RELIGIOUS POLICY—THE CHARACTER (II)

Religious Policy-The Characyrt

By Van Nguyen 






Demands from Religious Dignitaries

On December 27, 2000, four religious dignitaries, the Reverend Nguyen Van Ly of the Archdiocese of Hue, the Reverend Chan Tun of the Redemptorits Order in Saigon, the Most Venerable Thich Thien Hanh of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church, and the Honorable Le Quang Liem, chairman of the Elders Council of Pure Hoa Hao Buddhism, signed in a declaration tabulating the consequences resulting from the repressive policy on religions of the Communist Party of Vietnam and demanding for the respect for the rights to religious freedom.,  

“Since its conquest of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, the Communist Party of Vietnam has imposed an inhuman policy as regards the religions of the country.

--Numerous institutions and proprieties belonging to diverse religions—Cao Dai, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hoa Hao Buddhism, and the Evangelical Christianity-- have been shamelessly confiscated, nationalized, and placed at the disposition of the communist rule.

--Numerous documents of judicial character have been promulgated to hog-tie, limit, and suppress religious activities in an inconceivable manner that has never been seen in the history of the country

--Numerous maneuvers of amalgam and of false accusations have been finagled to assign to house surveillance and imprisonment religious leaders who oppose the repressive and destructive religious policy that has been pursued from 1975 until these days.  

 --Numerous maneuvers of intimidation have been perpetuated to undermine the religions from within, to divide their ranks and politicize their objectives such as revealed from hidden schemes operated within the Churches --Cao Dai, Roman Catholicism, Evangelical Christianity, and Buddhism, notably the crafty design that splits up the Buddhist Church into two separate sects, the Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church. Most recently, in 1999, the five million Hoa Hao Buddhists ought to endure repression under the direction of a puppet “Commission of Representatives” consisting of 11 members of the Communist Part created by the authorities. This is a monstrous anomaly that has never been seen in the history of religions.  

Facing this cruel policy, which is aimed to strangle the religions, all the Churches of Vietnam have persistently perused a non-violence resistance to demand for the right to religious freedom and have been determined to struggle until they obtain genuine religious freedom as have the Churches in the vast majority of civilized countries in the world.

That is why, nowadays, in line with progressive movements for the rights of the human person, we, the signatories to this declaration, believe that time has come to launch appeal to demand the Vietnamese communist authorities  

1.To scrupulously respect the right to veritable religious freedom in such essential domains as the total freedom and independence of religious leaders in the choice of faith, in the formation and the nomination of priests and in the performance of their own responsibilities in accordance with the needs and spiritual tenets suitable to each faith; to respect the right to religious faith of all Vietnamese citizens by suppressing from now on any mention to religious entity of a citizen in administrative documents so that the citizen could enjoy total peace with regard to regions identity, and no one would see himself discriminated because of religious faith and would enjoy all favorable conditions to live his faith and will no longer suffer repression with such discriminatory measures in the situation as he has been nowadays.                                                                                                                                  

2. To restitute the rights to ownership to diverse Churches their institutions and properties which, for 25 years, have been confiscated, nationalized, and used as properties of the State, or “ceded” to the State under coercion  or  by likely unreliable documents that still in existence or may be lost due to the war. In the latter case, the population should stand as a witness to judge the degree of reliability of the documents and verify the origin of the documents accordingly.  

3.To put an end to crafty maneuvers or posts aiming at stifling and strangling the religions; to put an end to all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the religions; to dissolve diverse State-created committees in all forms that operate abnormally and that are only ancillary instruments of the communist State.   

4. To free without condition the religious, seminarians, religious personalities already condemned or still imprisoned in detention centers.

5. To respect diverse provisions of the International Human Rights Convention of September 24, 1982, the covenant to which the Communist State of Vietnam has been admitted membership.”

As far as the laws on religions are concerned, the International Buddhist Information Bureau in Paris said recent decree-laws further lend hand to the authorities to impose stricter control on beliefs and religions in a country where religious activities are solely monitored in places where religious groups function under government-directed executive boards. The government recognizes 31 religions representing 11 diverse religions including the Buddhist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical Christian Churches, (State-created) Cao Dai, and (State-created Hoa Hao Buddhism. Non-sanctioned religious groups such as the Christian House Churches or various sects of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church are outlawed. The Patriarch of the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church Thich Quang Do called these decrees the “harsh” police measures, which are destined to curtail religious freedom in the country.

