INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Gvn Requests Usg Support for Action

Published: Thu 10 Jun 2004 10:31 AM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 001676
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER VM UN ECOSOC ETMIN CTERR
SUBJECT: GVN REQUESTS USG SUPPORT FOR ACTION
AGAINST TWO NGOS AT UPCOMING UN ECOSOC
1. (U) SUMMARY. The GVN is seeking USG support to deny
consultative status to two NGOs at the upcoming ECOSOC
session in New York. The GVN considers the Free Vietnam
Alliance and the Transnational Radical Party to be terrorist
organizations with the aim of either forcibly overthrowing
the GVN or establishing a separatist state in the Central
Highlands. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) On June 10, Assistant Foreign Minister Nguyen Duc
Hung presented a diplomatic note (text in para 5) to Charge
requesting USG support for the recommendation of the
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to the UN
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) not to endorse the
application for consultative status of the Free Vietnam
Alliance (FVA) and to suspend for three years the
consultative status of the Transnational Radical Party
(TRP). The ECOSOC session will begin June 28.
3. (U) In addition to the note, AFM Hung provided an aide
memoire (text in para 6) and 16 4x6 glossy photos to support
claims that the FVA and the TRP are actively working to
destabilize the GVN. The photos and the printed material
will be forwarded to EAP/BCLTV by pouch.
4. (U) Charge emphasized that the USG does not support any
organization that would seek to overthrow the GVN by force,
engage in, or advocate the use of violence against a
government with which the USG had diplomatic relations. He
also reminded Hung of the Ambassador's recent statement that
the USG would not support a "State of Degar."
5. (U) Begin text (MFA's "unofficial translation"):
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of
Viet Nam presents its compliments to the Embassy of the
Untied States of America in Hanoi and has the honor to
inform the latter as follows:
(1) On May 17 and 21, 2004 the Committee on Non-governmental
Organizations of the United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) decided to recommend to the ECOSOC not to
endorse the application of the Free Vietnam Alliance (FVA)
for a consultative (sic) with the ECOSOC and to suspend for
three years the consultative status of the Transnational
Radical Party (TRP) for its abuse of the status to provide
wrongful accreditation to some organizations to act against
some member States of the United Nations, including Viet
Nam. The committee's decision will be taken into
consideration by the ECOSOC at its substantive session from
June 28 to July 23 2004 in New York.
(2) The TRP has provided accreditation to Kok Ksor,
President of the Montagnard Foundation Inc. (MFI), a
terrorist organization, to make slanderous statements
against Vietnam in the United Nations forums including the
Human Rights Commission. Kok Ksor, a self-proclaimed "major
general" of the FULRO (Le Front Unifie pour la Liberation
des Races Opprimees), an armed terrorist organization, and
the MFI incited and organized terrorist activities in an
attempt to separate the Central Highlands from the
Vietnamese territory to establish a so-called "Independent
State of Degar." Detailed facts of such terrorist and
separatist activities by Kok Ksor and the MFI could be found
in the enclosed Aide-memoire and other documents.
The TRP's abuse of its consultative status by providing
wrongful accreditation to Kok Ksor and the MFI, a terrorist
organization, is contrary to the spirit, goals and
principles of the UN Charter, and constitutes a violation of
the international laws and the ECOSOC resolution 1996/31.
Viet Nam is of the viewpoint that the ECOSOC should approve
the recommendation by the NGOs Committee to suspend the
consultative status of the TRP for the maximum time period
of three years provided for under the Committee's
procedures.
(3) The "Free Vietnam Alliance", an affiliation of the so-
called "National Unified Front for Vietnam Liberation," was
set up by a handful of Vietnamese exiles in 1990. Some
groups of armed terrorists sent by this organization
infiltrated into the Vietnamese territory to create a
network, build up local forces and incite riots to overthrow
the legitimate government of the Vietnamese people. In late
1992, they gathered a force of around 100 men in Cambodia
and claimed that they could mobilize up to 20,000 members to
launch operations against Viet Nam from the Cambodian
territory. However, their plots were doomed to failure.
To conceal its political aims and acts of terrorism, the FVA
is working under the cloak of democracy and human rights for
Vietnam. For its political motives and to incite riots, the
organization represents none of the overseas Vietnamese
community, but some elements hostile to the Government of
the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Vietnam requests that
ECOSOC will not endorse the application of this organization
for the consultative status with ECOSOC.
