Vietnam: Update to Response to Information Request VNM28180.E of 3 November 1997 on the treatment of families of individuals who have "fallen out of favour" with the government
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | VNM28655.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Vietnam: Update to Response to Information Request VNM28180.E of 3 November 1997 on the treatment of families of individuals who have "fallen out of favour" with the government, 1 January 1998, VNM28655.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8168.html [accessed 10 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on the treatment of families of individuals who have "fallen out of favour" with the government, please consult the attached 26 November 1997 letter and attachments that were sent by the executive secretary of the Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (Vietnamese Committee for the Defence of Human Rights) in Gennevilliers, France, and only received by the Research Directorate in early January 1998 due to Canada's postal strike.
According to the executive secretary, the majority of people who quit the Vietnamese Communist Party (PCV) are forced to do so, expelled as punishment because they are considered to have damaged the reputation of the PCV or the state by having criticized the PCV or its ideology, or for having demanded reform, democratization, etc. However, Communist dissidents are punished less severely than non-Communist dissidents (Buddhists in particular).
The executive secretary states that the Vietnamese authorities discriminate against the families of ex-Communist dissidents. Each Vietnamese citizen possesses a curriculum vitae that contains all his/her past history (antécédents) and that of his/her family, somewhat similar to a criminal or police record. This CV is included in the residence permit (ho khau), which is issued by the area policeman in charge of the political surveillance of the population, and which is necessary for all administrative procedures (work, admission to school or hospital, etc.). Religious affiliation and politics are also included on this CV. The attachments provided by the executive secretary offer examples and confirm that children of dissidents experience discrimination and stigmatisation, cannot pursue university studies or enter professions they would like to practise. One of the examples provided is that of the wife of a dissident who was forbidden from maintaining her small retail business, thereby placing her family in a more precarious economic situation.
The attached information leaflet states that the Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme was created in October 1975 and is affiliated with la Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) in Paris. The Comité's two main objectives are to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam and to promote the human rights of Vietnamese in Vietnam and abroad. Additional information on the Comité can be found in the attached leaflet.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme, Gennevilliers, France. 26 November 1997. Letter and attachments sent by executive secretary.
Attachment
Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme, Gennevilliers, France. 26 November 1997. Letter and attachments sent by executive secretary.
