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Vietnam's State President Nguyen Minh Triet - the next best actor for Liar Liar |
By May Trang
During the week long visit to the U.S. on June 18-23, Vietnam's State President Nguyen Minh Triet had impressed millions of viewers that he could be the next best actor for Liar Liar, a runaway success played by Canadian comedian and actor Jim Carey.
On the news, Triet had many one-time opportunities to audition in front of well-known interviewers, including U.S. President George W. Bush and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
At the handshake-for-camera opportunity with Bush, Triet brushed off Bush's comment on Vietnam's violation of human rights and religious freedom by murmuring on the improved relation and cooperation between U.S. and Vietnam.
In the CNN late edition encounter with Blitzer, Triet avoided eyes contact during the entire interview. When asked if he was familiar with the picture in which father Nguyen Van Ly's mouth was covered, Triet blamed on the wrong doing of a staff and stated it was not the government policy.
Prior to this historic visit to the U.S., the first in 32 years after the end of the Vietnam war, Vietnam's Vice Minister of External Affairs Nguyen Van Bang made a promise to the U.S. to release 3 dissidents.
Days after the meeting, two had been released. Journalist Nguyen Vu Binh had been jailed for sending a letter to the top country officials, requesting permission to found a political party. The second is lawyer Le Quoc Quan who was arrested 4 days after returning from the 5-month study with the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy. Nguyen Vu Binh was sentenced at the court. Le Quoc Quan was not. On which ground Le Quoc Quan was arrested, and on which ground he was released, nobody knows.
It's the Vietnam Communist Party which fills the country's National Assembly with its members to make the laws and to give themselves the full authority to enforce the laws . In the country's National Constitution, article 69 on freedom of expression does not guarantee that those who peacefully voice against the VCP's policy will be immune to persecution. Father Nguyen Van Ly, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan, and many others have been arrested, and tried according to the country's criminal code -article 88 - for propaganda which endangers national security.
Vietnam's crackdown on political and religious dissidents was seen by international rights groups as the worst in 20 years. Eight peaceful dissidents have been tried and sentenced to 4 to 8 years in the last two months. More than ten others have been arrested without trials. One human - rights lawyer, Mrs. Bui Kim Thanh, was retained and hospitalized against will in Bien Hoa Mental Institution, 30 kilometers from HCM city, in spite of doctors' negative evaluation on the mental illness claimed by security officers. The crackdown is in fact Vietnam's policy to "cover mouth" (bit mieng in Vietnamese) of peaceful dissidents.
Having had badly auditioned in front of Bush and Blitzer, Triet must have learned the real acts of governing and respecting his people.
Having been protected by the motorcade of the police of the former
arch-enemy
while greeted by thousands of protesters of Vietnamese origin in New York,
Washington, and Dana Point - California, Triet must have dreamt of casually
strolling in the street of a free country.
Telling lies on CNN and at the White House, yet through Vietnam's state controlled media, Triet still manages to hide the truth from millions of Vietnamese in the country, including a full session of the national assembly. The only trick that Triet needs to learn to become Jim Carey is to make people laugh without being demonstrated against by his own fans.