 |
| Nguyen Tien Trung |
The arrested man, Nguyen Tien Trung, holds a master’s degree in information technology. On the day before the arrest, Trung was expelled from the Gia Dinh Regiment under the HCM City Military Headquarters, where he was doing his military service, for “opposing orders”.
According to the security agency, while studying in France in 2006, Trung set up an organisation named Gathering Democratic Youth, aimed at mobilising young people to join with dissidents at home and abroad to struggle against the Vietnamese state and demand a change in the political regime in Vietnam. This group met many times to discuss its plans.
The investigative agency also said that Trung published many anti-state documents on the Internet, managed the so-called Democratic Youth forum and spoke at some meetings, calling for anti-state activities.
In late 2006, Trung joined an organisation named the Vietnam Democratic Party, using the name Nguyen Trong Nghia. Six months later, Trung was appointed central party member, vice chief of the external relations committee and chief of the youth committee of the Vietnam Democratic Party, and then vice secretary general in charge of youth work.
In July 2006, Trung and Nguyen Phuc Tung, Doan Van Linh (members of the Office of Associations against Vietnam) and Tran Hong (who drove a bulldozer into the Vietnamese Embassy in France in 1996) implemented a plan to collect signatures and call for anti-activities against the Vietnamese state.
Returning to Vietnam, Trung and some others met to discuss the promotion of activities of the Vietnam Democratic Party. According to the security agency, Trung introduced Le Cong Dinh and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc to Nguyen Si Binh (who is believed to be the head of the People’s Action Party in the US and the Vietnam Democratic Party).
The security agency said that during over one year performing his military service at the Gia Dinh Regiment (March 5, 2008 to July 6, 2009), Trung continuously violated army rules: disclosing operation secrets, opposing superior’s orders, not doing his assignments and not reading ten oaths of the army.
Tran Anh Kim
Meanwhile, on July 6, police of the northern province of Thai Binh filed charges against and arrested Tran Anh Kim, 60, a former army officer, for investigation of anti-state propaganda.
According to investigators, Kim had been a member of the Vietnam Democratic Party in charge of building up forces in Thai Binh province since March 2006. On June 13, 2009, Kim was appointed the Vietnam Democratic Party secretary general. Kim’s house in Thai Binh was planned to be used as the office of the Vietnam Democratic Party to promote this organisation’s activities.
Investigators also said that Kim is a member in charge of activities in northern Vietnam of 8406 Block, which is organised by Nguyen Van Ly (who is serving eight years in jail for propagandising against the Vietnamese state), and teaches anti-state activities in Vietnam under the guidance of Nguyen Si Binh.
The security agency said that Kim and some discontented complainers set up the Corruption Fighting Association and the Association of People Suffering from Injustice to incite people to go to Hanoi and Hai Phong to surround government offices and demonstrate against the state.
Lieutenant General Vu Hai Trieu, vice chief of the General Department of Security, said that Kim confessed to writing and diffusing over 60 anti-state documents.
Nearly one month ago, five people were arrested for anti-state activities, including former lawyer Le Cong Dinh and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, General Director of One Connection International (OCI) telecom group.
Ha Truong