MP Hayes Urges Australian Gov’t to Ask Hanoi to Release Leader of Newly-established Republican Party

MP Chris Hayes of the Australian Parliament

MP Chris Hayes of the Australian Parliament

Vietnam, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, has a responsibility to promote and respect human rights, Mr. Hayes said. However, the Vietnam’s human rights record seems to be worsening, he noted.

By Vu Quoc Ngu | May 17, 2015

Mr. Chris Hayes, member of the Australian Parliament, has called on the Australian Government to take action to demand Vietnam to release Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, the founder and leader of the newly-established Republican Party of Vietnam in the communist nation in the Southeast Asia.

In his letter dated May 13 sent to Foreign Minister Julia Bishop, Mr. Hayes said “the Australian Government which strong advocates for human rights, to take active interest in this matter and to call for the immediately release of Nguyen Viet Dung.”

Mr. Hayes, an Australian Labor Party politician said the Vietnamese community in New South Wale where he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 2005, and Australia at large, is very concerned about the safety and wellbeing of Mr. Dung, together with hundreds of other dissidents who are being imprisoned in Vietnam for simply exercising  the basic freedom of human rights.

Vietnam, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, has a responsibility to promote and respect human rights, Mr. Hayes said. However, the Vietnam’s human rights record seems to be worsening, he noted.

Mr. Hayes urged FM Bishop to pay attention for Mr. Dung, who was arrested by Hanoi police on April 12 after participating in a peaceful demonstration in the city’s center to protest the local authorities’ plan to chop down 6,700 healthy centenary trees in some main streets.

Hanoi police accused Mr. Dung, who declared to establish the pro-democracy Republican Party several months ago, of conducting public disorders under Article 245 of the country’s Penal Code. Dung is facing imprisonment of up to seven years.

Local media reported that Vietnam’s security forces searched his private house in the central province of Nghe An and confiscated some personal items, including a computer and a military uniform with the emblem of the Vietnam Republic which was defeated by the communist forces in 1975.

The police have refused Dung’s family  members to visit him in detention facility.

Since late April, Vietnamese Australians have rallied to demand release of Mr. Dung. During the demonstration on the occasion of the fall of Saigon to communist soldiers, activists collected 600 signatories for Mr. Dung’s freedom and the campaign continues.

The Australia-based 8406 Bloc which fights for multi-party system in Vietnam, plans to meet a number of Australian politicians, including Victoria State Minister of Transport Luke Donnellan and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Shadow Minister for Scrutiny of Government Inga Peulich and Member of the Victorian Legislative Council Bernie Finn to lobby for Mr. Dung’s freedom.

Vietnam is one of the few countries still following communism. The ruling party has vowed to keep the nation under one-party regime, and ordered the security forces not to allow opposition to be being established.

The communist government in Hanoi has harassed, persecuted and imprisoned all government critics, criminalizing those who bravely speak out about corruption, economic mismanagement and weak response to the Chinese violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

According to international human rights bodies, Vietnam is imprisoning between 150 and 200 political dissidents, bloggers and human rights activists while Hanoi denies to hold prisoners of conscience but only law violators.

Earlier this month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski visited Hanoi and conducted Vietnam-U.S. Human Right Dialogue. He demanded the Vietnamese communist government to unconditionally release 100 political dissidents.

Vietnam and Australia elevated their relations to comprehensive partnership in 2009. The two countries have exchanged high-profile visits, including those of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Sydney in March.

Australia is one of key trade partners for Vietnam-sourced goods. The two countries are negotiating on Trans-Pacific Pact agreement (TPP).