Hoang Minh Chinh - merchandise for Western media
Ha Noi (VNA) - Viet Nam's two major dailies, Ha Noi Moi (New Ha Noi) and Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) on Oct. 20 carried two commentaries on Hoang Minh Chinh's noisy shows that have been utilised by several Western and overseas Vietnamese media organisations as lucrative merchandise.
Entitled "Hoang Minh Chinh, who are you?", the commentary by Minh Thuy in the Ha Noi Moi daily depicted the portrait of the man styled himself a "democratic activist".
Chinh, a Vietnamese citizen allowed by the Government to go to the US to have his illness treated, was born Tran Ngoc Nghiem in 1922 in Nam Ha province 's Nam Truc district. He was admitted to the Communist Party of Viet Nam in 1939 and expelled from the Party in 1967 for being involved in an anti-Party group. Chinh was arrested and imprisoned for one year for "Taking advantage of the right to freedom and democracy to violate the interests of the State, social organisations and individuals" as stipulated by the Criminal Code.
Apart from portraiting Hoang Minh Chinh with his noisy and shameless shows upon his arrival in the US such as organising public talks and giving an interview to the "Tieng Dan" (People's Voice) weekly - a newspaper run by overseas Vietnamese reactionaries who are living in exile in the States - revealing his scheme to overthrow the State of Viet Nam, the Ha Noi Moi also carried opinions by readers who joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) forum on Chinh's writings and speeches.
A reader from Germany wrote: "This is not a speech by a person equipped with theoretical and scientific knowledge. In other words, I have the feeling that Chinh was incited to speak about his subjective view when I am listening to his interview. I think it is statistically incorrect when Chinh summoned opinions by a group of about 30 overseas Vietnamese he met to represent the viewpoint by the 3 million-strong overseas Vietnamese community abroad. In addition, Chinh has only met them for quite a short time since he landed in the US for medical treatement."
The Quan Doi Nhan Dan gave a bold-type headline to a commentary by Phuc Nguyen "Illusion by democratic activists". The author pointed out that with his extremist and groundless viewpoint, the arguments made by Hoang Minh Chinh failed to deceive anybody. Those arguments, Nguyen further said, received warm applause only from exiled Vietnamese reactionaries, who described Chinh's voice as representing the so-called "democratic activists" at home.
Commenting on the nature of Chinh's deeds, the commentary pointed out: "With the hope of creating a "public bluster" to wake up his dormant "democratic movement", Chinh went to speak at Harvard University and the US Congress, and gave interviews to western media and Vietnamese reactionary media organisations. But, he was mistaken. He only repeated what other dissidents have said before, showing resentment at home, seeking ways to go abroad, talking noisily with western media for a while, and finally falling into oblivion. Chinh and the like have been utilised by western media as short-term merchandise. The story about Viet Nam "violating human rights, religious freedom and democracy" created by hostile forces may continue and resurrected now and again. So "democratic activists" like Chinh may be mentioned again."
Vietnam News Agency - October 21, 2005.
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