VZCZCXRO1872
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #2029/01 3370945
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 030945Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6814
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH PRIORITY 4008
RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002029 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF AND DRL/AWH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2032 
TAGS: KIRF PGOV PHUM PINR PREL VM
SUBJECT: USCIRF MEETS WITH DISSIDENTS IN HANOI 
 
 
HANOI 00002029  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Jon Aloisi for Reasons 1.4 (b), 
(c), and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) A delegation from the United States Commission for 
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) met with Hanoi-based 
political dissidents, attorney Le Quoc Quan and Dr. Pham Hong 
Son, on October 22 and 23, respectively.  According to both, 
all un-sanctioned political and religious organizations 
threaten the State, and Vietnam's legal framework on religion 
is a mechanism of State control and surveillance designed to 
please the international community, although private belief 
and spirituality are allowed.  Both dissidents said economic 
development without democracy will serve to concentrate more 
power with the political elite.  Quan, a Catholic, cited 
excessive control on religious training and instruction and 
noted the significant problem facing religious organizations 
of religious properties previously appropriated by the State. 
 Son argued that the Government of Vietnam (GVN) is afraid of 
legitimizing the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam 
(UBCV) because of fear of the popularity of its charismatic 
leader.  Son discussed with USCIRF staff members his covert 
democracy activism and the development of a plan to bring a 
multi-party political system to Vietnam.  Both asked for the 
USG to remain engaged and consistently press the regime on 
human rights and adherence to international standards.  End 
Summary. 
 
 
ATTORNEY LE QUOC QUAN 
--------------------- 
 
 
¶2. (C) On October 22, the USCIRF delegation met with former 
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) fellow, political 
prisoner, and disbarred attorney Le Quoc Quan at his office 
in Hanoi.  Attorney Quan, who knew one of the USCIRF staff 
members from his NED fellowship in Washington, DC earlier in 
the year, described for the USCIRF delegation events leading 
up to his arrest upon his return to Vietnam from the United 
States in March 2007.  He believes the critical incident was 
a February speech he gave at George Washington University 
(GWU), promoting civil society and political pluralism.  He 
said at GWU he was approached by a political officer at the 
Vietnamese Embassy in Washington, DC whom he believes is a 
security agent, and he said another Vietnamese security agent 
was present at a seminar at the American Enterprise Institute 
where Quan gave a similar presentation.  This same agent 
followed him back to Vietnam and was present at his arrest 
when he returned to Hanoi, Quan said. 
 
¶3. (C) Quan, a practicing Catholic and legal expert, said he 
had three main concerns regarding religious freedom in 
Vietnam.  First, the restitution of religious properties, 
nationalized during the war period and just after, has 
greatly affected the operation and growth of the Catholic 
Church in Vietnam.  He said the GVN was considering issuing a 
new regulation on the return of religious properties but that 
it would be bad if passed as it would greatly limit the 
rights and claims of religious organizations.  Secondly, he 
said the GVN is controlling the growth of religion through 
limitations on residency permits for priests, pastors, and 
other religious leaders.  This issue continues to disrupt 
religious organization membership rolls and training 
opportunities.  Finally, GVN authorities continue to put 
quotas on all religious training, limiting churches in 
recruitment and leadership training. 
 
¶4. (C) Quan said that, in his view, religion, family, and 
private ownership are the "enemies" of all Communist 
Party-run states, and this was especially true in Vietnam. 
The State of Vietnam is threatened by those who place God 
above the supremacy of the State.  The fear of the Communist 
Party of Vietnam (CPV) of losing control has meant an 
inordinate amount of state resources spent on control 
mechanisms, and the Vietnamese people needed to challenge 
this.  Quan said he did see hope in the future, however, and 
highlighted how modern day information technology and 
Internet usage, now spreading rapidly throughout Vietnam, had 
greatly assisted political and religious dissidents.  Quan 
said the Vietnamese people were not as fearful today of 
confronting government authorities. 
 
