US embassy cable - 01HANOI2150

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002150 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
STATE ALSO FOR DRL 
SECDEF FOR ISA/LSTERN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/11 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL MEETING AND ATTEMPTED MEETING WITH RELIGIOUS FIGURES IN HCMC 
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REF:  A. HCMC 0699 AND PREVIOUS  B. HCMC 0302 
 
1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES ROBERT PORTER. 
REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY: ON AUGUST 14, STAFFDEL REES MET IN HCMC 
WITH HOA HAO RELIGIOUS ELDER TRAN HUU DUYEN WHO PASSED A 
LIST OF 20 HOA HAO PRISONERS, SOME OF WHOM MISSION 
PREVIOUSLY HAD BEEN UNAWARE.  ON THE SAME DAY, THE STAFFDEL 
ATTEMPTED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MEET WITH BUDDHIST MONK THICH 
QUANG DO WHO REMAINS UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION, 
CONFINED TO HIS LIVING QUARTERS AND NOT PERMITTED TO 
RECEIVE VISITORS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ATTEMPTED VISIT TO THICH QUANG DO 
--------------------------------- 
 
3. (C) ON AUGUST 14, JOSEPH REES (COUNSEL TO THE HOUSE 
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS) AND BRIAN GUNDERSON 
(CHIEF OF STAFF TO HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER) WENT 
UNACCOMPANIED BY TAXI TO THE THANH MINH ZEN MONASTERY, 
RESIDENCE OF BUDDHIST MONK THICH QUANG DO.  QUANG DO HAS 
BEEN UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION SINCE EARLY JUNE, 
CONFINED TO HIS LIVING QUARTERS.  HE IS NOT PERMITTED TO 
RECEIVE VISITORS, AND THE PHONE LINES TO THE MONASTERY HAVE 
BEEN CUT (SEE REF A).  UPON THEIR RETURN FROM THE 
MONASTERY, REES AND GUNDERSON RECOUNTED TO CONGENOFF WHAT 
TRANSPIRED THERE. 
 
4. (C) REES STATED THAT THE TAXI DROPPED HIM AND GUNDERSON 
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OFF ON THE NARROW STREET IN FRONT OF THE MONASTERY, AND 
THEY WALKED THROUGH THE OPEN GATE LEADING INTO THE 
MONASTERY'S ENTRANCEWAY.  IN FRONT OF THEM WAS A PAGODA, 
AND TO THE LEFT WAS AN ADJACENT BUILDING, THE SECOND FLOOR 
OF WHICH IS THICH QUANG DO'S LIVING QUARTERS.  ON ENTERING 
THE COMPOUND, REES AND GUNDERSON ENCOUNTERED AN ELDERLY 
BUDDHIST NUN AND A SMALL GIRL WHOM REES SAID HE JUDGED TO 
BE 10 OR 12 YEARS OLD.  REES SAID HE TOLD THE ELDERLY NUN 
THEY HAD COME TO VISIT THICH QUANG DO.  REES SAID THE NUN 
APPEARED TAKEN ABACK AND NERVOUS.  SHE TOLD THEM IN ENGLISH 
THAT NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO VISIT THICH QUANG DO.  REES 
STATED THAT THE SMALL GIRL THEN EXITED THROUGH THE GATE. 
HE SAID HE EXPECTED HER TO RETURN WITH THE POLICE.  HE 
NOTED THAT UP TO THAT POINT, HE HAD BEEN SURPRISED TO SEE 
NO APPARENT POLICE PRESENCE EITHER INSIDE THE MONASTERY 
COMPOUND OR OUTSIDE THE GATE. 
 
5. (C) REES SAID HE AND GUNDERSON LOITERED IN FRONT OF THE 
PAGODA FOR SOME MINUTES.  THE ELDERLY NUN THEN INVITED THEM 
INTO THE VESTIBULE OF THE PAGODA, SAT THEM DOWN AND SERVED 
THEM TEA.  HE SAID THEY WAITED AROUND FOR AT LEAST 20 
MINUTES TAKING NOTE OF THE UNCOMPLETED RENOVATIONS AT THE 
PAGODA.  THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY, NO SIGN OF THE LITTLE GIRL 
OR THE POLICE.  REES AND GUNDERSON ASKED THE ELDERLY NUN 
ONE MORE TIME IF THEY COULD GO UP TO VISIT THICH QUANG DO. 
THE NUN WAS APOLOGETIC, ACCORDING TO REES, BUT ANSWERED 
THAT THICH QUANG DO WAS NOT ALLOWED TO RECEIVE VISITORS. 
REES SAID HE AND GUNDERSON DECIDED NOT TO PRESS THE POINT, 
TOOK THEIR LEAVE, AND RETURNED VIA TAXI TO THEIR HOTEL. 
 
