Friday, November 11, 2011

Vietnam Falungong jailed over China broadcasts

This picture taken by the Vietnam News Agency shows Vu Duc Trung (C, first row), and Le Van Thanh (C, second row) (AFP/Vietnam News Agency)
AFP

HANOI — Vietnam on Thursday jailed two Falungong practitioners for beaming radio broadcasts into China, their lawyer said, where the movement is banned and labelled an "evil cult".

Vu Duc Trung, 31, received a three-year sentence and his brother-in-law Le Van Thanh, 36, was sentenced to two years, said the lawyer, Tran Dinh Trien.

The hearing in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi lasted about half a day.

The pair were charged in connection with "Sound of Hope" programmes transmitted into China via shortwave radio starting in April 2009, according to the Falungong's press office, the Falun Dafa Information Center in New York.


"Sound of Hope's programmes typically report on human rights abuses, corruption, and repression of Falungong practitioners and other persecuted groups," Falun Dafa added.

Trien said his clients, who have been in custody since June 2010, were convicted under the penal code for illegally diffusing information on a telecommunication network.

"I said Vietnam does not have any law that bans Falungong, so we cannot put them on trial," he told AFP.

On Tuesday more than 40 followers of the movement were detained after gathering outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi for a silent protest ahead of the trial for their two colleagues, Falun Dafa said.

The "repression" violated their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, a separate statement from Amnesty International said.

Police told AFP that all were later released.

Officials roped off the footpath outside the court building on Thursday, preventing possible gatherings.

Falun Dafa said Vietnamese Falungong are under increased "harassment... following direct Chinese Communist Party pressure".

There was no immediate comment from Beijing's embassy or communist Vietnam's foreign ministry.

Vietnam says it has achieved significant progress on human rights.

Falungong's Buddhist-inspired teachings focus on meditative, martial arts-like exercises. The group says its practitioners are treated brutally or even killed in China.

Hanoi has previously denied that Falungong exists in the country, but Falun Dafa said earlier this year that several hundred practitioners were in Vietnam.

Relations with China are a sensitive matter in Vietnam, where many people bitterly recall 1,000 years of Chinese occupation.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Decho Hun Sen, Mr Sam Rainsy asked you to sue him at a French court about your murders of the Khmer people. Why don't you dare to do it as you have done at the Cambodian court?

Being a strong man as well as a Prime Minister of one country, you should not be coward to face the real justice at a French court or International court. Unless, you are the real murderer in Cambodia that is the reason why you fear Mr Sam Rainsy at a real and fair justice court.

Decho Hun Sen, you rubbed the Cambodian people's well being, health care, dignity and sell Cambodia out to Vietnam in a cheap price as long as you can stay in power. Isn't that true, Samdach Decho Hun Sen?

How many Cambodian people's lives have you killed in your lifetime so far? Can you be honest to tell the truth?

As one Prime Minister of one country, you job is to bully your own people for just talking about Paris Peace agreement 1991 and about Vietnam's encroachments into Cambodia's territory. Why?

Samdach Decho Hun Sen, Why are you so scared of the truth? Why are you so scared of Mr Sam Rainsy when he asked you to sue him at a French court? You are a strong man as you claimed on the TV screen?

Samdach Decho Hun Sen, you shouldn't be scared of Mr Sam Rainsy because Mr Sam Rainsy has no weapon of mass destruction as you do. You are the murderer; you must be strong to face Mr Sam Rainsy at a French court as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited you to do so.

Samdach Decho billion dollars Hun Sen, Please face Mr Sam Rainsy as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited you through the world media. You used to win on Mr Sam Rainsy many times in a Cambodian court of justice. There is no reason why you should be worred about...if you have never killed anyone in Cambodia. Isn’t it true, Decho Sen?

The Cambodian people hope to see Samdach Decho Hun Sen has the gut as a leader or a man to sue Mr Sam Rainsy at a French court as Mr Sam Rainsy has invited Samdach Decho many times through Radio and world media.

Be a man Decho Sen! One in your life be a man Decho Sen! Be a man to face Mr Sam Rainsy at France court and international court.

We are personal bodyguards of Samdach Decho would like to see Decho Hun Sen be a man with Mr Sam Rainsy at a French Court. Otherwise, Samdach Decho is not worthy to protect because why do we have to die for protecting a traitor, a murderer, a blood sucker. Isn’t it true, Samdach Decho Hun Sen? Do you agree with that?

Anonymous said...

Ones in green and with taga around their necks are ruthless and vicious killers when darkness comes...evil under the cover of darkness!

Communist vietcong is an evil state!
DoMo Chiminh

Anonymous said...

Ones in green and with tags around their necks are ruthless and vicious killers when darkness comes...evil under the cover of darkness!

Communist vietcong is an evil state!
DoMo Chiminh

Anonymous said...

Master killer

Anonymous said...

Isn't that freedom of religion? It does not matter if you worship the devil, it's still freedom of religion. Wait, it's a commie Vietcong government who committed atrocities against our Khmer Krom people. This definitely validated the Khmer Krom people's claim.

Anonymous said...

1,000 chinese occupation or the daiviet kingdom belong china but the vietcrooks took it from china?

<Relations with China are a sensitive matter in Vietnam, where many people bitterly recall 1,000 years of Chinese occupation.

Anonymous said...

the vietcrooks, the chinese robbers must return back vientam to china, vietnam is chinese province, the vietcrooks must know that.