US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY252

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000252 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREL, SOCI, KIRF, VM, RELFREE, HUMANR 
SUBJECT: HOW NOW HOA HAO?  RELIGION IN AN GIANG PROVINCE 
 
REF:  A) 02 HCMC 1140  B) HCMC 0210   C) 03 HANOI 01535 
 
1. (SBU)  SUMMARY.  The leadership of the government-recognized 
Hoa Hao Administrative Council (HHAC) provided a predictably 
positive report on the condition of the indigenous Hoa Hao faith 
in Vietnam, during PolOff's recent visit to An Giang Province. 
The HHAC, recognized by the GVN in 1999, was well into 
preparations for its second General Congress and the election of 
new leaders later this year, despite assertions by "dissident" Hoa 
Hao leaders unaffiliated with the HHAC that the HHAC was a GVN 
puppet and the elections would be rigged.  PolOff was able to 
raise the case of imprisoned Hoa Hao follower Nguyen Van Lia with 
local officials, but was thwarted in his attempt to visit another 
outspoken Hoa Hao activist.  Separate from the Hoa Hao, two other 
religious groups in An Giang province have started application 
process for official GVN recognition.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) PolOff traveled to An Giang Province from February 18-20, 
holding official meetings with: Mr. Nguyen Tan Dat, Vice Chairman 
of the Hoa Hao Administrative Council (HHAC) and two other HHAC 
representatives; Mr. Huynh Nhu Chau and Mr. Ngo Tien, the two Vice 
Chairmen of the An Giang Committee for Religious and Ethnic 
Minority Affairs; and Mr. Lu Hy, Vice Chairman of the An Giang 
Fatherland Front.  PolOff visited Hoa Hao dissident Mr. Bui Van 
Do, a nephew of the Hoa Hao founder, and attempted to meet with 
Mr. Nam Liem, the tree-climbing Hoa Hao monk (ref A).  PolOff also 
visited three Cham Muslim mosques close to the Cambodian border 
(ref B). 
 
3. (SBU) The government recognized HHAC reported no problems 
dealing with the Government of Vietnam, and denied reports from 
activist groups that the GVN had somehow discouraged followers 
from attending the religion's two annual festivals in An Giang. 
Activist Bui Van Do acknowledged that while he was unhappy with 
the HHAC, he had suffered no major harassment in recent years. 
HHAC representatives said they were proceeding with plans to hold 
a General Congress in the second quarter of 2004, the second such 
meeting since their 1999 official recognition by the GVN.  One of 
the primary purposes of the Congress would be to elect the Hoa Hao 
leadership for the next five years.  HHAC Vice Chairman Dat would 
not answer specific questions on who was eligible to stand for 
election, but said the HHAC had not yet conducted a survey of its 
eleven members to see who would stay and who would resign.  While 
activist Bui Van Do and leaders of some "dissident" Hoa Hao groups 
in HCMC and the U.S. claimed that all candidates were pre-selected 
by the GVN and free elections were therefore impossible, the 
Committee for Ethnic Minority and Religious Affairs denied any 
role in selecting candidates.  (Note:  Disaffected Hoa Hao groups 
contend that nine of the 11 members of the HHAC are also CPV 
members.  End Note.) 
 
4. (SBU) In each of his official meetings, PolOff raised the case 
of Mr. Nguyen Van Lia, a 63-year-old Hoa Hao Buddhist who had been 
sentenced to three years in prison for holding a ceremony in June 
2003 to commemorate the disappearance of the Hoa Hao founder. 
HHAC Vice Chairman Dat said that Lia had held an "extreme" 
celebration, hanging banners "encouraging separation," and causing 
a "social disturbance."  (Note: According to Hoa Hao dissident 
groups, Lia had raised the pre-1975 Hoa Hao flag.)  Religious 
Affairs Vice Chairman Chau defined a social disturbance as, "when 
you gather a group in public."  He was certain that the banners 
had contained anti-government slogans, but could not remember the 
exact wording.  He said no pictures had been taken of the 
controversial event, and nothing had been documented.  Late in the 
conversation, he suddenly remembered that Lia had also "assaulted" 
security forces, but could not provide details.  He also noted 
that Lia's children had signed "confessions" at the time. 
 
5. (SBU) The two Vice Chairmen for Ethnic Minority and Religious 
Affairs told PolOff that two additional religious groups in the 
province, "Tu An Hieu Nghia" and "Buu Son Ky Huong," had started 
the process to request GVN recognition.   Tu An Hieu Nghia 
(literally "Four Debts of Gratitude") lists roughly 41,000 
followers, 226 leaders, and eight places of worship, according to 
a recent provincial survey.  As of late January 2004, their 
application had cleared the provincial-level process and been 
forwarded to Hanoi for central government consideration.  Buu Son 
Ky Huong (literally "Strange Fragrance from Precious Mountain"), 
the Buddhist offshoot that was a direct precursor of Hoa Hao, has 
21,000 followers and 28 pagodas, by the official count.  Their 
application is still under consideration at the provincial level. 
 
6. (SBU) En route back to HCMC, PolOff attempted to visit the 
village of activist Hoa Hao monk Nam Liem.  Nam Liem has had 
several run ins with local officials over the past few years 
involving displays of "illegal" Hoa Hao regalia and "illegal 
construction".  Each time he has shimmied up a nearby coconut tree 
and stayed there for days, threatening to immolate himself before 
eventually being talked down.  ConGenoffs have been unsuccessful 
in their efforts to visit him for the last three years.  On this 
attempt, security officials on motorbikes raced ahead in the 
direction of Nam Liem's home after questioning individuals who had 
provided directions to the ConGen driver.  A few minutes later, 
PolOffO found the main road blocked by a truck parked diagonally 
across it.  Further down the road, an "accident" blocked all 
automobile traffic from proceeding any further.  A small truck 
with a motorbike on the ground in front of it blocked one lane, 
while a farm vehicle perpendicular to the truck blocked the other 
lane.  A gap between the vehicles was exactly large enough for 
motorbike traffic to pass unimpeded.  The vehicles had no visible 
signs of damage.  While police told PolOff JO that one driver had 
been taken to the hospital, and the other two drivers had run 
away, the scene had all the hallmarks of a staged accident.  After 
spending an additional ten minutes trying to measure the space 
between the "crashed" vehicles to see if the ConGen car could 
maneuver through without disturbing the "scene of the crime", 
PolOff gave up and left. 
 
7.  (SBU) COMMENT: As has been our experience on many provincial 
trips, PolOff was "required" to meet an official escort before 
traveling to the Hoa Hao Holy Land and was under obvious 
surveillance by a plainclothes officer on a motorbike after 
leaving the HHAC meeting.  Staff members from the provincial 
People's Committee and External Relations Office also insisted on 
attending the meeting with the HHAC.  The HHAC used part of its 
meeting to criticize the USG policy on catfish (a major industry 
in An Giang Province) and attack the International Religious 
Freedom Report -- in terms identical to those used by GVN 
officials.  Vice Chairman Dat, however, admitted that he had not 
actually read the report.  (Note: PolOff provided Dat with an 
English-language version of the 2003 report at the end of the 
meeting.) 
YAMAUCHI