The Patriach Thich Huyen Quang under Siege (1992-2001)
By the end of March 2001, the Most Venerable Thich
Quang Do, in his petition to the highest authorities, demanded that the Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang be released
from housesurveillance. In a letter to various agencies of the government, the
Buddhist laity requested the release of the highest dignitary of the Church.
The ailing Patriarch ever reminded in
the alarming state of health, and the poor living conditions under which he had
endured were deplorable. The authorities’s treatment of the religious was
evidently in contravention with the administrative conduct of residence
surveillance. A letter, diffused by the Paris International Buddhist Bureau of
Information of April 10, 2001, specified that the Most Venerable Thich Quang
Do, the Rector of the Institute for the Propagation of the Dharma, described
the actual health situation of the Patriarch as “serious” and warned the
authorities in advance that the Buddhists would take their own initiatives to
take care him in case the administration hesitated to allow him to return to
Saigon. He also emphasized that the role of the exiled Patriarch in the direction
of the propagation of the Buddhist Faith and the leadership of tens of millions
of Buddhists in this world of turmor was crucially important. Furthermore, “he has suffered the penalty for
a mistake he had not known.” He further stressed that “the Patriarch is very
aged and sick, he lives alone and was only helped by a laborer who was allowed
to come in the daytime to prepare meal for the Patriarch. For nineteen years in
exile, he has permanently suffered high blood pressure due to strict police
surveillance. Worse still, , he has constantly been subject to interrogation.”
He himself describes his actual situation: "I live without a residence,
and I will die without having a tomb. I walk on a road to nowhere, and I am
imprisoned for a crime I never commit!"
The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do also enumerated
the inconsistency in the enforcement of the law of the authorities. On November 28, 1997,
the security police of Quang Ngai
informed the Patriarch of a decision according to which his term of residence
surveillance had terminated. Nevertheless, in December 1997, the same
security organ ordered that he must
apply for permission for his residence at the address of locality where he was
currently living. The Patriarch refused to comply with the order: The reason
was he was arrested in Saigon, he should be
brought back to his veritable domicile, which
is at the An Quang Pagoda, where he had been a resident ever before February
1982.
The Oppression
The Leadrship
The administration seemed to ignore the requests of
the leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church, but took precautions to mete out
the Church’s protests, instead. It kept a vigilant watch on the Church’s activities in Saigon and Thua
Thien Hue as well. The security police was particularly used to abort any
attempts of protest. To show their authority, the administration put the
Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang under strict control. The Most Venerable Thich
Quang Do, again, requested the Communist Party and State to lift up the
repressive measures facing the Church, if not, it would take any initiative to
help itself out of trouble before May 2001. The announcement of the Rector of
the Institute for the Propagation of the Buddhist Faith was followed by his
8-point appeal issued in April 2001. In it, the dignitary advocated, among
other things, a peaceful transition of the totalitarian Communist regime towards
a pluralistic democracy. Responding to the request, the Fatherland Front
weighed in with accusations against the highest dignitaries of the Church, implying
that the Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do were
only veritable troublemakers.
The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do decided to make
his trip to Quang Ngai, regardless of police obstruction. From June 4-14, 2001, the
authorities mobilized all means to counter his stance, which is to bring back
the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang from Quang Ngai to Saigon.
The Patriarch, who had been on sickbed, on June 6, 2001, was convoked by the local Fatherland
Front section to its office for an interrogation that lasted all day. He was
told that the Unified
Buddhist Church
“is the enemy of the people.” He then
realized that the Communist Party and State were determined to destroy his
Church. He confided to his disciple: “I thus decided that the only means for me to
protest was to offer my body to the flame to denounce the repression against
the Unified Buddhist Church
and all other religions in Vietnam.”
On May
17, 2001, the authorities of the precinct of Phu Nhuan, Saigon, convoked the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do to
their headquarters for interrogation. In spite of blood pressure exerted on
him, the Buddhist leader, in a second letter, on May 20, 2001 addressed to the new
secretary-general of the Communist Party and leaders of the State, renewed his
demands for democratization for the country. He also specified the objective of
his travel to Quang Ngai, inviting the ailing Patriarch to come back to Saigon. The journey would start on June 7, 2001.
The Shanga
In the ancient capital of Hue, the cradle of the Unified Buddhist
Church, the state
suppression of the Church was increasingly suffocating. The local authorities
sought to prevent religious services and activities of the Church. Subsequent
to repeated repressive operations, the faithful of the Church submissively
served their faith in impending doom. In Thua Thien - Hue, sessions of prayers were openly
conducted at pagodas belonging to the State-sanctioned Church
only. Beginning on February
8, 2001, the believers frequented the ancestral temple To Dinh
of Tu Hieu Pagoda met with trouble. The worship place was under
management of the Sangha of the
province and a congregation. The monks in residence were all targeted with
security surveillance. Religious services were retricted, and movement otside
the pagoda wa limited.
