Vietnam confirms detention of U.S. citizen

[MaineDem]

HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese-born U.S. citizen was detained in mid-August, a government spokesman said on Thursday as rights groups complained he was arrested after using the Internet to call for alternatives to one-party communist rule.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said the man, Cong Thanh Do, 47, was "temporarily detained in Ho Chi Minh City for violations of Vietnamese law" on August 17, but he declined to say on what charges.

"When we receive the outcome of the investigation we will let you know," the spokesman said at a regular media briefing.

Do's family in San Jose, California, publicized his detention at the weekend, days after Vietnam released its most prominent cyber-dissident, Ham Hong Son, under a presidential amnesty.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-09-07T113434Z_01_HAN77229_RTRUKOC_0_US-VIETNAM-DISSIDENT.xml&src=rss

[dipsydoodle]

1. My understanding

is that the USA has a number of foreign nationals under detention. So - what's the problem ?

[hpot]

2. Expectations

Some expect to have their U.S. constitutional rights when stepping foot on another country.

Big mistake.

[confludemocrat]

3. Come on, this likely a Vietnamese emigre, he knows the score

And is probably from the very violent element in San Jose that prevented Le Ly Hayslip from speaking in public in 1988 about the dire straits the country was then in and the need to help it. As for Vietnam: look, these people will brook no foreign-based actions concerning their system. They're SENSITIVE about it. The guy knew that. Tough.