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