VZCZCXRO9089
OO RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1144/01 2800925
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060925Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8577
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 5195

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001144 
 
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STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KIRF VM
 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS IMPRISONED DISSIDENTS NGUYEN VAN DAI AND 
LE THI CONG NHAN 
 
Reftel: Hanoi 286 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Ambassador met with two of Vietnam's most 
prominent political prisoners, dissident attorneys Nguyen Van Dai 
and Le Thi Cong Nhan, on October 2 and 3 respectively.  Both 
appeared healthy and described prison conditions not out of keeping 
with the norm in Vietnam.  Dai was in reasonably good spirits and 
said that he occupies his days with Bible study and English classes. 
 Nhan, by contrast, voiced dissatisfaction with her living quarters, 
food, and housekeeping responsibilities; however, she acknowledged 
that she was treated the same as other prisoners.  She has a Bible 
and is able to pray freely.  Characteristically defiant, Nhan 
refuses to acknowledge guilt or to profess love of the Communist 
Party.  Speaking with prison officials before meeting Dai, the 
Ambassador reiterated U.S. interest in the well-being of Dai's 
fellow prisoner Father Nguyen Van Ly.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Nguyen Van Dai 
-------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On October 2, the Ambassador visited Ba Sao Prison, a 
3,000-inmate minimum security facility nestled in the karst hills of 
Ha Nam province, to meet human rights attorney and Bloc 8406 
activist Nguyen Van Dai.  Dai appeared fit and responded to 
questions clearly and articulately.  Although conducted in the 
presence of Prison Commander Duong Duc Thang and his deputies, the 
45-minute meeting was relatively informal.  Thang insisted that Dai 
communicate in Vietnamese, but otherwise did not interject. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Dai reported that he lives with 57 other prisoners in a 
two-level dormitory-style ward and is treated no differently than 
other prisoners.  He said that he rises at 5:30 am and occupies his 
free time with Bible study -- using the Bible that was given to him 
by the visiting USCIRF delegation in October 2007 -- and 
English-language classes.  Dai said that he initially took part in 
the camp's "production activities," but was given permission to stop 
after his allergies flared up.  He said that, as with other 
prisoners, he is allowed monthly visits by family, who provide him 
with imported medication to treat his allergies and health 
complications connected with an earlier bout of Hepatitis B.  Dai 
affirmed that otherwise he is in good health and exercises 
regularly. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Following the meeting, the Ambassador inquired about 
Father Nguyen Van Ly, another prominent member of Bloc 8406, whom 
the Ambassador met at Ba Sao prison in March (reftel).  Smiling, 
Thang responded that while Father Ly is "not an ideal prisoner," he 
remains in good health and continues to voice his opinions 
strenuously. 
 
Le Thi Cong Nhan 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The following day, October 3, the Ambassador visited Thanh 
Hoa Province's Prison 5, a larger minimum security prison located 
two hours south of Bao Son, to meet with Dai's close associate, 
dissident attorney and Bloc 8406 member Le Thi Cong Nhan.  Nhan 
appeared healthy, but subdued and defiant.   She chose her words 
carefully, noting that she had only been informed of the meeting ten 
minutes previously.  Prison Commander Thai Trinh Tuong and his staff 
were considerably less at ease than their counterparts at Ba Sao and 
kept the conversation strictly to the allotted thirty minutes. 
Before the meeting, Tuong complained that Nhan was not serving her 
sentence "properly," often breaking prison rules and refusing to 
work.  Worse, in Tuong's estimation, Nhan would not acknowledge her 
offense, a primary requirement for amnesty. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) At the beginning of the meeting, Nhan said that she had 
been admonished by prison officials to "speak honestly," but felt 
intimidated since that was precisely what had gotten her in trouble 
with the law to begin with.  Nevertheless, she would try to tell the 
truth, she said.  Commenting on prison conditions, Nhan said that 
she was housed with 53 other inmates in a dormitory-style ward in a 
separate all-female section of the prison.  (Note: According to 
Tuong, approximately one quarter of the prison's 4,000 inmates are 
female.  End note.)  She said that her living arrangements were the 
same as those of her fellow prisoners, but complained that the ward 
was too crowded, with inmates sleeping "shoulder to shoulder."  She 
also criticized the food, describing the weekly servings of fish and 
pork as miniscule. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) An observant Protestant, Nhan said that she has a Bible 
and is able to pray freely; however, the approximately 50 Catholics 
that she knew in prison were afraid to request a Bible.  Asked about 
her daily routine, Nhan said that she was not required to work as 
hard as the others, and that her primary responsibility was to 
assist in sweeping the floor and cutting the grass.  She protested, 
however, that prison officials did not supply her with adequate 
 
HANOI 00001144  002 OF 002 
 
 
tools.  She attempted to organize a petition, but none of the other 
women would sign.  (Note: After the meeting, Tuong noted that other 
women assigned to sweep the floor typically make their own brooms 
from banana leaves.  End note.)  Nhan complained of frequent sinus 
headaches and stomach pain, but said that after a cursory exam, the 
prison doctor had dismissed her ailments as minor.  She said that, 
per prison regulations, she is visited once a month by relatives. 
They provide her with over-the-counter medicine for her symptoms, 
but she is reluctant to take them without clear instructions from a 
doctor. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Turning to politics, Nhan insisted that despite pressure, 
she refuses to proclaim her love for the Communist Party of Vietnam 
or to acknowledge that stating her political opinions constitutes a 
crime.  Even if she were a model prisoner in all other respects, 
this fact alone would preclude amnesty, she said. 
 
Background Information 
---------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Prominent members of the Bloc 8406 political movement, 
attorneys Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan were convicted in May 
2007 under Article 88 of the criminal code, which bans "conducting 
propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam."  Dai was 
sentenced to five years in prison, Nhuan to four; their sentences 
were later reduced by one year.  Founder of the Vietnam Committee 
for Human Rights, Dai is a recipient of Human Rights Watch's Hellman 
and Hammett award for writers under persecution.  Prior to her 
arrest Nhan was the spokesman for the Vietnam Progression Party. 
The United States has raised both individuals' cases repeatedly and 
at senior levels, including by Secretary Rice to FM Khiem during 
President Triet's July 2007 visit to Washington. 
 
Michalak