By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HANOI, Vietnam – Truong Van Suong, a political prisoner who has spent 33 years of his 68 year life in jail, died from medical complications while in detention.

In November 2010, Suong’s family was notified by prison officials that Suong had developed a serious heart condition. As a result of this condition, he was given one year of medical parole.

This parole was spent at a hospital until authorities suddenly re-appeared to return Suong to prison on August 19, just weeks before his passing, against the objection of his family who told authorities that his heart was too fragile to survive the conditions of his imprisonment.

Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch has criticized the Vietnamese government for forcing Suong to return to prison when he “urgently needed proper medical treatment.”

Phil Robertson also stated that “by locking him up again in such terrible health, the government of Vietnam essentially condemned him to die alone, separated from family and friends in his last days.”

Luong Thanh Nghi, Foreign Ministry spokesman, confirmed the death and stated that it came despite receiving hospital attention and returning to prison from medical parole in “stable health”.

Suong served as an officer in Southern Vietnam’s Army during the Vietnam War. When the north invaded Saigon, Suong was forced to spend six years in re-education camp in central Vietnam.

After being released, Suong fled to Thailand and joined the United Front of Patriotic Force for the Liberation of Vietnam in an attempt to bring democracy to Vietnam.

After returning to Vietnam, Suong and 200 other individuals were arrested after a Vietnamese spy informed the government of their involvement with the organization. In 1983 Suong was charged with treason and his involvement in an attempt to overthrow the Vietnamese government for which he was sentenced to life in prison.

Suong is the second political prisoner to die in Vietnam since July.

Human Rights Watch is calling on the Vietnamese government to “…immediately release all political prisoners unconditionally, but they should especially prioritize the release of those with serious health problems so they can receive proper medical treatment.”

For more information, please see:

Forbes – Vietnam Political Prisoner Dies After 33 Years – 13 September 2011

The Guardian – Vietnamese Political Prisoner Truong Van Suong Dies in Detention – 13 September 2011

Voice of America – Vietnamese Prisoner Dies in Prison After Year-Long Medical Parole – 13 September 2011

Radio Free Asia – Prominent Dissident Dies in Jail – 12 September 2011

By: Greg Donaldson
Impunity Watch, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — On the last day of August, President Mahinda Rajapaksa requested that the Sri Lankan Parliament allow the emergency powers given to his government to expire. The regulations, which have been in place since 1971, gave the government unrestrained power to search, arrest, and detain.

Many sources claim that this broad governmental power led to many people being tortured, unlawfully detained, and forced to disappear. The majority of the victims belong to the political party known as the Tamil Tigers.

The Sri Lankan government has come under heavy criticism since the government defeated the Tamil Tigers in a twenty-six year war that ended two years ago. Instead of allowing the emergency powers to expire at the conclusion of the war, the government clung to the powers until last month.

While allowing the emergency powers to expire appears to be an act of good faith by the government, many are calling this action deceitful and a “bait and switch” by the government.

The 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act and several other laws still exist which give the government power to detain individuals up to eighteen months without trial. Furthermore, proposed legislation will allow the regime to keep the over 6,000 people currently held under the expired emergency powers act.

“The Sri Lankan government announced that the state of emergency is over, but it is holding on to the same draconian powers it had during the war,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Many groups and journalists have cautioned the world that the Sri Lankan government’s power has not changed since the emergency regulations expired. A local journalist wrote “we hope that the government will not hoodwink the international community by publicizing that the country’s emergency laws have been abolished.”

The outgoing attorney-general, Mohan Peiris, told BBC that the expiration of the emergency powers should lead to the release of long term prisoners. However, he later told other journalists that “no suspects will be released and there is no change even though the emergency has been allowed to lapse.”

Peiris continued to explain that the government would create more legislation that would allow the secretary of defense or the president to pass emergency laws as needed. An example of this occurred on August 6 when the president granted the military search and arrest powers. It is unclear how short or long this decree will last.

Sri Lankans are relieved that the state of emergency and the war are over, but the world is keeping its eye on the government.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press — Rights group says Sri Lanka still uses abusive detention laws despite end of war — 8 September 2011

BBC – Human Rights Watch condemns ‘draconian’ Sri Lankan laws – 8 September 2011

Daily Mirror – Laws that promote democracy and development – 7 September 2011

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: ‘Bait and Switch’ on Emergency Law – 7 September 2011

 By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch, Asia

HANOI, Vietnam – Those detained in Vietnam for drug use are being held without due process, forced to labor without compensation and enduring physical violence according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

According to the report, “The Rehab Archipelago: Forced Labor and Other Abuses in Drug Detention Centers in Southern Vietnam,”  drug detention centers that are mandated to treat and rehabilitate drug users are being used as labor camps where those arrested for drug use are forced to work six days a week to sew garments, manufacture products and process cashews.

Those who are compensated receive only a few dollars a month, much of which is taken by the facility to pay for food and shelter, and are forced to work in unhealthy conditions.

