Van, of French nationality, is being investigated for terrorist acts according to Article 84 of the Criminal Code.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, born in 1956, is also called Nam or Thanh. She was arrested by Vietnamese police together with some domestically based hostile elements while distributing reactionary documents against the Vietnamese Government. After being arrested, Van admitted that she had brought 7,000 leaflets and 900 stickers of Viet Tan from Phnom Penh to Vietnam in order to spread reactionary propaganda. On November 17, she came to the house of Nguyen The Vu, a well known Vietnam-based reactionary to receive envelopes for the distribution of printed material said she had brought the material collected by police in their search of her house to Vietnam herself, including 6,750 Viet Tan leaflets, 1,000 stamped envelopes, 7,025 non-stamped envelopes, 3,775 postal stamps and 900 name cards wrapped in two layers of stickers. Printed on the cover is the address of Quang Thang Electric Service Company. Taking off the outward layer one can see the Viet Tan logo and the programme schedules of radio New Horizon.

Another Viet Tan member, Truong Leon, was also arrested by Vietnamese police on November 17. Truong admitted he had been assigned, together with Van and other Viet Tan members, to prepare leaflets and other anti-government material for their accomplices to distribute in the country. Vu’s brother, Nguyen Viet Trung, also admitted that he had downloaded the design of Viet Tan leaflet from an e-mail sent by leading elements and printed 7,000 copies. On November 17, 2007, Trung brought the leaflets from Binh Thuan province to Ho Chi Minh City for Van’s group.

According to the investigation made by relevant agencies, Van and her accomplices’ activities were part of Viet Tan’s scheme to mobilize forces from overseas to infiltrate into Vietnam to collude with some opposition elements and underground bases in the country to realise what they called “Crossing the river” plan for 2007. If the plan succeed, they would send other teams to the country to incite forces and distribute leaflets to provoke further demonstrations and violent disturbances in an attempt to overthrow the Vietnamese State. Therefore, the arrest of Nguyen Thi Thanh Van and her accomplices was a necessary act to ensure political stability and public safety.

The BBC radio on November 29 quoted an overseas Vietnamese in Sydney, Australia as saying that with members such as Van, Viet Tan would never win support from the general public inside and outside the country. However, Reporters Without Borders has raised its voice defending Van’s wrong doings. The organisation claimed that they had to protect her on account of her media activities. However, they should know that the first standard of journalists is to act for the benefit of society, not to do harm to the stability and security of their own country and other sovereign nations.

And what about Nguyen Thi Thanh Van? She joined Viet Tan in 1990. Since then, Van has been working as a so-called reporter for the reactionary newspaper Democratic Vietnam and radio New Horizon, often writing articles to besmirch the Vietnamese State in an attempt to stir up revolts against the Vietnamese Government. She is nothing but a Viet Tan mouthpiece. By defending Van’s and other Viet Tan members’ acts, Reporters Without Borders has once again belied claims that they are pursuing the goal of peace, stability and security for countries in the world.