US embassy cable - 01HANOI2924

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002924 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD 
DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR DRL/IRF 
CINCPAC FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: HOA HAO MONK THREATENING IMMOLATION 
 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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1. (SBU) ON NOVEMBER 8, CONGEN POLOFF CONTACTED TWO 
HOA HAO BUDDHIST ELDERS IN HCMC TO CONFIRM DETAILS 
OF A NOVEMBER 6 PRESS RELEASE BY A U.S.-BASED HOA 
HAO ORGANIZATION THAT A HOA HAO MONK WAS 
THREATENING SELF-IMMOLATION.  POLOFF CALLED TRAN 
HUU DUYEN, A HOA HAO ELDER WHO WAS RELEASED FROM 
PRISON UNDER A 1998 AMNESTY, BY TELEPHONE. POLOFF 
ALSO CALLED LE QUANG LIEM (LQL), THE HOA HAO ELDER 
CURRENTLY UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR MEETING WITH A 
GROUP IN HCMC WHOM POLICE BELIEVE WERE PREPARING 
THEMSELVES FOR IMMOLATION.  (NOTE: TWO DAYS AFTER 
LQLQS ARREST, A FEMALE HOA HAO FOLLOWER AND MEMBER 
OF LQLQS UNOFFICIAL HOA HAO CHURCH DID COMMIT SELF- 
IMMOLATION.  END NOTE.)  BOTH DUYEN AND LQL 
CONFIRMED THE STORY IN THE PRESS RELEASE AND ADDED 
DETAILS OF THEIR OWN. 
 
2. (SBU) VO THANH LIEM (ALSO KNOWN AS NAM LIEM) WHO 
RESIDES IN CHO MOI DISTRICT OF THE MEKONG DELTA 
PROVINCE OF AN GIANG, TURNED HIS HOME INTO A PAGODA 
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND DOZENS OF HOA HAO FOLLOWERS 
WORSHIP THERE ON A DAILY BASIS.  ACCORDING TO DUYEN 
AND LQL, ON NOVEMBER 1, NAM LIEM ORGANIZED A HOA 
HAO PRAYER CEREMONY AT HIS HOME.  WHAT HE DID 
DIFFERENTLY ON THIS OCCASION THAN DURING PREVIOUS 
PRAYER CEREMONIES WAS TO DISPLAY THE HOA HAO FLAG 
AND HANG PICTURES OF THE HOA HAO FOUNDER IN HIS 
PAGODA. 
 
3. (SBU) ACCORDING TO LQL, POLICE CAME TO THE 
PAGODA AND ORDERED NAM LIEM TO TAKE DOWN THE 
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PAGE 03        HANOI  02924  01 OF 02  081012Z 
OFFENDING FLAG AND PHOTOGRAPHS.  WHEN NAM LIEM 
REFUSED, THE POLICE ORDERED ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD 
COME TO THE PAGODA TO WORSHIP TO RETURN TO THEIR 
HOMES.  ACCORDING TO DUYEN, POLICE RETURNED LATER 
IN THE EVENING AND BROKE INTO THE PAGODA WITH THE 
PURPOSE OF TAKING DOWN THE FLAG AND PHOTOS.  WHILE 
THE POLICE WERE INSIDE, NAM LIEM CLOSED THE DOOR 
FROM THE OUTSIDE AND LOCKED THEM IN.  AFTER SEVERAL 
ATTEMPTS TO BREAK THE DOOR DOWN, THE POLICE HAD TO 
SHOOT THE LOCK OFF TO GET OUT. 
 
