VZCZCXRO8383
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #0735/01 2271008
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141008Z AUG 08
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4779
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 3219
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 5007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000735 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/AWH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM'S MEDIA CRACKDOWN: NO END IN SIGHT 
 
REF: (A) HANOI 672  (B) HCMC 700  (C) HANOI 865 AND PREVIOUS (D) 2007 HCMC 1136 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000735  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Four more chief editors of popular newspapers 
in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are expected to soon join the 
ranks of nine other press brethren who have been removed from 
their positions as a result of their reporting on corruption. 
Reliable Mission media contacts also lament that the end is 
nowhere in sight.  Arrests could broaden as well since three of 
the senior editors whose press cards have already been revoked 
expect to be called in as co-defendants at the 
as-yet-unscheduled trial of the two Hanoi-based reporters who 
broke the news on the 2006 PMU 18 corruption scandal (Ref A). 
The heat appears to be coming directly from the Politburo, where 
rumors say that once opposing factions have now united and 
unanimously agreed that it is time to reign in the media for 
pushing the envelope on corruption reporting and public 
criticism of the government.  The press firings appear to be 
part of a larger campaign to tighten the newspapers' fiscal 
freedom and outreach efforts.  Journalists, though scared, are 
expressing their deep frustration in publicly available web logs 
(blogs).  End Summary. 
 
MORE HCMC EDITORS FACE FIRINGS 
------------------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) ConGen's HCMC media contacts said they expect the 
current purge of top media brass to continue in coming days, 
while journalist contacts in Hanoi also confirm the spreading 
atmosphere of unease.  Possible future firings include chief 
editor Le Hoang of Tuoi Tre (Youth), Nam Dong of the HCMC-based 
Phap Luat (the Law) newspaper and Ly Tien Dung of the 
Hanoi-based Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) paper. All four are key 
players in Vietnamese media.  Under Le Hoang, Tuoi Tre grew to 
become the nation's largest circulation daily, thanks largely 
due to its willingness to constantly push the envelope on press 
freedom in order to deliver real news that people want to read 
(ref D).  Nam Dong, a scion in the press community who has been 
at the helm of Phap Luat for over ten years, ran into trouble 
when his daily published investigative reports on stock market 
manipulation by "underground bosses" connected to Party 
officials and their interest groups.  Editor Dung is a potential 
target because of his paper's reporting on the arrest of the two 
Hanoi reporters who broke the PMU 18 corruption scandal. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Following four days of "working sessions" with the HCMC 
authorities in late July, chief editor Le Hoang and the 
editorial board of Tuoi Tre were asked to voluntarily suggest 
forms of punishments for themselves.  When the HCMC Communist 
Youth Union, which administers the paper, carried their 
suggestion of a "reprimand" -- the lightest disciplinary level 
-- to the Communist Party Secretariat, ConGen contacts say that 
the Party Secretariat scolded HCMC Youth Secretary General Vo 
Van Thuong for being "too submissive." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Thanh Nien's chief editor Nguyen Cong Khe "will be 
next," according to a well-placed ConGen contact at the paper, 
but his removal will likely be done more quietly at year's end. 
Khe's case is special, since he is known as a well-connected 
political player with strong ties to both HCMC Party Secretary 
(and Politburo member) Hai and President Triet.  While Thanh 
Nien (Youth) has developed strong pro-reform and anti-corruption 
credentials under Khe, detractors state that he has selectively 
revealed corruption and wrongdoings by certain government 
officials while scrupulously avoiding reporting on any scandal 
with possible links to those officials who make up his political 
"umbrella." 
Khe also holds some international stature -- Thanh Nien was the 
organizer of the "Charming Vietnam" galas in Australia and the 
UK, the Vice President of the Vietnam-US Society, and was 
president of the Miss Universe organizing committee as well as 
the only Vietnamese judge.  One contact close to Khe said he 
finds the ongoing press crackdown to be "incomprehensible" and 
speculated Khe may have lost his political backing in the 
Politburo.  Other contacts, however, pointed out that Khe is 
well-known for his ability to lobby his way out of trouble, and 
may survive the current press purge despite a rumored "strong 
commitment" among the central government leaders to remove him. 
 
TRIAL LOOMS AHEAD 
----------------- 
¶5. (SBU) These rumors come in the wake of a wave of firings and 
official press card revocations by the Ministry of Information 
and Communication in Hanoi.  At Tuoi Tre, those who have already 
fallen victim to the press crackdown include Deputy 
Editor-in-Chief Bui Van Thanh (Ref B) and the paper's Hanoi 
Office Manager Duong Duc Da Trang.  At Thanh Nien, Deputy 
Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Quoc Phong and General Manager Huynh Kim 
Sanh were among those who were fired and had their press cards 
revoked on August 1.  The official reason the Ministry gave for 
the dismissals were alleged "violations of professional 
operations."  While no official charges have yet been announced, 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000735  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
three former editors from Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien may face 
charges at the as-yet-unscheduled trial of the two Hanoi 
reporters who broke the news on the PMU 18 scandal.  One senior 
editor told ConGen that he believes he has a "fifty-fifty" 
chance of facing prosecution and additional penalties. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Senior Colonel Nao 
Tam Chau acknowledged to Hanoi Poloff that the charges against 
the reporters who broke the PMU 18 story had created the 
impression among many people that the government's action was 
politically motivated retaliation for their exposure of 
corruption; Chau said even he had this impression when he first 
heard of the arrests.  He asserted, however, that having seen 
the evidence against the reporters he believed their trial would 
expose their wrongdoing and convince people that they had indeed 
acted improperly.  Various contacts in HCMC have echoed a very 
similar line, maintaining that the latest information they have 
indicates that the two reporters purposefully reported false 
information.  It appears, however, that these statements do not 
mean that the GVN and CPV believe that the entire PMU18 scandal 
was fabricated.  On August 13, the Communist Party Secretariat 
asked the GVN to sack Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Viet 
Tien for "previous irresponsibility which caused dire 
consequences for...PMU 18." Since Tien was acquitted of criminal 
charges earlier this year, this development adds another 
quixotic twist to this tale of official corruption. 
 
GVN MOVES TO LIMIT PRESS OUTREACH 
--------------------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) A well-place press contact said the Party's Politburo 
reached an unanimous decision in March to "rectify" the media, 
and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, together with Standing 
member of the Secretariat Truong Tan Sang, pushed strongly for 
it.  Media contacts at Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien said GVN 
authorities carried out a comprehensive audit of the papers' 
financial records in late June, including social work and 
scholarship programs.  While these audits are routine, ConGen 
contacts noted that they can be used as fault-finding missions 
to gather evidence for potential personnel actions.  Following 
the audits, GVN authorities have now begun to implement Decree 
64 and Ministry of Finance Circular 72, which prevent all 
newspapers from directly engaging in charitable activities, 
including disaster relief aid.  According to the new 
regulations, newspapers can still accept charitable donations 
but have to forward them to the Fatherland Front for 
distribution.  This move was widely seen as another way to clamp 
down on the independence and influence of the media. 
 
JOURNALISTS SCARED BUT NOT SILENCED 
----------------------------------- 
¶8. (SBU) While journalists have been reluctant to meet with 
ConGen officially during these uncertain times of increased 
surveillance and police questioning, reporters are continuing to 
blast the GVN's "rectification" campaign against the media in 
their weblogs.  One August 11 blog entry argued that the 
crackdown has not only harmed the "people's trust in the Party 
and its willingness to fight corruption," but also undermined 
the "people's right to freedom of speech."  The entry also 
attributed the Party officials' mindset to a "lack of 
democracy."  Six international affairs reporters met with 
Embassy officials for an off the record discussion of the 
current environment on August 12, noting their growing unease 
but affirming their and their colleagues' commitment to the 
profession.  As one editor noted, they must be cautious not to 
cross certain lines that the government lays down -- a 
particularly challenging task when the seems to be moving 
backwards. 
 
MEDIA CRACKDOWN TIMELINE 
------------------------ 
¶9. (SBU) The following is a list of journalists and editors who 
have faced official reprisals since May.  All cases appear 
related to reporting on corruption, including the PMU 18 scandal. 
 
 
Arrested: 
 
--Nguyen Viet Chien, Thanh Nien reporter 
--Nguyen Van Hai, Tuoi Tre reporter 
 
Dismissed: 
 
--Huynh Son Phuoc, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre 
--Nguyen Quang Vinh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre 
 
Dismissed, with press cards revoked: 
 
--Nguyen Quoc Phong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien 
--Huynh Kim Sanh, General Manager of Thanh Nien 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000735  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
--Bui Van Thanh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre 
--Duong Duc Da Trang, Hanoi Office Manager of Tuoi Tre 
 
Reprimanded: 
 
--Nguyen Quang Thong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
¶10. (SBU) Despite the optimism expressed by the Ministry of 
Public Security, it seems unlikely the trials of the jailed 
reporters will convince average Vietnamese that the charges they 
face are the result of anything other than a systematic 
crackdown on media freedom.  This ongoing crackdown has created 
a climate of fear and uncertainty in the media community.  Some 
journalists are contemplating resigning from the business while 
others worry that popular papers may fold under the pressure. 
All feel the worst is yet to come as they await news of trial 
dates for the two jailed reporters in Hanoi and other possible 
prosecutions.  Regardless of whether the GVN replaces these 
leading lights with Party hacks, as many expect, the arrests of 
reporters and sacking of some of the most experienced and 
pro-reform media professionals in Vietnam certainly represents a 
serious setback to freedom of the press and freedom of speech in 
Vietnam.  End comment. 
 
¶11. (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi.FAIRFAX