January 31, 2015

Vietnam to Try Anti-China Activists while Beijing Threatens to Bring Back Oil Rig to East Sea

by • [Human Rights]

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On May 2 last year, China unilaterally deployed its HYSY-981 drilling platform in water just 130 nautical miles from Vietnam’s central coast. The illegal act triggered anti-China demonstrations across the nation. In mid May, tens of thousands of workers in the central province of Ha Tinh, southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City, rallied in streets to demand Beijing to withdraw the rig. Some of protests turned in riots, where many demonstrators attacked Chinese workers and destroyed China-invested factories, many South Korean and Taiwanese firms were also attacked by mistake.
By Vu Quoc Ngu | Jan 31, 2015
Vietnam’s authorities will hold a trial for three anti-China activists in a bid to silence local dissent while in the East Sea, Beijing has threatened to bring back its HYSY-981 oil rig to waters within the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
On Feb 12, one week prior to the Lunar New Year festival or Tet, the People’s Court of the southern province of Dong Nai will try Mrs. Le Thi Phuong Anh, Mr. Do Nam Trung and Pham Minh Vu, all are members of unsanctioned The Brotherhood of Democracy, one civil organization aims to promote multi-party democracy and protect the country’s sovereignty against China’s expansionism.
Being arrested on May 15, 2014 in Dong Nai, where tens of thousands of workers demonstrated in mid-May to protest China’s violations to Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea, the trio was charged with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens” under Article 258 of the Criminal Code.
On May 2 last year, China unilaterally deployed its HYSY-981 drilling platform in water just 130 nautical miles from Vietnam’s central coast. The illegal act triggered anti-China demonstrations across the nation. In mid May, tens of thousands of workers in the central province of Ha Tinh, southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City, rallied in streets to demand Beijing to withdraw the rig. Some of protests turned in riots, where many demonstrators attacked Chinese workers and destroyed China-invested factories, many South Korean and Taiwanese firms were also attacked by mistake.
The violent acts against foreigners and their companies were not supported by many other Vietnamese. Anh, Trung and Vu were among people calling protesters to act peacefully, and they went to Dong Nai province to cover news on anti-China protests.
Just arriving in a local industrial zone, the trio was detained by security forces. Initially, they were charged with allegation of organizing anti-China riots, according to the state-run media. However, due to lack of evidence, the allegations against them were changed.
Mrs. Anh and her husband Le Anh Hung are activists who have posted a number of articles and petitions to state leaders and legislators to denounce some senior government officials, accusing them of corruption and drug traficking. However, their denunciations were ignored while their family has been harassed continuously, Mr. Hung was twice forced to spend in a police-run mental illness treatment facility.
Trung and Vu are two students actively participating in activities promoting human rights and democracy in the communist country which is holding hundreds of outspoken activists and bloggers in prison, according to international human rights bodies.
Vietnam has used fabricated allegations to silence local dissent. In 2013, the communist government arrested human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan and charged him with tax evasion and last year, it used bogus traffic allegations to imprison land rights activist Bui Thi Minh Hang. Mr. Quan and Ms. Hang, who actively participated in anti-China demonstrations in the 2011-2014 period, were jailed with 30 months and 36 months, respectively.
In recent years, a number of Vietnamese activists and land petitioners have been charged with allegations according to Article 258 with imprisonment sentences ranging from six months to seven years.
In its World Report 2015, the Human Rights Watch said the human rights situation in Vietnamin 2014 continued to be characterized by one-party rule, politically motivated convictions, lack of labor rights, widespread police abuse, and an escalating land crisis.
Meanwhile, China has been rushing to build cement islands and a number of military facilities in Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) in Truong Sa (Spratlys). China launched a military invasion in 1988 to take over Gac Ma from Vietnam after killing 64 Vietnamese naval soldiers stationing there.
In recent weeks, China has moved HYSY-981 near Vietnam’s waters, threatening to place it in the Vietnamese EEZ. Last year, Hanoi threatened to challenge China’s deployment of the rig in its waters to international court, however, no specific move has been reported.
Vietnam has peacefully administered Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracels) since the 17th century. In 2012, the communist-controlled parliament approved the Law on the Vietnamese Sea to officially claim the two archipelagos. In the same year, China also illegally set up Sansha prefecture assigned to administer the two groups of islands as well as the Filipino Scarborough.
Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines also partly claims sovereignty over Truong Sa.
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