HCM City Activists Barred from Taking Dinner with U.S. Senior Diplomats

Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski

Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski

Earlier, Rena Bitter, U.S. consul general in HCM City, invited them to have a dinner in her private house, on the occasion of a visit of Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski.

Being questioned about their illegal move, security officers replied that they acted as requested by higher officials.

By Vu Quoc Ngu | Aug 6, 2015

Security forces in Ho Chi Minh City on Aug 5 blocked a number of local activists from taking a dinner with senior U.S.’s diplomats, social network has reported.

Policemen and plainclothes agents blocked private houses of many democracy advocates and human rights campaigners, including Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Professor Pham Minh Hoang, independent journalist Pham Chi Dung, former political prisoner Nguyen Bac Truyen and Ms. Duong Thi Tan, not allowing them to go out all day.

Earlier, Rena Bitter, U.S. consul general in HCM City, invited them to have a dinner in her private house, on the occasion of a visit of Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski.

Being questioned about their illegal move, security officers replied that they acted as requested by higher officials.

The incident was taken one day prior to a visit of Secretary of State John Kerry to the communist nation which aims to strengthen the two countries’ comprehensive partnership.

Along with barring local political dissidents and human rights activists from going abroad, Vietnam’s government has also blocked social activists from meeting with foreign diplomats.

In March, police in HCM City and the central city of Nha Trang also blocked a number of activists from taking flights to Hanoi where they were invited to meet with foreign lawmakers who were in Vietnam to attend the 132nd International Parliamentary Union (IPU).

In order to keep the country under one-party regime, Vietnam has intensified political crackdown on local dissent. Instead of arresting local government critics and human rights activists, Vietnamese security forces have harassed and persecuted them or not allowed them to gather.

Vietnam recently completed negotiations with the U.S. and ten other nations on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. It seems the negotiations failed as the communist government in Hanoi has refused to improve human rights records, labor rights and working conditions.