(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has hailed the courage of Vietnamese cyber-dissident Do Nam Hai in daring to openly criticise the authorities in articles posted on the Internet. The organisation condemned the harassment to which he has been subjected in recent months, including two days of detention and several interrogations. “Do Nam Hai has chosen to express […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has hailed the courage of Vietnamese cyber-dissident Do Nam Hai in daring to openly criticise the authorities in articles posted on the Internet. The organisation condemned the harassment to which he has been subjected in recent months, including two days of detention and several interrogations.
“Do Nam Hai has chosen to express his convictions despite the risk he runs. His courage is remarkable in a country where any questioning of the regime can lead straight to prison. We call on the Vietnamese authorities to stop harassing him and show respect for free expression,” RSF said.
Do Nam Hai, a banker who now resides in Ho Chi Minh City, wrote five articles under the pen name Phuong Nam when he lived in Australia. The articles were posted on the websites Dan chim viet (http://www.danchimviet.com) and Mang y kien (http://www.ykien.net). The articles were entitled, “Vietnam, my country” (2000), “Reforms in Vietnam” (2001), “Reflections on the Reevaluation” (2001), “On President Ho Chi Minh” (2001) and “Further Reflections on the Reevaluation” (2001). In one of his articles, Do Nam Hai urged the government to hold a referendum on whether Vietnam should adopt a multi-party system.
Despite his use of a pen name, authorities harassed Do Nam Hai upon his return to Vietnam in early 2002. In August 2004, he was arrested and held for two days. He said he was also questioned a dozen times by police, usually in public places. In October, he was interviewed by the American station Radio Free Asia. Two months later, police searched his home, seized his computer and told him it would only be returned “once the information [contained in its hard drive] had been erased.” He says police also read his e-mail messages.
In a 10 December open letter to the Communist Party Central Committee, Do Nam Hai complained of the harassment, saying, “This is correct. I have written all those articles. I was pushed to write and publish them because of my love for my country. I want to contribute a little to the cause of democracy in Vietnam.” He also reiterated his call for a referendum on Vietnam’s political system.
Four cyber-dissidents are currently in prison in Vietnam, including Nguyen Dan Que, an endocrinologist, prominent writer and political activist, former journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, Pham Hong Son, a physician, and businessman Nguyen Khac Toan.
For more information about free expression on the Internet in Vietnam, go to: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10778
