THE VIETNAM UNIFIED BUDDHIST CHURCH IN THE NEW ERA

State Control

     The Sangha

In the middle of July 2005, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do signed two separate decisions, one of which recognized the legitimate representation of the executive boards of the Vietnam Buddhist Church of the two provinces in the Center, Quang Nam and Thua Thien - Hue. The decisions were also sent to the People’s Councils of the provinces concerned but came to no effect. The authorities even kept a close watch on the Church’s activities in these provinces. Elsewhere in the Center, the situation was equally sad. The Venerable Thich Hai Tang, the superior monk at Long An Pagoda, Trieu Thuong Commune, Trieu Phong District, Quang Tri Province, was constantly trailed by the police. He was the author of the letters to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and Minister of Security Police Le Hong Anh  denouncing the police’ misconduct against the Buddhist delegation of which he was a member while it was on the trip back from Saigon to Binh Dinh after the Buddhist national congress during mid-September, 2003. The monk was convoked “to work with” the local security police after his interview with the Radio Free Asia on the situation of the Unified Buddhist Church in the Center. In Binh Dinh, the Executive Board of the Unified Buddhist Church met with troubles Members of the board were to present themselves with local authorities foe ungrounded reasons. In Quang Nam - Da Nang, after the self-immolation by fire of the  leader of the Buddhist Family Ho Tan Anh on September 2, 2001,  the members of the Executive Board of the Unified Buddhist Church and prominent laymen were targeted with harassment as they persistently maintained confidence in the Church and committed themselves to its cause.

The Venerable Thich Thanh Quang, in an interview with RFA correspondent on July 7 2005, declared that the regime, addicted to its Communist ideology, determinedly pur the Unified Buddhist  Church under stricter control, intentionally stripping off its rights to existence. The monk firmly believed that although the leadership, the Sangha and the laity of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church strenuously face disgrace, shame, and hardship, they will ever struggle to survive.

     The Leadership

     The Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang

By the end of September 2005, the ailing Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang’s health went into decline, and he had to be brought to be treated in emergency in Binh Dinh Hospital. Nevertheless, the dignitary was only admitted as an outpatient. The hospital had its doctor to examine and gave him medicine.  On September 25, as his health worsened alarmingly, he was then officially admitted to the hospital. On September 28, on the initiative of the Shangha, he was expeditiously brought to Saigon and was treated medically at Cho Ray Hospital. For 24 years under house surveillance, the Patriarch of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church had not had the occasion to go outside his place of exile. He had nevertheless to come back to Giac Hoa Pagoda where he had been under house surveillance for recovery.

    The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do

In November 2006, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do was awarded  the Human Rights Protector of Viet Nam, Year of 2006 prize by the Norwegian Ratto Foundation for his continuation of lifetime service to help the oppressed, the terrorized, and the threatened. The prize is particularly offered to Nobel prize recipients, among whom were Aung San Suu Kyi of Myannar Jose Ramos Horta of East Timor, Kim Dae Jung of South Korea, and Shinin Ebadi of Iran. The prize-awarding ceremony was scheduled to take place on November 4, 2006 in Begen, Norway. Several days following the announcement of nomination of the foundation, the Norwegian Congress officially requested the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam  to free the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do from house arrest so that he could travel to Norway to receive the award. The appeal came to no result, however.

Violations of International Conventions

Public opinion showed reluctance. During the Vietnam War, Norway and the countries of Northern Europe showed sympathy to Communist Vietnam for its struggle for national peace and democracy. They all gradually discovered the true face of the Hanoi regime, which is both totalitarian and dictatorial. Decades after the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese have not had genuine peace, freedom, and democracy. They still live under a single-party rule which refutes all forms of political demands or judgments voiced by the worldwide mass media, political parties, religious organizations and labor unions. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has become notorious for its violations of the most basic stipulations of human rights in the International Conventions by which it has pledged to abide.

State Persecution

     Propaganda

The State persecution against the Unified Buddhist Church intesified increasingly Articles and writings with condemnations to defame campaigns for aids to victims of injustice by the Church appeared on the official press. Campaigns of denigration against the Unified Buddhist Church and the Most Venerable Thich Quang were conducted on the communications media of the State. In Hue, in September 8, 2007, the security police surrounded Bao Quoc Pagoda. Visitors were blocked and brought to police headquarters for body search and interrogation. The security police kept a close watch on people everywhere inside and around the pagoda. Faced with obstruction, the Most Venerable Thich Thien Hanh, the Secretary of the Office of the President of the Unified Buddhist Church concurrently Chairman of the Executive Board of Hue-Thua Thien Province, sent to the State leadership his protests regarding the blatant oppression against the Church.

In Saigon, starting on September 7, 2007, the official press launched a campaign of denigration against the monks of the Unified Buddhist Church who had taken part in operations of aids to the victims of injustice in Tien Giang and other provinces in the Mekong plains in August 2007. The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do was accused of stirring dissent among the claimants of injustice, opposing the government, and causing social disorder and insecurity, although spiritual and financial support originated from sympathy and benevolence of compatriot Vietnamese overseas. Pubic opinion in the Vietnamese communities, particularly those in Texas and South California, U. S. A. maintained that such a campaign was not a surprise since  the press under a totalitarian is only an instrument of the regime. The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do only devotes himself to the best service of the people. The act of benevolence of the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do and other monks is aimed to rescue the victims of injustice. They fulfill their task in the march to demand for justice. The donations they distributed to the victims were the contributions of the Vietnamese overseas who wished to share the misfortune their compatriots had to suffer.  Denigration and calumny would not reverse the truth.    

 On the Lunar New Year’s Day of Mau Ty (2008), the Patriarch Thich Huyen Qung from Nguyen Thieu Monastery, Binh Dinh Province, Central Vietnam, sent his wish a Happy New Year to his compatriots in the country and overseas. He particularly expressed appreciation of genuine support of  the International Amnesty Canada which, by means of a collection of 3,500 letters, had requested the administration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to give him freedom. The Patriarch  called on the Buddhists to stand up to defend their  rights to religious freedom. He expressed  confidence in the support of the Shanga, believers, and Vietnamese compatriots inside the country and overseas, notably the Vietnamese communities in Australia to promote the Church’s cause, firmly carrying on Buddhist services while  pushing forward the propagation of Buddhist faith and erasing misfortunes. He  believed that the Sangha and believers would  resiliently follow the shining examples of national Buddhist Masters, Saints, and martyrs who have sacrificed themselves for national defense and the Buddhist faith.

      

On this occasion, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, in his name as  President of the Institute of Propagation of Buddhist Faith, praised in a circular to the Buddhist laity, the brave resilience to repression of the Shanga and believers of all walks of life, overcoming reprisals, obstacles, and impediments to protect and serve faith. Those are the challenges and the  bonds of “Karma” that help a Buddhist to practice virtues and get out of desires and sufferings in this world of impurity and cruelty. The dignitary wished to be a vanguard to become one in the masses in jeopardy to save his follow compatriots, that is, to show and realize the vows for life salvation which Vietnamese Buddhism has practiced and preserved for more than two thousand years of history. He believed that, with love for life and fearlessness, man will surpass terrorism that is pervading the world and violence and totalitarianism that are enveloping mankind. In this spirit, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do called on the Shanga  and  believers of the Church in the country and overseas to keep the fast and pray Buddha for peace and happiness, social justice, and freedom of the people. They  live nowadays in poverty and are deprived of the rights to live. They are  at the same time the victims of all vile schemes of division, of violence, and of harm. The Unified Buddhist Church  vows to serve the people and mankind.