Death of leading dissident confirmed

Death of leading dissident confirmed

VIETNAM: Hanoi officially reported the death of Lt. Gen. Tran Do on Tuesday, publishing obituaries of the country's highest- ranking dissident and saying it had scheduled ceremonies to honor the decorated veteran.

Do, 78, who led campaigns against the French and Americans, broke ranks in 1997 with the ruling Communist Party he had faithfully served for nearly 60 years when he began advocating free elections and freedom of expression.

The party expelled its former propaganda chief in January 1999 after he declared it had to "change or die", arguing that it must ditch socialism if that would boost economic growth in this southeast Asian country of 80 million.

The government seized his memoirs last year, accusing him of spreading subversive documents. He was reported to have been harassed and put under house surveillance in recent years and was rarely seen in public. --Reuters