The International Community continue to react strongly to the arrest of dissident Nguyen Thanh Giang by Hanoi's security force on March 4, 1999.
Amnesty International called for action: "AI is concerned for the safety of 63-year-old Nguyen Thanh Giang, a prominent political dissident ... Legislation in Vietnam provides no distinction between armed opposition to the government and peaceful political dissent and it is possible that Nguyen Thanh Giang may face charges under "Crimes Against National Security" of the Vietnamese Criminal Code..."
The U.S. State Department declared its view: ``His arrest is a troubling event, and we call on the Vietnamese authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally."
The Committee to Protect Journalists wrote to the Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong: "Despite official constitutional guarantee of free speech and the press, the reality in Vietnam is that almost all aspects of the media are under heavy state and Party control. It is particularly alarming that Giang, a scientist with an international reputation whose thoughtful political essays have been banned in his home land and widely praised outside of Vietnam, now faces prison for exercising his right of free expression."
Human Rights Watch denounced the arrest of geologist and writer Nguyen Thanh Giang: "Nguyen Thanh Giang's arrest is an assault on freedom of expression, and he should be immediately and unconditionally released ... The charge of 'possessing anti-socialist propaganda' means he could be convicted simply for possessing some of his own writings ... Vietnam had obligations to respect freedom of expression, belief and opinion under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its own Constitution."
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) said in its letter to the Vietnamese President: "This is not the first time Mr. Giang has been harassed for peacefully advocating free expression of opinion in Vietnam. This arrest and the previous intimidation of Mr. Giang constitute a flagrant breach of numerous international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Vietnam has signed."
US Ambassador to Vietnam, Pete Peterson, wrote in reply to US Congressman Ed Royce's inquiry: "I have been telling the Vietnamese here that this case has the potential to set back Hanoi relations not only with us, but with other developed countries as well."
The French Democratic Liberal Party wrote to the Vietnamese Ambassador to France: "If Mr. Giang was arrested by the security police, could you please tell us the reasons for his arrest and your government policy toward this well-known intellectual. If Mr. Giang was not arrested by the police, we request that you investigate what have happened to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Giang."
French Senator Michel PELCHAT, Chairman of the French Committee for Democracy in Vietnam, expressed in a letter to the Vietnamese Ambassador: "Since I know well the dedication and the humanistic goals of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Giang, partly expressed in his widely distributed discourse Human Rights - The Thousand Year Aspiration, I would like very much to know the reasons for his arrest and his current condition."
Mr. David Stockman, a former Congressman and Secretary General of the Texas Friends For A Free Vietnam Committee urgently called on: "All Texans, Americans, the Congress, the Senate and the President of the United States to exert diplomatic pressure on Vietnamese authorities to demand an immediate and unconditional release of writer Nguyen Thanh Giang."
Mr. Julian F Stefani, Member of the South Australian Parliament, urged in his letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai: "I would urge your Government to consider the abolition of the Decree 31/CP, which permits the arrest of people without trial ...In accordance with the standards and the international code of practice adopted by the World Association of Newspapers, and in the spirit of fairness, justice and compassion, Vietnamese Australians also believe that human rights and freedoms should be accorded to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Giang and all incarcerated journalists and other prisoners of conscience."
Mr. Olivier Dupuis, Member of the European Parliament, wrote to the Vietnamese President: "We regret that, despite the strong aspiration for democracy and Rule of Law expressed by the Vietnamese people, inside and outside Vietnam, you, as the highest representative of the Communist Party, decided not to meet with these requests for more freedom and for the respect of fundamental rights ... I strongly urge that Mr. Giang and all the political and opinion prisoners be released from detention, and that you finally decide to meet with the Vietnamese people's requests for Democracy , Rule of Law and an open market society."
US Congressman Tom Campbell wrote to the US Ambassador in Hanoi: "I am writing to bring to your personal attention my deep concern regarding human rights in Vietnam. As a signatory to the United Nations charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has pledged itself to adhere to the UN charter and to respect basic human rights ... I urgently call upon your office to investigate this latest arrest of Nguyen Thanh Giang and seek his release from prison. Fundamental human rights must be preserved in all nations. I ask you to intercede on behalf of Nguyen Thanh Giang in the name of basic human rights in Vietnam."
The New York Academy of Sciences, with 47,000 members in 150 countries, sent its letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai: "We request information on Nguyen Thanh Giang's current whereabouts. We are also calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Nguyen Thanh Giang and ask that you put an end to the recent attacks on various Vietnamese dissidents. Finally, we urge you to respect the terms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by allowing your citizens to freely express themselves."
The State of Hawaii House of Representatives issued its resolution: "BE IT RESOLVED ... that President Tran Duc Luong of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is urgently requested to release Nguyen Thanh Giang from detention and to drop all charges against him."
And many other international and Vietnamese dignitaries and organizations have expressed their outrage over the arrest and treatment of Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang through various communication channels to the Vietnamese authorities.