US embassy cable - 04HANOI3083

UNCLAS HANOI 003083 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, PGOV, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: GVN MISSES DEADLINE FOR RELIGION DECREES 
 
Reftels: A) Hanoi 2009 B) Hanoi 1987 C) HCMC 1388 and 
 
previous 
 
This is a joint Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City reporting cable. 
 
1. (SBU) Vietnam's new Ordinance on Religion came into 
effect on November 15, but the GVN has yet to issue the 
necessary decrees detailing how the ordinance is to be 
implemented (Ref A).  Sources within the Committee for 
Religious Affairs (CRA) indicated to us that the 
implementing decrees are pending approval at the next 
government-wide intra-ministerial meeting, likely to take 
place at the end of November. 
 
2. (SBU) In the interim, the national-level CRA has not and 
does not plan to issue any guidance to its provincial 
counterparts as to how to handle the new ordinance, its 
officials informed us.  The Chairman of the Dong Nai 
provincial CRA told ConGenOff that, in the absence of 
instructions from Hanoi, he planned to act "in the sprit of 
the law," which he indicated included the possible closure 
of unregistered churches.  A contact at the HCMC CRA was 
more equivocal, saying they needed clarification from Hanoi 
on some issues, especially regarding the house church 
movement.  A check around with some of our religious 
contacts suggested there were no immediate changes as of 
November 15. 
 
3. (SBU) Comment:  In the absence of either an 
implementation decree or other guidance from Hanoi, local 
authorities have some latitude to interpret the ordinance 
for the next two weeks.  Furthermore, some of the more 
directly confrontational religious leaders may begin to test 
the ordinance and/or seek to provoke an official reaction. 
As such, there is some risk of confrontation in the near 
future.  We will continue to follow up with our official and 
unofficial religious contacts and will use every opportunity 
to impress upon the GVN our concerns. 
 
MARINE