Van Dieu

Authority of Culture and Investigation

機關文化吧調查 Cơ quan Văn hóa và Điều tra
Emblem of the Van Dieu
Agency overview
Formed	1964
Jurisdiction	Nainan
Motto	Protect the homeland. 保衛圭鄉. Bảo vệ quê hương.
Employees	Unknown
Annual budget	Unknown
Ministers responsible	Quách An Tương, State Director of Nainan Central Council of Nainan
Agency executive	Lý Lý Huy, Agency Director
Parent department	Office of the State Director Central Council of Nainan

The Authority of Culture and Investigation (Nainese:機關文化吧調查; Cơ quan Văn hóa và Điều tra), commonly referred to as the "Van Dieu" (Nainese:文調) is the central intelligence agency of The Harmonious Republic of Nainan. It is the overarching agency of the nation and oversees all areas of intelligence, be it foreign or domestic. It is responsible to both the State Director of Nainan and the Central Council of Nainan.

The Van Dieu was founded in 1965 by Hoàng Viện Trai and the Nainan People's Solidarity and Longevity after their victory in the Nainese Civil War. During the civil war there was no official intelligence agency in the service of the nationalists. The agency was mostly made up of previous soldiers in the war and was tasked with crushing dissent in the newly established Harmonious Republic. During the late 1960's it began to rid Nainan of the NPSL's rivals and began to perform intelligence operations against socialist movements in Southeast Coius, namely against the Revolutionary Labour Movement in Kuthina. In the 1960s and 70s it's operations at home were involved in killing political dissidents and insurgent leaders, these including killing families of the targets. After Hoàng's assassination in 1975 the Central Council decided that Van Dieu head and Premier Nghiêm Nài Phúc would replace him, this lead to growth of the agency's power immensely. They continued to grow in power over the next two decades and had been able to counter movements against the government. Only since the turn of the century has the group had some of it's authority rolled back slightly.

The Van Dieu has also worked alongside the Shangean Shujichu in their operations. The agency has been accused of using unethical and excessive tactics in crushing dissent and has been called a secret police force, it has been accused of excessive force, assassinations, kidnappings, and sabotage. The Van Dieu's brutal history has lead to it becoming one of the most feared police agencies in the world and has been also been accused of state terrorism against it's people.

Early operations

Post-civil war

Suspected execution of Workers' Internationale members in Setrong, 1965

After the fall of Quan Kim to the nationalist forces in 1964 that ultimately became nationalist victory in the civil war, Hoàng Viện Trai ordered the creation of a special police force and intelligence agency to rid of remaining socialist and separatist forces within the country. In December 1964 he made his ally General Nghiêm Nài Phúc leader of Nainan's central intelligence agency. The agency became known as Authority of Culture and Investigation (機關文化吧調查; Cơ quan Văn hóa và Điều tra), or simply became known as the Van Dieu.

The first operations by the police force were to arrest leaders of banned parties that had not joined the NPSL. Despite the orders of arrest, many of these political leaders were executed. Over 3,000 members of the Nainese Section of the Workers' Internationale were executed within the first months of 1965. In the following weeks thousands of POWs from the civil war were executed at military bases in Nainan. The Van Dieu would be tasked with inspections of thousands of households in rural areas for rebel bases. Similar actions were taken in the cities to find any former members of the Socialist forces.

Separatist leaders

Family relatives after being arrested, 1970

The Van Dieu began to conduct raids of separatist and socialist leaders in rural Nainan. In May 1965 they were ordered to kill the family of Nyaram rebel leader Arand Hliang, killing even his extended family in separate raids. The goal of these initial raids were likely to instill a sense of fear into the opposition of Nainan, as a warning to not revolt against the government or have their family suffer consequences.

Despite further threats of executions, many family members after were arrested for interrogations or as hostages used in capturing guerilla leaders. Nghiem called his tactics used to capture rebels was "a recreation of their hostage takings and executions, to fight against these groups you must be like them, they will understand your threats. And if they don't listen, be worse." From 1969 to 1970 the Van Dieu conducted mass interrogations of over 1 million Nainese with some kind of relation to guerilla members, this would lead to the arrests of over 100,000 people for further questioning. Of the 100,000 taken into custody, it is reported that around 1,100 were executed. This operation lead to the arrest of dozens of leaders and thousands of members of socialist guerilla and separatist forces.

