Cablegate: Vietnam: 2004 Annual Terrorism Report

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

UNCLAS HANOI 003286

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR S/CT AND EAP/BCLTV

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER VM CTERR
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: 2004 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: A. SECSTATE 245841 B. Hanoi 3247

1. (SBU) Vietnam's low-threat terrorist situation did not
change in 2004. There is a tiny Muslim population with no
known affiliations with international terrorist
organizations. There is no evidence that terrorists operate
in or transit Vietnam, or that they use Vietnam for other
support services such as financing. The Government of
Vietnam (GVN) is concerned about what it calls a terrorist
threat from ethnic Vietnamese exiles in France and the
United States, but neither the U.S. nor the French
Governments defines these dissident political activities as
terrorism. During 2004, there were no known acts of
domestic terrorism or prosecutions for acts of terrorism in
Vietnam. There were no known judicial actions in Vietnam
during 2004 related to acts of international terrorism.

2. (SBU) Vietnam is a party to eight out of twelve of the UN
conventions on counterterrorism, and "may soon" accede to
two of the remaining conventions, according to UNODC
representatives in Hanoi. Vietnam cooperates on
counterterrorism initiatives in international forums, in
ASEAN-affiliated forums in particular. Senior GVN officials
invariably express formal GVN opposition to international
terrorist incidents, and the GVN has not publicly supported
a terrorist-supporting country on a terrorist-specific
issue. The GVN does not support international terrorism,
terrorists or terrorist groups.

3. (SBU) Vietnam has never been included in the Patterns of
Global Terrorism report. No major developments have
occurred in 2004 to recommend inclusion this year.

4. (U) Reftel B describes the results of Post's recent
Counterterrorism Action Group meeting. The meeting focused
on ways that international donor assistance to Vietnamese
law enforcement can have a secondary impact by improving
Vietnam's ability to secure its borders against entry by
terrorists.

MARINE

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