Blog Nhucaytrevn | 30/7/2014
The Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Mr Hugh Borrowman, in conjunction with his H.E. counterparts from the EU Delegation, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, took a bold and democratic initiative to invite a variety of Vietnamese, who hold different political opinions and come from different social strata, to attend the Seminar “Non-State Media in Contemporary Vietnam”, to be held at the Australian Embassy at 8:30 AM July 30, 2014. I was one of these invited but failed to attend the Seminar due to a repeated prevention made by the authorities.
The following is a written statement I sent to the Seminar in place of my absence.
Pham Hong Son
___
We may be confused with this question: How have the rights to freedom of speech and expression in Vietnam evolved in the last decade? Here is my brief attempt:
Firstly, we can affirm that there has been absolutely no freedom or the situation has even worsened, regarding the fundamental pillars of Vietnamese political system or the legal frameworks such as Article 4 of the newly amended Constitution or the Decree 72/CP-2013 of Vietnamese Government.
Secondly, it’s depressing to have a look at the list of those who are in prison or under house arrest for they just dared to write, to express their non-violent beliefs opposing the political will of the communist party and the government of Vietnam.
Thirdly, however we cannot deny that over the last decade the rights to freedom of speech and expression in Vietnam have progressed considerably in terms of number and diversity of dissidents and the non-state online pages which hold political dissent and are run by Vietnamese living inside the country. Ten years ago, those things could not be found.
These three points of view, although flawed, could stop us from falling into two extremes: bleak pessimism or reckless optimism about the freedoms of speech and expression in Vietnam – two essentials for private media.
The aforementioned simplified status of human rights in Vietnam unveils an awkward paradox in our country: the aspiration to freedom of the whole society has been barred by a small group of our own people.
However no man is born speaking, no totalitarian regime accepts private media. To mature, a person must learn to speak. To be free, a society must establish private media.
For that, the seminar “Non-state media in contemporary Vietnam”, organized by the Australian Embassy in conjunction with the foreign missions of the EU Delegation, the United States of America, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland, is a concrete and valuable support for our country. To be honest, I would imagine the seminar like an action of a good man encouraging a long-silent prisoner: Speak up again, please!
Naturally, “learning to speak” under a totalitarian regime is not always welcome and lauded like a child learns to speak. But many Vietnamese, I am sure, have understood that.
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July 31, 2014
A speech from an absent invited
by Nhan Quyen • Pham Hong Son
Blog Nhucaytrevn | 30/7/2014
Pham Hong Son
___
We may be confused with this question: How have the rights to freedom of speech and expression in Vietnam evolved in the last decade? Here is my brief attempt:
Firstly, we can affirm that there has been absolutely no freedom or the situation has even worsened, regarding the fundamental pillars of Vietnamese political system or the legal frameworks such as Article 4 of the newly amended Constitution or the Decree 72/CP-2013 of Vietnamese Government.
Secondly, it’s depressing to have a look at the list of those who are in prison or under house arrest for they just dared to write, to express their non-violent beliefs opposing the political will of the communist party and the government of Vietnam.
Thirdly, however we cannot deny that over the last decade the rights to freedom of speech and expression in Vietnam have progressed considerably in terms of number and diversity of dissidents and the non-state online pages which hold political dissent and are run by Vietnamese living inside the country. Ten years ago, those things could not be found.
These three points of view, although flawed, could stop us from falling into two extremes: bleak pessimism or reckless optimism about the freedoms of speech and expression in Vietnam – two essentials for private media.
The aforementioned simplified status of human rights in Vietnam unveils an awkward paradox in our country: the aspiration to freedom of the whole society has been barred by a small group of our own people.
However no man is born speaking, no totalitarian regime accepts private media. To mature, a person must learn to speak. To be free, a society must establish private media.
For that, the seminar “Non-state media in contemporary Vietnam”, organized by the Australian Embassy in conjunction with the foreign missions of the EU Delegation, the United States of America, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland, is a concrete and valuable support for our country. To be honest, I would imagine the seminar like an action of a good man encouraging a long-silent prisoner: Speak up again, please!
Naturally, “learning to speak” under a totalitarian regime is not always welcome and lauded like a child learns to speak. But many Vietnamese, I am sure, have understood that.