(4) For the above mentioned reasons and on the basis of the
existing good relations between Viet Nam and the United
States of America, Viet Nam kindly requests that the United
States of America, as a member of the ECOSOC as its June
28th - July 23rd 2004 session in New York, will be in favor
of the NGO Committee's decisions at its annual session in
May, 2004, to suspend the consultative status of the
Transnational Radical Party for three years and not to
endorse the application of the Free Vietnam Alliance for a
consultative status with the ECOSOC. In the spirit of the
international cooperation in the fight against terrorism,
Viet Nam hopes that the Government of the United States of
America will not compromise such terrorist activities by Kok
Ksor and the "Montagnard Foundation Inc."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam avails itself of
this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United
States of America the assurances of it highest
consideration.
Hanoi, June 8, 2004
End text
6. (U) Text of the MFA "Aide-Memoir"
On the Position of the Government of Socialist Republic of
Viet Nam concerning the Transnational Radical Party (TPR)'s
accreditation to the Montagnard Foundation Inc. (MFI) and
Kok Ksor and the Free Viet Nam Alliance (FVA)'s application
for ECOSOC's Consultative Status
(I) On the Transnational Radical Party (TRP)'s accreditation
to MFI and Kok Ksor:
(1) Facts about MFI and Kok Ksor:
- The Montagnard Foundation Inc. (MFI) was established in
1992 in North Carolina, USA by Kok Ksor and some other
remnants of FULRO- Front Unifie pour la Liberation des Races
Opprimees or United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed
Races - who are now residing in the U.S. FULRO was an armed
organization created by foreign forces during the war
against the Vietnamese people in the 1960's and 1970's.
After the war ended in 1975, and during the 1980's, FULRO
carried out armed terrorist activities causing heavy
civilian casualties in Viet Nam;
- Kok Ksor himself used to be a soldier in the puppet army
of the former South Vietnamese regime, joined the separatist
FULRO in 1969, fled to Cambodia and then self-claimed "Major-
General" of Fulro. In 1974, he was sent to the United
States by the founder and leader of FULRO, "General" Y-bham
Enoul, and has since remained in the U.S.;
- Kok Ksor has been soliciting for the so-called
"Independent State of Degar." By the end of 1999, he
formally announced the establishment of the so-called "an
Independent State of Degar" among the exiles in North
Carolina, USA and claimed himself as "President of the
State," appointed former "Major General" Y Bhi Kbour, former
"Chief of Staff" of the FULRO "Prime Minister's Office", as
"Prime Minister", and appointed 5 other former FULRO members
as "Ministers" of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Justice,
Economic and Health Care and six others as "Provincial
Chiefs". Kok Ksor drafted the "Guiding Principles and
Instructions for the establishment of the Independent State
of Degar", sent them back to Viet Nam for his accomplices to
implement, in which he wrote: "To clearly state to the
Communist regime that: the Guidelines of FULRO Degar have
been and will be consistent, that is to carry out the
struggle to demand for the independence and sovereignty of
the "Government" and "Independent State of Degar" and "When
it is necessary to use armed forces, we will be supported by
other countries; to carry out both methods (political and
armed forces) we will surely win";
- Kok Ksor and the MFI incited and prepared for the violent
riots in the Central Highland in February 2001 and other
violent riots in Viet Nam. He worked out plans, guidelines
and sent back to Viet Nam for his accomplices to carry out.
In April 2004, during the Easter holidays, from his office
in South Carolina (sic), Kok Ksor and his Montagnard
Foundation worked out the draft plan for demonstrations in
the Central Highland. He instigated and instructed his
followers, the extremist elements in the Dak Lak and Gia Lai
provinces in the Central Highland of Viet Nam, to induce,
deceive and force local people to carry out violent
demonstrations. The day before the demonstrations took
place where banners demanding to establish a "Degar State"
were displayed, on Friday, April 8, 2004, from his office in
South Carolina, Kok Ksor and the MFI sent out the above
mentioned Draft Plan to many international media
organizations including those of Vietnamese overseas,
informing them that there would be demonstrations in Viet
Nam, that they had mobilized hundreds of thousands of
Vietnamese to take part, that the demonstration would take
several days, claimed themselves as the organizers, and
called for international support and attention. Under the
instructions from Kok Ksor and the MFI, the extremist
elements in Dak Lak and Gia Lai used dangerous weapons to
beat on-duty officers, causing serious injuries, destroyed
public works and property in some communes.
