Vietnam brands human rights organisation as terrorist group

Government says rights group assisted organisations in carrying out anti-Vietnam activities

A man rides his cycle past a billboard advertising the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (AFP via Getty Images)

The Vietnamese government has branded a US-based refugee aid group as a terrorist organisation.

Vietnam's ministry of public security added Boat People SOS to its list of terrorist groups and doxxed the private information of the group's president.

The ministry said in a press release BPSOS "operates under the guise of ‘refugee relief’ but in fact, it uses this activity to connect with and assist organisations and individuals in carrying out anti-Vietnam activities".

It claimed the group and its leadership assisted a "number of individuals participating in the organisation Montagnards [Stand] for Justice (MSJ)".

The government has accused the MSJ – an organisation that advocates for the religious freedom of ethnic minorities – of carrying out terrorist attacks on two People's Commune headquarters in Vietnam's Central Highlands in June 2023.

At least 10 defendants were sentenced to life in prison on terrorist charges and others were awarded jail between four years to 20 after 100 individuals were tried in the case.

The government subsequently designated MSJ as a “terrorist organisation” – a move that was criticised by UN experts for failing to "meet the requirements of due process and judicial protection under international human rights law".

The Vietnamese government has escalated its clampdown on dissent by arresting activists, journalists, lawyers and critics with large followings on social media along with banning rights groups.

Founded in the 198Os, BPSOS was set up to help so-called boat people flee Vietnam by sea and now aids victims of religious persecution and human trafficking in Vietnam, according to its website.

Nguyen Dinh Thang, the executive director of BPSOS, said the terrorist designation was meant to intimidate those who spoke out against repression.

“The international community knows very well who has cooperated with the Boat People SOS committee for the past several decades, including the US government, more than 40 countries in the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance and the human rights institutions of the United Nations,” he told Radio Free Asia.

He said by putting the terrorist designation, the Vietnamese government was hoping to frighten those who speak out to the international community to denounce religious repression in the country.

“They expected that people in the country would not dare to contact us or provide information about violations for us to transfer to the international community,” Nguyen Dinh Thang added.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based rights group, criticised the Vietnamese government's move to designate BPSOS as a terror group.

Nguyen Dinh Thang is "a champion of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of religion or belief", said Mervyn Thomas, founder president of CSW.

"The fact that he has been targeted like this is a sign that his voice is reaching the ears of the Vietnamese authorities, who are now attempting to silence and intimidate him."