US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY751

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000751 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SCUL, PGOV, PREL, SOCI, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: HO CHI MINH CITY BUDDHISTS (OFFICIAL AND UN-) MARK 
BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 
1. (U) Several thousand Buddhist believers joined hundreds of 
Buddhist monks and nuns at a June 1 dawn celebration of the 2548th 
anniversary of the Buddha's birth.  The event featured speeches by 
various leaders of the government recognized Vietnam Buddhist 
Sangha (VBS) and local government officials, all of which included 
mention of "fabrications" regarding alleged violations of 
religious freedom.  The speeches were followed by a brief Buddhist 
ceremony and the release of birds and balloons into the early 
morning sky over Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.  The ceremony, which choked 
traffic along the main artery leading from the airport to Ho Chi 
Minh City's downtown area, was filmed by several news 
organizations.  Smaller ceremonies were held earlier in the week 
at various pagodas throughout the city. 
 
2. (U) Thich Tu Nhon, Standing Vice Chairman of the Central 
Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), 
delivered a birthday message on behalf of Chairman Thich Tri Tinh. 
His remarks focused on the history and significance of Buddhism, 
but also mentioned the continued unity of the Vietnamese people 
and religious groups, despite "fabrications by outside hostile 
forces" about human rights and religious freedom problems.  Thich 
Tri Quang, Vice Chairman of the Central Executive Committee and 
Chairman of the HCMC Executive Committee of the VBS, and Mr. Tran 
Trung Tin, Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of 
HCMC, made similar remarks, with Mr. Tin adding several points 
about the social contributions of the Buddhists to life in 
Vietnam.  Mr. Duong Quang Ha, Chairman of the People's 
Mobilization Committee, represented the HCMC Communist Party 
Committee, while diplomats from a few Asian countries and 
representatives from Vietnam's other recognized religious groups 
also occupied seats just below the Buddhist altar.  Mr. Ha and Mr. 
Nguyen Ngoc San, Chairman of the HCMC Committee for Religious 
Affairs, did not speak during the celebration, but took the stage 
briefly to present flowers to Thich Tri Quang.  Shortly 
thereafter, monks from each of the 13 sects affiliated with the 
VBS, dressed in their own distinctive robes, participated in a 
brief ceremony that included the chanting of Buddhist sutras and 
the lighting of incense.  At the end of the ceremony, Poloff and 
the other special guests were invited to the front of the altar to 
release balloons into the sky. 
 
3. (U) Arriving at Vinh Nghiem at dawn, Poloff had an opportunity 
to speak briefly with Thich Giac Toan, another Vice Chairman of 
the Executive Committee of the HCMC Sangha, who asked to hear his 
impressions of religious practice in Vietnam.  Poloff told the 
Buddhist leader that while it was gratifying to see large 
celebrations such as this one, continued restrictions on 
unrecognized religious groups would detract from any strides 
Vietnam had made toward greater religious freedom in the eyes of 
the world community.  Thich Giac Toan noted that in every family, 
there were always a few children "who did not want to listen to 
their parents." 
 
4. (SBU) Later that morning, the ConGen was able to follow up with 
several leaders of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam 
(UBCV).  At HCMC's Giac Hoa Pagoda, where recent press releases 
from the UBCV's Paris-based International Buddhist Information 
Bureau (IBIB) indicated that the electricity would be cut off in 
May and up to 40 monks evicted, Thich Vien Dinh said the 
government had not cut off electricity or evicted the monks in 
this 10-year tug of war over who is actually the "legal" operator 
of the pagoda.  An early morning ceremony at Giac Hoa had been 
well attended, he added, and went off without any government 
interference.  Thich Thien Hanh, of Bao Quoc Pagoda in Hue, said 
many of his monks had participated in a big celebration at Tu Hieu 
Pagoda early the same morning.  While he himself was still under 
restrictions and unable to leave his own pagoda, he and several 
other monks had been able to hold their own special ceremonies 
during the morning.  He acknowledged that believers were still 
coming to his pagoda to worship as normal.  Thich Thai Hoa 
confirmed that more than 2500 believers attended the celebration 
at Tu Hieu, including monks from many other pagodas in Hue.  He 
also noted that the recognized Buddhist Church had held an 
official celebration at Tu Dam Pagoda that morning.  The monks 
thanked the USG for its continued concern. 
YAMAUCHI