The individuals interviewed by Human Rights Watch stated that they were not given a trial or informed of any process of appeal. Individuals who voluntarily entered the facility were not allowed to leave and had their detention arbitrarily extended by management officials at the center.

Punishment at the facility is severe and often involves torture. Those who refuse to work are beaten with batons, electrically shocked, kept in isolation, forced to work longer hours and deprived of food and water.

There have been several large escapes since the Vietnamese government issued an order increasing the mandatory period of treatment from one year to two years and the maximum period of treatment increased from one year to four years.

A former detainee described the punishment he was forced to endure after trying to escape: “First they beat my legs so that I couldn’t run off again… [Then] they shocked me with an electric baton [and] kept me in the punishment room for a month.”

Cashews are the most common product derived from forced labor in drug rehabilitation camps which contributes to Vietnam’s status as the largest cashew producer in the world.  Vietnam is the largest supplier of Cashew’s to the United States and is a large supplier of the nut to China and the European Union.

Human Rights Watch is calling the U.S. and Australian governments, the United Nations, the World Bank and other internationally donors to validate the facilities they are funding to avoid “indirectly [facilitating] human rights abuses.”

Last year the United States donated $7.7 million to Vietnam for methadone treatment and community based drug intervention. None of the individuals interviewed by Human Rights Watch; however, had received methadone or any other medical tool for fighting addiction.

As a result of the report Columbia Sportswear, located in Oregon, ended its relationship with a Vietnamese factory after it was discovered that the factory had subcontracted work with a drug detention center.

The drug use centers are a component of a Vietnamese system aimed at eliminating “social evils” including prostitution and drug use. As of early 2011, there were 123 centers across Vietnam which housed approximately 40,000 individuals.

Although Vietnamese officials claim that labor helps drug addicts by keeping them away from temptations, the official relapse rate of those who leave the camps is between 70 percent and 80 percent although most believe that the actually rate is closer to 95 percent.

For more information, please see:

Voice of America – Vietnam’s Drug Rehab Centers Under Fire – 9 September 2011

Associated Press – Rights Group: Forced Labor in Vietnam Drug Centers – 7 September 2011

Human Rights Watch –Vietnam: Torture, Forced Labor in Drug Detention – 7 September 2011

Radio Free Asia –Drug Detention Akin to ‘Labor Camps’ – 6 September 2011

Time – From Vietnam’s Forced-Labor Camps: ‘Blood Cashews’ – 6 September 2011

by Hibberd Kline
Impunity Watch, Asia

BEIJING, China — On September 2, Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail, published a story regarding official documents found in Tripoli detailing mid-July meetings at which representatives of three major Chinese state-controlled weapons manufacturing firms offered to sell $200 million worth of weapons to senior Gadhafi security officials.

According to the Globe and Mail, the documents contain evidence that representatives of the companies proposed to sell the Gadhafi regime “the entire contents of their stockpiles” including: truck-mounted rocket launchers, fuel-air explosive missiles, anti-tank missiles, and QW-18 surface-to-air missiles among other weaponry.

The Globe and Mail reported that the companies promised to manufacture additional supplies if necessary.

The newspaper further alleged that the Chinese representatives had emphasized the need for confidentiality during their meetings with the Libyans and had suggested the use of Algeria and South Africa, who had “previously worked with China,” to deliver the armaments without direct Chinese involvement in their transportation.

The documents found by the Globe and Mail listed the three state-controlled Chinese firms as: China North Industries Corporation (Norinco), the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIC), and China XinXing Import & Export Corporation.

Norinco has been the target of US sanctions in the past for allegedly supplying missile parts to Iran in violation of China’s arms control rules.

The Globe and Mail’s publication put Beijing immediately on the defensive.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry quickly denied that any contracts had been signed, and that any weapons had been sold or supplied to Libya by Chinese firms.

Later in the week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jian Yu acknowledged that a meeting did take place between Gadhafi’s officials and representatives of the Chinese firms and that invoices had been issued that listed weapons prices for inventory from small arms to rocket launchers.

However, Jiang firmly stressed that the meeting had occurred without the knowledge of the Chinese government. She pledged that China will continue to “strictly implement the UN resolution” and that it will also strengthen controls over arms exports.

Jiang went on to say that “competent authorities for military trade will handle the matter in a serious manner,” which some analysts have interpreted to mean that an investigation on the part of Chinese authorities will likely follow.

When asked about the possibility of whether the Chinese companies or their personnel might be punished for meeting with Gadhafi’s officials, Jiang responded that she was sure that the situation would be dealt with “in a serious and conscientious way.”

In February, as the Libyan uprising gathered steam China approved UN Resolution 1970, which banned all military assistance to Tripoli. China was also quick to open contacts with Libyan rebel leaders, whom it invited to Beijing for a consultation.

Furthermore, China has repeatedly stressed that it has provided humanitarian assistance to the Libyan people and has attempted to promote dialogue between the rebels and the Gadhafi regime for the purpose of resolving the situation without further bloodshed.

