLAST THE CONGRESS FOR THE RESOLUTION.  THE CPV 
MOUTHPIECE "NHAN DAN" (THE PEOPLE) AND OTHER PAPERS BLASTED 
THE "ARROGANT INTERVENTION" AND "ABSURD DEMANDS" OF THE 
RESOLUTION. 
 
¶7. COMMENT: VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT AND CPV CRITICISM OF THE 
U.S. OVER ACTIVISM ON HUMAN RIGHTS IS PAR FOR THE COURSE IN 
HANOI, THOUGH THIS PROTEST WAS PARTICULARLY STRONG.  PART OF 
THE REASON IS THAT CRITICIZING THE LEADING ROLE OF THE 
COMMUNIST PARTY GOES WHERE NO VIETNAMESE IS ALLOWED TO GO. 
SUCH CRITICISM IS SEEN AS PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE, SINCE IN 
VIETNAM THE CPV'S "LEADING ROLE" IS SACROSANCT.  ALSO A "HOT 
BUTTON" ISSUE IS SRV CONCERN OVER THE RESOLUTION'S APPROVING 
WORDS ABOUT THE INITIATION IN WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA OF A 
MEMORIAL TO AMERICAN AND SOUTH VIETNAMESE SOLDIERS WHO 
"SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM DURING THE 
VIETNAM WAR."  AS NOTED EARLIER SEPTEL, LIKE THE PARTY'S 
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LEADING ROLE, THE OFFICIAL VIEW OF THE "NATIONAL LIBERATION" 
VICTORY IS A THIRD RAIL OF VIETNAMESE POLITICS.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
¶8. ACTION REQUEST: QUANG ASKED THE AMBASSADOR TO SHARE HIS 
MESSAGE WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND WE REQUEST H TO SHARE 
THIS MESSAGE WITH INTERESTED MEMBERS AND STAFF. 
PETERSON 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED