VZCZCXRO6654
OO RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1086/01 2631012
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191012Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8497
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 5132

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001086 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL CASC VM
 
SUBJECT: LARGE PRAYER VIGIL NEAR HANOI CATHEDRAL, AP REPORTER 
ASSAULTED BY POLICE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Between 150 and 200 Catholic priests and an 
equal number of supporters gathered in prayer outside the former 
residence of the Papal Nuncio to protest ongoing destruction of 
property claimed by the Church.  According to priests, riot police 
and construction teams arrived in the early morning of September 19 
to carry out a Hanoi Government order to turn the disputed property 
into a park/library.  An Amcit AP reporter covering the vigil was 
hit by police after he began taking photographs and briefly taken 
into custody.  Embassy officers secured his release and accompanied 
him to a local expatriate medical facility.  The Embassy strongly 
protested the incident.  Text of our diplomatic note and draft press 
guidance follow in paragraphs 5 and 6.  END SUMMARY. 
 
EARLY MORNING DESTRUCTION/CONSTRUCTION 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) According to priests associated with the Hanoi 
Archdiocese, riot police began arriving at the former residence of 
the Papal Nuncio (long the subject of a land dispute between the 
Church and the People's Committee of Hanoi) at around 3:00 am 
September 19, followed soon after by construction crews and 
equipment.  By 5:00 am the street in front of the disputed property 
had been cordoned off and the fence surrounding the Nunciate torn 
down.  Arriving at approximately 10:30, Deputy PolCouns saw 
bulldozers digging up the yard in front of the former residence; a 
backhoe had finished demolishing several smaller structures to the 
side of the residence.  Priests and others at the site reported that 
the authorities were enforcing an edict dated the same day declaring 
that the property surrounding the residence would be made into a 
park and the building itself turned into a library.  The edict came 
one day after the Archbishop's office had announced plans to hold a 
large prayer vigil to protest the local authorities' failure to 
fulfill their promise to return the disputed land. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Priests from the Archdiocese, which is located immediately 
adjacent to the former residence, began to gather shortly after 
Morning Prayer, at around 8:00 am.  By mid-morning, approximately 
150 priests from the Archdiocese and surrounding parishes had 
assembled in neat rows in a prayer vigil in the street facing the 
property.  Priests and lay supporters said that they did not know 
how long they would remain.  Later in the afternoon, police had 
sealed off the dormitories of the priests and nuns located near the 
site and were not allowing people to enter or leave, according to a 
priest involved in the vigil. 
 
AP JOURNALIST BEATEN BY POLICE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) At approximately 10:45 am, PAS was contacted by the 
Associated Press Hanoi bureau chief, an Amcit, who reported that he 
had been beaten by plainclothes police and was being taken to a 
nearby police station.  DPolCouns located the journalist, who was 
being led into a local police office near the Hanoi Cathedral. 
(Consular arrest report septel.)  The journalist had a laceration on 
the upper back part of his head, and though the wound itself had 
stopped bleeding, there was a considerable amount of blood on his 
neck, shirt, and pants.  (Note: a video of the journalist being led 
away has been posted on "Vietcatholic.net," 
www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/58708.htm.  End note.)  After some 
discussion, DPolCouns and Conoff received assurances that the 
journalist was no longer being held and could leave.  After 
submitting a written complaint describing the incident, the 
journalist was accompanied by Conoff to a local expatriate clinic, 
where the journalist, visibly shaken and still very angry, received 
four stitches in his head.  The journalist refused to sign -- and 
Embassy officers declined to accept -- a sanitized version of events 
drafted by the investigating officer. 
 
EMBASSY PROTESTS INCIDENT 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The DCM -- in the absence of the Ambassador, who is 
visiting the Central Highlands -- expressed indignation over the 
incident to MFA Americas Director General Nguyen Ba Hung, 
emphasizing that it was inexcusable for an American citizen to be 
beaten by police.  The DCM explained in blunt terms that assaulting 
a journalist during the course of his lawful activities was not a 
wise course of action and pressed Vietnam to investigate the matter 
fully.  The Embassy also submitted the following diplomatic note to 
protest the event formally. 
 
Begin text: 
 
The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments 
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam and has the honor to inform the Ministry of our grave 
concern regarding the detainment and physical abuse of an American 
journalist by police the morning of September 19.  While observing 
 
HANOI 00001086  002 OF 002 
 
 
the ongoing church protests at Nha Chung street, Associated Press 
journalist Ben Stocking was beaten without justification and had his 
camera confiscated by the police.  As a result of his mistreatment, 
Mr. Stocking sustained head injuries and required medical 
treatment. 
 
The Embassy strongly objects to aggressive actions being taken 
against any individual - whether American or not - who is observing 
or participating in a peaceful gathering.  The Embassy requests that 
the Government of Vietnam investigate this incident and inform the 
Embassy of the appropriate steps it intends to take. 
 
In connection with this incident, the Embassy takes this opportunity 
to renew our expression of concern regarding the government's 
response to ongoing Catholic Church land protests.  The Embassy is 
troubled by the government action at the Nha Chung property and the 
growing number of arrests of individuals who have participated in 
peaceful prayer vigils at the Thai Ha parish.  In our interactions 
with Government of Vietnam officials, the Embassy has regularly 
urged that Committee on Religious Affairs address the long-standing 
Church property claims of religious groups in Vietnam.  We also urge 
the Hanoi People's Committee to engage in a dialogue directly with 
Catholic leaders and believers in order to seek a mutually agreeable 
resolution to property disputes regarding Church properties 
confiscated over the years. 
 
The Embassy of the United States of America in Hanoi avails itself 
of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the assurances of its highest 
consideration. 
 
End text. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Begin text of draft press guidance: 
 
VIETNAM:  Beating and Detention of American Journalist 
 
¶Q.  What is the U.S. Government/ American Embassy response to the 
beating and detention of Associated Press Journalist and American 
citizen Ben Stocking in Hanoi on September 19? 
 
-- The Associated Press journalist notified the Embassy immediately 
after this incident.  Embassy officers, including a consular 
official, responded quickly to assist with his interaction with the 
police and to seek medical attention. 
 
-- We strongly object to any aggressive actions being taken against 
any individual, American or otherwise, who is observing or 
participating in a peaceful gathering. 
 
-- We have protested the incident to the government and look forward 
to hearing what steps have been taken - both in response to this 
incident and to ensure that it doesn't happen again. 
 
-- At the request of this individual, we refer further questions to 
the Associated Press. 
 
End text. 
 
Michalak