Does Pham Doan Trang Club actually exist? Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper published an article that says it does. But activists and independent journalists say it is old propaganda method of the State which is afraid of opposing voices.
Title: Câu Lạc Bộ Phạm Đoan Trang trong tầm ngắm của Công An
Publish Date: November 4, 2020
Publisher: RFA Tiếng Việt
Article in English:
Note: Original texts in Vietnamese.
Many people in the community of social activities and relatives of journalist Pham Doan Trang believe that Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper is trying to deter and distort the truth about an “object” who unfortunately caught their eye in the article. Recent news about Pham Doan Trang Club. They told RFA that they were not even aware of the existence of this club.
On November 3, 2020, the People’s Public Security website online had an article titled “Against the Peaceful Evolution, the farce of calling for the establishment of Pham Doan Trang Club”.
At the beginning of the article, please read verbatim: “The so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club” is just a trick to entice and gather people who go against the interests of the nation and nation, and sabotage the interests of the nation. stability and development of the country that this whole nation is building and cultivating day by day and hour by hour.
With 3 main questions, one is the truth behind the calls for Pham Doan Trang’s release, the second is to know who Pham Doan Trang is, and the third is the provisions of Vietnamese law for the establishment of Pham Doan Trang. The People’s Public Security Association and website continued to inform that: ” After the subject Pham Thi Doan Trang, also known as Pham Doan Trang, was arrested for the crime of “propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” according to Article 88 Penal Code 1999 and the crime of “Making, storing, distributing or propagating information, documents and items aimed at opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, certain subjects cried out in cyberspace, demanding the establishment of the so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club”, also known as “The Women’s Club for Human Rights”, led by Pham Le Thuy. ”
Radio Free Asia tried to contact Pham Le Thuy as well as the Women’s Human Rights Club. Unfortunately, there is no sign that the telephony line is connected to the right person for the right job.
What is special to admit is that when any dissident is arrested, in addition to the legal proceedings, the Vietnamese communist press agencies are very involved, they put the whole system in place. politics to destroy people fighting for freedom and democracy for Vietnam. – Pham Thanh Nghien
Even a source closest to the incident refused to answer, saying that he was afraid of being harassed and arrested by the police when the case was unclear.
Such fear is understandable, as former political prisoner, blogger Pham Thanh Nghien said:
“ I don’t know who called Pham Doan Trang Club. A few months ago, there was also a group calling for the establishment of the Independent Trade Union, and someone asked me, I always affirm that now being persecuted like this, there is no real struggle organization or people. Which struggle calls for the establishment of a group. After Pham Doan Trang was arrested, I and some friends who loved Pham Doan Trang did not or did not think about setting up a group or organization, specifically the Pham Doan Trang Club.
And it is not strange if the Pham Doan Trang Club is considered a trick, a hostile intention to destroy in the eyes of the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, the powerful media agency in the village on the right side. The next opinion of blogger Pham Thanh Nghien:
Any independent civil society group or organization that has the goal of promoting human rights is heavily criticized, criticized and slandered by the police and the State. convicted again”.
“For me, this is nothing special. What is special to admit is that when any dissident is arrested, in addition to the legal proceedings, the Vietnamese communist press agencies are very involved, they put the whole system in place. politics to destroy people fighting for freedom and democracy for Vietnam. Even though the person himself has been captured, that means there is no chance or ability to defend himself anymore. This is very familiar, which means that it is not strange, but it is not that we accept such familiar things . “
Former reporter of Communist Magazine, now independent journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, explains why the call to establish Pham Doan Trang Club caught the eye of Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper:
“This information is quite new but if that is the case then it is also what every civil society establishes its own Clubs and groups. It’s the right of the people.”
“The authorities are always vigilant about this, the People’s Public Security newspaper talking about Pham Doan Trang Club, and then calling for Pham Doan Trang’s release is a trick, smearing the people fighting here. Ms. Pham Doan Trang can be a preemptive preemptive blow. I think using the word preemptively is the norm. Against peaceful evolution is a familiar article in the mainstream press.
“Many people do not know that the article has given it like that, people will go to find out who Pham Doan Trang is, unintentionally stimulating the curiosity of bystanders. It also has this side and the other side” .
