[Vnbiz] Vietnam detains Vietnamese-born U.S. citizen

[Tran Dinh Hoanh]

Dear Thanh Thanh & CACC,

Good point, Thanh Thanh.  I'm glad to raise it.  The issue is much more
complex than one or two or three parties.  I have go over this issues many
times in this forum, in one form or another.  Let me over them again here to
help you guys a little.

But before that, let me make sure everyone understand that I am discussing
things in general.  I am NOT saying anything about this particular news
article about this arrest of Do Thanh Cong, since I know nothing about the
case, nothing about who Do Thanh Cong is or whatever that People's
Democratic Party is.  (There are tons of "parties" out here and every one
claims a mission to "save Vietnam" and save you guys and gals in Vietnam (if
you can swallow it!).  I just don't have the time to figure them out).  For
that reason, I will not comment on this particular case, until I hear some
more details.

Thanh Thanh is absolutely right that if there is another party you would be
confused to choose, especially if that "party" is from outside Vietnam,
founded by some guys in California, or Melbourne, etc.  You don't know who
they are, what they want, what they plan to do with our country, you would
be very confused.  My theory is that if you don't know someone well enough,
then don't deal with him/her, be it business, or personal relationship, or
politics, or any kind of human relationship.

That is not mentioning that none the "party" out here practices democracy.
Sister  Hai Van has said correctly last week that her family members would
not let her speak with her northern accent in Orange county, fearing for her
safety.  If you hold a Vietnamese official flag (red and yellow star) in
many Vietnamese communities out herer, you have a great chance of being
harmed.  And there will not be any party or any Vietnamese language
newspaper out here that will come out to support your right to carry your
flag and to condemn extremist violence.  But all them will attempt to preach
"democracy" to you.

I really don't care about anyone's background.  You can sit and have a cup
of coffee with me, with a yellow flag, or red flag or white flag or pink
flag on the table, and I am perfectly happy with you.  You can be
pro-Communist, anti-Communist, pro-Catholic, anti-Catholic, pro-Muslim
anti-Muslim, I would be perfectly happy to have coffee with you, even when I
am in disagreement with you.  To me friendship surpasses all boundaries.
(And I do have friends with all kinds of background.  You name a kind of
background, chances are I have at least a friend with that background).  But
I CANNOT swallow hypocrisy and lying.  If you talk "democracy" and act like
the mob, I cannot swallow it.  Unfortunately, that is what happens out
here.  I will believe that a group is pro-democracy if the group comes out
and says: "I hate your flag, but this is the democratic US, I am defending
your right to carry that flag."  So far, I have seen NONE.  I see violence
and support for violence, but no true advocacy and true
practice of democracy, at least when Vietnam issues are on the table.

In addition, why should any political party out here be allowed to operate
inside Vietnam?  Even if you have a business in the US, in order to open a
branch in Vietnam you have to go through a lot of procedures until you get a
license.  Political activities have to be supervised even more carefully.
Why should Vietnam allow the US Republican Party to open an office in
Vietnam?  Why should Vietnam allow any overseas political party to operate
in Vietnam?   All these are issues that we as Vietnamese have to consider
seriously.  We cannot let our country be run like a cai' cho+. bat trat tu,
anyone just does what he wants.  Especially in the time of money politlic,
we cannot allow outsiders to use money to interfere with our internal
politics.  I am not advocating a big "NO."  I am advocating control and
carefulness.  We simply cannot let anyone outside coming in and do whatever
they want.  These issues have to be ponder over carefully.

Now, let's talk about multi-party.  You will realize that I advocate
competition in economics, in politics and in everything else, because
competition is healthy.  Competition brings up quality and reduces cost.
The example I always use is soccer (or football).  Many conditions have to
be met in order for a soccer game to go well:

1.  There have to have more than one team.  If there is only one group, the
group has to spit into at least two teams.

2.  The two teams have to be friendly with each other.  They compete as
friends, not as enemies who try to kill each other.  If the only team just
tries to kick at legs or bodies instead of the ball, the game will have to
stop or all war will break out in the field.

3. The two teams have to follow the rule, and no cheating. (Say, if one team
injects itself with steroid before the game, that would not be fair game).

4.  The two team have to compete and not collude to fix the game.

These are the minimum conditions for two teams to compete successfully.  If
these conditions are not met, probably we'd be better off with one team.

