Organization: Vietnam Insight
Editor: Chan Tran
Address: PO Box 7826, San Jose, CA 95150, USA
Phone: (408) 226-2261
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Date:         Tue, 8 Sep 1992 21:25:26 PDT
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From:         Vietnam Insight <vinsight@NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      VN: Religious communities challenges communist rule

*****************
Vietnamese Democratic Movement Broadens:
Religious Communities Challenge Communist Rule
*****************

OPEN PROTEST FROM BUDDHIST LEADER

Vietnam's Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, charge d'affaires of the
Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Church, sent a letter to the Vietnamese
communist leadership on June 25, 1992 to protest the regime's oppressive
policies and made a nine-point demand for Buddhist rights.

The eight-page letter sent from Quang Ngai -- his place of detention for
over 10 years -- was addressed to the Secretary General of the
Vietnamese Communist Party, the President of the National Assembly, the
President of the Council of State, the Prime Minister, the President of
the Supreme Court and the President of the National Fatherland Front (a
Party organ disguised as a mass organization).

In his letter, the Venerable Thich Huyen Quang recounts different
communist moves against the Buddhist Church, its leaders and followers,
and attempts to quell the religion.  According to the letter, the
communists' abolition of religious freedom took place as early as 1951
during the national struggle for independence against the French
colonialists. All Buddhist organizations were dissolved and forced to
join the Lien Viet Front -- the predecessor of the Vietnam Fatherland
Front.  The Venerable Thich Huyen Quang was jailed for protesting the
move and was released after the Geneva Accords in 1954.

Following the end of the war in 1975, the communist authorities banned a
request to unite the Northern and Southern Buddhist communities, calling
the latter "reactionary," the letter reveals.  A series of repressive
actions then followed: massive arrests of monks, nuns and Buddhist
followers; the destruction of Buddha statues; the occupation of pagodas
and confiscation of all Buddhist educational, cultural, social and
charitable centers. Many of the South's Buddhist leaders have since died
in prison, and many remained incarcerated throughout Vietnam.

In 1981, the communist regime fabricated the Buddhist Church of Vietnam:
a tool to impose its rule over the religion; a move to cover up the
regime's repression against Buddhism, the letter said.

The Venerable Thich Huyen Quang also reveals his own ordeal: "The day
communism came to power in Vietnam was the day I lost my freedom and was
sent into exile."

The Venerable's most recent run-in with the communist authority before
this letter was in early May when the Buddhist community had a showdown
with the government over the funeral service for the deceased Venerable
Thich Don Hau: the community wanted the government to stay out of its
affairs. The Venerable Thich Huyen Quang was barred from leaving his
place of detention to attend the funeral; he went on a protest fast,
joining other monks in protesting the government's control.

After one day of hunger strike, the Communist government had to let the
Venerable Thich Huyen attend the funeral. During the event, he went one
step further to give a speech to the crowd against the government's
order (of no speech). Few minutes into his talk, the local police cut
off the power to his microphone; relentlessly, the Venerable continued
his speech to its end.

THE NINE-POINT DEMAND

The Venerable Thich Huyen Quang challenges the Vietnamese communist
government with nine demands:

1. Return to the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam its right to exist
and to carry out activities as prior to 1975.

2. Bear the responsibility and answer for:

a. The death of the Venerable Thich Thien Minh, vice president of the
Institute for the Propagation of the Buddhist Faith (Vien Hoa Dao), who
was tortured to death at Ho Chi Minh City's Public Security headquarters
in 1978.

b. The immolation of 12 monks and nuns at the Duoc Su Pagoda in Can Tho.

c. The destruction of Buddha statutes and pagodas.

3. Free all Buddhist monks, followers, and those of other religions,
writers, intellectuals, and political activists... who are currently
detained without a fair trial. Respect human rights and religious
freedom. Restore freedom to those whose rights have been violated such
as myself, Venerables Thich Quang Do, Thich Duc Nhuan, Thich Tue Sy,
Thich Tri Sieu, and thousands of others currently imprisoned.

4. Return to the Unified Buddhist Church all its pagodas and centers
which have been illegally occupied and confiscated in the past 11
years by the communist authorities. The monasteries of the North that
have been confiscated since 1945 must also be returned to their rightful
owners.

5. Restore the rights of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam to work
with its overseas sections as prior to 1975.

6. Bring justice to my case from 1945 to 1992 by a competent court.
The government cannot imprison me forever without trial.

7. Reveal the cases of arrests as requested by the 20,000 petitions sent
to Hanoi from various human rights and pro-democracy organizations in
Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.

8. The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam is ready to participate in the
national construction, but it cannot manifest this wish under the rule of
a regime that considers religion as an arch enemy, constantly imposing
its rule and control over religion.

9. I vow to sacrifice myself for the cause of the nation and Buddhism
realizing that suffering has become unbearable.

OPEN LETTER TO THE VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST COMMUNITY

In his open letter to Vietnamese Buddhists at home and overseas, the
Venerable Thich Huyen Quang openly:

1. Condemns the government's oppressive policy against Buddhism and the
Vietnamese people.

2. Calls for a concerted movement to "break the chain against the people
and Buddhists followers," and to "restore the country to its traditional
values of freedom, love and peace."

BUDDHIST CHURCH OVERSEAS JOINS THE PROTEST

In response to the protest call from Vietnam, the Venerable Thich Tam
Chau, head of the Vietnamese Buddhist Church overseas, sent a letter
from his residence in Canada to the Vietnamese Communist leadership and
released a public statement on August 6, 1992, in which he openly
criticizes the communists' oppressive policies and demands the
following:

1. The abolition of the Vietnamese Communist Party and its oppressive
system.

2. The establishment of a favorable political environment for the
participation of all Vietnamese in the national reconstruction, and the
restoration of the people's rights as specified in the United Nations'
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3. The immediate restoration of freedom and civil rights to citizens
who are imprisoned as political dissidents, including religious leaders,
writers, intellectuals, former soldiers and civil servants of South
Vietnam.

4. The immediate return of properties that have been confiscated from
individuals, religions and organizations to the rightful owners.

5. The immediate ending of cheap dealings of the nation's resources and
labor.

Both Venerables appeal to the people to steadfastly strive for the
democratic goal by peaceful means.

VIETNAMESE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY JOINS THE MOVEMENT

Vietnam's Catholic community has long been considered the most
anti-communist group for its strong resistance toward communist
eradication of religious faith; its record traces far back to the French
colonial era when communism was introduced into Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh
in 1932. This Catholic tradition remains strong inside Vietnam as well
as abroad today; For their strong resistance, many Catholics have been
condemned by the communist government, and this second biggest religion
in Vietnam has met with similar fate to that of Buddhism.

Among the prominent Catholic priests imprisoned by Hanoi, Father Nguyen
Huu Le has stood out as the champion for Vietnam's democratic cause.
After 13 years in Hanoi's prison, Father Le made it to New Zealand in
1990 and continues his fight for Vietnam's freedom. Father Le has
actively supported the Vietnamese democratic movement, alerted people of
Hanoi's reform facade including the regime's relaxation of economic and
religious controls, openly criticized the regime's increased political
oppression, praised the United States' sanctions against Hanoi as
leverage for democratic changes, and called on his compatriots --
Catholics and other religions alike -- to actively join the national
democratic movement.

In response to the call for support from home, Vietnamese religious
leaders overseas have held meetings together and the formation of a
unified movement is underway, according to sources from both Vietnamese
Buddhist and Catholic churches.


--
Vietnam Insight (vinsight@netcom.com)
Chan Tran, editor
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