W.Minh Tuan

In the Vietnamese police force, we also have bad people and good people. Here I would like to tell about 3 good, conscientious security officers.

Around 1997, there were major negative incidents in the oil and gas industry. Some people who had information about the oil and gas case secretly provided documents and records about negative incidents in the oil and gas industry to the press in Hanoi.

I also received a thick set of documents.

I carefully photocopied it into 3 sets, putting it in 3 different places.

Then, based on those documents, I wrote an article and submitted it to the Editor-in-Chief to Dai Doan Ket Ngoc Thach. Editor-in-Chief Ngoc Thach seemed worried, because he saw the violent incident, so he told me to wait and see what happens.

I brought my article to Lao Dong newspaper and submitted it to Mr. Pham Huy Hoan, Editor-in-Chief. Mr. Huy Hoan finished reading my manuscript and felt worried, so he said he would bring my article to the Department of Culture and Ideology for advice.

Up above, Ban also told Mr. Huy Hoan to wait a little longer, because “it’s very rough.”

A few days later, suddenly three Economic Security officers, from the Department of Economic Security, came to Dai Doan Ket newspaper and asked to meet me.

Comrade Editor-in-Chief Ngoc Thach was quite frightened and told me to receive 3 security officers.

I figured maybe they were coming about the oil and gas case, so I felt reassured.

At that time, I knew that Tien Phong newspaper and News Week newspaper were also working on the oil and gas case, and that the Security Investigation Agency was also working very hard with reporters who wrote articles and issued Summons papers to call and question and summon. The journalist went to the headquarters of the Security Investigation Agency for questioning

In my case, I have not seen the A24 Investigation Security agency working with me, but have only seen the A17 Economic Security agency working, because these 3 security officers belong to the A17 Economic Security agency. .

(Later, under Prime Minister Dung, the Ministry of Public Security had its organizational structure changed a lot, becoming more complex and cumbersome, so the above names also changed. I think one day, The Ministry of Public Security should return to the previous organizational structure, which is 5 General Departments: General Department 1-Office, Administration, General Department 2-Police, General Department 3-Force Building, Training, General Department Department 4-Logistics, Prisons, and General Department 5-Security)

I invited three security officers into the living room of Dai Doan Ket newspaper at its headquarters at 66 Ba Trieu Street, opposite the French Embassy, made them tea, and asked how I could help them.

Three security officers introduced themselves, one was a lieutenant colonel, one was a major, and one was a captain from the Department of Economic Security, A17, Ministry of Public Security.

Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Senior Investigator, briefly presented as follows:

-“We know that Mr. Minh Tuan wrote an article about the oil and gas case, but it has not been published. We only ask for 2 things, please help us:

Firstly, please tell us who provided the records and documents to you.

Second, please photocopy a set of records and documents for us.”

After listening to what Comrade Senior Lieutenant Colonel said, I briefly replied as follows:

Dear three police comrades,

Firstly, I cannot provide information about who provided the oil and gas case records and documents to us. If I say it out loud, who else would dare to provide records and documents to our press?

Therefore, please excuse me, I cannot say.

Second, this is a major negative incident in the oil and gas industry, which is related to the responsibility of Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Therefore, in my opinion, the comrades came here on the orders of Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. Well, Prime Minister Kiet will retire and another Prime Minister will replace him. The new, clean and honest Prime Minister will continue to investigate this case.

Third, we, as journalists conducting anti-corruption investigations, also determine that we will be brave and determined like our revolutionary predecessors who fought for independence for the nation. Our Vietnam, like Le Hong Phong, like Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, like Hoang Van Thu, etc. We journalists will also be brave and determined, daring to accept sacrifice, loss, imprisonment, but never surrender in the fight against corruption.

Fourth, I will photocopy a set of records and documents for you comrades, but, only those documents and records that when you read, comrades cannot detect who provided the records to us.

If you agree, I will make photocopies for you.

I speak clearly, coherently, and very calmly.

The three security officers looked at each other, exchanged a few words, then agreed.

I told them to wait, and I went out.

The place where I kept the documents was quite far away, so it took me a long time to get the documents, then sit at the photocopy shop to select documents and make copies, for quite a while.

I looked around to see if anyone was coming to snatch or rob the documents.

After photocopying the documents, I brought both sets of documents, an original set of my shoes, and a much thinner set of documents for the 3 security officers, brought them into the living room of the Dai Doan Ket newspaper, and handed them over to me. They have thin documents.

All 3 security officers clearly saw that I had 2 different sets of documents, one shoe, one thin, and they were only given the thin set of documents by me.

The 3 security officers smiled gently, did not ask me anything more, and Thank me, take the thin file and leave.

At the door, the lieutenant colonel gave me a carburetor and whispered to me that if I had any difficulties, I should contact him.

I feel his sympathy towards me.

(If I work on the PMU18 case, and the police also provide some documents and records, then I will definitely protect them without saying their names, just like I protected the supplier. information for me in this oil and gas case)

After that day, no one came to ask me again.

I think, in the police and security forces, there are also bad people, good people, people who only blindly follow assigned tasks, but there are also many people who work with personal consideration and conscience. , do not blindly follow orders.

In my opinion, the three security officers who worked with me in the 1997 oil and gas case were good, conscientious security officers. And only such people are capable of protecting the law, protecting the Party, and protecting the country.///

More about the 1997 oil and gas case:

By the way, I will talk more about the case of Mr. Xuan Ba, Tien Phong newspaper, he also investigated the oil and gas case like me, and wrote an article, and Tien Phong newspaper published his investigative report.

Then the A24 Security Investigation Agency issued a summons, ordered him to go the agency’s headquarters on the edge of Thong Nhat Park, Hanoi, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, a total of about 30 calls and summons. Mr. Xuan Ba was also very stubborn, refusing to say the name of the person who provided him with information. But at the same time, he also had a connection that led him to meet President Le Duc Anh, asking for his protection. After that, he was safe and will not be called or questioned again anymore.

A few months later, Mr. Xuan Ba and I went to the house of Mr. Son, personal secretary of National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh, to attend a dinner to celebrate Mr. Son’s son, who had just been born a month ago. Mr. Son is from Ha Tinh, a compatriot of Minister of Public Security Le Minh Huong.

Mr. Son has a very close relationship with a number of journalists, especially me and Mr. Xuan Ba. Me-Minh Tuan, Mr. Son, and Mr. Xuan Ba often go out drinking together, we are close like brothers.

When Mr. Xuan Ba and I entered Mr. Son’s house, we saw that the house was full of people sitting around a mat in the middle of the house, with all kinds of delicious food, wine, and beer on the mat.

When Xuan Ba and I squeezed in to sit on the mat, a person with a Ha Tinh accent stood up from the other side of the mat, ran to Mr. Xuan Ba, holding a glass of beer to flattery offer to Mr. Xuan Ba.

The two of them whispered to each other and talked quietly about something, I didn’t pay attention.

After Mr. Son’s first birthday party ended, we left.

Outside, I asked Mr. Xuan Ba who was the guy who came running to offer him beer with such flatteries.

Mr. Xuan Ba smiled and said: “The earth is small and round, my friend. He was the one who summoned me to A24, and interrogated me more than 10 times”.//////