Vietnam cracks down on demonstrations ahead of key party congress
HANOI - Vietnam announced a crackdown on protests in the big cities Wednesday as the communist authorities sought to prevent a
wave of rural discontent from marring a five-yearly party congress due next month.
A new decree issued by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai requires the security services to prevent rural protestors demonstrating
in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City between now and the end of April, the justice ministry's newspaper mouthpiece, Phap Luat, said.
The decree charges the public security ministry with drawing up a detailed plan to prevent demonstrations "disturbing social
stability and public order" in the weeks surrounding the congress, the paper said.
Decree 998 also effectively further limits Vietnam's already tightly circumscribed right to demonstrate.
Vietnamese law recognizes no automatic right of assembly, only a "right of petition and complaint" to party leaders.
The decree orders the public security ministry to ensure all outstanding petitions and complaints are settled ahead of the
congress so that any demonstrations are effectively illegal.
The ministry should "coordinate with related agencies and localities to make a specific plan for resolving petitions and
complaints that have not been settled by the party central committee."
The committee is currently holding a plenum due to finish either later this week or early next week.
"Any abuse of the right of petition and complaint to disturb public order will be punished in accordance with the law," the paper
said.
The decree made it clear that unhappiness with the government's response to a petition would constitute no grounds for protest.
"If anyone goes to complain at an official's house or other state or party offices in connection with a petition or complaint that
has been resolved reasonably and in accordance with the law ... they will be prosecuted," the paper said.
"Anyone who incites, forces or fools other people to go to complain" will also face prosecution, it said.
No criticism of party or government leaders will be tolerated during the party congress.
"Anyone who has bad words about state or party cadres and officials which cause social disturbances or public disorder ... will
be prosecuted," the paper said.
The authorities' decision to crack down on even the limited protests which they normally tolerate is a sign of the sensitivity of
next month's congress, which comes against a backdrop of ethnic unrest in the central highlands.
Small groups of rural demonstators have held protests against official corruption and other abuses coinciding with the opening
of most party and government meetings in recent years.
One demonstration by a group of rural demonstrators in Ho Chi Minh City last year continued for several months before it was
finally dispersed by police just hours before then US president Bill Clinton arrived in the city on his landmark visit in November.
But the wave of protests which swept the indigenous minorities of the central highlands at the beginning of February has rocked
the communist authorities, prompting them to send in the army in a major crackdown.
The public security ministry has since led the official media in a tirade of abuse against what they say is an attempt by US-based
agitators to overthrow the communist regime.
Agence France Presse - March 21, 2001.
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