Vietnam think tank disbands to decry restrictions

By BEN STOCKING (AP) – Sept 15, 2009

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese scholars disbanded the country's first independent think tank to protest a government decree that went into effect Tuesday restricting the right to conduct and publish research.

The Institute of Development Studies, whose members include some of the country's most esteemed scholars and economists, announced its decision Monday night on its Web site, calling the decree a blow to intellectual freedom that will draw international scorn.

The decree, signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, limits scientific and technical research to 317 approved topics and prohibits groups from publishing research on policies of the communist party and the government.

"With this new decision, we can hardly operate," said Pham Chi Lan, an economist and vice president of IDS. "It would be very difficult for us to raise our voice as an institution. That is why we decided to close."

The decree would prohibit the institute's researchers from discussing its research in public symposiums and would only allow them to share their work with the government, Lan said.
Officials at the prime minister's office were not available for comment Tuesday.

"Banning open independent thought goes against science, progress and democracy," said IDS, whose founding two years ago was seen as a small step forward for academic freedom.

The organization includes some of Vietnam's leading intellectuals, including economists Le Dang Doanh and Nguyen Quang A, writer Nguyen Ngoc, historian Phan Huy Le, and scientists Phan Dinh Dieu and Chu Hao.

Many of them have served in the government and are members of the ruling Communist Party.
IDS has promoted some macroeconomics prescriptions at odds with government policy on matters such as inflation.

Open discussion and criticism is essential for good policy, the group said, adding that the new decree was adopted without public debate.

The party tightly controls politics, religion, the media and academia. Nearly all civic organizations in Vietnam are under its direct supervision.

The IDS statement was not mentioned in the Vietnamese media on Tuesday but was posted on various Vietnamese blogs.

The group said that when it complained about the decree, the Ministry of Justice replied that such restrictions are common in other countries.

"We've done thorough research and found that no country has a restricted list of research areas," the IDS statement said. "People will scoff at this decision, which will harm our leaders' and the country's prestige."