4. (SBU) FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, THE POLICE 
MAINTAINED A PRESENCE AT THE PAGODA AND DID NOT 
ALLOW ANY HOA HAO FOLLOWERS TO ENTER.  ACCORDING TO 
LQL, NAM LIEM HAD SEVERAL HEATED EXCHANGES WITH THE 
POLICE AND, ON NOVEMBER 6, CLIMBED UP A KNOTTY PINE 
TREE BEHIND THE PAGODA CARRYING A 5-LITER CONTAINER 
OF GASOLINE AND A KNIFE THREATENING TO KILL HIMSELF 
IF THE POLICE DID NOT GO AWAY.  BOTH LQL AND DUYEN 
TOLD POLOFF THAT AS OF THE AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 8, 
NAM LIEM WAS STILL UP IN THE TREE THREATENING TO 
IMMOLATE HIMSELF.  DUYEN ADDED THAT NAM LIEM HAD 
CUT HIMSELF WITH THE KNIFE, BUT THAT THE INJURY WAS 
MINOR.  BOTH LQL AND DUYEN SAID DOZENS OF POLICE 
ARE ON HAND - THEY ARE TRYING TO PERSUADE NAM LIEM 
TO COME DOWN; THEY ARE ALSO KEEPING CURIOUS 
ONLOOKERS AWAY FROM THE PAGODA AND TELLING THEM TO 
GO HOME. 
 
5. (U) FURTHER BACKGROUND: NAM LIEM WAS INVOLVED IN 
A SIMILAR INCIDENT IN 1996.  AT THAT TIME, HE HAD 
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PAGE 04        HANOI  02924  01 OF 02  081012Z 
REFUSED TO SIGN A DOCUMENT TO ALLOW LOCAL 
AUTHORITIES TO TEAR DOWN A GATE HE HAD BUILT 
WITHOUT PERMISSION AT THE ENTRANCEWAY LEADING FROM 
THE VILLAGEQS MAIN ROAD TO HIS PAGODA.  WHEN POLICE 
CAME TO ARREST HIM, HE CLIMBED UP THE SAME TREE. 
HE STAYED THERE FOR FOUR DAYS.  WITNESSES SAID AT 
THAT TIME THAT HUNDREDS OF POLICEMEN WERE NEEDED TO 
KEEP SEVERAL THOUSAND SPECTATORS AWAY FROM THE 
AREA.  (NAM LIEMQS PAGODA IS IN A WOODED COMPOUND 
LOCATED ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM THE MAIN ROAD SITUATED 
IN THE MIDDLE OF SURROUNDING GREEN RICE PADDIES.) 
 
6. (U) WHEN NAM LIEM CAME DOWN FROM THE TREE IN 
1996, HE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, CHARGED WITH 
INTERFERING WITH THE DUTIES OF A POLICE OFFICER, 
AND SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN PRISON.  HE IS FAMOUS 
LOCALLY, KNOWN AS QTHE MAN WHO CLIMBED THE TREE.Q 
 
7. (U) POLOFF SPENT A HALF DAY WITH NAM LIEM IN 
JULY 1999, SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER HE HAD FINISHED HIS 
PRISON SENTENCE.  POLOFF FOUND HIM TO BE INTENSELY 
SPIRITUAL AND EXTREMELY CHARISMATIC.  AT ONE POINT 
DURING THEIR MEETING, NAM LIEM SHOWED POLOFF A SCAR 
ON THE SIDE OF HIS KNEE.  HE SAID HE HAD BIT 
HIMSELF THERE WHILE IN PRISON Q TO DEMONSTRATE TO 
HIS JAILERS THAT HE WAS NOT AFRAID OF PAIN. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8. (SBU) NAM LIEM IS NOT PART OF LQLQS RENEGADE HOA 
HAO SECT.  HE APPEARS TO HAVE HIS OWN FOLLOWING IN 
AND AROUND AN GIANG PROVINCEQS CHO MOI DISTRICT. 
POLOFF BELIEVES HE WOULD NOT HESITATE TO RESORT TO 
IMMOLATION IF HE FELT IT NECESSARY.  AS LONG AS 
POLICE USE PERSUASION, RATHER THAN FORCE, HOWEVER, 
THE THREATENED IMMOLATION MAY BE AVOIDED.  THAT THE 
STANDOFF IS NOW IN ITS THIRD DAY IS AN ENCOURAGING 
SIGN THAT NEITHER SIDE IS RUSHING TO ACTION. 
 
PORTER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED