So, 23 days after Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh died, former Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh also followed. Vinh’s death did not surprise everyone.
Because many months before that, rumors of Vinh suffering from a “strange disease” similar to Le Van Thanh had spread. Then, an image of Vinh appeared on VTV, with a bald head and dark skin, like people undergoing radiotherapy.
Nguyen Chi Vinh died at the age of 65, an age considered young, compared to retired officials. According to leaked information, Vinh also went to Japan for radiation treatment like Thanh. Thus, to date, Vinh is the third person to go to Japan for radiotherapy, after late President Tran Dai Quang Thanh. Information in the official press had only one short line about the cause of Vinh’s death, which was “passed away due to a serious illness.” It’s as simple as that.
The mainstream press is a controlled press, they cannot reveal Mr. Vinh’s true illness. Only the independent media, where insiders can leak news, and then the news flies back into the country, can get clearer information about Mr. Vinh’s illness.
Experts say that Nguyen Chi Vinh was sick because he “knows too much“, threatening someone’s political life, making them feel insecure.
As an intelligence general like Vinh, when he was still in power, he was like a king without a throne, able to collect all kinds of information, then based on that, make demands to his superiors and to those who were being held back. When Vinh held General Department 2, he divided the tasks of General Department 2 into 7-3, meaning 7 parts for domestic affairs and 3 parts for foreign affairs. What is internal affairs? It is to follow comrades at the Party Central Committee and the Politburo, to the “foot of the bed” of each person. As for foreign affairs, General Department 2 is inferior to the intelligence agency of its northern neighbor.
During PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s time, the Ministry of National Defense has been a place to compete for influence between the General Secretary and the Prime Minister. Mr. Trong firmly holds the propaganda agency in the army, that is, the General Political Department, while the Prime Minister holds General Department 2. It is known that Mr. Vinh is not only close to Nguyen Tan Dung but also close to Pham Minh. Chinh, since Chinh was Deputy Minister of Public Security. Mr. Vinh chose a side very clearly.
In his third term as General Secretary, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong put the military in charge of the entire propaganda industry. Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia, Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Education, is a Lieutenant General and formerly held the position of Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics. Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications and Deputy Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Education, is also a Major General of the Army. Mr. Trong’s purpose is to control unfavorable information that can be leaked to the press system. However, if Mr. Trong controls the entire press system, confidential information still has a way to leak out.
The General Political Department and the General Intelligence Department of the army are supporting two different branches. Supposedly, whoever holds the General Intelligence Department branch will be strong. But since the previous Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and the current Pham Minh Chinh, they have been inferior to the General Secretary’s side. The reason is said to be that Mr. General was supported by China’s intelligence.
When he still had power, former chief of the General Department 2 Nguyen Chi Vinh had the ability to protect himself. When his power ran out, he was like an eagle with its wings clipped, unable to do anything, and so he was slaughtered.
Those who know too many secrets of high-ranking comrades face many dangers when retire. The death of Mr. Nguyen Chi Vinh is a bloody lesson for Mr. Pham Ngoc Hung, Lieutenant General, General Director of General Department 2 today.
Men who were butchered before, such as Nguyen Ba Thanh, Tran Dai Quang or Le Van Thanh, were all butchered while in office. However, Mr. Vinh was killed after he retired. It’s understandable that intelligence generals are more difficult to attack, so they have to wait until they run out of power then their opponents can act.
Currently, Mr. Pham Ngoc Hung is past retirement age (Mr. Hung’s retirement age is September 3, 2023), but he is still on his seat. Perhaps, if he releases his current position, he himself would no longer be able to protect himself, like in the case of Nguyen Chi Vinh.
Anh Vu – Thoibao.de