The authorities have systematically repressed Buddhist organizations since the North Vietnamese took control of the South in 1975. Religious laws and policies are abounding with empty rhetoric and promises. There is nothing but vain hope. Successive policies by the Communist Party and Government of Vietnam generally do not match up realities, if not implacable and mandatory. They are coercive, imposing rules and regulations on the religion, forcing the believers to serve the political goals set forth by the Communist leadership. Inconsistent and confusing decisions, orders, and decrees either by the Party or the government succeed one after another but produce no change. The inconsistency and confusion inherent in the laws substantiate complex difficulties, popular conflicts, and opposition, thus leading to conflict and unrest.  As a consequence, the Ninth Congress and the Seventh Plenum of the Communist Party, drawing lessons from the troubles in the Central Highlands, tried to modify the policy on religion, hoping to remedy the situation. The ordinance promulgated by the National Assembly and the decree by the prime minister that followed equally failed to meet with the needs of all Churches and the aspirations of the laity of all faiths, however.

RELIGIOUS POLICY—THE CHARACTER

Religious Policy-The Character

By Van Nguyen




 
Public Policy versus Internal Policy

Religious persecution is increasing pervasive as ever. The report by the Commission of Religious Freedom of Evangelical Alliance, Ottawa, Canada, on January 27, 2000 focuses on uncivil infringement on religious liberty in the western mountainous region where millions of new converts of Christianity are subject to harsh persecution. It particularly stresses the characteristics of religious policy that produces the paradigm of two distinct policies described as “official or public policy’ and “internal policy.” to explain the failure of Communist Vietnam in the domain of human rights in its entirety.

The "public policy" is mainly an ensemble of derivatives from a number of provisions in the Constitution, which proclaim ostensibly religious freedom in an inconsistent manner, and based on successive directives of the Politburo and decrees of the government. In appearance, it heightens the legitimacy of religious freedom and guarantees the rights to exercise religious freedom of the citizen. Contrarily, it limits in a draconian manner religious freedom and tolerates numerous patent measures as far as the power vested in the officials in charge of religious is concerned.  The control on the religious life of the believers of different confessions is equivocally untenable. This "public policy" is cleverly put into action by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Fatherland Front, the Bureau of Religious Affairs, and the mass media services. The propaganda machinery of the State, the mouthpiece of the regime, publicizes the State “achievements in areas of human rights and religious freedom.”  As in a refrain, it praises the tasks of State agencies and organizations and defends them against any charges they may commit. Still, the security police and courts of justice are instrumental in this regard to protect the regime. Prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, who advocate and defend rights, are only criminals as foreseen by unclear provisions of the laws.

 The “public policy” is manipulated in conjunction with the draconian "internal policy" inspired from Marxist orthodoxy on the religion. Religion is the opium of the people. It must be eradicated with whatever means necessary as it should be. The policy is as mischievous as dubious. Not only does it lead to a deceitful application of the "official policy," but it also authorizes the State to forcefully threaten, harass, and persecute the believers. The actual justification of this "internal policy" is to heighten vigilance against the religion which is viewed as the avant-garde force of hostile elements. It derives from an international plot instigated by the enemies of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the gist of the gradual development of "peaceful evolution.” The approach is designed to ultimately overthrow the “Revolution” --the Communist regime. The aims of that peaceful evolution are labeled as advocacy for "democracy, human rights, and religious liberty." As in guerrilla warfare, one makes arrows from every kind of wood. The power of the "internal policy" is put into action particularly within the long-lasting and enduring campaign to "stop and distill" the Christian movement, especially the Christians of ethnic minorities by means of extra-judiciary methods of an unbelievable cruelty. Independent sects of Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church suffer intolerance. The Roman Catholic Church is not an exception.