On February
11, 2001, to disquiet the authorities, the Shanga conducted the
litany in silence. The prayers were “that the peace of the world and the happiness
of the people be assured, that fighters sacrificing themselves for the nation
and victims of natural disaster of the century be delivered from the cycle of
rebirth, that the religions in Vietnam be fast liberated from fetters and
chains, that the Unified Buddhist Church freely perform religious activities,
that the Vietnamese people get rid of the yoke of totalitarianism, and that
human rights be respected.” (EDA 325)
In a letter addressed to religious personalities in
and outside Hue,
the Church recommended peaceful moments of silence of commemoration. These
religious services and activities nevertheless could not escape being watched
by the eyes of the Communist rule. Beginning on January 31, 2001, the agents of the secret
police of the province Thua Thien – Hue carried out strict measures to force
the Buddhist clergy at pagodas as well as Buddhist families to conduct or
attend such “illegal” religious services. They suggested to them to ask the
official Organizing Committee for Prayers to apply for authorization.
On February 7, 2001, the Assistant to the Chief of
Public Security Service of Hue, accompanied by another official, made contact with
the guardian monk at Tu Hieu Pagoda and warned the monk of his responsibility,
applying for authorization for religious services, The monk then reported the
trouble to the Church’s organizing committee. This committee contended that the
sessions for prayers at the pagoda were performed in conformity with the
provisions stipulated in the Constitution of Vietnam and the Decree 26. There
was nothing to do with applying for authorization. In the afternoon of the same day, in a notice
by the People’s Council of the commune of Phu Xuan, the authorities in the
locality where sessions of prayers had been organized, notified the organizing
committee of the fact “that authorization is necessary, that the police has to
perform the task to assure security at the place and that the guests that come
from other places had to get registered for attendance with the police of the
commune.” In the evening, the monks and believers at the pagoda waited in vain
for authorization. They only obtained an evasive answer.
On Februart 6, regardless of repressive measures,
the Venerable Thai Hoa declared that the Buddhist faithful continued to observe
their faith, performing religious services as planned. Monks and believers
joined in regular sessions for prayers af Tu Hieu Pagoda. Thousands of people
came to Hue.
Believers who were unable to come to the place communicated to the organizer
that they prayed in silence at home or at the workplace. An atmosphere of empathy pervaded everywhere in Hue, in the adjacent
areas, and in other provinces. The news warmed up the Shanga’s and laity’s
confidence. Everyone enjoyed praying
personally at home. The State heightened vigilance. Sessions for political
indoctrination intent on educating public servants on the subject and keeping
them from joining in the movement were conducted at public offices. In Hue, teachers and
students in schools at all levels were grouped to attend sessions of political
indoctrination lectures on weekend. they no longer had chance to participate in sessions of prayers. Many participants
were convoked to police headquarters for interrogation.
Facing totalitarianism, the Buddhists inside the
country made every effort to counter the State pressure on the Church. The
Sangha of Thua Thien - Hue
decided to resist repression firmly. To energize the laity, on February 8, 2001, it
decidedly organized a mass ceremony of prayers in the old Capital. It was, in
practice, an act of protest against the
State’s decision to obstruct the trip of
the Most Venerable Thai Hoa to New
York to attend the World Grand Ceremony for the New
Millennium. To neutralize opposition, the security police blocked the entrances
to pagodas and temples and quieted those Buddhists who came to attend the ceremony. For months following the
incident, the Sangha and laity in Hue
were resigned to practice religious services in silence.
The Buddhist Family
With the birth of the State-affiliated Vietnam
Buddhist Church,
the State had all its advantages “to normalize” various independent factions of
Buddhism that resisted its control. Under renovation, repression against
Buddhist congregations, especially those of the Unified Buddhist Church of
Vietnam, was even tantamount to apogee. Facing utter repression, two hundred
leaders of the Buddhist Youth Movement vowed to immolate themselves by fire if
the State would seek measure to recoup their members. The movement identified
itself with the Gai Dinh Phat Tu (Buddhist Family). It claimed to be associated
with the Vietnam Unified Buddhist
Church, which institution
the State dissolved on January
13, 1987. The legal dissolution of the Unified Buddhist Church of
Vietnam took effect during the Fifth Congress of the State-affiliated Buddhist
Church of Vietnam
sponsored by the Fatherland Front. The dissolution was to most Buddhist
congregations, among which was the Buddhist Youth Movement, not only a
intervention of the State in the internal affairs of the Buddhist Churches but
also a violation of the rights to religious freedom.
