Religious
Fredom at Stake
The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do received warm
sympathy from international circles. On January 18, 2008, US congressman Ed Royce (R-
California) sent a letter to the Committee for Nobel Prize for Peace to
recommend the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do to the candidacy to the prize for
the year 2008. The highest dignitary of the Unified Buddhist
Church is highly
appreciated as a famous candidate whose shining bravery essentially serves to
inspire peace and democracy. His concerns at the rights situations in the
country were most memorable.He has been for many years a personality of
prestige who has braved danger and
struggled nonviolently for religious freedom and human rights in Vietnam. In the
interview with RFA, February
28, 2009, he said that the winning of the prize is not as important
as the world’s interest in the depraved Vietnamese people who have not enjoyed
freedom, who have not seen democracy, and
whose rights of man have not been respected. The economic development
has brought some improvements, but the wealth gap is surisingly widening. This
is not the gap between the rich and the poor, but the abyss between the rulers
and the ruled.
Harsh
Repressive Measures
The
Most Venerable Thich Vien Dinh
In Quang Nam, on February 6, 2009, the security police arrested
and detained the Most Venerable Thich Vien Dinh, Secretary-general of the
Institute of the Propagation of Buddhist Faith, Unified Buddhist
Church. According to AFP,
Buddhist followers were forbidden to attend the first anniversary commemorating
the death of the late Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang who passed away this day a
year previously. Harassment ensued.
The Most Venerable Thich Khong Tanh
On May
1, 2010, AFP reported that the security police of Ho Chi Minh City detained the Most Venerable
Thich Khong Tanh for many hours for interrogation at the city police
department. The high dignitary of the Unified Buddhist
Church was released at 10 P.M. April 30 after having been
beaten and detained for 4 hours. The Most Venerable himself, the Head of the
Social Department of Social Service, diffused the news by e-mail to the
Information Office of the Unified
Buddhist Church
in Paris, France. Fifty plain-clothes agents
of the security police of Ward II, Thu Duc District and the city security
police blocked his way and arrested him
without warrant. He was then detained, beaten, and interrogated. Four Buddhist
monks at Lien Tri Pagoda, Thu Duc District, who tried to defend him were also
assaulted and beaten .
The
Patriarch Thich Quang Do
In an interview with RFA on May 13, 2010, the Patriarch Thich
Quang Do, when asked about the reason for which he had been placed under house
surveillance, explained that “the Communist authorities in Vietnam think
that if he is free like many other people, he will continue to struggle for
freedom and democracy. Being under surveillance, he has no opportunity to
contact with many people. Under house surveillance, he has no one to talk to.
Sometimes, someone wants to see him, the security police posit check-points around
his pagoda and on the other side of the street. Any time, the police is on
watch there, he is isolated from the outside. They want him not to see anyone.
He is restricted to isolation.
A prominent Buddhist, who asked anonymity, praised
the Patriarch devotion to religious faith and the country in warmest
confidence. He sacrifices all his life for the struggle for justice and human
rights. His master was brutally and mercilessly killed. His mother then his
elder brother monk, his master‘s junior brother monk, and even his master’s
master were all killed by the Communists. They are extremely brutal. In
addition, they follow and apply the tenets of a totalitarian political regime.
The citizen has no right to voice his own opinion. They observe no human
rights; neither do they have democracy. The Communists rule the country according
to their whims and wishes. We cannot let them do things as they wish forever.
We have to struggle in one or way or another.
We will never give up. A Buddhist like him will never live only for
himself. He lives for man. As long as the Vietnamese still endure misfortune,
he will cooperate with fellow cpatriots and share hardship with them. And, we
continue to struggle until Vietnam
has freedom, democracy, and peace.” There is no hatred in his heart and mind.
He loves man and show compassion for
everyone, That means love is happiness. “If you really love and show compassion
for another person, you will feel happy.” That is why, he always maintains
peace of mind. He knows he never feels unhappy. He always keeps a smile. He
forgives the Communists because they are also human beings. The Communists
could change their thinking and renounce their ideology. What they have to act
right now is to drop communism and accept democracy, freedom, and human rights
for the sake of just cause. They will be happy, then.
Restrictions
After the Communist takeover of South Vietnam
in April 1975, they found out it was difficult to place the Unified Buddhist
Church under its control,
They then sought to create another Buddhist
Church. They called it
the Buddhist Church of Vietnam. The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam was outlawed. They forbade all its activities.
