Vietnam confirms jailing US activist, refuses to say why

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Thursday September 7, 2006

Hanoi- Vietnam on Thursday confirmed for the first time it has arrested a US citizen who had criticized the communist government online, but a spokesman refused to say what law he had been accused of breaking. International free-speech groups have said Vietnamese-born Cong Thanh Do, 47, has been targeted for his online criticism of Vietnam's communist government and encouraging political dissent in his native country through a banned political party.

Do's family said this week he has been accused of plotting a terrorist attack, but neither the Vietnamese government nor the US embassy would say why he has been held for more than three weeks.

Vietnamese government spokesman Le Dung said in a press briefing Thursday that Do "was temporarily arrested for his violations of Vietnamese laws and regulations, and relevant Vietnamese agencies are examining the case."

Pressed to say what laws Do had allegedly broken, Dung said he was waiting for a "final decision" from authorities before commenting.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the arrest of Cong Thanh Do, a US citizen who wrote under the pen name Tran Nam, blackened the reputation of Vietnam.

"Cong Thanh Do is a long time pro-democracy advocate who has researched and reported the harassment and imprisonment of political activists, dissidents and writers in Vietnam, and who is now imprisoned himself," said Joel Simon, executive director of CPJ.

Simon said the August 14 arrest of Do, who was visiting family in southern Vietnam, comes as the communist country harassed members of the new dissident umbrella organization the "8406 Group" and blocked access to its on-line newspaper "Freedom and Democracy."

"Vietnam's recent actions against dissidents and writers threaten to do grave harm to the country's international standing, particularly as it makes a bid for accession to the World Trade Organization," he said.

Earlier this week, US Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren vowed to work to free Do, whose detention she called "outrageous."

"The Vietnamese government has now taken the unprecedented step of imprisoning a United States citizen who states that he is being held solely because of his pro-democratic, non-violent views," said Lofgren, the representative of Do's city of San Jose, California.

A US embassy in Hanoi earlier this week confirmed Do's arrest and raised doubts about Vietnam's apparent accusation he was plotting a violent attack.

"We have not seen any evidence of any terrorist acts on his part," embassy spokesman Louis Lantner said.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur