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INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0654
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 4597
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6661
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000510 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS TO EAP/MLS; DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM
SUBJECT:  Update on Prisoners of Concern; Prisoner Tran Van 
Luong Reportedly Committed Suicide Last Year 
 
Ref: Orona-Jensen/Knapper E-mail (3/3/06) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  A passing reference during the recent 
U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue to the suicide of one of 
our prisoners of concern led to several confusing exchanges 
with the MFA and the eventual confirmation that Tran Van 
Luong, the former Director of Vietnam's Center for Applied 
Physics, killed himself in April 2005.  The confusion was 
likely partially caused by the presence of two Tran Van 
Luong's on previous prisoner lists and the amnesty of one of 
them in September 2005.  The MFA confirmed that VFM Le Van 
Bang misspoke in Washington when he noted that the other 
Tran Van Luong would soon complete his sentence and be 
released.  Based on this new information, and provided 
prisoner Do Van My is released as planned, our list of 
prisoners of concern will have four names:  Pham Hong Son, 
Nguyen Vu Binh, Phan Van Ban and Ma Van Bay.  Separately, 
the last of the Mennonite Six, Pham Ngoc Thach, was released 
on March 3 at the completion of his sentence.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During the recent U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights 
Dialogue (septel), Tran Van Thanh of the Ministry of Public 
Security (MPS) addressed the issue of prisoners of concern 
and recalled that, in June 2005, the Ambassador passed to 
MPS Vice Minister Nguyen Van Huong a list of 13 prisoners. 
Of these 13, seven individuals had been amnestied, four 
continue to serve their sentences, one is under 
consideration for an amnesty and "one person committed 
suicide," Thanh reported. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Information available to Post confirms that seven 
of the 13 individuals on the June 2005 list have been 
released:  Mua Say So, Nguyen Khac Toan, Brother Nguyen 
Thien Phung, Than Van Truong, Tran Van Hoang, Tran Van Luong 
(a former ARVN soldier) and Tran Van Thang.  The four from 
the list who are still serving their sentences are Pham Hong 
Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Bui Tan Nha and Hong Thien Hanh. 
(Note:  According to the GVN, both Bui Tan Nha and Hong 
Thien Hanh were arrested for economic crimes.  ConGen HCMC 
was able to corroborate this information with associates of 
Nha and Hanh.  As a result, both individuals were removed 
from subsequent lists of concern.  End Note.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) Based on information received from the GVN, Do Van 
My is the prisoner from the June 2005 list "under 
consideration for amnesty," leaving Tran Van Luong, the 
former Director of the Center for Applied Physics, as the 
presumptive prisoner who committed suicide.  When Post 
followed up this matter with the MFA's Americas and 
International Organizations Departments, there was some 
initial confusion:  the MFA told us that there was only one 
Luong and that he was released in September 2005.  However, 
several conversations later, the MFA confirmed that there 
were two Luong's, and that one of them did indeed commit 
suicide.  According to the IO Department, Luong fell ill in 
prison last year and was hospitalized at Bac Giang 
provincial hospital.  He reportedly leapt from the 
hospital's second floor and died on April 28, 2005, as he 
was being rushed to Vietnam-Germany Hospital in Hanoi. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Separately, Pham Ngoc Thach, the last of the 
"Menonite Six" group, was released from prison on March 3 at 
the completion of his sentence.  After his release, Thach 
gave an interview to Radio Free Asia, in which he alleged 
that he was mistreated in prison.  (Note:  Thach is 
affiliated with a group of Mennonites led by Pastor Nguyen 
Hong Quang; the Mennonite Six were arrested and convicted 
following an altercation with HCMC police in March 2004. 
End Note.) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  We will continue to seek further 
information on Luong's suicide, such as an autopsy report, 
and try to find out why the GVN did not inform us about his 
death sooner.  The presence of two Tran Van Luong's on our 
list likely contributed to the delay, and it is still 
causing confusion for GVN officials:  for example, during 
Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang's recent meeting with DRL 
A/S Lowenkron in Washington, Bang noted that Tran Van Luong 
would soon complete his sentence and be released (Reftel). 
Indeed, in June 2004 he was sentenced to 21-months' 
imprisonment, meaning he would have been released as early 
as this month.  When we asked about this, the MFA attributed 
VFM Bang's mistake to "old information" and pledged to 
 
HANOI 00000510  002 OF 002 
 
 
provide him an update upon his return. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment, cont'd:  Based on this new information 
regarding Tran Van Luong, and assuming Do Van My is released 
as planned, our list of prisoners of concern will have four 
names:  Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Phan Van Ban and Ma 
Van Bay.  This does not include the individuals facing 
travel and other restrictions, such as Thich Quang Do.  End 
Comment. 
 
STANFORD