Not only does the Church suffer misery, The Vietnamese all suffer misery
because they are bound to live under a totalitarian political regime. Their rights are stripped off. They have
nothing but 2 meager meals a day. A human person has no human rights and a
human life, and thus his life has no meaning. We all decide to act to change
the situation. Thus, I continue to act, until this day
According to the law “hellman” of Buddhism, the
Patriarch of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church believed, all things transform, nothing remains unchanged within a “setma.”
All things transform. Communism will then transforms according to the law of
transformation of Buddhism. Things that do not transform do not exist. Anything
that transforms exists. The same is true with communism. Some day, communism will come to an end. I
think that some day Vietnam
will have freedom and democracy, and the Vietnamese will have peace and
contentment. He stressed:
“I honorably ask every to help the Vietnamese to get
democracy, freedom, and human rights. My sincere appreciation specifically goes
to Ratto Foundation, Norway, for the prize they awarded
to me in 2006. Events that have happened
in Korea,
Cuba
bring us hope. I have experienced communism 35 years. I understand that like
the Vietnamese people the citizens in those Communist countries have no peace
and happiness. They endure misery. I hope the Communists there will abandon
communism and honor democracy, freedom, hand human rights. If human rights are
respected, everyone, every people, and every country in the world will have peace and happiness. I hope the
world all has peace and happiness.”
Repression at Pagodas
Saigon
On August
12, 2011, the Buddhist annual holiday of 15th July of the Lunar
Calendar, the security police aborted a gift-giving party to disabled soldiers
of the old Republic
of Vietnam at Lien Tri
Pagoda, Saigon. Only could a group of about 20
members of the family of the invited come closer to the pagoda. Nevertheless, they
were either held back or disbanded under
threat. Others were forced to stay away.
Police checkpoints were posited along the road to the pagoda. The Patriarch
Thich Quang Do was also barred at Thanh Mint Monastery. Communication by phone
to the Venerable Thich Khong Tanh, the Superior monk at Lien Tri, was inaccessible.
The dignitary asked in vain permission of the police through loudspeaker to
allow his guests to come to attend the party.
Also in Saigon, on March 25, 2012, the security police surrounded Giac Hoa
Pagoda, where the Unified
Buddhist Church
has its seat. The raid was carried out
following the Decision 63 of March 24 of the People’s Council of Ward 7, Binh
Thanh Precinct to force the Pagoda to voluntarily destroy the construction on
the flat roof of the pagoda it had built without the authority’s permission. In
reality, on March 1, when the Pagoda began to repair the flat top of the
pagoda, roofing the floor with tin sheets and paving it with brick. Officials
and inspectors of the precinct’s Office House Constructions of Ward 7 had come
to inspect. Verbal authorization had been given as “light constructions
requires no permission.” However, on
March 24, the chairman of the People’s Council of Ward 7 Ho Ky Lan, by the
Decision 63, severely warned the Pagoda. The authorities would cut off
electricity and water supply if it would not voluntarily destroy the
construction on the flat roof within ten days.
And, if the Pagoda persisted
resisting the order, the authorities would have contractors destroyed the
construction. and the Pagoda would also have to pay a fine of 12 million $VN
“dong.”
On August
6, 2012, a hundred plainclothes police agents surrounded Lien Tri
Pagoda while the monks were preparing to provide disabled Vietnam War veterans
with relief aids. They blocked the
participants among whom were religious
dignitaries and priests from entering the pagoda. A minister of Evangelical
Christianity was beaten and taken to the police station for interrogation. Two
Catholic priests were blocked at the entrance. Activists for democracy, Dr.
Nguyen Dan Que, the lawyer Nguyen Bac Truyen, and the Journalist Truong Minh
Duc were on close watch at home and could not come to the place. Sources said that “the Most Venerable Thich
Khong Tanh, the head monk at Long Tri Pagoda, has long been the target for
repression due to his humanitarian services, and commitments to religious
freedom and human rights.” Previously, in
July, when anti-China movement was on the rise, activities of monks and believers in Saigon were keenly monitored. Out of caution, the
authorities took preventive measures to prevent them from staging anti-China
demonstrations in Hanoi
and Saigon. The Most Venerable Thich Khong
Tanh was blocked from joining in the event. He had been trailed wherever he
traveled ever since.
