Vietnamese democracy movement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term "Vietnamese democracy movement" comprises any of various isolated efforts to seek democratic reforms in Vietnam. There is not a major movement in Vietnam to reform the current political system. Opposition to governance has been characterised by sporadic calls for reform by minor groups and rare, small protests.

Background[]

See also: Human rights in Vietnam and Internet censorship in Vietnam

Vietnam is a single-party socialist state. However, internet censorship in Vietnam is poorly executed and virtually non-existent. Even websites blocked by the government are commonly circumvented with such ease; any "block" is rapidly overcome.

History[]

In 2006, the Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam called for democratic reforms. The related Bloc 8406 is a small unified coalition of groups in Vietnam that advocate for democracy reforms in Vietnam. It was originally signed by 118 dissidents calling for a multiparty state.[1] The support later grew into the thousands.[2] New York City-based organisation Human Rights Watch stated, "It’s extraordinary that hundreds of citizens across Vietnam have boldly shown their support for political change in a written petition. In Vietnam, the mere act of signing such documents routinely triggers a police investigation, detention and often imprisonment."[3]

Following the Chinese "Jasmine Revolution" in early 2011, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que posted an appeal on the internet for mass demonstrations in Vietnam. He was then detained by the authorities.[4] Rare protests and a self-immolation[5] were reported in Ho Chi Minh City and Danang.[6] Nguyen was arrested on 26 February 2011 because security services said he was caught "red-handed keeping and distributing documents" that called for an uprising similar to the Arab Spring.[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ The Washington Post https://web.archive.org/web/20121026092207/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032801335.html. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Asia Times Online :: Southeast Asia news - Heed the call of Vietnam's Bloc 8406
  3. ^ Vietnam: Fledgling Democracy Movement Under Threat. The Human Rights Watch. 11 May 2006.
  4. ^ "Vietnam dissident detained for revolution calls" Washington Post
  5. ^ "Self immolation to protest corruption". 20 February 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Protest fever reaches Vietnam - Asia-pacific". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Reporter's Notebook - al Jazeera English". Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
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