OPEN
LETTER: On the Honorary Doctorate Degree by Thammasat University to Vietnamese
Communist Leader Nguyen Phu Trong
Danlambao
Danlambao
...We are appalled to hear of the honorary doctorate degree that
Thammasat University is going to grant Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, who
definitely must be held responsible for the increasing cases of human
right abuses in a nation under the repressive rule of a mono-political
party of which he is the top leader.
How can a person like Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong be honored by one of the
oldest universities in Thailand that educates and advocates students “to emphasize the benefits of living by the philosophy of sufficient economy, democratic values and social justice.”?
We fear that by awarding Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong with an honorary
doctorate, Thammasat University will be seen as providing support to a
politician whose words and deeds have proved to run counter to human
rights and democratic values, and that the University may be mistaken by
others as advocating for repressive rulers and dictators...
*
Date: June 24, 2013
To: The Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University
OPEN LETTER: On the Honorary Doctorate Degree by Thammasat University to Vietnamese Communist Leader Nguyen Phu Trong
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to voice our concern regarding the event that the Faculty
of Political Science at Thammasat is about to grant an honorary
doctorate degree to Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the
Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP). The award ceremony will take place at
Thammasat University Main Auditorium on the morning of June 26, 2013.
We strongly believe that this decision of the Faculty should be reconsidered.
One of the missions of Thammasat University is “to emphasize the benefits of living by the philosophy of sufficient economy, democratic values and social justice.” We question whether the grant of the honorary doctorate to Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong contributes to the stated mission.
Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, born in 1944, holds a bachelor degree in
literature. In 1967 he became a member of the ruling VCP and has ever
since been continuously promoted in the hierarchy of the VCP and its
government. He used to be the Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee
before being appointed as Chair of the National Assembly of Vietnam in
2006 and General Secretary of the VCP in 2011.
His Party, since its establishment in 1930, has always been pursuing
communism and using violent tactics to gain power. Upon the unification
of the country in 1975, the VCP came into power by force and imposed
political monopoly on the entire nation of Vietnam. In the post-war
years, it adopted draconian policies against people of the old regime in
southern Vietnam, deterring national reconciliation, suppressing
political opposition and turning the Vietnamese government into one of
the most repressive states in the world according to numerous reports of
international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch,
Reporters Sans Frontiere, Amnesty International...
Only when the economy and the people’s life were deteriorated severely
did the VCP start its Doi Moi policy (a Vietnamese replica of the Soviet
perestroika) in the mid-1980s. Since then, the national economy
has attained growth and Vietnam is sometimes viewed as a new tiger in
the region.
However, the VCP keeps delaying political reform and whenever the party
senses the people’s aspiration for democracy and freedom in the
globalization era, it only becomes more oppressive. In the recent few
years, given the worst economic recession since 1986 and the escalating
tension with China concerning maritime sovereignty disputes, Vietnam has
scored even worse records of human right violations with hundreds of
crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations, arbitrary detention and severe
prison sentences against political dissidents and human rights
activists.
As a propagandist, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong has always been loyal to the
VCP, a party whose platform is just to maintain political monopoly for
its interests. Now, as a leader of the VCP, he is among the most
conservative minds that cling to the obsolete ideology of communism and
deny the country of the opportunities it needs to develop and flourish.
In order to distract the public from focusing on the economic recession,
the degrading life quality, and the lack of human and civil rights, the
VCP launched a constitutional reform which purports to resemble an
effort “to democratize” the nation by giving opportunities for the
people to voice their opinions. Despite the stated aims of
“constitutionalizing opportunely the Party’s major guidelines and
policies,” and “reinforcing the entire rule of the VCP over the State
and the society”, some Vietnamese bloggers have raised their voice about
democracy and freedom rights and how they think a desirable
constitution should be. In response to their good will and exercising of
civil and political rights, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong said in a meeting on
February 25, 2013: “Who wants pluralism and multi-party system?
Who wants separation of power? Who wants to de-politicalize the
military?... This must be nothing else but deterioration! What would it
possibly become to pursue mass litigation, demonstration and class
action lawsuit?”
His speech was broadcast on national television and stirred a public
outcry in the blogosphere and the Facebook community. The following
morning, journalist Nguyen Dac Kien wrote an article in which he openly
criticized Mr. Trong. Early that afternoon, Kien was fired.
The CVP since then has not stopped its suppression against opposition.
In May 2013, a 21-year-old female student and her 25-year-old friend
were sentenced to 6 and 8 years in prison respectively for “conducting
anti-state propaganda” when they urged the government to protect
Vietnam’s sovereignty against China’s aggressive sea expansion. To make
the matter worse, within less than one month, two prominent bloggers
were arrested and charged with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe
upon the interests of the state”. Another blogger, also a lawyer and
legal activist, will stand trial on July 9, 2013.
We wonder where Vietnam will become under such a repressive regime.
Today, we are appalled to hear of the honorary doctorate degree that
Thammasat University is going to grant Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, who
definitely must be held responsible for the increasing cases of human
right abuses in a nation under the repressive rule of a mono-political
party of which he is the top leader.
How can a person like Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong be honored by one of the
oldest universities in Thailand that educates and advocates students “to emphasize the benefits of living by the philosophy of sufficient economy, democratic values and social justice.”?
We fear that by awarding Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong with an honorary
doctorate, Thammasat University will be seen as providing support to a
politician whose words and deeds have proved to run counter to human
rights and democratic values, and that the University may be mistaken by
others as advocating for repressive rulers and dictators.
With all due reference to Thammasat University’s philosophy and the
academic values it creates, we strongly call upon the rector and dean of
the university to reverse their decision of granting the award to Mr.
Nguyen Phu Trong.
The undersigns:
Danlambao - danlambaovn.blogspot.com
Voice - vietnamvoice.org
Dan Luan - danluan.org
*
This open letter was also sent to:
Thammasat University
Bangkok University
Bangkok University International Colllege (BUIC)
Chulalongkorn University
Kasetsart University
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
Mahamakut Buddhist University
Mahidol University
National Institute of Development Administration
Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi
Ramkhamhaeng University
Silpakorn University
Srinakharinwirot University
Thammasat University
Assumption University
Dhurakij Pundit University
Dusit Thani College
Rangsit University
SAE Institute Bangkok
Saint John's Group of Schools and University
Siam University
Stamford International University
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
Bangkok Biznews (Bangkok)
Bangkok Post (Bangkok)
Business Day (Bangkok)
Chiang Mai News (Chiang Mai)
Daily News (Bangkok)
Hallo, Das Magazin (Pattaya)
Irrawaddy News Magazine (Chiang Mai)
Matichon
Naewna
The Nation, Bangkok
Pattaya Blatt (Pattaya, Banglamung)
Pattaya News (Pattaya, Banglamung)
Phuket Gazette (Phuket)
Siam Turakij
Thainews (Bangkok)
Thairath (Bangkok)
Than News
Thai News Agency (Bangkok)
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
Amnesty International Thailand
Prachatai
Asia Foundation in Thailand
Thai Netizen Network
International Thai Foundation "ITF"
Thai Media Policy Center
Southeast Asian Centre for e-Media (SEACeM)
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
yap@forum-asia.org
*
Thammasat's Mission Statement
(http://www2.tu.ac.th/tueng/index.php/about-us/mission-statement)
*
Thammasat's Mission Statement
(http://www2.tu.ac.th/tueng/index.php/about-us/mission-statement)
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