EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/3

(2004/C 88 E/0003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0052/03

by Hanja Maij-Weggen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 January 2003)

Subject: Human rights situation in Vietnam

Is the Commission aware of the religious persecution now taking place in Vietnam, such as the surrounding of the historic Buddhist Quang Minh Temple in Long Dien A and the hounding of Montagnard Protestants in September and November 2002?

Is the Commission aware that a number of political dissidents were arrested in 2002, including Mr Le Chi Quang, who has been accused of keeping and exchanging articles propagating democratic ideas, Dr Pham Hong Son, on the grounds that he translated into Vietnamese a text dealing with democracy, Mr Nguyen Khac Toan, who has been accused of involvement in a strike, and Mr Nguyen Vu Binh, whose alleged crime was to set up a political party?

Is the Commission prepared to exert pressure on the Vietnamese Government with a view to securing improvements in the human rights situation and, in particular, religious freedom?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(18 February 2003)

The Commission together with the Diplomatic Missions of the Member States in Vietnam, follows closely the human rights situation in Vietnam, including the cases of the persons of concern mentioned by the Honourable Member.

The Commission's policy towards Vietnam is to encourage and support continued progress on human rights and democratisation, and to raise concerns where abuses occur or were a situation deteriorates. This dialogue happens, together with the Member States, through regular meetings of the ‘Politics and Human Rights Group’, Troika meetings with the Vietnamese Government as well as ad-hoc missions and through EU statements.

The EU Presidency, Commission and Member States have repeatedly urged the Government of Vietnam to strengthen its respect for political and religious freedoms as well economic and social freedoms and to create a legal framework for a supportive environment to allow the development of a strengthened civil society, from which Vietnam would greatly benefit. Commission and Member States have expressed these requests lately in their joint declaration at the Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi in December 2002.

The Vietnamese Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and religion. The Vietnamese Government officially recognises six religions — one Buddhist organisation, the Central Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Catholic Church, two Protestant Church organisations, Islam, Hoa Hao Buddhism and Cao-Daism. The only report on the Quan Minh Tu temple, which has been referred to widely, does not seem to have been reconfirmed by other sources.

Reports of systematic harassment, notably of Christians in Vietnam (especially against the Montagnard Christians and Hmong Christians), are common and have increased since the uprising in the Central Highlands in February 2001. The access to the Central Highlands remains limited and a systematic first hand verification of reports is impossible. Nonetheless, in 2002, two local Union-Troika missions to the Central Highlands took place with Commission participation, the latest in November 2002.

Following the latest Union-Troika mission to the Central Highlands in November 2002 the Commission, in close coordination with the Member States, has made proposals to alleviate some of the different root causes of the conflict between the Government and the poor ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. The Government of Vietnam has agreed that an identification mission of the Commission should visit the area in the coming months.