MEETING WITH HOA HAO ELDER TRAN HUU DUYEN 
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6. (C) EARLIER THE SAME DAY, REES AND GUNDERSON, 
ACCOMPANIED BY CONGENOFF, VISITED HOA HAO ELDER TRAN HUU 
DUYEN AT HIS SMALL OFFICE IN HCMC.  DUYEN THANKED REES FOR 
VISITING HIS FAMILY IN HCMC IN 1997 WHILE DUYEN WAS IN 
PRISON.  HE ALSO SAID HE BELIEVED REES'S EFFORTS WORKING 
WITH HOA HAO LEADERS RESIDENT IN THE U.S. HELPED PERSUADE 
THE GVN TO RELEASE HIM IN A PRISONER AMNESTY IN 1998. 
DUYEN THEN PASSED THE STAFFDEL A LIST OF 20 HOA HAO 
PRISONERS AND PERSONS UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION, FIVE 
OF THE NAMES OF WHOM MISSION PREVIOUSLY HAD BEEN UNAWARE. 
FOLLOWING ARE THE NEW NAMES AND TRANSLATIONS OF DUYEN'S 
HANDWRITTEN ANNOTATIONS: 
 
LE VAN TINH (IMPRISONED AROUND 1990; Z30 PRISON, XUAN LOC) 
LE VAN SON (IMPRISONED AROUND 1985; BADLY ILL; Z30 PRISON) 
NGUYEN VAN DAO (IMPRISONED SOMETIME BEFORE 1999, BADLY ILL) 
MS. PHAN THI TIEM (ARRESTED JULY 24, 2001 IN AN GIANG 
PROVINCE FOR INVOLVEMENT IN MS. THU'S SELF-IMMOLATION) 
MS. TRAN THI DUYEN (ARRESTED JULY 24, 2001 IN AN GIANG 
PROVINCE FOR INVOLVEMENT IN MS. THU'S SELF-IMMOLATION) 
(NOTE: MS. NGUYEN THI THU, A MEMBER OF A DISSIDENT HOA HAO 
ORGANIZATION, KILLED HERSELF BY IMMOLATION ON MARCH 19, 
2001 (SEE REF B).  MISSION HAS YET TO CONFIRM THE 
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY DUYEN WITH ANY OTHER SOURCES.  END 
NOTE.) 
 
7. (C) DUYEN TOLD THE STAFFDEL THAT THE SITUATION FOR HOA 
HAO BELIEVERS IN VIETNAM HAD IMPROVED SINCE THE GVN FORMED 
A HOA HAO ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE AND LEGALLY RECOGNIZED 
THE HOA HAO RELIGION IN 1999.  THE IMPROVEMENTS HE NOTED 
INCLUDED THE ABILITY OF BELIEVERS TO CELEBRATE OPENLY THE 
HOA HAO FOUNDING DAY AND THE FOUNDER'S BIRTHDAY.  DUYEN 
EMPHASIZED, HOWEVER, THAT SERIOUS RESTRICTIONS REMAINED, 
INCLUDING PROHIBITIONS ON DISPLAYING THE HOA HAO FLAG AND A 
BAN ON ORGANIZED COMMEMORATIONS OF THE FOUNDER'S DEATH 
ANNIVERSARY.  HE ADDED THAT THE ELEVEN-MEMBER HOA HAO 
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE WAS NOT CHOSEN FREELY BY HOA HAO 
BELIEVERS AND DOES NOT REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF THE HOA 
HAO COMMUNITY.  HE ADMITTED THAT ALL ELEVEN MEMBERS OF THE 
COMMITTEE ARE HOA HAO FOLLOWERS, BUT CLAIMED THAT NINE OF 
THEM ARE ALSO COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS.  "DECISIONS BY THE 
COMMITTEE REPRESENT GOVERNMENT, RATHER THAN HOA HAO 
INTERESTS," HE CLAIMED. 
 
8. (C) DESPITE HIS STATED LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE 
GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED HOA HAO ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE, 
DUYEN DECLARED THAT HE DOES NOT SUPPORT THE DISSIDENT HOA 
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HAO ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHED LAST YEAR UNDER PRE-1975 HOA 
HAO LEDER LE QUANG LIEM.  THAT GROUP IS TOO 
CONFRONTATONAL AND ENGAGES IN ACTIVITIES SUCH AS HUNGER 
STIKES AND IMMOLATIONS THAT THE FOUNDER WOULD NEVER AVE 
APPROVED, CLAIMED DUYEN.  THERE ARE OTHER HOAHAO GROUPS, 
SUCH AS THE ONE REPRESENTED BY MS. HYNH MAI IN THE U.S., 
SAID DUYEN, THAT ARE MORE MDERATE IN THEIR APPROACH TO THE 
GVN IN TRYING TOGAIN MORE FREEDOM FOR HOA HAO BELIEVERS. 
DUYEN AVISED THAT THE USG ALSO SHOULD TAKE A MODERATE 
APROACH WHEN DEALING WITH THE GVN ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISUES. 
HE URGED THE USG TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE VN ON HUMAN 
RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, BUT TOREALIZE THAT PROGRESS 
WOULD OCCUR ONLY ONE STEP T A TIME. 
 
9. (U) THE STAFFDEL DID NOT HAVE AN OPORTUNITY TO CLEAR 
THIS MESSAGE BEFORE DEPARTURE. 
 
PORTER 
 
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