(2) The Position of the Government of Viet Nam:
- The MFI with Kok Ksor as its so-called "President" is a
terrorist group, whose characters are no different from
those notorious terrorist groups operating in Asia, Europe,
and America. . . that the international community is
condemning and fighting against. MFI and Kok Ksor are now
obviously carrying out activities of incitement and
preparation for further violent riots in the Central
Highland and other localities in Viet Nam threatening the
security of Viet Nam and the safety of it people. The
establishment of the so-called "Independent State of Degar"
in exile with Kok Ksor as its "President" and the
preparation for its formation inside Viet Nam are clearly
acts of subversion that threatens the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,
a member State of the United Nations. Kok Ksor's and the
MFI's aims and activities are contrary to the spirit,
purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations
and violate international law;
- Therefore, the TRP's accreditation to MFI and Kok Ksor
means accreditation to a terrorist group that has been
engaging in subversive and politically motivated activities
against the State of Viet Nam, which constitutes an abuse of
its consultative status with ECOSOC and a violation of
ECOSOC's Resolution 31/1996. The Government of Viet Nam, in
the spirit of dialogue and cooperation, at the last three
consecutive sessions of the NGO Committee, has agreed upon
giving the TRP the opportunities to understand the matter by
asking them through the Committee to prepare special reports
to explain their acts. While the question is still under
consideration of the Committee and its continued
accreditation to the MFI and Kok Ksor only demonstrate that
the TRP's abuse and violation are deliberate and in
disrespect of this Committee on NGO's.
- In the legitimate security interest of Viet Nam, a member
State of the United Nations, in the interest of the United
Nations and of the Committee on NGO's, Viet Nam requested
that the TRP's consultative status with ECOSOC be suspended
until it cancels its accreditation to the terrorist MFI and
Kok Ksor. And at its May 21, 2004 session, the Non-
governmental Committee of the ECOSOC endorsed Viet Nam's
recommendation to suspend the TRP's consultative status with
the ECOSOC for three years. We do hope that all the member
States of the ECOSOC will approve the recommendation by the
NGO Committee at the coming substantive session of the
ECOSOC from June 28 - July 23, 2004 at the UN Headquarters
in New York.
(II) On the application of Free Viet Nam Alliance (FVA) for
ECOSOC's Consultative Status
(1) Facts on the FVA:
- FVA is an affiliation to the so-called "National Unified
front for Viet Nam Liberation' established abroad in 1982.
Members of this organization were those working for the
former regime of South of Viet Nam who after 1975 went into
exile. The name "National Unified Front for Viet Nam
Liberation" itself manifests its subversive and sabotage
nature. During the 1980's, this organization carried out
terrorist activities not only in Viet Nam, but also against
overseas Vietnamese in the form of blackmail and
assassination. Some groups of armed terrorists sent by this
organization infiltrated into Viet Nam with an aim to create
their network, build up armed forces and incite riots to
overthrow the legitimate Government of Viet Nam. By the end
of 1992, they gathered a force of around 100 armed thugs in
Cambodia and boasted they could rally up to 20,000 members
to stage acts of sabotage against Viet Nam from the
Cambodian territory. Most of them were either killed or
captured and put on trials. The self-claimed "President" of
this organization Hoang Co Min together with his group was
intercepted and he was killed while staging such an
infiltration. Many of this organization's illegal
activities have been under investigation by the FBI in the
U.S. In 1992, it was in the FBI's list of supporters and
planners of criminal activities, among them drug trafficking
from Asia to America.
- This organization has several affiliations in countries
like the U.S.A., France, Australia and others under
different names such as "National Movement for Resistance
Support" or "Party of New Viet Nam". TO conceal it acts of
sabotage and subversion, FVA is now camouflaging itself
under the cloak of democracy and human rights. It
frequently provides false and fabricated information in an
attempt to smear Viet Nam, thus undermining the unity and
solidarity among the Vietnamese people. Neither, this
organization represents any of the overseas Vietnamese than
some elements hostile towards the new State of Viet Nam
simply for the fact that 30 years after the war ended in
Viet Nam, they have not been able to reconcile.
(2) The Position of the Government of Viet Nam:
- Acts of sabotage and incitements to overthrow the
legitimate Government of a member state of the United
Nations are criminal and illegal. Those acts by the FVA
constitute obstructions to the cause of economic, cultural
and social development in Viet Nam, an aim the United
Nations and the ECOSOC are striving for. Its aims go
against the very spirit, purposes and principles of the
charter of the United Nations and of ECOSOC Resolution
1996/31. FVA must not be accorded consultative status with
the ECOSOC. As a result, at the request of Viet Nam, the
Committee on NGOs considered and decided to reject the
application of the FVA for a consultative status with the
ECOSOC. Viet Nam believes that all the members of the
ECOSOC will be in favor of that decision at its substantive
session in July, 2004 in New York.
Hanoi, 8 June 2004
End text.
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