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Police in Vietnam’s Kien Giang province have arrested a 63-year-old woman for “activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s government,” state media reported, the fifth person arrested in recent weeks for links to a group Hanoi brands a ‘terrorist’ organization.
Media said Nguyen Ngoc Chau was working to promote the banned Provisional National Government of Vietnam, which is led by its U.S.-based self-proclaimed president Dao Minh Quan.
On Sunday, provincial police said they had seized from Chau’s house more than 3,000 leaflets calling for the overthrow of Vietnam’s government.
They also found yellow flags with three red stripes, resembling the flag of the Republic of Vietnam, or South Vietnam, which was defeated by the communist North in 1975.
Police said Chau used Facebook to communicate with members of the Provisional National Government, who instructed her to distribute the leaflets.
Vietnam listed the government-in-exile as a terrorist organization in 2018, detaining more than 60 alleged members since then.
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Vietnam has arrested at least five people in less than a month, accusing them of links to the Provisional National Government. Most of the arrests took place around the Sept. 2 National Day holiday, with police saying the suspects planned to disrupt celebrations by distributing seditious leaflets.
On Aug. 29, Ho Chi Minh City police said they had arrested Nguyen Thi Huong, 56, as she prepared leaflets with provocative content, according to state media. Police seized 1,000 leaflets from her home along with printers, computers and phones.
City police also detained Huong’s alleged accomplice, Tran Van Linh, 67, on Aug. 30. They said he had been instructed to survey crowded places such as parks, schools and hospitals to find the best places to distribute leaflets.
On Aug. 29, police in Lam Dong province arrested Pham Hoang, 67, for allegedly preparing to distribute leaflets on National Day.
And on Aug. 31, Hau Giang provincial police arrested 61-year-old Vuong Van Hong Nam, charging him with activities aimed at overthrowing the government and membership of the Provisional National Government of Vietnam.
Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.