Growing tolerance in Vietnam: Envoy

Growing tolerance in Vietnam: Envoy

HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam is becoming more tolerant of political dissent but should allow greater individual freedom, especially for the country's clergy and trade unions, the U.S. Ambassador to Hanoi Pete Peterson said.

Peterson said Hanoi should be congratulated for releasing 5,219 inmates, including top dissidents and Buddhist monks, in an amnesty that marked communist Vietnam's anniversary of independence on Sept. 2.

It was a step forward in easing political controls, added Peterson, a former fighter pilot who is no stranger to Vietnam's jails, having spent 6 years in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War.

Peterson cited the example of several letters written this year by retired general Tran Do, who has advocated greater democracy for Vietnam. The letters were sent to top leaders and official media and eventually leaked into the public domain.