With the question “First of all, it is necessary to find out who Pham Doan Trang is, is Pham Doan Trang a person, event or event, raised by the Cong An Nhan Dan online newspaper and then answered that “Pham Doan Trang is not in the list. the list of “contributing to the socio-economic development of the country”.
Still according to the Cong An Nhan newspaper, Pham Doan Trang, 42 years old, was arrested for activities infringing on national security and against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who used to go abroad illegally and was arrested. Disciplinary governing body forced to quit, then “changed color”, joined and established and operated many illegal associations and groups, wrote for websites of enemies who were anti-national and anti-national. , the nation, used to be the representative face of the so-called “free publishing house”, spreading many materials with propaganda content, distorting the democracy and human rights situation in Vietnam, opposing the Party, The State and the regime and smear the leaders of the Party and State, incite the overthrow of the political regime in our country.
From the position that “many people dream of” ie born into a basic family, graduated from Hanoi – Amsterdam School and Faculty of Economics, Hanoi Foreign Trade University, Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper continued, Pham Doan Trang became a lawbreaker. The acts that the subject has committed need to be dealt with strictly according to Vietnamese law.
Reviewer, former political prisoner and blogger Pham Thanh Nghien argued:
“I don’t want to be someone who is too proud of my friend. Pham Doan Trang, like some other women, dreams of a normal life in a country with good politics.
“In terms of fighting, I affirm that Pham Doan Trang is very brave. Trang is a person with aspiration, honesty, frankness, simplicity and affection. With her qualifications, Trang can lead a well-off economically and mentally comfortable. If she hadn’t become a fighter for democracy in a society without freedom of expression like in Vietnam, Trang would have lived differently. But if that was the case, there wouldn’t be a Pham Doan Trang today.”
“The failure of the authorities is to arrest a person who has planned for himself the worst path on the path of struggle. Capture or not, for Pham Doan Trang, this is first of all a victory over himself, a victory over fear, a symbol of the aspiration for freedom for Vietnam.”
The decision of Vietnamese law on the establishment of the Association is the third title of the article against the peaceful evolution by calling for the establishment of the Pham Doan Trang Club. The article asserts that “Vietnam already has Decree 45/2010/ND-CP, Decree 33/2012/ND-CP and Circular 03/2013/TT-BNV, all of which are legal documents and regulations. establishment of an association.
The establishment of an association is voluntary, the article emphasizes, but must contribute to the country’s socio-economic development, and must be organized and operated in compliance with the Constitution, laws and association charters.
For independent researcher Nguyen Quang A, who knows a lot about democracy writer and is also the voice of Freelance Publishing House Pham Doan Trang, invokes so many regulations to justify each prohibition against success. The establishment of Pham Doan Trang Club is an old propaganda method of the State which is afraid of opposing voices:
“I didn’t know there was a call for the establishment of the Pham Doan Trang Club, nor did I read the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper and was not surprised at all about the argument that it was boring in Vietnam.”
“Anyone who doesn’t shut up and doesn’t say what they want will be considered a peaceful development, an argument that has been repeated for decades. Sometimes they raise it themselves to thwart the call.”
Speaking against peaceful developments, criticizing the call to establish Pham Doan Trang Club is a farce, showing the poor professionalism of a newspaper that often has to obey the communist party. This is the opinion of former journalist Le Phu Khai of the Voice of Vietnam, the author of the book “The Word Ai Article” accused of being anti-party, causing him many difficulties like the present activist Pham Doan Trang:
“In the past, the state-owned press was still the same, so in China a very famous general, Mr. Liao Huazhou, said, “In China, the most lack of information is the press.” It’s the same with Vietnam, especially the state-owned press is lacking in information.”
“Miss Doan Trang is not guilty at all. The Constitution of Vietnam clearly states the right to freedom of publication, freedom of thought and freedom of the press. She only writes books peacefully, expresses her opinions, her thoughts, but imprisoning her like that is a violation of human rights.”
“The Vietnamese Constitution recognizes the right to form associations, but those who propagate the Constitution are arrested and imprisoned.”
According to Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, the so-called “Pham Doan Trang Club” does not fully guarantee all elements and does not comply with the provisions of Vietnamese law.
This conclusion of Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper was considered by a group of independent journalists in the country as heavy on performance but empty in meaning.
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