     

 It is not, then, the question to apply pressure on the Communist administration in Vietnam in order that one could prevent it from carrying out in certain localities its "public policy." This cannot be realized as long as the reign of the "internal policy" coexists. Those democratic countries that are respectful for human rights and that are generous donor partners of bilateral and multilateral partners have difficulties to counteract this cruel and unacceptable policy. Only when Communist Vietnam understands that it risks to suffer severe consequences on the international plane could it accordingly pursue the “reasonable policy" that is conceivable to the world.

In practice, the "internal policy" is artfully put into action by various powerful governmental organisms that act as the right arm of the Communist Party of Vietnam. That policy has nothing to do with religious liberty as defined by the Constitution. It is implied in diverse laws and decrees and protected by the security police, diverse administrative authorities, and the courts of justice. Its promoters and guardians are the Party, the Bureau of Religious Affairs, and all the special units of the Ministry of Public Security. Whoever reveals the true nature of that "internal policy" and its manifestations is accused of being a reactionary, and thus, the enemy of the Vietnamese “Revolution” --the Communist regime--, and a maniac contracting mental breakdown, or a lawbreaker nourishing dark schemes against Vietnam.  Fr. Nguyen Van Ly frankly affirmed that there is no religious liberty in Vietnam. His statement costs him a long penalty in prison for what is described as "crime against the State." This "internal policy" contradicts in all points the "public policy" in that it is applied secretly and is followed by the reinforcement of the law of organs of the security that is extra-judiciary and extremely severe.  Appeals to justice of the victims of the "internal policy" are ignored, negated, or stifled.  Some petitioners who lay claims on injustices beside competent authorities are isolated. Others are targeted with violence. Still, others suffer extra-judiciary punishments. Flagrant abuses against religious freedom, in most cases, are clearly proven. The authorities nevertheless attribute them as extortions. Certainly, there are incompetent officials who go astray, acting erroneously in rare instances in certain isolated and distant localities. They are those who undoubtedly have not understood the lines of the "public policy." This explanation would satisfy a number of people, including some lenient diplomats. Their vision of the world would not offer a place for a political system that acts with deliberate deception. The memory of victims of tragic persecution will never fade, if we judge a person or an incident on the appearance.

 The “internal policy,” the flip side to the coin, necessarily implements the "public policy." It is revealed in most instances. In a letter addressed to the prime minister and the Bureau of Religious Affairs in May 2002, the leaders of the Christian Evangelical Churches of Vietnam (North) complained that since 1988 it had not been authorized to hold a general assembly. Nevertheless, the authorities had repeatedly prevented the Church from carrying out its mission although it is officially recognized and its rights as a religion is guaranteed by the Constitution. The "public policy" proves itself a policy of deceit. The reason for which a general assembly had not been authorized results from the fact the authorities had not committed to carrying out guarantees as promised by the "public policy," Their aim is to exert control on the superior hierarchy of the Church, instead.  Leaders of the Evangelical Christian Churches of Vietnam (North) met with difficulty. H'mong Christians of the provinces of the Northwest was forbidden to contact with their leaders in November 2002. Regardless of impediments, the Church was successful to incorporate its factions into an institution, operating under the law, which reality made the authorities furious.

Persecution persists. Religious intolerance with harsh treatment against the domestic Churches has ever developed with harassment, arrest, oppression, and repression that end with physical brutality and cold persecution. It would take innumerable pages to describe the realities that have happened to the believers under the execution of the double policy on religion. The "public policy" appears in every letter in its Constitution, which ostensibly guarantees religious liberty of the citizen. Its application, however, adheres closely to the principles of Marxist orthodoxy according to which the State assumes every power to examine the legitimacy of a religion and exercise control on all religious faiths.

The Communist Party of Vietnam and State are empowered constitutionally to decide if such or such religious group is worthy of such legitimacy and co-opts the direction for such or such religious congregation accordingly. In the case of the Evangelical Christianity community, the application of this policy excludes the majority of believers. To the groups that the State considers as legal and that submits itself with docility to the official policy, the State distills it with homeopathic and hazardous instances a religious liberty. Authorities claim that they always do things that are normal and right and that best serve the believers. Realities prove the reverse. Vietnam’s records remain well inferior to international criteria in this in the domain of human and civil rights. It even arrogantly violates international accords, covenants and treaties by which it has pledged to abide.