Democracy needed for Vietnam's development
HANOI - The European Union Tuesday urged Vietnam to pay greater respect to
human rights, strengthen its democracy credentials and relinquish its stranglehold on the
media.
In a statement to mark the opening of the annual two-day Consultative Group meeting of
Vietnam's international donors, the EU said such measures were essential to the communist
country's economic and social development.
"Sustainable development, good governance and the promotion and protection of human
rights are interdependent and interrelated.
"The EU consequently urges the government of Vietnam to strengthen its respect for
political and religious freedoms, as well as further strengthen economic and social
freedoms."
The regional grouping welcomed the government's commitment to tackle rampant
corruption within official ranks but said a free media was vital in ensuring good governance
and monitoring human rights abuses.
"Free and independent media also play a central role in identifying shortcomings from the
central as well as local governments in the area of individual rights and in connection with
irregularities and corruption."
Except for the handful of foreign reporters based in Vietnam operating under strict controls,
all domestic media is controlled by the Communist Party for the purpose of "maintaining
national unity and political stability".
The EU also urged the government to establish a legal framework to provide a "supportive
environment" for local non-governmental organisations and associations, free from the
Party's control.
"These could have a strong role in Vietnam's development in providing support for
administrative reform and the building of democratic processes."
The EU said it supported the government's measures to reduce poverty but said specific
attention should be drawn to ethnic minorities and in particular people living in the Central
Highlands.
"The ongoing tension in the region is mainly due to poverty and hardship and related to land
access and basic social services."
The Central Highlands tops the list of concerns in Vietnam among international rights
activists after security forces forcibly put down demonstrations by thousands of hill tribe
villagers in February last year.
The protests were sparked by land grievances and a government crackdown on their
Protestant faith. More than 1,000 Montagnards subsequently fled the impoverished,
mountainous region to Cambodia.
The EU, whose representatives visited the Central Highlands twice this year, acknowledged
that although efforts have been made to reduce poverty among ethnic minorities there, more
allocation of resources was needed.
Agence France Presse - December 11, 2002.
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