During May 6-7. 2013, some 50 agents including
plainclothes policemen laid siege on Giac Hoa Pagoda and barred the monks in
residence from leaving the place. The action came as activists for freedom and
democracy began to launch campaigns of “picnic demonstrations” calling for
protection of human rights. A group of thugs blockaded the entrance and forced
the Most Venerable Vien Dinh and the Venerable Thich Vien Hy to go back to
their monastery. Guardian monks were restricted to isolation at the pagoda.
Visitors were forbidden to come to
the pagoda. The police put Unified Buddhist
Church pagodas under
strict control, particularly during July 2012 when the Patriarch Thich Quang Do called on the
Buddhists to support anti-China rallies. The authorities, for fear of an
involvement on the part of monks in the “picnic demonstrations, launched raids
and blockades at the Unified
Buddhist Church
pagodas as a preventive measure.
Dong Nai
On June
10, 2012, the traffic police stopped the Venerable Thich Quang
Thanh of Dong Nai Province
for not wearing a helmet while he was riding his motorbike. They pulled him
over, punched him in the face, and threw his motorbike in their truck although
the monk prepared to pay a fine. While awaiting for backup, a group of
policeman, pinned him down and beat him
with a truncheon’ stopping him from calling for help. The monk was taken for
questioning and released several hours later without an explanation.
Phu
Yen - Binh
Thuan
In Phu
Yen Province,
prominent monks, nuns, and believers of the Unified Buddhist Church Youth
Movement were summoned for interrogation. In Binh Thuan Province, the Venerable Thich Thong Hai
was repeatedly summoned for interrogation. During a “working session” that
lasted two hours, the monk was questioned on his performance of religious
services and told he was not allowed to hold the Buddhist Holiday celebration.
If he failed to comply with the order, he would face “preventive measure.” The
monk said that he only obeyed the order of the Patriarch of the Unified
Buddhist Church Thich Quang Do, who called on the Sangha and believers to serve
faith, regardless of oppression.
Da Nang
In Da Nang,
for two weeks prior to the celebration of the Buddhist Holy Day of July 15th of
the Lunar Calendar (2012), the monks at Giac Minh Pagoda met with constant
harassment. The worship place was laid in a siege crowded with policemen and
cadres. No believer could come inside to pay respect to Buddha. Police
checkpoints were posited at both ends of the entrance to the pagoda. No sooner
had a believer left the worship place
than he or she was stopped by uniformed security police for interrogation. Many
believers were subjected to detention at the police station. Frightened, many
others could only venture to the pagoda in the early morning, placed offerings
in the front gate, then ran away. Monks were summoned for interrogation. A
camera was placed on the entrance post to intercept the activities in and
around the pagoda. Security police checkpoints were posited in the surrounding
area. The believers had to wait until nightfall to come to supply the monks
with provisions.
Giac Minh Pagoda is the central office of the of the
Buddhist Youth Movement of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam as well as
the main office of the Church in Quang Bam- Da Nang Province.The Venerable
Thich Thanh Quang, the Quang Nam - Danang
head of Quang Nam - Da Nang Provincial Committee, who had been targeted
with violence by plainclothes police, disclosed to Kathkeen Peoples, an official of the U.S. of
the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, on her visit to the pagoda on
October 30, 2013, that the pagoda had been sealed off until then. Police
surveillance outside the pagoda was lifted on this day. Nevertheless,
plainclothes police officers could be seen behind the windows of the police
headquarters across the street filming the meeting.
Giac Minh Pagoda had come under harsh surveillance
since 1981 when the State-created Vietnam Buddhist Church came into being.
Thua Thien - Hue
In Thua Thien - Hue, on the Buddhist Holiday of May 5, 2012, senior monks
and believers faced pressure and threat from the authorities. Members affiliated
with Unified Buddhist Church,
in particular, were forced to destroy logos symbolizing Buddhism. Guardian
monks were summoned for interrogation and told to sign a prepared text to
denounce the Unified
Buddhist Church’s
“vile scheme” on this holy day. The
Shanga and laity nevertheless nevertheless
efused to comply with he order and continued to proceed with the celebration.
The authorities deliberately tightend control on them.
On January
14, 2014, the Venerable Thich
Chan Tam, secretary-general of the Sangha Institute of the Unified Buddhist Church,
was the target of violence. The monk was stopped by Ho Chi Minh City
police at a red traffic light while he was riding his motorcycle. A car
rammed his motor car from behind, and a
gang of plainclothes agents rushed out and assaulted him. The monk cried out
for help from passersby. As the crowd gathered, a man who appeared to be the
chief of the assailants got out from another car and intervened in the
incident.
