Cablegate: Human Rights and the Central Highlands:

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

2002HANOI01169 - UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTO5974

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FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 LAB-01
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FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6411
USMISSION GENEVA
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA//
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ABLAGG//

UNCLAS HANOI 001169

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, PRM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM VM HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS:
-- "GVN HAS NOTHING TO HIDE"

REF: A. HANOI 1133 B. HANOI 1165

1. (U) SUMMARY. AMBASSADOR DINH THI MINH HUYEN, DIRECTOR
OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS' DEPARTMENT OF
UNCLASSIFIED

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INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, TOLD DCM ON MAY 7 THAT THE GVN
IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE WITH
THE U.S. SHE BELIEVES THAT THE DIALOGUES ARE USEFUL FOR
EXPLAINING WHAT SHE TERMED VIETNAM'S "FAIR HUMAN RIGHTS
POLICY" AND FOR PROMOTING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. THE GVN'S
POLICY IS TO ASSIST ALL PEOPLE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
REGION, SHE CLAIMED, BUT SHE ALSO NOTED THAT THE POLICY IS
NOT ALWAYS IMPLEMENTED SUCCESSFULLY. END SUMMARY

-----------------------------------------
HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUES A GOOD OPPORTUNITY
-----------------------------------------

2. (U) AMBASSADOR HUYEN SAID THE GVN VIEWS HUMAN RIGHTS
DIALOGUES AS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN TO OTHER
COUNTRIES ITS POLICIES SO "THEY WILL UNDERSTAND US BETTER."
IN ADDITION TO DIALOGUES WITH THE U.S., VIETNAM HOLDS
SIMILAR MEETINGS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION, NORWAY, AUSTRALIA,
AND CANADA. "WE'LL TALK WITH ANY COUNTRY ABOUT HUMAN
RIGHTS," AMBASSADOR HUYEN PROMISED. IN ADDITION TO THE
DIALOGUES, VIETNAM "WELCOMES" FOREIGN VISITORS; AMBASSADOR
HUYEN SAID IT IS A "GOOD IDEA" FOR MORE PEOPLE TO SEE THE
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION "FIRST HAND."

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HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
--------------------------------------

3. (U) IN RESPONSE TO THE DCM'S QUESTION CONCERNING HUMAN
RIGHTS AND THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, AMBASSADOR HUYEN SAID
THERE IS MUCH "MISLEADING INFORMATION" ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
UNCLASSIFIED

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THE GVN'S POLICY IS TO "IMPROVE AND HELP" THE ETHNIC PEOPLES
OF THE AREA TO DEVELOP BOTH "ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY."
AMBASSADOR HUYEN ADDED IT IS "PART OF OUR CONSTITUTION THAT
ALL NATIONALITIES ARE EQUAL AND THUS ENTITLED TO EQUAL
DEVELOPMENT."

4. (U) AMBASSADOR HUYEN ADMITTED THAT, WHILE THE POLICY IN
PLACE IS FAIR, IMPLEMENTATION HAS NOT ALWAYS SUCCEEDED. DUE
TO "VARIOUS PROBLEMS," THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IS NOT WELL
DEVELOPED AND REMAINS RATHER "UNATTRACTIVE" TO FOREIGN
INVESTORS; NONETHELESS, THE GVN IS TRYING HARD TO IMPROVE
THE LIVES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE IN THE AREA, SHE CLAIMED.
AMBASSADOR HUYEN POINTED OUT THAT THE GVN PAYS FEES FOR
ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN TO ATTEND BOARDING SCHOOLS. (NOTE:
ONLY SELECTED CHILDREN ATTEND MINORITY BOARDING SCHOOLS.
END NOTE.) "WE WANT TO HELP THEM DEVELOP AND BE EQUAL," SHE
SAID. ANOTHER EXAMPLE SHE GAVE OF THE GVN'S ATTEMPT TO SPUR
DEVELOPMENT IS THE SELECTION OF "1,000 POOR VILLAGES" FOR
GVN ASSISTANCE IN SECTORS SUCH AS INFRASTRUCTURE,
ELECTRICITY, WATER, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH CARE.

5. (U) AMBASSADOR HUYEN ALSO TERMED AS "MISLEADING,"
STORIES ABOUT ETHNIC MINORITY PEOPLE LOSING LAND TO COFFEE
PLANTATIONS AS A MATTER OF GVN POLICY. SHE SAID "THERE IS A
LOT OF HATRED SPREAD BY PEOPLE FROM THE FORMER (SOUTH
VIETNAMESE) REGIME." WHILE THE GVN SHOULD BE DOING MORE TO
CONTROL MIGRATION, NOW PEOPLE ARE FREER TO MOVE AROUND AND
HENCE MIGRATION IS MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. ADDRESSING
THE MONTAGNARD SITUATION SPECIFICALLY, SHE CLAIMED THAT THE
MAIN REASON THE MONTAGNARDS FLED TO CAMBODIA WAS THAT
"OUTSIDERS" TOLD THEM THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SETTLE IN THE
UNCLASSIFIED

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U.S. OR ANOTHER COUNTRY. THE DCM STRESSED THAT IT WAS
IMPORTANT FOR THE GVN TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF THE CENTRAL
HIGHLANDS ETHNIC MINORITIES. AMBASSADOR HUYEN REITERATED
THAT, WHILE THERE ARE VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN THE
AREA, THE GVN "WILL CONTINUE ITS POLICY TO HELP THE ETHNIC
MINORITY PEOPLE."
BURGHARDT

UNCLASSIFIED

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