The movement had about three hundred thousand
(300,000) members, from 6-18 years old. The statistics by the State specified
that 60% of the members were about 15-16 years of age. The movement came into
existence under the Republic
of Vietnam. It had been
exposed to ostracism of the civil authorities after the change of political regime
in 1975. It distacd itself from the official Buddhist Church of Vietnam after
its creation by the State in 1981. The Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang also
mentioned this event in his open letter in September 1992 when he appealed to
the Buddhist faithful for a struggle for the legal restoration of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist
Church. In his appeal,
the Patriarch asserted that the State-affiliated
Buddhist Church
of Vietnam
had disintegrated the Buddhist Family from its cradle, forcing it to scurry
without direction. It is believed that the Buddhist Family is a Buddhist organization that has acquired
outstanding merits all through the contemporary history, As such, it will ever
continue to be a foundation upon which the Buddhist Faith flourishes.
Within a short period of hard time, the movement was
successful in redressing its leadership. Its coming back was warmly welcome.
The Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang affirmed in his letter to the Buddhist
laity that “in the course of the recent years, the groups of Buddhist Family,
from Quang Tri to Ca Mau, have resumed their activities and can’t be
suppressed.” The coming back of the organization couldn’t escape the eyes of
the authorities that ever kept a close watch over its activities. In October
1994, the Bulletin of Information of the Communist Party weighed in with
particular insistance on the rebirth of the movement and showed concern over
its influence on the Buddhist laity. “If it (the organization) continues to
develop in the provinces along the coast of the Center and in the high plains,
it will attract new members among young students. In some places, that
organization manifests itself publicly.”
Leaders of the movement claimed that the objectives
of organization were purely religious. It was affiliated with the
non-sanctioned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam as it had been before the
change of political regime in April 1975. The rebirth of the Buddhist Family
appeared to many Buddhists circles to bring forth a remedy to the increasing
degradation of the public educational system. It illustrated old traditional
cultural values, which were still new valuable concepts to the youth that was
becoming more and more eager to do away
with the official ideology --Marxism.
On March
3, 1995, to deface the image of the Buddhist Youth Movement, a
decree of the State Office of Religious Affairs (No.I-TT-GCP) confided in the State-sponsored Buddhist Church
of Vietnam
the responsibility to take charge of the Buddhist youth organization operating
within its orbit. The Church, under the pressure of the State, changed its
appellation from Gia Dinh Phat Tu (Buddhist Family) to “Nam Nu Phat Tu”
(Buddhist Men and Women). In practice,
after the congress of the leaders of the organization in Da Lat in 1995, Monk Thich Tu Man, who was
in charge of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam of the province of Lam Dong, was forced to execute the
decision, giving the organization a new name. The following year, the Central
Committee of Communist Youths published a document entitled “Orientations for
Action Regarding the Ardent Adepts of the Movement “Nam Nu Phat Tu.” It recommended the Communist Youths
organization to operate a campaign of propaganda for the “Nam Nu Phat Tu,”
incorporating it into the Fatherland
Front.
The official dissolution of the Buddhist Family put
an end to the existence of the Buddhist Youth Association, which, for a time,
operated outside the orbit of the Fatherland Front. However, the Buddhist laity
still believed that whatever appellation the organization might be labeled, it
would never be an dependent religious organization. There always exist a
non-sanctioned Buddhist association that
functions without allegiance to the Fatherland Front, a satellite organization
of the Communist Party.
The Buddhist Family had ever been the target for
intimidation. In 1997, two hundred leaders of the Movement of the Buddhist
Youth vowed to immolate themselves by fire if the government resumed repressive
measure to dissolve the Unified Buddhist Church. The movement foresaw that this
tragic day would come. Under strict control of the State, a dramatic reduction
in the membership of the organization was in sight. Within a few years,
approximately 300,000 members from 6
to 18 years of age were absent from action. The statistics of the government
specified that 60% of thesemembers were
from 15 to 16 years of age. Previously, the movement had been decimated in the
struggle against the ostracism of the civil authorities after the fall of the political in regime in South Vietnam.
However, during the years that followed reunification of the country, the
movement regained vigor. This revival was closely watched by the
authorities. The “Tap Chi Cong San”
(Communist Review ), in 1992, noted that “among the adepts were the youths who
are not the least component. In the provinces in the Center and the South, the
activities of the Buddhist Family have been reactivated, and the movement has
reassembled thousands of youths.” (Vu Duy Anh, “Reflections on the Religious
Life Today,” Communist Review, August 1993)
(EDA 171).
To negate international accusation of religious
intolerance on Vietnam,
the spokesman of Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,
on September 26, 1996,
declared: “There is absolutely no such a problem. The government respects
religious activities and create favorable conditions for the Buddhists so that
they will be able to participate in these activities under the direction of the
official Buddhist Church of Vietnam and in conformity with the law.”
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