A statement issued by the Paris-based Buddhist
Information Service noted that the Venerable Chon Tam was expelled from Thua
Thien - Hue Province and ordered to return to Saigon for attempt to attend a commemoration service by
the Most Venerable Thich Nhu Dat, the newly-appointed Head of the Institute of Propagation for Buddhist Faith of the Unified Buddhist
Church. He had been ever
since the target of “close police surveillance and harassment.” Meanwhile, the
security police threatened to imprison Le Cong Cau, unless he stepped down from
his position as the leader of the Buddhist Family organization
Still, the authorities kept a close watch on prominent
members of the Unified
Buddhist Church.
Most of the Church’s leaders were summoned to police stations or kept inside
their houses. Repression was increasingly harsh. On January 10, 2014, the security police forbade the Most
Venerable Thich Nhu Dat, the Head of Institute for the Propagation for Buddhist
Faith, from organizing commemoration services at Lam Quang Pagoda. Police
checkpoints were posited along the roadf to the pagoda to prevent people coming
to the ceremony. Buddhists in the area were “invited” to attend an assembly to
be explained that joining the Church s
activities would commit violation of the law as the Church is an outlawed organization
and that “Thich Nhu Dat is a reactionary
element.”
Harassment
By the end of
March 2013, the police in Thua Thien -Hue Province
convoked for interrogation Le Cong Cau, the Head of the Buddhist Family, which
is an organization affiliated with the Unified Buddhist
Church. Le Cong Cau was
charged with “undermining and conducting anti-State propaganda.” After three
days under interrogation, the fervent Buddhist affirmed that he had written
articles in which he advocated political pluralism, accused the Communist Party
of Vietnam of religious persecution, of repression of activists of freedom,
democracy and human rights. This Party nevertheless failed to stand up against China
aggression on the Vietnam
seaislands Paraceis and Spratlys in the East Asia Sea.
Le Cong Cau contended that his reactions were self-evident and were in
agreement with the Constitution of Vietnam. Sources said that Le Cong Cau might
face criminal charges under Article 87
of the Criminal Code “for sowing religious division” and under Article 88 of
the same code for “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam.
On the
Lunar New year Day [January 2014], Le Comg Cau was barred at Phu Bai Airport,
Thua Thien - Hue Province, when he was about to take a flight to Saigon. to meet with the
Patriarch Thich Quang Do. The authorities seized from him documents and a
laptop computer. He was then placed under house arrest, having been detained
and interrogated for 13 hours at Truong An police station, Thua Thien – Hue
Province. He was accused of breaching various laws and forbidden to leave home
and meet anyone. Plainclothes and uniformed policemen were all around his
home. During interrogation, Le Cong Cau
refuted all allegations by the police. His relationship with the Buddhist
Church of Vietnam is right. The Church is legal, but the present government has
deprived of it its rights and legal status.
The security police threatened to imprison Le Cong
Cau unless he stepped down from his position as the leader of the Buddhist
Family organization. Under harassment and house arrest were prominent
Buddhists. Among them were. Recognized Ho Nguyen Minh, Ho Van Nich, Hoang Nhu
Dao, Hoang Tanh, Hoang Thi Hong Phuong, Le Nhat Thinh, Le Van Thanh, Ngo Duc
Tien, Nguyen Chien, Nguyen Dinh Mong, Nguyen Duc Khoa, Nguyen Sac, Nguyen Tat
Truc, Nguyen Thi Huong, Nguyen Van De, Troung Dien Hieu, Truong Minh Dung, Truong
Trong Thao, Van Dinh An, Van Dinh Tat, Van Thi Hieu, and Van Tien Nhi.
International
Support
The Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of
Vietnam, who had been under house arrest since 2005. on 19 November, 2015,
expressed gratitude to the international community for advocating for his
release from house arrest. He affirmed his commitment to his cause for
democracy, saying he greatly appreciated the the calls for U.S. President
Barrack Obama to push for freedom in Vietnam at the international meetings in
the Philippines and Malaysia by Nobel peace laureates and scholars who had paid
attention to human rights situation in Vietnam. He stressed that it was a
calamity to the Unified Buddhist Church
of Vietnam that had been under government oppression. For this reason the
Vietnam Unified Church and he himself raised voices and advocated freedom not
only for the Church but also for all the people of Vietnam.
