Vietnamese democracy movement

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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