AFP – 09/11/08
Two opposition parties, banned in Vietnam, denounced Thursday the arrests of “pro-democracy activists” in the communist country at the height of tense protests from Catholics.
According to the People’s Democratic Party and Viet Tan, based in California and Hanoi, the police have arrested at least five dissidents during the past few days.
Among them included the writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia, a leader in the pro-democracy group, Bloc 8406. Founded on April 8, 2006, Bloc 8406 calls for political pluralism in Vietnam.
When questioned by AFP, the Vietnamese authorities did not confirm these arrests.
Tensions arise in Hanoi as a group of Catholic continued their third week of protests in Thai Ha district. Hundreds of Catholics were calling for the return of Church land seized by the Communist government several decades ago.
The two banned political parties also informed that the arrests coincide with the approaching fiftieth anniversary of a consignment letter to Beijing, written in September 14, 1958, and signed by then Prime Minister of North Vietnam, Pham Van Dong, recognizing the Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea including the archipelagos of the Spratley and Paracel islands.
This territorial concession was made when Hanoi relied on China’s assistance in the war against the Republic of South Vietnam and its allies.
The dispute over the two archipelagos was never resolved thus fuelling debates on the Web, including websites where dissidents posted the 1958 memorandum from Pham Van Dong and denounced China’s growing dominance in the region.
Writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia was one of the prominent figures that signed a petition circulating on the Internet calling on the Vietnamese leaders to refute the legality of the Pham Van Dong letter.
In late 2007, Vietnamese authorities squashed demonstrations by students protesting against Beijing’s policy in the South China Sea. Fearful of upsetting its big northern neighbor, the Vietnamese authorities denied its citizens the right to free speech and banned all rallies and protests.
Since then, the Vietnamese authorities have prevented another student-organized protest planned for late April 2008 during the Olympic torch relay through Saigon.
One blogger, known for his criticism of Chinese policy in the South China Sea, was arrested a few days before the Olympic torch relay and sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half years in prison.
According to Viet Tan, as American Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte visits Vietnam this week, Hanoi leadership will try “to give the appearance that everything is normal, while its police sweeps dissidents throughout the country.”
Translated from french