Vietnam confirms U.S. activist detained
HANOI - Vietnam on Thursday confirmed that a U.S. pro-democracy activist has been detained for the past three weeks, but declined to say why he was being held.
Vietnamese-born Cong Thanh Do, 47, of San Jose, Calif., was taken into custody Aug. 17 for violating Vietnamese law and is being detained in Ho Chi Minh City, but no additional information was released pending the investigation, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung.
Do is a member of the People's Democratic Party of Vietnam, an anti-communist group that wants a multiparty system in Vietnam, his family has said. He was arrested Aug. 14 in south central Phan Thiet while vacationing with his wife and son, according to his daughter.
Dung said information would be provided about the arrest when police finish their investigation. He declined to elaborate on what laws Do is accused of breaking, or if he will be charged.
U.S. Consulate officials were permitted to visit Do on Sept. 1. His family has said he has since gone on a hunger strike, but Dung said he was not aware of that.
"He still has a very normal health situation," Dung said.
Do, who works as an engineer in California, immigrated to the United States in 1982 and has returned to Vietnam several times since, his family has said.
Dung said Vietnam welcomes hundreds of thousands of overseas Vietnamese, or Viet Kieu, back to their homeland each year. However, he stressed they must obey the law while on Vietnamese soil.
"The Vietnamese overseas have to respect the laws of their residential countries, and when coming back to Vietnam, they also have to respect the Vietnamese laws," he said.
On Tuesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., vowed to fight to secure Do's release and his return to the U.S.
"The Vietnamese government has a track record of human rights violations against people who work to bring freedom and democracy to Vietnam through peaceful means," her statement said. "His incarceration is outrageous. I will do everything possible to guarantee Cong Thanh Do's prompt release."
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on why Do is being held.
The Vietnamese government has jailed several political and religious dissidents in the past on charges of violating national security laws because they are seen as a threat to the government and the ruling Communist party. However, it is rare for foreign citizens to be arrested for such reasons.
By Margie Mason - The Associated Press - September 7, 2006.
|