US embassy cable - 03HOCHIMINHCITY978

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000978 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV (Jess), DRL 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, SOCI, PGOV, PREL, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: POLICE DISRUPT TRAVEL OF UBCV LEADERS TO HCMC 
 
REF:  HCMC 942 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Police apparently stopped United Buddhist 
Church of Vietnam (UBCV) leaders Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do 
and Thich Tue Sy from leaving Binh Dinh Province to drive to Ho 
Chi Minh City on October 8 (local time).  Although various reports 
differed on details, there was general agreement that a crowd of 
40-60 police and others surrounded the monks in their van shortly 
after they left the pagoda where Thich Huyen Quang resides.  The 
incident occurred in the context of reports of increased tension 
following a meeting of leaders of the banned UBCV (Reftel). 
Charge raised the issue with the MFA in Hanoi and stressed the 
importance of immediately allowing the monks to continue their 
travel unimpeded.  ConGen also contacted the HCMC External 
Relations Office and later reached the Chairman of Binh Dinh 
Province.  The Chairman said when he learned of the situation he 
had said to just let them go.  He said the monks had already been 
allowed to leave, and as of 5:00 p.m. local time, ConGen was able 
to confirm with Thich Tue Sy that the monks had been allowed to 
depart around 4:00 p.m.  Thich Tue Sy said everybody -- including 
"the elders" -- were "fine."  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  According to a press release from the Paris-based 
International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB), UBCV leaders 
Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do and Thich Tue Sy were prevented 
from leaving Binh Dinh Province to drive to Ho Chi Minh City on 
October 8 local time.  Thich Quang Do and Thich Tue Sy had 
traveled to Binh Dinh to attend a UBCV meeting September 18-20, 
where UBCV leaders discussed personnel issues and strategies for 
seeking government recognition for their banned religious 
organization.  Local UBCV contacts confirmed to ConGen that the 
three religious leaders were among a group of UBCV monks that left 
Nguyen Thieu Pagoda together in a van early in the morning on 
October 8.  Shortly after leaving the pagoda, where Thich Huyen 
Quang currently resides, the van was surrounded by a large group 
of police, reported as 40 by one source and 60 by another.  (Post 
Note: We have no way of verifying these numbers.) 
 
3.  (SBU)  At about 3:30 pm, ConGen reached the Chairman of the 
Binh Dinh People's Committee on his mobile phone.  The Chairman 
blamed Thich Huyen Quang's own followers for the situation, saying 
they wanted him to stay in Binh Dinh to translate Buddhist books 
and train more nuns and monks --assistance he had offered at the 
opening ceremony of his home pagoda's Basic Buddhism School.  The 
Chairman claimed the followers were only trying to prevent Thich 
Huyen Quang from leaving, not the other two monks.  The Chairman 
said when he learned of the incident, he stated that "if he (Thich 
Huyen Quang) wants to go, just let him go" and that the monks had 
already been allowed to continue their journey to HCMC.  At 5:00 
pm, ConGen confirmed directly with the monks that they had been 
allowed to leave around 4:00 pm.  (Note:  The Chairman's claim 
that the van had been delayed by UBCV followers contradicts press 
reports and IBIB press releases describing a large crowd of police 
and others throwing stones and puncturing the tires of the monks' 
van.  The details of what happened in Binh Dinh are not yet fully 
clear and these reports are still unconfirmed.  In the past, Thich 
Quang Do and Thich Huyen Quang have recounted stories of large 
adoring crowds surrounding them, but the Chairman's interpretation 
seems to take this one step too far.  End note.) 
 
4.  (SBU)  UBCV contacts reported that police had originally told 
Thich Quang Do and Thich Tue Sy their "registration" for visiting 
Binh Dinh had expired and they should return to HCMC.  Thich Huyen 
Quang decided to travel with them in order to consult a doctor.  A 
UBCV contact in Hue told us separately that the situation has been 
very tense since UBCV religious leaders returned from the 
September 18-20 UBCV meeting at the Nguyen Thieu Pagoda.  One 
contact indicated that even as he and ConGenoff were speaking, 
there were two policemen at his pagoda waiting for him to 
accompany them for more "educatio."  oks who had attended the 
meeting and later returned to six different pagodas in Hue had 
been called in by the police for "education" for the past several 
days, and their pagodas were being closely watched.  (Post Note: 
We have come across this practice in other situations.  Even our 
local Foreign Ministry counterparts who have traveled or studied 
overseas can be required to attend re-conditioning classes for up 
to a year.) 
 
5.  (SBU)  ConGen had contacted Deputy Director of the External 
Relations Office, Mr. Le Hung Quoc, early in the afternoon.  He 
said he had not heard anything about the situation, but would 
inform the ConGen if he were able to get any additional 
information.  While he had no specific knowledge about why the 
police would prevent the monks from going to HCMC, Mr. Quoc noted 
that the UBCV was a banned organization and their September 
meeting had been illegal.  ConGen stressed the importance of 
providing accurate information and resolving the issue quickly, as 
there could be no justification for holding UBCV leaders for 
attending a peaceful meeting. 
 
6.  (SBU)  Separately on October 8, the Charge in Hanoi raised the 
issue with Acting Director of the Americas Department Mr. Nguyen 
Van Que.  The Charge drew Mr. Que's attention to Thich Huyen 
Quang's meeting with the Prime Minister and the right of the UBCV 
monks to travel freely.  He pointed out that an incident like 
this, if true, would inevitably further damage the GVN's 
reputation on human rights and religious freedoms, was an 
unwelcome development at any time - but particularly now when 
senior GVN leaders were in the U.S. - and could harm the bilateral 
relationship.  He also urged Mr. Que to investigate this 
information quickly and, if true, immediately allow the monks to 
continue their travel unimpeded.  He asked Mr. Que to let him know 
the results of the investigation as soon as possible.  Mr. Que 
thanked the Charge for the information (which he had not heard) 
and said he would look into it. 
 
7.  (SBU)  Around 5:00 pm, Thich Tue Sy contacted the ConGen and 
confirmed that the monks had been allowed to depart about an hour 
earlier.  Thich Tue Sy said everybody -- including "the elders" -- 
were "fine."  The Mission made representations at several 
different levels of government.  It is not clear who made the 
decisions either to stop the monks or eventually allow them to 
proceed.  It was evident in the phone call with the Chairman of 
Binh Dinh that he quickly made the connection between public 
image, international reputation and letting the monks go on their 
way. 
YAMAUCHI