Vietnam has freed a detained blogger and a journalist who were critical of government policies towards China and involved in a plan to distribute anti-China T-shirts, the blogger and a lawyer said on Sunday, according to Reuters. The releases came ahead of a Sept 6-9 visit by Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh to Australia and New Zealand, where he is sure to face protests and pressure over human rights.
The Reuters report said: [Link]
Hanoi police told Bui Thanh Hieu on Saturday evening he was being freed because of "the cancellation of preventative measures" on him, said Hieu, who spent nine nights in detention. "I don't know exactly why they freed me," said Hieu, who blogs under the name "Nguoi Buon Gio", or Wind Trader.
Pham Doan Trang, a journalist for the highly popular news website VietnamNet, was released on Friday evening, said lawyer Cu Huy Ha Vu. Vu said he had been in direct contact with Trang, who was detained a day after Hieu.
The blogger confirmed he had been detained in connection with a plan to print and distribute to major Vietnamese cities T-shirts opposing China's involvement in a bauxite mining scheme and claims over disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The arrests have underscored how sensitive Vietnam's relations with China are while highlighting the challenge Hanoi faces in keeping public opinion in check as Internet usage blossoms -- and where it draws a line on organised dissent.
The bauxite issue came into the spotlight last year when war hero Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap urged the government to reconsider it. Opponents of the plan say it will damage the environment and contend that China's involvement is a national security risk.
