This is related to my previous post, so check that out first before continuing.
Yesterday, a third round of protests over the fish kill in central Vietnam and the government's slow, opaque response to it were planned. On the previous two Sundays the demonstrations were centered on the cathedral/Dong Khoi area, but this time the protesters planned to set up near Pham Ngu Lao, or the backpacker's area, in the hopes that they would receive more attention from foreigners in the area. They received more attention all right, but not quite the kind they had hoped for.
The protest was planned for 4 pm, but well before then police and security officers were stationed on seemingly every street corner in District 1. Barricades had been pre-placed in many areas, ready for quick deployment to block streets. Nguyen Hue, one of downtown's biggest streets, was closed to all traffic. I went over to a friend's apartment across the street from 23/9 Park, the intended starting point of the protest. By 3:30 the area was swarming with uniformed men from various security agencies, while buses and police trucks sat parked nearby, ready to haul protesters away. Propaganda trucks blasted announcements from loudspeakers, presumably telling the few protesters in the area to disperse.
Eventually a line of police motorcycles blocked off access to Pham Ngu Lao and prevented people from parking at McDonald's (which is just out of frame to the left in the pictures). (Cue standard reportage of the irony of McDonald's, that bastion of capitalist consumerism, sitting right next to a standard-issue communist crackdown.)
Traffic became a mess of people rubbernecking, while police officers vigorously waved people away. From our vantage point it was hard to tell if anything was happening. There were far more uniforms than civilians inside the park, though it did look like a few people had been herded into buses and quickly removed from the area. We decided to head down to street level, wandering over to Bui Vien and back to CMT8/Le Lai. The heavy security presence remained, and there was no sign of a protest.
We cooled down in a cafe on the corner, fairly certain that whatever was supposed to happen had been thoroughly quashed before it could even get off the ground. Then, around 6 pm, as the last rays of sunlight faded, I saw a pack of men in green uniforms jogging into the park. We went over to a nearby corner, making sure to maintain a safe distance. The lights in the park had been turned off, but we could make out dozens of officers inside. Another megaphone truck blasted an announcement, this time in English, that the government would announce the cause of the fish kill soon. We were told by an official to move away, as officers swarmed onto the streets and sidewalks, pushing away traffic and pedestrians. The darkness lent a much more sinister atmosphere to the proceedings, and since we couldn't see anything we decided to just leave.
This was a pretty eye-opening lesson in how an authoritarian government shuts down free speech and assembly before anyone even attempts to try it. The protest was completely disrupted, but I would be shocked if activists didn't try again next weekend. It will be difficult, as police reportedly identified the main organizers and prevented them from leaving their houses yesterday. Next weekend is a big one though: the National Assembly "elections" (in which citizens are led to believe they actually have a voice in choosing the new parliament) are scheduled for the 22nd, and President Obama's visit begins then as well. Obama will face intense pressure from critics of the Vietnamese regime to bring up their human rights record, and these latest events create awkward timing for the country's leaders. Interesting times, to say the least.
Yesterday, a third round of protests over the fish kill in central Vietnam and the government's slow, opaque response to it were planned. On the previous two Sundays the demonstrations were centered on the cathedral/Dong Khoi area, but this time the protesters planned to set up near Pham Ngu Lao, or the backpacker's area, in the hopes that they would receive more attention from foreigners in the area. They received more attention all right, but not quite the kind they had hoped for.
The protest was planned for 4 pm, but well before then police and security officers were stationed on seemingly every street corner in District 1. Barricades had been pre-placed in many areas, ready for quick deployment to block streets. Nguyen Hue, one of downtown's biggest streets, was closed to all traffic. I went over to a friend's apartment across the street from 23/9 Park, the intended starting point of the protest. By 3:30 the area was swarming with uniformed men from various security agencies, while buses and police trucks sat parked nearby, ready to haul protesters away. Propaganda trucks blasted announcements from loudspeakers, presumably telling the few protesters in the area to disperse.
Eventually a line of police motorcycles blocked off access to Pham Ngu Lao and prevented people from parking at McDonald's (which is just out of frame to the left in the pictures). (Cue standard reportage of the irony of McDonald's, that bastion of capitalist consumerism, sitting right next to a standard-issue communist crackdown.)
Traffic became a mess of people rubbernecking, while police officers vigorously waved people away. From our vantage point it was hard to tell if anything was happening. There were far more uniforms than civilians inside the park, though it did look like a few people had been herded into buses and quickly removed from the area. We decided to head down to street level, wandering over to Bui Vien and back to CMT8/Le Lai. The heavy security presence remained, and there was no sign of a protest.
We cooled down in a cafe on the corner, fairly certain that whatever was supposed to happen had been thoroughly quashed before it could even get off the ground. Then, around 6 pm, as the last rays of sunlight faded, I saw a pack of men in green uniforms jogging into the park. We went over to a nearby corner, making sure to maintain a safe distance. The lights in the park had been turned off, but we could make out dozens of officers inside. Another megaphone truck blasted an announcement, this time in English, that the government would announce the cause of the fish kill soon. We were told by an official to move away, as officers swarmed onto the streets and sidewalks, pushing away traffic and pedestrians. The darkness lent a much more sinister atmosphere to the proceedings, and since we couldn't see anything we decided to just leave.
This was a pretty eye-opening lesson in how an authoritarian government shuts down free speech and assembly before anyone even attempts to try it. The protest was completely disrupted, but I would be shocked if activists didn't try again next weekend. It will be difficult, as police reportedly identified the main organizers and prevented them from leaving their houses yesterday. Next weekend is a big one though: the National Assembly "elections" (in which citizens are led to believe they actually have a voice in choosing the new parliament) are scheduled for the 22nd, and President Obama's visit begins then as well. Obama will face intense pressure from critics of the Vietnamese regime to bring up their human rights record, and these latest events create awkward timing for the country's leaders. Interesting times, to say the least.