Among these four, the number-two condition is the most important:  The two
teams have to be friendly with each other.  In Vietnam's political context,
that means that the second team has to be able to compete with the VCP in a
friendly sporty way (like the Republican and the Democrat in the US).  That
means, the best possibility is that the second party is formed by a group of
people inside Vietnam who CAN work with the VCP in friendly terms.  The VCP
may even help to form that second party, in the spirit of good and healthy
competition.

Then, sister Thanh Thanh, you will know who to choose and you won't be
confused.  But these are the matters for you guys and gals inside the
country to work together.  I believe that things will come that way
eventually, because I know us Vietnamese.  We are very practical and we know
how to make things work.  And we are truly a country of brothers and
sisters.  Nothing brothers and sisters cannot achieve together.

In the meantime, let's pray that God shall open the heart and the mind of
the folks who are still fighting the old war.  They are so behind the time
and so destructive.  Let's move our country forward.  Let's love each
other.  Let's erase all hatred. Then we shall have democracy, because the
best democracy grows on love.

Have a great day!

Hoanh


On 9/5/06, Hoang Thanh <httmail at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> [Vietnam Business Forum]
>
>
>
>
>
>
> everytime i read these kind of news on the oversea e-news, i have the
> feeling of uncomfortable and unsure about some thing!
> I was in Hanoi last week and i saw infront of a Government House in the
> city center, alot of farmers gather with banroll, show frustrated faces, and
> police dont let anyone stop over to see what is happening. Poeple around
> said those farmers are demonstrating for  proper land compensation,
> In Ho Chi Minh city today, i saw the same scene: Around 20,30 farmers with
> no'n la' under the sun-heat standing/sitting patiently in front of a Gov
> House on Dinh Tien Hoang street,near my school. Police blockade the areas,
> and lots of poeple passing by must ask questions "What is happening?" I
> first saw this last 2 months, because it's near my school!
>
> Back to this piece of news, I have been living under the Communist-ruled
> country since i was born, I see other country have multi-party and poeple
> have options ! Because VN is one-party, so i don't really care about
> learning what is it like, there's no other to compare! However, if VN had
> one more party, People's Democratic Party of Vietnam, for example (like this
> below piece of news), i would be confused to choose, or to get used to this
> change?!!may be.
> Just something to share.
> Thanh,.
> 2006/9/5, Phan, Tai <Tai.Phan at ed.gov>:
> >
> >
> > [Vietnam Business Forum]
> >
> >
> >
> > Vietnam detains Vietnamese-born U.S. citizen
> > Mon Sep 4, 2006 7:42am ET
> > International News
> >
> > HANOI (Reuters) - Authorities have detained a Vietnamese-born U.S.
> > citizen who has used the Internet to call for multi-party democracy in the
> > one-party communist state, the man's daughter said on Monday.
> >
> > A U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Hanoi confirmed that the man, engineer
> > Cong Thanh Do, 47, was in detention in Ho Chi Minh City and that he had been
> > visited by consular officials.
> >
> > A Vietnam government spokesman said he had no information on the case.
> >
> > Word of the man's arrest came almost a week after Vietnam released
> > cyber-dissident Pham Hong Son as part of a presidential amnesty after he had
> > served more than four years in jail for posting essays and translations on
> > democracy over the Internet.
> >
> >
> >
> > The United States and European countries had campaigned for the release
> > of Son and others considered rights activists. Hanoi has been under pressure
> > to release activists as it prepares to join the World Trade Organization
> > this year and host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in
> > November.
> >
> > Do's daughter, Bien DoBui, said by telephone from the family home in San
> > Jose, California, that her father was arrested on August 14 in Phan Thiet in
> > the southern province of Binh Thuan and then taken to Ho Chi Minh City.
> >
> > "On Friday, he told a visiting American consular official that he was
> > going on a hunger strike," DoBui, 21 said. "We did not contact anyone until
> > he came out with his role in a political group and the reason for his arrest
> > became more clear."
> >
> > However, she said Do had not been formally charged.
> >
> > She said Do told the consular official he was a member of the People's
> > Democratic Party of Vietnam and that he was a peaceful supporter of
> > multi-party democracy and freedom of speech.
> >
> > The embassy spokeswoman said she did not have details. "I can confirm
> > the arrest and that we visited him as part of normal consular services".
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> > Attorney of Law
> > Washington DC
>
>
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