Vietnam dissident Nguyen Van Hai claims he was forced onto US flight
Nguyen Van Hai says he was given no option but to leave Vietnam
One of Vietnam's most prominent dissidents says he was asked to sign a form seeking a pardon for spreading "propaganda against the state" before his release from prison last week, then forced on to a US-bound flight with just the clothes he was wearing.
Nguyen Van Hai, who blogged under the name Dieu Cay, said on Thursday that he refused to sign the document.
He said authorities gave him no option but to leave for the United States.
"They rushed me directly from the jail to (Hanoi's) Noi Bai International Airport and escorted me on to the airplane. They didn't allow me to see my family before my departure. So we can't say they released me. If they had given me back my freedom, I could have gone back home."
Vietnam's communist government previously said Hai was released for humanitarian reasons. A State Department spokeswoman said Hai had decided himself to travel to the US.
Hai, 62, said he wasn't aware of US involvement in his release, other than that Washington was appealing for the release of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.
Washington has been calling on Vietnam to improve its human rights record to smooth the way for stronger military and economic relations. The US wants closer ties with Vietnam as it tries to lift its profile in Southeast Asia and counter China.