Vietnamese Dissidents Make Public Plea for Reforms
Tra Mi - VOA
September 23, 2013
More
than 130 Vietnamese intellectuals have signed a public statement calling on the
government in Hanoi to allow for dramatic political reforms.
The petition, which was released Monday, takes the unusual step of publicly
advocating for a constitutional amendment dissolving the Communist party's
monopoly on power, allowing for the establishment of civil society groups and an
increase in freedom of speech.
The statement on political and civil rights, written by teachers, was sent to
Vietnam's leadership, media outlets and shared on social networks such as
Facebook.
Journalist and political essayist Pham Chi Dung, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City
and was one of the initial signers, told VOA's Vietnamese service that civil
society is critical to Vietnam's future.
"A nation cannot exist without civil society and rule of law governance. When
signing on to this statement, I and many others were hoping for a more developed
and democratic Vietnam to avoid chaos and internal conflicts. We need a civil
society in Vietnam to counter-balance the government," said Dung.
Dung and the others inside Vietnam could risk being detained by authorities for
signing the statement. Dung recently was detained for writing about politically
sensitive issues.
The overwhelming majority of those signing the statement live inside Vietnam.
Historically, calls for vast political reforms in Vietnam have come from
individuals inside the country or groups living overseas and beyond the reach of
the government in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese government has not commented on the petition.
This report was produced in collaboration
with the VOA Vietnamese service.