The Vietnam government starts the New Year not with festivities as usual but with signs of a large-scale crackdown against dissidents in preparation for the National Communist Party Congress in early 2011.
Vietnam's economic growth slowed to 5.32% in 2009 from 6.18% last year, the government's General Statistics Office said Thursday Dec. 31, 2009. It’s worth noting that Vietnam routinely issues economic data before the end of the reporting period, with figures based solely on estimations. The reality might be even worse.
Amid economic difficulties, the New Year 2010 started with a series of political trials in what believed to be a premeditated plan to deter opponents from causing chaos before the Party's Conference - an event promising to draw an avalanche of sharp criticisms coming from various directions on hot issues such as widespread graft, bauxite mining, conceding borderlands to Beijing, and land disputes with farmers and religious organizations.
Since June, 2009, four democratic campaigners have been held in custody waiting trial date of Jan. 21. The most prominent defendant is Le Cong Dinh, 41, an American-educated lawyer who has defended human rights campaigners and has called for multi-party democracy. The others are Nguyen Tien Trung, who recently studied Information Technology in Paris; Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, a business owner; and Le Thang Long, a candidate for the National Assembly.
The foursome was originally charged with "conducting propaganda" against the state, in violation of Article 88 of the Penal Code which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted or pleaded guilty. However, just as recently as last month, Vietnamese authorities had upgraded the first charge to "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration" in violation of Article 79 which can give them the death penalty.
In a separate trial lasted for only 4 hours on Dec. 28, rumoured to be the litmus test of the public reaction to the government's first round of crackdown on prodemocracy movement, another dissident Tran Anh Kim, a military former officer, 60, was convicted of subversion for pro-democracy activities and sentenced to five and a half years in prison and 3 years of probation to follow.
Kim was accused of participating in what the government called an "organized crime against the state". The judge charged him with ''cooperation with reactionary Vietnamese and hostile forces in exile by posting 85 articles criticizing the government”. Kim argued back that he had been fighting for “democratic freedom and human rights through peaceful dialogue and nonviolent means.”
From a similar premeditated plan to silence criticism from the Church came the recent warning issued on Dec 28, 2009 by Chairman Pham Ngoc Huu of the People's Committee of the Third District.
Huu accused the Redemptorist community of carrying out activities antagonistic with the Party's policies and the state's laws, at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, north side of Saigon.
Fr. Joseph Le Quang Uy, in particular, was singled out in this statement as the person of interest. He was named as the main subject for the Committee’s denunciations.
A devoted Redemptorist, who has given so much to save the lives of the unborn and the underprivileged, and the environment, Fr. Joseph Le has been known for speaking out against the government's policies on illegal mining, and human rights violations.
On the other hand, his reputation of being the spiritual leader of many charitable and religiously social groups has been closely watched and monitored by the government.
A smearing campaign against him was kicked off on June 6, 2009 as he was returning home from a pastoral trip abroad. His luggage was searched meticulously and his laptop was confiscated by the airport security and customs agents. The priest was later released but the campaign of smearing had lasted for months.
Vietnamese Catholics have been shocked by the Committee’s statement. All the priest did was to speak out against social and political injustice, but now he is facing a serious charge of "plotting to overthrow the government" which can bring him a potentially doomed fate.
Vietnam's economic growth slowed to 5.32% in 2009 from 6.18% last year, the government's General Statistics Office said Thursday Dec. 31, 2009. It’s worth noting that Vietnam routinely issues economic data before the end of the reporting period, with figures based solely on estimations. The reality might be even worse.
Amid economic difficulties, the New Year 2010 started with a series of political trials in what believed to be a premeditated plan to deter opponents from causing chaos before the Party's Conference - an event promising to draw an avalanche of sharp criticisms coming from various directions on hot issues such as widespread graft, bauxite mining, conceding borderlands to Beijing, and land disputes with farmers and religious organizations.
Since June, 2009, four democratic campaigners have been held in custody waiting trial date of Jan. 21. The most prominent defendant is Le Cong Dinh, 41, an American-educated lawyer who has defended human rights campaigners and has called for multi-party democracy. The others are Nguyen Tien Trung, who recently studied Information Technology in Paris; Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, a business owner; and Le Thang Long, a candidate for the National Assembly.
The foursome was originally charged with "conducting propaganda" against the state, in violation of Article 88 of the Penal Code which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted or pleaded guilty. However, just as recently as last month, Vietnamese authorities had upgraded the first charge to "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration" in violation of Article 79 which can give them the death penalty.
In a separate trial lasted for only 4 hours on Dec. 28, rumoured to be the litmus test of the public reaction to the government's first round of crackdown on prodemocracy movement, another dissident Tran Anh Kim, a military former officer, 60, was convicted of subversion for pro-democracy activities and sentenced to five and a half years in prison and 3 years of probation to follow.
Kim was accused of participating in what the government called an "organized crime against the state". The judge charged him with ''cooperation with reactionary Vietnamese and hostile forces in exile by posting 85 articles criticizing the government”. Kim argued back that he had been fighting for “democratic freedom and human rights through peaceful dialogue and nonviolent means.”
From a similar premeditated plan to silence criticism from the Church came the recent warning issued on Dec 28, 2009 by Chairman Pham Ngoc Huu of the People's Committee of the Third District.
Huu accused the Redemptorist community of carrying out activities antagonistic with the Party's policies and the state's laws, at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, north side of Saigon.
Fr. Joseph Le Quang Uy, in particular, was singled out in this statement as the person of interest. He was named as the main subject for the Committee’s denunciations.
A devoted Redemptorist, who has given so much to save the lives of the unborn and the underprivileged, and the environment, Fr. Joseph Le has been known for speaking out against the government's policies on illegal mining, and human rights violations.
On the other hand, his reputation of being the spiritual leader of many charitable and religiously social groups has been closely watched and monitored by the government.
A smearing campaign against him was kicked off on June 6, 2009 as he was returning home from a pastoral trip abroad. His luggage was searched meticulously and his laptop was confiscated by the airport security and customs agents. The priest was later released but the campaign of smearing had lasted for months.
Vietnamese Catholics have been shocked by the Committee’s statement. All the priest did was to speak out against social and political injustice, but now he is facing a serious charge of "plotting to overthrow the government" which can bring him a potentially doomed fate.