US embassy cable - 01HANOI3273

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 003273 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL 
SECDEF FOR ABLAGG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 12/16/2011 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PINS, VM, KRIF, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: QNEW CHALLENGES FOR THE RECENTLY RECOGNIZED PROTESTANTS 
 
 
1.  (U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/C SCOTT D. BELLARD, 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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REASON 1.5 (D) 
 
2. (C)  SUMMARY:  ACCORDING TO TWO CREDIBLE 
SOURCES, SINCE OFFICIAL GVN RECOGNITION OF THE 
SOUTHERN EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF VIETNAM (SECV) IN 
APRIL, THE GVN HAS TRIED TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF 
SECV CHURCHES, PARTICULARLY IN THE CENTRAL 
HIGHLANDS PROVINCE OF LAM DONG, AND TO FILL A 
NUMBER OF SECV LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WITH ITS OWN 
NOMINEES.  GVN OFFICIALS DENY THIS.  WHILE THE SECV 
IS AT LEAST AUTHORIZED TO EXIST LEGALLY, MANY OF 
ITS ACTIVITIES STILL REMAIN UNDERGROUND.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
3.  (C)  PASTOR TINH, (STRICTLY PROTECT), A 
PROTESTANT MINISTER WITH ASSOCIATES THROUGHOUT 
VIETNAM AND A LONGTIME EMBASSY AND CONGEN CONTACT, 
MET POLOFF ON DECEMBER 6 IN HANOI AND DESCRIBED 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SECV SINCE ITS OFFICIAL 
RECOGNITION BY THE GVN EIGHT MONTHS AGO.  A WELL- 
INFORMED THIRD COUNTRY NATIONAL (TCN) SOURCE, WHO 
HAS ASKED NOT TO BE NAMED, MET WITH POLOFF ON 
DECEMBER 8 AND 10 IN HANOI.  BOTH ALSO DISCUSSED 
CLERGY TRAINING, HOUSE CHURCHES AND ISSUES RELATED 
TO MONTAGNARD AND H'MONG MINORITY PROTESTANTS 
(SEPTELS).  NGUYEN VAN NGOC, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE 
GVN COMMITTEE ON RELIGION, MET POL/C AND POLOFF ON 
DECEMBER 13 AND PROVIDED A GVN PERSPECTIVE ON THE 
EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GVN AND THE SECV. 
 
NEW LIMITS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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4.  (C )  ACCORDING TO PASTOR TINH AND THE TCN, GVN 
OFFICIALS, ESPECIALLY IN LAM DONG PROVINCE, ARE 
TELLING SECV LEADERS THAT THEY WILL ONLY RECOGNIZE 
ONE SECV CHURCH IN EACH DISTRICT.  THE TCN 
EXPLAINED THAT THE GVN WAS IMPLEMENTING THIS 
DECISION BY ALLOWING THE SECV TO BUILD ONLY ONE NEW 
BUILDING, OR RECONVERT OR REFURBISH ONLY ONE PRE- 
1975 CHURCH BUILDING PER DISTRICT.  FEW, IF ANY, 
PRE-1975 CHURCH BUILDINGS HAD BEEN USED AS HOUSES 
OF WORSHIP IN RECENT YEARS DUE TO LACK OF LEGAL 
STATUS, HE NOTED.  THE TCN SAID THAT HE HAD LEARNED 
FROM SECV LEADERS THAT THE GVN HAD TOLD CHURCH 
LEADERS THAT ALL CHURCH MEETINGS IN LAM DONG WERE 
ONLY TO BE HELD IN THE AUTHORIZED CHURCH BUILDINGS. 
(COMMENT:  MANY SECV CONGREGATIONS MET AS "HOUSE 
CHURCHES" FOR YEARS.  MANY OBSERVERS HOPED THAT GVN 
RECOGNITION OF THE SECV WOULD ALLOW THESE MEETINGS 
TO BE HELD OPENLY.  END COMMENT.) THE TCN SAID THAT 
SINCE THERE WERE NOW "AUTHORIZED" PLACES TO MEET, 
THE GVN COULD CONSIDER ILLEGAL ANY CHURCH MEETINGS 
HELD ELSEWHERE. 
 
5.  (C )  ACCORDING TO PASTOR TINH, THE ONE CHURCH 
PER DISTRICT POLICY IMPOSES HARDSHIPS ON CHURCH 
MEMBERS IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS BECAUSE THE 
"AUTHORIZED" CHURCH BUILDINGS ARE TOO SMALL AND TOO 
FAR APART TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THE LOCAL SECV 
WORSHIPERS.  PASTOR TINH CONFIRMED THAT WHEN 
CONGREGATIONS TRIED TO CONTINUE TO MEET ON A "HOUSE 
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CHURCH" BASIS, THEY WERE HARASSED BY THE POLICE. 
HE SAID THAT THEY HAVE NOW REGROUPED IN SMALLER 
"CELL CHURCHES" COMPOSED OF ABOUT 5-12 ADULTS, WITH 
NO MORE THAN ABOUT 20 WORSHIPPERS OVERALL.  SO FAR, 
PASTOR TINH NOTED, THE SMALLER MEETINGS HAVE NOT 
ATTRACTED POLICE ATTENTION. 
 
