Democratic Voice of Vietnam

Vietnam – 17 November 2015

A collection of independent civil society organizations (CSOs) issued a joint statement to the ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF), to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 17-19, raising concerns over an undemocratic process that excludes independent civil society organizations from Vietnam.

“There is no free association inside Vietnam,” says Huynh Thuc Vy, coordinator of Vietnamese women for Human Rights (VNWHR) and outspoken leader in the independent CSO movement. “Only organizations set-up and controlled by the government are permitted, while groups like ours are targeted by the government.”

The statement explains that a select group of GONGOS (Government Organized Nongovernmental Organizations) act as gatekeepers to the region’s largest and most important civil society forum. The independent CSOs say the problem stems in part from the country-based decision-making structure, better known as the “National Process.”

In the case of Vietnam, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization (VUFO), a GONGO operating under the authority of the Fatherland Front maintains tight control of the dissemination of information and country distribution of participation, leadership roles, and funding to attend the event. In addition, many independent CSO members face restricted movement and are banned from international travel.

In early morning on Monday the 16th of November, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lua, designated by VNWHR to attend the ACSC/APF despite being excluded from Vietnam’s “National Process”, was intercepted at the airport and her passport confiscated by the Vietnamese authorities. She had planned to present the joint statement of Vietnamese independent CSOs to organizers and attendees at the event.

The joint statement, one of many actions put forth by the independent CSOs to contest GONGO control, calls on other participants at the ACSC/APF to expose the Vietnamese government’s use of GONGOs and international travel bans to silence the true voices of the people at a forum that strives for a people-centered ASEAN. Going a step further, it calls for an overhaul in approach beyond Vietnam.

Huynh Thuc Vy explains, “The problem is systemic across ASEAN and not just Vietnam. In this year emphasizing reflection and people centeredness, and with the situation in Laos, we are hopeful that a regional movement can be built.”

An ASEAN-wide movement is proposed in the joint statement, as Vietnamese CSOs call on the ACSC/APF to take action to address the negative consequences that GONGOs have on civil society development not just in Vietnam but throughout the region. The statement builds upon recent developments, including a Guiding Principles and Engagement Modality for ACSC/APF that emphasizes inclusiveness. It further notes that the same GONGOs that have refused to abide by these principles continue to receive scholarships from the event organizing committee, while independent CSOs are left out.

Boat People SOS (BPSOS), having served in its capacity as a regional organization on several ACSC/APF committees, has heeded the message from the independent CSOs and is calling on ASEAN NGOs to join together to counter attempts by governments to infiltrate and manipulate the most important forum of ASEAN’s civil society. A delegation coordinated by BPSOS will bring the voice of Vietnamese CSOs and other marginalized groups to this forum as governments attempt to silence them. BPSOS will call for a serious discussion among forum participants about a regionwide movement to end government interference in the ACSC/APF.

For more information on independent civil society, GONGOs, and ACSC/APF, please visit www.dvov.org