US Ambassador to Vietnam Dismayed About Detentions of Dissidents
By Roseanne Gerin
- RFA
12/29/2015
The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam on Tuesday expressed concern about recent reports
of harassment and detentions of human rights advocates, including the recent
arrest of a prominent rights advocate in the repressive Southeast Asian country.
Ambassador Ted Osius cited the Dec. 16 arrest of dissident lawyer and blogger
Nguyen Van Dai on charges of conducting “propaganda against the state” and
information that Hoang Duc Binh and Do Thi Minh Hanh and other peaceful labor
rights activists had been assaulted by police in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 25 as
part of a troubling trend.
“This disturbing trend, at this time, threatens to overshadow Vietnam’s progress
on human rights in recent years,” he said in the media release. “I urge the
Vietnamese government to investigate reports of these assaults immediately and
to hold accountable any officials responsible.”
More than two dozen police officers took Dai, 46, into custody a week after
masked assailants beat him and other activists in what he said was retaliation
for educating members of the public about their human rights.
On Dec. 17, Bruno Angelet, head of the European Union delegation to Vietnam,
joined ambassadors to Vietnam from EU member states in voicing “serious concern”
over Dai’s arrest.
The U.S. also called on the Vietnamese government to ensure its laws and actions
are consistent with its international obligations and commitments,
unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience, and allow individuals in
the country to express their political views without fear of retribution, the
U.S. statement said.
Vietnam appears to have stalled on progress toward democracy and human rights
despite joining the U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which activists hoped
would improve broader human rights issues in the country.
Twelve Pacific Rim countries — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam— signed the
TPP on Oct. 5, agreeing to lower tariffs and establish a dispute settlement
mechanism for trade.