(Viet Tan Press Release)
At the doorstep of the APEC Summit, the Vietnamese authorities continue to suppress independent voices despite the effort to portray a civilized image to the world. Last night, Vietnamese security police stopped Le Thi Cong Nhan from boarding her flight at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi. Ms. Cong Nhan is the spokesperson for the recently founded Vietnam Progression Party and was to be a guest speaker at a conference in Warsaw. She planned to talk on the “Legal Aspects of Labor Strikes and the Need for an Independent Labor Union in Vietnam.”
Similarly, on the morning of October 25, Nguyen Van Dai was barred by security police from boarding his flight to attend a Mennonite Christian Conference in India. Nguyen Van Dai is a prominent voice on human rights and member of the Bloc 8406, which released the Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam in April this year. Both Le Thi Cong Nhan and Nguyen Van Dai were detained by the security police without a warrant.
The Vietnamese government’s actions coincide with the founding of the Independent Labor Union of Vietnam (ILUV) on October 20, 2006 “because there is an urgent need to provide protection to Vietnamese workers.” Since December last year, there have been widespread labor strikes across Vietnam demanding higher wages and humane working conditions. Workers are frequently subjected to overtime without compensation, insults and physical punishments (including sexual abuse) by factory managers. The Vietnamese General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), which is an arm of the Vietnamese Communist Party, not only fails to represent workers but also colludes with owners for the financial benefit of VGCL officials.
The restrictions on travel of Le Thi Cong Nhan and Nguyen Van Dai without appropriate warrants violate Article 68 of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Constitution which states “that all citizens have the right to leave and return to his/her own country.” This is another indication that the Vietnamese communist regime does not abide by its own laws, let alone international standards.
