October 9, 2010
On the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi (historically known as Thang Long), Viet Tan today held a peaceful demonstration in the center of the capital city. Before hundreds of onlookers at Ly Thai To park, a Viet Tan representative read out a statement calling on all Vietnamese “to assume the responsibility and right to defend the nation’s interests.”
According to Viet Tan’s Statement on Thang Long’s Millennium:
“Today, our nation is threatened again by Chinese encroachment. The archipelagos of Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratlys) are occupied by the Chinese navy. The East Sea is falling under China’s domination. Vietnamese fishermen are being killed and detained in our own waters. Forests located around the headwaters of rivers and bauxite mines in the Central Highlands are given over to their exploitation, despite the environmental and security implications for the Vietnamese people.”
This civic action by Viet Tan follows a series of public calls by other Vietnamese activists in recent years to raise awareness over China’s assertiveness including:
- Protests by students outside Chinese diplomatic offices in Hanoi and Saigon in December 2007 following China’s official annexation of Vietnamese islands.
- The appeal of cyber activist Pham Thanh Nghien and public displays by six democracy activists from Hai Phong in 2008 who were later imprisoned by the Hanoi government.
- The leaflet campaign by the Action For Democracy Coordinating Committee in February and August 2010.
- The appeals by the Venerable Thich Quang Do and Reverend Nguyen Van Ly to boycott Chinese goods and pray for Vietnam’s sovereignty.
- The thousands of HS.TS.VN (Hoang Sa – Truong Sa – Viet Nam) signs painted on public spaces throughout the country this year.
Today’s peaceful demonstration by Viet Tan members, from inside Vietnam and overseas, is to affirm that Vietnamese have the right to public assembly and to express their views on matters of national importance. Viet Tan will continue organizing acts of civil disobedience to campaign for social justice and democratic change.
