January 22, 2010
Translated by Radio New Horizon
After breaking into the website of Bauxite Vietnam, hackers not only fraudulently impersonated Pham Toan in attempt to sow internal division amongst editorial staff, they also launched attacks on other Vietnamese intellects living abroad who write articles for the site.
One of the victims being targeted by hackers is Phung Lien Doan who currently resides in America. In an interview with our station’s editor, Gia Minh, Phung Lien Doan expresses his thoughts regarding the actions of hackers deliberately attacking him and assesses the treatment of the intellectual community by authorities in Ha Noi.
Passing the Buck
Phung Lien Doan: The attacks are targeted at me because I offer assistance to people in creating home pages which publish articles written by Vietnamese intellects who live within the country and abroad. They are indeed the true voice of the people. I have lived abroad for a number of years now. Therefore, upon recognizing their earnest longing to bring the truth, a comfortable life, and happiness to the people of Vietnam, I decided to assist in any way possible. Due to this reason, there are those who attack me, slanderizing that I belong to this or that political party. Of course, these are just false accusations. However, I’ve responded to my attackers in a straightforward manner through words and in writing. They’ve remained silent since.
“Passing the buck” is characteristic of these attackers. They place viruses in my email inbox and the mailbox of people who contribute to the website ‘bauxitevietnam.com’ to stalk our communication. Attacking me is not an isolated incident. They’ve also assaulted two other intellects living in France who are both retired physicists – Pham Xuan Yem and Dang Dinh Du. I am also a retired scientist. These attacks give them no benefit, yet they still hack us.
All three advocates of the website ‘bauxitevietnam.com’, namely, Nguyen Hue Chi, Pham Toan, and Nguyen The Hung are like “fish on the chopping board, head on the block”. Those with evil intentions may execute accordingly. For example, Nguyen Hue Chi’s telephone line was disconnected by hackers so that calls can no longer be made. People participating in demonstrations to protect the islands of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are imprisoned; likewise, ill-willed individuals are seeking ways to slanderize the three advocates mentioned above. They are desperately searching for information from our exchange of email messages. If relevant data is found, their intention is to overthrow or “peacefully” proceed against us.
From the beginning, our only wish as intellects has been to portray the truth, thus we are not too concerned about the above matter.
Gia Minh: How have you assisted the people responsible for the website bauxitevietnam?
Phung Lien Doan: I assist by writing articles for them such as papers on the topic of nuclear power plants. I am professionally trained in that area. In my opinion, we should not perform deeds for which future generations will have to repay on our behalf. We voice issues that are beneficial to the country of Vietnam and its people, which on one hand may be unpalatable to the few groups of individuals who are solely focused on self-interest. We reveal the truth based on aspects of science.
Does law exist in Vietnam?
Gia Minh: In your opinion, what are the long-term effects of mistreating intellects?
Phung Lien Doan: On visits to foreign countries, the President of Vietnam maintains that his homeland has laws private to the nation. In reality, the identities of “mafia” gang leaders remain a mystery despite their physical assault of Buddhist monks and nuns at Bat Nha monastery, beating in broad daylight human right activists such as Tran Khai Thanh Thuy. These forces carry out all kinds of malevolent acts and the Vietnamese police merely turn a blind eye. Such incidents give rise to our concern as to whether a reliable law system actually exists in Vietnam, or the law simply tolerates the subsistence of “mafia” gangs.
We raise questions that many others have also mentioned. The Swedish Ambassador and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam both state that there is a need for Internet freedom. The bauxitevietnam website steers clear of politics; we simply oppose inethical actions and encourage the improvement of society. Yet, we were hacked. If this is the case, then the identity of the hackers must be questioned. People who hide in the shadows, worming their way into email inboxes are indeed thieves who steal information. Those sorts of people regard us – patriotic citizens – as enemies; then who are they?
Gia Minh: In your view, do the Vietnamese intellects who live within the country and abroad have strategies to overcome the current situation?
Phung Lien Doan: People who live in Vietnam are subject to government control. None of the people I know are advocates of violence; they are just purely citizens. Nevertheless, they are gagged similarly to Nguyen Van Ly in court. Therefore, nobody is expected to know what really goes on behind one’s back. We only question whether democracy in Vietnam is genuine or a sham in nature, whether freedom is authentic or fake. We cannot do more than what righteousness permits.
Gia Minh: What must be done in order to protect righteousness?
Phung Lien Doan: Ambassador Michalak and the European Union affirms – their voice carries more weight than ours, as we are just ordinary citizens. We respect freedom, parallel to the people in Vietnam who do not desire to act with violence because the authorities will seize that opportunity to make immediate arrests. We only hope the Vietnamese government, having solemnly pledged by the international human rights law, having formally made commitments under the rules of the WTO, will also seriously be ‘truthful’ and not deceive. We are able to make progress up to that stage but cannot proceed any further.
Gia Minh: Thank you, Mr. Doan.
