January 8, 2015
South East Asian countries compiled various applications concerning in the particular area of civil society organisations. The 2015 ASEAN Civil Society Conference Organising Committee recently sent out a letter asking for countries to distribute these applications to the different civil society organisations however the Vietnamese government only distributed these documents to a few civil society organisations which they had formed themselves and seen as an extended arm of the administration. Independent civil society organisations in Vietnam received the news through other communication channels and with a sense of responsibility, 19 civil society organisations sent their recommendations to the Organising Committee of the 2015 ASEAN Civil Society Conference.
Recommendations made by independent Vietnamese civil society organisations sent to the 2015 ASEAN Civil Society Conference in Kuala Lumpur
To the Malaysian Organising Committee, the ASEAN Standing Committee and the Drafting Committee of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2015
We, the independent civil society organisations of Vietnam, would respectfully like to introduce ourselves as organisations who have formed over the past few years on the basis of non-profit, nonpartisan and non-governmental. We independently formed on the grounds of Article 25 of the 2013 Constitution of Vietnam and the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, we continue not to be recognised by the Vietnamese authorities as civil society organiations.
The organisations in which the Vietnamese government assigned the task of attending the ASEAN Civil Society community such as VUFO, GREENID, VPDF and CRSCH are various organisations in which the Vietnamese government had established and funded. The leaders are various Vietnamese Communist Party officials. The goal and activities of these organisations is steered in the direction according to the government. Essentially, they are not independent civil society organisations but are merely an extension of the Communist government to surveilling people and social activities in the sake of foreign affairs for the Communist Party.
The various independent Vietnamese civil society organisations would like to assert that we did not receive any documentation or drafts of the joint statements from the various 2015 ASEAN civil society organisations from the delegation which was deemed as representatives of the Vietnamese civil society organisations. Therefore, we kindly ask for the Committees to find ways for us to attend or participate over Skype at the upcoming Conference. The Vietnamese independent civil society organisations would also like to use this opportunity to comment on the current state of our country:
A- Abuse of civil rights
1. Thousands of human rights defenders have had their right of freedom of movement in Vietnam stripped, banned from travelling within Vietnam and abroad, had passports confiscated and often times and loss of their freedom of residence.
2 The Vietnamese authorities have pressured employers of these human rights defenders to be dismissed from their workplace. Former prisoners of conscience have been prohibited to work for NGO’s and various professions.
B- Human Rights Violations
1. As the regulations in the Vietnamese constitution state that land is owned and managed by the State, land clearance for foreign investment projects have led to state land confiscation of farmers and local residents or under-compensation for those affectedn. Hundreds of thousands of aggrieved citizens across all of Vietnam have called for help and thousands of aggrieved citizens have been oppressed with hundreds being unjustly imprisoned.
2. Vietnamese labourers are faced with one of the lowest wages in the world and work in poor conditions and are not allowed to form workers unions. Many labour strikes have been suppressed and leaders of these strikes have been imprisoned.
Therefore, the independent Vietnamese civil society organisations would like provide the following recommendations pertaining to civil and political rights, as well as cultural, economic and social rights:
1. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association for citizens must be respected. The Vietnamese authorities must end the harassment of members of the independent civil society organisations and prevention of the peaceful meetings held by these organisations.
2. Citizens must have a right to freely form organisations. The Vietnamese government must put an end to the violent assaults on human rights defenders. In 2014, there were approximately 150 human rights defenders who were violently assaulted.
3. Freedom of information and press in Vietnam must be fully implemented. There are 30 bloggers and journalists who are currently being detained by the Vietnamese government.
4. Vietnamese citizens must have land rights and right to private ownership of land. Tthose who face land requisition in the interest of the public must be fairly compensated.
5. Labourers must receive wages enough to feed themselves, must work in safe workplace conditions and have the right to form work unions of their own.
6. Various religions should have the right to be independent institutions and independently organise religious activities and have their land returned which was confiscated by the government.
7. The Vietnamese government must remove vaguely defined and unconstitutional articles in the Penal Code such as Article 258 “abuse their democratic freedoms”, Article 88 “propaganda against the State” and Article 79 “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration”. Other articles must be more specific such as Article 245 “causing public disorder” and Article 257 “resisting persons in their performance of official duties” according to the standard of international human rights.
Various prisoners of conscience must be released unconditionally. At present there are 106 prisoners of conscience currently being detained.
With kind regards
Co-signed by the various independent civil society organisations of Vietnam:
- Bach Dang Giang Foundation: Mr. Pham Ba Hai
- League of Vietnamese Writers: Nguyen Ngoc
- Bauxite Vietnam: Prof. Phạm Xuan Yem, Prof. Nguyen Hue Chi
- Cao Dai Church, Human Livelyhood Sect: Mr. Hua Phi, Mr.Nguyen Kim Lan, Mrs. Nguyen Bach Phung
- Civil Society Forum: Dr. Nguyen Quang A
- Evangelical Lutheran Community Church Vietnam-America: Pastor Nguyen Hoang Hoa
- Christian Mennonite Church: Pastor Nguyen Manh Hung, Pastor Pham Ngoc Thach
- Friendship Association of Political and Religious Prisoners: Nguyen Bac Truyen (LLB)
- Brotherhood for Democracy: Nguyen Van Dai
- Association to Protect Freedom of Religion: Ms. Ha Thi Van
- Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience: Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Father Phan Van Loi
- Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam: Dr. Pham Chi Dung
- Vietnamese Women for Human Rights: Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy, Ms. Tran Thi Nga, Ms. Tran Thi Hai
- Evangelical Protestant Chuong Bo Church: Pastor Le Quang Du
- Bloc 8406: Father Phan Van Loi
- Vietnamese Labourers: Ms. Do Thi Minh Hanh
- Oppressed Petitioners’ Solidarity Movement: Mrs. Tran Ngoc Anh
- Delegation of Vietnamese United Buddhists Church: Ven.Thich Khong Tanh
Hoa Hao Buddhists Church, Purity: Mr. Le Quang Liem