Foreign operations

After the conclusion of the civil war, Nainan's military commanders turned their attention to socialist threats in Kuthina against the socialist Revolutionary Labour Movement. They later began to conduct operations against the RLM in Kuthina. The Van Dieu also facilitated training for anti-socialist militias in to fight in these conflicts. In Siamat during the Siamat War, the Van Dieu would aid the pro-Shangean Saim Muoy against the government forces, it also aided the socialist revolutionaries against the Svai government. The Van Dieu is thought to have been responsible for assassinations of officers and leaders from all of some of these groups throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

In Shangea the Van Dieu would begin to work closely with their central intelligence agency, the Shujichu, and began their aid in fighting dissent in Shangea and battling the rival Senria and their intelligence agency, Tokkeitai. The Van Dieu still continue their support for Shangea's government to this day, and continue to try and battle against Senria's international interests.

North of Nainan, the Van Dieu began to conduct intelligence operations against the socialist Brown Sea Community nations. In the 1970s in South Kabu the Van Dieu would conduct operations to aide dissent against the BKMI government and support the forces of North Kabu. In Lavana the Van Dieu would support similar dissent movements throughout the 70s and 80s. Similar intelligence operations were also started against Dezevau. It also had done intelligence operations against Kuthina and other Senria-aligned nations.

Late 20th century

Political dissidents

Car attack resulting in killing of Anti-government journalist Bùi Duy Hải, 1976

In 1975 Hoàng Viện Trai was assassinated by a rebel socialist insurgent while visiting a military base in the western hills of Nainan, this lead to Van Dieu Director General Nghiêm Nài Phúc ascending to the position of State Director. His previous position would be replaced by General Mai Thuận Anh, his Directorship would lead to a massive increase in the Van Dieu's influence and power in Nainan. From the years 1975 to 1977, the Van Dieu would begin targeted assassination attacks against dissenters and members of insurgent groups, with attacks on cars, hidden guerilla camps, and houses, over 200 people are estimated to have been assassinated by the Van Dieu during this period.

Work with Shujichu

Throughout the early years of the Van Dieu they would work with Shujichu, the intelligence agency of Shangea, by far Nainan's closest ally. Van Dieu agents would often go to Shangea to train with or be trained by Shujichu officers, and Shangea would often sent officers over to Nainan to aid the Van Dieu in it's training. This exchange of aid between Shangea and Nainan's intelligence agencies goes on to this day.

The Van Dieu would aid Shangea in the Chanwan War by sending agents to aid in intelligence information regarding Chanwan forces, in particular with information regarding Southeast Coius.

The Van Dieu also has helped Shangea and Shujichu in their rivalry with Senria and their intelligence agency, Tokkeitai. During events like the Coastal Crisis the Van Dieu reportedly gave Shangea intelligence information on Senrian movements in the Coral Sea and surrounding areas.

The agency also has trained with Akhidat, the intelligence agency of Zorasan.

Recent years

Rollback of authority

Van Dieu agents in a village in the late 90s

The Van Dieu continued the height of their authority into the 1980s until around the end of the Chanwan War. Under State Director Nguyễn Hoài Bắc, the agency's powers to slightly stripped away in the 1990s. The government of Nainan wanted to focus more on economci growth during this period in time and focus less on political intelligence matters.

In the 1990s the agency stepped back on political dissident removal after the government unbanned "independent" political politicians in 1996. The agency was mainly focused on special crimes and international intelligence. During the 1990s it continued to work with Shangea in removing of Chanwan separatist groups, as well as continued to fight small groups of separatists in Nainan itself.

The rollback of authority continued in the early 2000s under State Director Vũ Huy Chiểu, during this time the agency was strictly focused on international threats as much of the separatist movements in Nainan had been removed. Only in recent years has the agency been given more authority and funding again.

Modern operations

The Van Dieu in recent years has been assigned with removing opposition through dealing with protests, riots, or other forms of opposition to the NPSL. The government has also begun to try and enforce it's ideology within the NPSL to prevent any split within the party, by using the Van Dieu as a political enforcement against political opposition within the NPSL. It is known to use intimidation tactics or spying on political members of the party to ensure the NPSL stays in line with the heads of the party.

The Van Dieu have also used technology more commonly in recent years, and have been known to monitor Nainese citizens through cameras or listening. These tools are also used by the regional and national police forces. Today much of it's older authorities and powers have returned.

The Van Dieu had began to gain more influence again recently, and is considered to have played a vital role in the banning of political factionalism in Nainan.