 
CYBER-DISSIDENT PHAM HONG SON 
----------------------------- 
 
HANOI 00002029  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) In an October 23 meeting at his residence, former 
prisoner and cyber-dissident Dr. Pham Hong Son (trained as a 
pharmaceutical doctor) gave an overview of the general human 
rights situation in Vietnam and responded to questions from 
two USCIRF staff members, accompanied by Embassy PolOff.  Son 
is under house arrest, but the meeting at his residence was 
not obstructed by the security services.  Dr. Son noted media 
coverage of USCIRF's visit to Vietnam on the evening news and 
said GVN officials had not been sincerely "constructive" with 
the delegation.  He stated that the CPV was afraid of losing 
its hold in power, in part as it integrates with the 
international community with its recent WTO and UNSC 
memberships.  He also said young Vietnamese, now more than 
ever, were openly expressing their political views on blogs, 
webchats and newsgroups, such as the Vietnamese version of 
BBC News online.  As the State feels more threatened by any 
kind of political organization, fear among the general 
public, of a police crackdown and government-sponsored 
violence still remained strong, hindering organization of 
human rights and democracy activists. 
 
¶6. (C) Responding to a question on the outlawed Unified 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) and its leader the 
Venerable Thich Quang Do, Son told USCIRF the GVN is very 
fearful of Thich Quang Do's popularity.  He said Thich Quang 
Do was highly respected among Vietnam's Buddhists, although 
much of the general public did not know a lot about the UBCV. 
 According to Son, the UBCV was the only organization to 
publicly assist, financially and otherwise, the summer 2007 
land rights protesters in Hanoi and HCMC, which greatly 
disturbed GVN authorities.  Son said the GVN was also 
threatened by the UBCV because they had strong overseas 
financial and logistical support, including from entities 
within the United States. 
 
¶7. (C) Turning to his ongoing covert democracy activism, Son 
said the underground democracy network of activists in 
Vietnam had developed a multi-step plan for fostering 
democracy in Vietnam.  As Step 1, these activists are trying 
to build a solid consensus among a larger population of 
like-minded individuals for this plan before going to the 
next step.  Son believes that a lack of consensus-building 
created rifts in the "Bloc 8406" democracy movement in 2006, 
when it launched, which undermined the potential for success 
of the movement. 
 
¶8. (C) Step 2 of this current plan involves publicizing a 
strong argument attacking the legitimacy of Article Four of 
the Vietnamese Constitution, which gives political supremacy 
to the Communist Party of Vietnam and effectively outlaws 
other political parties.  The activists allege Article Four 
is in conflict with other parts of the Vietnamese 
Constitution.  Canceling or amending Article Four would then 
be the basis for Step 3 - calling for a multi-party, 
competitive political system and a chance to build a 
democratic state.  Having created overwhelming public support 
for change, they would then call for free and fair elections, 
the final step.  Son said his group of democracy activists is 
covertly seeking alliances within the National Assembly where 
he said there had been internal discussions about loosening 
up Article Four to allow the existence of other political 
parties.  He said, however, that this had been very difficult 
because of the fear by many to speak out.  Surveillance by 
the security services is also omnipresent.  Son added that 
the network is studying the Founding Fathers of the United 
States and how they challenged the British and drafted a 
Constitution. 
 
¶9. (C) Asked by a USCIRF staff member about the role of the 
international community and whether it should emphasize 
economic development over democratic development, Son said 
that pushing economic development in Vietnam without 
democracy leads to a growing distortion between rich and poor 
as the rich elite still holds the reins of power and reaps 
the benefits of economic development.  He said the USG needed 
to continue following the human rights situation in Vietnam, 
be consistent in raising its support of human rights and the 
release of prisoners of conscience, and hold Vietnam to 
United Nations standards on human rights. 
 
¶10. (U) USCIRF Chairman Cromartie cleared this cable. 
MICHALAK