VZCZCXRO6094
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0400/01 0991010
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081010Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7562
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4546
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0038

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH, PRM/PIM, AND G/TIP 
BANGKOK FOR REFCOORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TIP ELAB KWMN KCRM SMIG PREL VM
 
SUBJECT: STRIKING OVERSEAS WORKERS RETURN FROM JORDAN; PAID STRIKE 
LEADER SEEKS PROTECTION IN BANGKOK 
 
REFS:  A) HANOI 0309; B) AMMAN 0902; C) HANOI 0356 
 
HANOI 00000400  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On March 31, the last group of 157 striking 
overseas Vietnamese garment workers (Refs, A-C) were repatriated 
from Jordan and 156 arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport.  According 
to knowledegable third party sources, en route to Hanoi one of the 
returnees broke off from the group in Bangkok and may seek 
protection from the UNHCR office in Bangkok, claiming she was "a 
strike leader" and had accepted two thousand dollars from the 
U.S.-based NGO Boat People SOS (BPSOS) to "help other striking 
workers."  The case has received extensive coverage in the 
Vietnamese media.  End summary. 
 
Striking Workers Return - One Stays in Bangkok 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU) On March 31, the last group of 157 striking overseas 
Vietnamese garment workers (Refs A-C) were repatriated from Jordan 
and 156 arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport via Bangkok.  According 
to a knowledgeable third party sources, en route to Hanoi one of the 
returnees broke off from the group in Bangkok and may seek 
protection from the UNHCR office there.  The woman reportedly was "a 
strike leader" and had accepted two thousand dollars from U.S.-based 
NGO, Boat People SOS (BPSOS) to "help other striking workers."  She 
had spoken on Radio Free Asia a number of times, and claims that her 
family had been threatened, although it was unclear by whom. 
Therefore, she allegedly believes she will be persecuted by the GVN 
upon returning to Vietnam.  (Note: GVN authorities also confirmed 
with us that one of the returnees had "disappeared" at the transit 
airport but did not elaborate on the reason.  End note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to the GVN Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and 
Social Affairs (MOLISA), there were originally 266 Vietnamese 
employees working at two different garment factories in Jordan in 
January 2008.  Five had returned to Vietnam before a 
widely-publicized February 19 strike and scuffle with Jordanian 
police.  Since the strike and subsequent labor negotiations with the 
Taiwanese apparel employer and Jordanian security and labor 
authorities, 104 Vietnamese workers chose to remain and work in 
Jordan, after being cleared by the employer and GOJ authorities, 
while 157 left for Hanoi in several groups over the last two weeks 
of March.  Commercial flights back to Hanoi were facilitated by a 
team of GVN officials and Vietnamese recruitment company officials. 
It is unclear how many of the 157 willingly left Jordan or were 
rejected for re-employment by the employer or GOJ authorities. 
 
GVN Arrangements for Returnees 
------------------------------ 
¶4. (SBU) According to MOLISA officials, they had asked the 
recruiters to arrange vehicles at Hanoi's airport to pick up 
arriving returnees but none of these workers reportedly used the 
pre-arranged vehicles.  They either went back home individually or 
in groups to their home provinces, where they remain today.  Both 
MOLISA and MFA officials told Poloffs on April 7 that no returnees 
were detained by the government or by the recruiters.  The 
recruiters are now preparing the necessary procedures so that they 
and the workers can terminate the labor contracts.  MOLISA has 
requested that the recruiters liquidate the contracts in strict 
accordance with Vietnamese law and report the outcome to MOLISA. 
Again, both MOLISA and MFA officials confirmed to Poloffs that the 
returnees would not face any legal prosecution after returning to 
Vietnam as they had not violated Vietnamese law. 
¶5. (SBU) According to MOLISA officials, when the recruiters 
liquidate the labor contracts, the workers may have to compensate 
the recruitment firm a certain amount of money for breaking their 
contracts; the recruiters are supposed to report details of the 
contract liquidations to MOLISA. It is unclear, however, to what 
extent the workers rather than the recruitment firms violated the 
terms of their contracts. 
 
Continuing Coverage by Vietnamese Media 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Several Hanoi-based newspapers and news websites on March 
20 published a press statement by MFA spokesman Le Dung regarding 
this case.  Two of our regular press contacts at local newspapers 
said they did not receive any instruction to stop reporting on the 
case; however, they did not continue to report on the case as the 
issue had died down and price inflation stories were receiving more 
attention from the general public. 
¶7. (SBU) Tuoi Tre, a leading daily in HCMC, was the first newspaper 
which broke the story and extensively reported on it.  A Tuoi Tre 
reporter told LES that the GVN told the media to "be careful" in 
reporting this issue but not to stop reporting on it.  Tuoi Tre had 
a story on the case on its website on March 21. 
 
HANOI 00000400  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶8. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen Ho Chi Minh City. 
MICHALAK