Organization

The Van Dieu works directly under the Central Council, it is not officially considered part of the Army of Solidarity and Longevity, it is organized like a military division. Information on all of the sections of the agency are not known by the public and some are even considered classified. There are eight known subdivisions of the agency, known as Divisions.

• Foreign Protection Division
• Cyber Protection Division
• Unity(Anti-Separatist) Division
• Revolutionary Thought Division
• Counter-Intelligence Division
• Economic Protection Division
• Technology and Science Division
• Cultural Thought Division

Methods

First Director of the Van Dieu Nghiêm Nài Phúc calls it's operations "precise, strong, and unforgiving". Using numerous repressive methods against it's enemies. The Van Dieu uses numerous different methods in different parts of Nainese politics and life.

In foreign affairs it is claimed to uses signals intelligence in it's embassies and consulates. The Van Dieu has been claimed to have payed Nainese citizens living abroad in foreign operations and using diplomatic staff as well. When it comes to repressing critics of the Nainese government, the NPSL-ruled government uses the Van Dieu as the main operator in cracking down on dissent, before the military intelligence and police intelligence services.

The Van Dieu has worked with the government to set up mass surveillance of the Nainese citizenry, and has been claimed to use hacking tactics to tap into electronic devices of citizens. The Van Dieu has been accused of setting up both video and audio surveillance in every city and small town in the country, with millions of cameras and audio devices said to be located across the country.

Recent years the Van Dieu have begun to use the internet as a tool of surveillance and cracking down on dissent. On the internet the government has been accused of using agents using a tactic of imitation, where agents would disguise themselves as dissenters to infiltrate online discussions against the Nainese government to gather information on those against it. A database of Nainese citizens and their comments on the internet is claimed to be held by the Van Dieu.

The Van Dieu also suppresses what they call "false cultural thought". A former Van Dieu defector in 2000 claimed that the agency targets those that do not adhere to Nainese or minority cultural ideas, as well as religious minorities, notably sotirians.

The Van Dieu has been accused of being behind hacking and cyberwarfare against adversaries, including foreign ones, mainly against countries like Lavana and Senria. The Van Dieu historically and continues to work closely with agencies such as the Shujichu of Shangea and more recently with Akhidat of Zorasan.

Human rights controversies

Rồng Xanh Labor Camp after it's completion in 1973

The Van Dieu has been accused of conducting in state terrorism in Nainan. It is considered one of the most brutal police agencies in the world, with at least over 31,000-50,000 suspected to have been executed by the agency since it's conception. It's earliest years being the bulk of the victims, with almost 23,000-30,000 executed between 1965 to 1975.

Numerous human rights groups have made statements condemning the actions of the agency, the Nainese Expatriots Movement has called the agency "horrific in their actions and one of the worst examples of state-sponsored terror in the world". Many other groups including the Community of Nations have condemned the agency numerous times.

The Van Dieu runs over a dozen labor camps where conditions are considered very poor. These camps have become known by the nickname "Nhà tù địa ngục" (茹囚地獄; tr. hell prison). Their official name of these camps are "Nơi giam giữ" (尼𪾋𪧚; tr. Place of Custody). Thousands are incarcerated in the prisons, it is believed about 5-10% of those imprisoned in these labor camps die.

The agency works with the Ministry of Education in running Re-Education Camps, known as "Trại cải tạo" (豸改造). There are over 30 re-education camps across Nainan and estimated over 200,000 prisoners held in them.

The agency has a history of targeting relatives and families of suspects, even if they are not involved in the crimes their relatives are suspected of. Separatists have had their families imprisoned and sometimes killed in the early years of the Van Dieu. Today the agency still practices these actions against families of suspects.

Interrogation by the Van Dieu often includes torture and emotional abuse. The Van Dieu have used numerous forms of torture on those in their captivity, some of these tactics have claimed to have caused death to those being tortured.

List of Agency Directors

There have been 8 Agency Directors since the founding of the Van Dieu. The longest serving director was the first one, Nghiêm Nài Phúc. The current director of the Van Dieu is Lý Lý Huy.

No	Agency Director		Tenure
1		General Nghiêm Nài Phúc	1965 - 1975
2		General Mai Thuận Anh	1975-1980
3		General Hàn Minh Thông	1980-1985
4		General Phùng Minh Sai	1985-1991
5	File:Đoàn Khuê.jpg	General Nguyễn Khải Tâm	1991-1998
6		General Trần Chí Công	1998-2006
7		Major Bùi Ðại Hành	2006-2018
8		General Lý Lý Huy	2018-present