Response to “The Night that Changed McCain’s Life” by John King, CNN Chief National Correspondant http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/18/revealed.mccain.vietnam/index.html?iref=newssearch Comments on this article are about the false statements to the CNN correspondent by Vietnamese people that he interviewed in Hanoi. First, the witness Nguyen Dang Doanh describes the people pushing Lt. Cmdr. McCain in his life jacket to the edge of lake Ho Truc Bach as a life-saving event. In fact, his injuries were not from the ejection, but by the villagers who came into the lake and beat him. This is described in Senator McCain’s book and video about his imprisonment. The nurse Nguyen Thi Tranh describes her bandaging the injured pilot’s arms and leg when he was brought to the first aid station. According to Senator McCain, his arm was broken again after he was imprisoned in one of the outlying jungle prisons. He was beaten and tortured, and treatment was withheld when he refused to early released based on international illegality. McCain finally signed a false confession after four days of beatings, as John King explains very well. The then-prison director of the Central Hanoi / Hanoi Hilton prison Tran Trong Duyet says in recent interview that “our nation is civilized and humanitarian and you do not understand the Vietnamese nation. We never beat anybody.” John King refutes the Duyet statement with one from Ernie Brace, who was imprisoned in Hoa Lo at the same time as John McCain (1967 – 1972) and was also beaten and bones broken. This is the time period of Tran Trong Duyet’s directorship. My recommendation to John King and other national and international reporters is to look at prison conditions in Vietnam today to see the duplicity of his Vietnamese informants. Freelance journalist Truong Minh Duc is in prison in Vietnam today for his alleged violation of Clause 2 of Section 258 of the Vietnam Penal Code, by “taking advantages of the people’s liberty and democracy rights to harm the interests of the country”. Duc was arrested and imprisoned since May 5, 2007. On July 18, 2008 his five-year sentence was confirmed. Last December Truong Minh Duc broke his hand in a fall inside the prison. He was not x-rayed or even splinted until Reporters Without Borders and Vietnamese overseas (who left the country as refugees and now living useful lives) made complaints to the Vietnamese government and the American Embassy. The Embassy officials called Mr. Truong’s wife to inquire. My source is the Vietnamese Populist Party, based in Houston, interview of General Secretary of Nguyen CongBang on August 19, 2008: “The only political prisoners who receive somewhat proper treatment are those who are well-known or now citizens of other countries. This is because the government is afraid of international condemnation. For the unknown prisoners who are Vietnamese citizens the treatment is still very bad.” Journalist Truong Minh Duc received surgery on his arm in June, shortly before his hearing on July 18 which confirmed his five-year sentence: “As the court session started, the judge told Duc that the court would reduce his sentence to four years or less if he would openly admit his “crime against the state”. Duc immediately refused the judge’s offer and insisted that his works did not violate any laws of Vietnam; instead, they were to expose government officials of their illegal actions such as power abuses and corruption. “ The major charge is “Joining the Dang Vi Dan” (Vietnam Populist Party) an underground political party that advocates for a free and fair general election in Vietnam). Journalist Truong Minh Duc is a member of both the Vietnam Populist Party and Bloc 8406. Since 1994, he has assisted several victims of government’s corruption and power abuses in southern provinces, and authored a number of articles published in Vietnam and overseas. Prior to the appeal court, Duc's wife affirmed his persistent stand (via RFA) in pursuing his ideals: “I strongly believe that campaigning for democracy, freedom, social justice, and welfare for the poor people, is not a crime. I will continue to defend and fight for the people’s rights and values, even when I am still in prison.” See the DVD (Vietnam Populist Party) English language web page: http://www.vietnampopulist.org/ Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com Jean Libby is editor of the blog VietAm Review and Allies for Freedom publishers. The first book of the Nhan Quyen Tai Viet Nam Series is forthcoming on October 20, 2008. It is two stories of prison conditions in Vietnam including the Hoa Lo prison by the renowned dissident poet and author Nguyen Chi Thien. see www.vietamreview.net/Hai_Truyen_Tu.html   more »