However, China has thus far refused to join the growing list of nations that recognize the victorious rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya’s legitimate government and has shown great reluctance to hand over frozen Libyan assets to the fledgling government.

Many analysts have suggested that China’s faltering relationship with Libya’s rebels may threaten the potential for Chinese firms to be awarded lucrative Libyan oil and reconstruction contracts.

Before the uprising began, Libyan oil shipments accounted for a strategically significant three percent of China’s supply. There has been much speculation that China had been courting both the rebels and Gadhafi simultaneously in order to hedge its bets and thereby guarantee future security of its oil supply.

NTC leaders do not yet appear to agree on a proper response to the meetings between the Chinese firms and Gadhafi’s officials.

Omar Hariri, chief of the NTC’s military committee said that he has reviewed the documents. He expressed outrage that the Chinese were negotiating the sale of arms to Gadhafi while rebel troops were suffering heavy casualties.

Mr. Hariri and several other rebel leaders suspect China and other nations of secretly delivering weapons, intelligence and other supplies to government forces during the fighting. Mr. Hariri said that the documents explained the presence of brand-new weaponry that he and his forces had faced on the battlefield.

Referring to the weaponry promised in the invoices, Hariri said that he was “almost certain that these guns arrived and were used against” his people.

However, other rebel leaders have responded with a more cautious and conciliatory tone. NTC spokesman, Jalal al-Gallal, said that he believed China’s assurances that it was unaware of any weapons sales.

Gallal went on to stress the importance of remembering that China is a superpower. “We all rely on products that come from China. We would have hoped they would have been on our side… But if it is in the interests of the Libyan people to deal with China, then we will deal with China… It is very expensive and time consuming to settle old scores.”

Gallal conceded that; “of course there will be some reaction.” He noted that Libya will “favor certain countries who stood by us.”

For more information, please see:

CBC News – Libya-China arms memos prompt Beijing pledge –  06 September 2011

Shanghai Daily- China sold no weapons to Gadhafi – 06 September 2011

BBC News – China confirms weapons firms met Gaddafi envoys in July – 05 September 2011

Guardian – Chinese arms companies ‘offered to sell weapons to Gaddafi regime – 05 September 2011

Reuters – China says didn’t know of arms sales talks with Gaddafi forces – 05 September 2011

Reuters – Libyans say China, Europe sent arms to Gaddafi – 05 September 2011

Globe and Mail – China offered Gadhafi huge stockpiles of arms: Libyan memos –  02 September 2011

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch, Asia

 BEIJING, China – Two Beijing newspapers, Beijing Times and Beijing News, have been placed under the control of the Chinese Communist Party’s local propaganda department.

According to Qianlong, a website controlled and operated by the Chinese government, the newspapers were taken over in an attempt to control in an advertising war waged between them and to increase the influence and competitiveness of The Beijing News.

Critics; however, view the move as retribution for the outspoken and critical articles that both newpapers have become notorious for producing. One of the affected newspaper employees expressed concern at the affect the takeover will have by stating that “it means there will be so much we can’t do. Before there was news that other papers couldn’t do but we could.”

Prior to coming under the control of the Chinese government, Beijing News and Beijing Times were both overseen by the state-level Central Publicity Department which left them essentially untouched by the directives given by Beijing city authorities and thus more capable of candid reporting.

As a result both papers became well-known for consistently publishing stories, many of which other media outlets were prohibited from covering, that were critical of  local government’s around China.

Many journalists are alleging that this candid reporting is what led to the takeover. One example of the critical reporting done by the two newly censored papers was the high-speed train crash that occurred in Wenzhou in July and in which the papers harshly criticized the government’s response and poor safety standards.

In addition, Beijing News and Beijing Times both covered the controversial topic of school closures for the children of migrant workers in Beijing which has angered many human rights groups. According to a reporter at Beijing News, Beijing’s propaganda authorities had contacted the central publicity department several times to complain about what it perceived to be negative coverage.

Media analyst Wen Yunchao stated that “it’s been a headache for the Beijing propaganda authorities that they didn’t directly control the two newspapers.” According to Wen , prior to the takeover the Beijing propaganda authorities could only influence the content of the papers if they were assisted by the central publicity department but the new takeover will allow content to be controlled with greater ease.

Media experts, including Wen Yunchao, expect that the takeover will cause news content to rapidly change to alter coverage on sensitive and controversial topics in a way that will portray the Chinese government more favorably. 

Fear of increased government crackdown on dissent is further fueled by the recent discovery that Chinese authorities are considering a law that would allow individuals to be detained for up to six months without notification being given to family members.

Chinese authorities have denied allegations of a crackdown and have said that the editorial policies and senior staff would remain the same.

For more information, please see:

NDT – Propaganda Bureau Takes Over Two Beijing Newspapers – 6 September 2011

The Guardian – Propaganda Bureau Takes Control of Two Beijing Newspapers – 3 September 2011

The Diplomat – Beijing Papers Taken Over – 4 September 2011

Radio Free Asia – Newspapers Face New Controls – 4 September 2011