6.  (U)  WHEN ASKED ABOUT GVN REGULATION OF THE 
NUMBER OF SECV CHURCHES, VICE CHAIRMAN NGOC 
INSISTED THAT THERE WAS NO GVN LIMIT ON THE NUMBER 
OF CHURCHES.  HE SAID THAT THE NUMBER OF CHURCHES 
WAS UP TO THE SECV, BUT HE ADDED THAT THE GVN WAS 
CONCERNED THAT CHURCHES BE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. 
EACH CHURCH, HE SAID, SHOULD BE LARGE ENOUGH TO 
SUPPORT ITSELF, INCLUDING PROVIDING FOR ITS PASTOR 
AND HIS FAMILY.  VICE CHAIRMAN NGOC CITED THE 
FIGURE OF 500 MEMBERS FOR A VIABLE CHURCH.  IN 
REPLY TO A QUESTION, HE CLARIFIED THAT IT WAS NOT A 
GVN REQUIREMENT THAT A CHURCH HAVE AT LEAST 500 
MEMBERS AND THAT CHURCH SIZE WAS UP TO THE SECV. 
HE SAID THERE WERE NOW 300-400 SECV CHURCHES IN 
ALL, SERVED BY OVER 200 PASTORS AND ASSOCIATES. 
 
NEW STRUCTURE 
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                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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7.  (C ) PASTOR TINH DESCRIBED THE SECV'S 
REORGANIZATION THAT HAD BEEN A NECESSARY PART OF 
THE PROCESS OF GAINING GVN RECOGNITION  THE FORMER 
"GENERAL EVANGELICAL COUNCIL" WAS REPLACED BY A NEW 
THE "GENERAL COMMITTEE," WHOSE MEMBERSHIP WAS 
SELECTED BASED ON A SECV/GVN CONSENSUS.  HOWEVER, 
PASTOR TINH CLAIMED THAT TWO "GENERAL COMMITTEE" 
MEMBERS, PASTORS THANH AND BUU, ARE NOW WORKING 
CLOSELY WITH THE GVN COMMITTEE ON RELIGION.  BOTH 
PASTOR TINH AND THE TCN REPORTED THAT SOME CURRENT 
MEMBERS OF THE SECV LEADERSHIP, WHICH THEY CLAIMED 
HAD BEEN INSTALLED WITH GVN SUPPORT, ARE SUSPECTED 
OF DIVULGING UNDERGROUND CHURCH ACTIVITIES TO THE 
GVN. 
 
8.  (C )  ANOTHER ASPECT OF SECV REORGANIZATION WAS 
TO REPLACE "DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES" AS 
INTERMEDIARIES BETWEEN THE SECV LEADERSHIP AND 
LOCAL CHURCHES WITH A SMALLER NUMBER OF "PROVINCIAL 
REPRESENTATIVES."  WHILE THE "GENERAL COMMITTEE" 
NOMINATES "PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES," PASTOR TINH 
SAID THAT THE GVN COMMITTEE ON RELIGION HAD VETOED 
A NUMBER OF THE CHURCH'S NOMINEES FOR "PROVINCIAL 
REPRESENTATIVE" POSTS AND SUBSTITUTED ITS OWN 
CHOICES.  ACCORDING TO PASTOR TINH, THE SECV'S 
"GENERAL COMMITTEE" DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER TO 
REJECT THE GVN COMMITTEE ON RELIGION'S CHOICES. 
 
9.  (U ) SEPARATELY, IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION, VICE 
CHAIRMAN NGOC ASSERTED THAT THE GVN HAD NO ROLE 
WHATSOEVER IN SELECTING OR APPROVING EITHER 
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"GENERAL COMMITTEE" MEMBERS OR "PROVINCIAL 
REPRESENTATIVES."  HE ALSO REPLIED THAT IT WAS UP 
TO THE PASTORS IN EACH PROVINCE TO DECIDE UPON 
THEIR REPRESENTATIVE(S) AMONG THEMSELVES IN FREE 
ELECTIONS. 
 
10.  (C ) PASTOR TINH CLAIMED SPECIFICALLY THAT 
FEAR OF "BAD" LEADERS LIKE "GENERAL COMMITTEE" 
MEMBERS THANH AND BUU AND THE GVN-SELECTED 
"PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES" KEEPS MANY CHURCH 
ACTIVITIES UNDERGROUND.  THE TCN CLAIMED THAT HIS 
VIETNAMESE CONTACTS FIND HIM BETTER INFORMED THAN 
THEY ARE ON MANY CHURCH ISSUES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT 
SURE WHOM THEY CAN TRUST. 
 
11.  (C )  COMMENT:  GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION HAS HAD 
SOME BENEFITS FOR THE SECV, SUCH AS THE ABILITY TO 
ARRANGE FOR LEGAL PUBLICATION OF RELIGIOUS 
MATERIALS THROUGH THE GVN COMMITTEE ON RELIGION'S 
PUBLISHING HOUSE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF REOPENING A 
SEMINARY.  NONETHELESS, SOME PROTESTANTS LIKE 
PASTOR TINH ARE INCREASINGLY SKEPTICAL OR 
AMBIVALENT ABOUT THE WISDOM OF THE SECV HAVING 
SOUGHT AND OBTAINED OFFICIAL RECOGNITION.  SECV 
INTERNAL POLITICS MAY ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN THE 
MISTRUST AMONG SOME OF ITS LEADERS; PASTOR TINH 
MENTIONED THAT BOTH PASTOR THANH AND PASTOR BUU HAD 
TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY IN THE PAST TO BECOME 
PRESIDENT OF THE SECV.  BUT THE GVN'S OWN 
BUREAUCRATIC REGULATORY APPROACH TO RELIGION, AND 
MOST OTHER ISSUES, PROBABLY DOES NOT MESH WELL WITH 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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THE FLUID WAYS OF VIETNAM'S PROTESTANT LEADERS, 
USED TO DECADES OF FREEWHEELING UNDERGROUND 
ACTIVITY.  ON BALANCE, RECOGNITION IS NEITHER A 
PANACEA NOR NECESSARILY PART OF A SINISTER PLOT TO 
BRING RELIGION UNDER COMPLETE GVN AND COMMUNIST 
PARTY OF VIETNAM CONTROL. 
BURGHARDT 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL