US embassy cable - 02HANOI1274

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL 05/20/2012 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT:  ACTIVISM OVER RELIGIOUS PROPERTY COMPLAINTS 
 
REF:  2001 HANOI 2321 
 
1.  (U)  CLASSIFIED BY SCOTT BELLARD, POL/C; REASON 1.5(D) 
 
2.  (C)  SUMMARY:  ACCORDING TO ONE CRITIC, LOCAL 
AUTHORITIES IN SOME PLACES REFUSE TO RETURN PAGODA AND 
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TEMPLE LAND APPROPRIATED BEFORE AND AFTER 1975, DESPITE 
ONGOING COMPLAINTS FROM CITIZENS TO DISTRICT, PROVINCIAL, 
AND NATIONAL OFFICIALS.  PERCEIVED GVN INDIFFERENCE TO 
VIETNAM'S RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE HAS MOTIVATED AT 
LEAST A FEW ACTIVISTS TO EMBARK ON EFFORTS TO PROTECT 
BUDDHIST PAGODAS AND TRADITIONAL TEMPLES THREATENED BY LAND 
USE CHANGES.  END SUMMARY. 
 
3.  (C)  RETIRED SENIOR COLONEL TURNED ACTIVIST PHAM QUE 
DUONG INVITED EMBOFFS TO HIS HANOI HOME ON MAY 3 TO DISCUSS 
VIETNAMESE "CULTURE" AND, ON MAY 7, TOOK POLOFF TO HIS HOME 
VILLAGE IN HA TAY PROVINCE TO VISIT TRADITIONAL TEMPLE 
SITES AND PAGODAS IN THE AREA.  HE DESCRIBED ONGOING 
PROBLEMS RELATED TO GVN TREATMENT OF BUDDHIST PAGODAS AND 
TRADITIONAL TEMPLES.  DUONG (ONE OF THE SIGNATORIES OF THE 
SEPTEMBER 2001 PROPOSAL TO SET UP A CITIZEN'S GROUP "TO 
HELP THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) AND THE GVN FIGHT 
CORRUPTION" -- REFTEL) STATED THAT HIS ACTIVISM DATES BACK 
TO 1986-87, WHEN CONSTRUCTION OF THE HO CHI MINH MUSEUM IN 
HANOI THREATENED THE FAMOUS ONE PILLAR PAGODA.  ALARMED AT 
THE GVN'S INDIFFERENCE TO ONE OF VIETNAM'S MOST HISTORIC 
RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL SITES, DUONG, AT THAT TIME STILL 
EDITOR OF THE ARMY'S HISTORICAL JOURNAL, HELPED LEAD A 
SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO CHANGE THE MUSEUM'S DESIGN AND 
PRESERVE THE PAGODA. 
 
4.  (C)  DUONG SAID HE HAD DEVELOPED AN INTEREST IN 
PROTECTING OTHER PAGODAS AND TRADITIONAL TEMPLES, 
ESPECIALLY THOSE IN AND AROUND TU DUONG, HIS HOME VILLAGE. 
ACCORDING TO DUONG AND LOCAL RESIDENTS, DISTRICT AND 
PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS TORE DOWN THE VILLAGE PAGODA IN 1967- 
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68.  THE SITE IS NOW A RICE FIELD, BUT THEY SAID THAT THE 
GOVERNMENT SOLD THE LAND TO A HANOI COMPANY AS A "FACTORY 
SITE" SEVERAL YEARS AGO.  VILLAGE RESIDENTS RECOUNTED THAT 
DISTRICT AND PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS HAD ALSO APPROVED THE 
DESTRUCTION OF TWO OF TU DUONG'S TEMPLES AND THE CONVERSION 
OF A THIRD INTO A STORE DURING THE WAR.  ONLY ONE TEMPLE, 
INSIDE THE VILLAGE DINH (COMMUNITY HALL), REMAINS, 
ALONGSIDE AN ALTAR DEDICATED TO HO CHI MINH.  VILLAGE 
RESIDENTS SAID WHEN THE TEMPLES WERE DESTROYED, THEY 
BELIEVED THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO REBUILD THEM.  DESPITE 
ONGOING "COMPLAINTS" FROM VILLAGE RESIDENTS TO DISTRICT, 
PROVINCIAL, AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIALS, TU DUONG 
RESIDENTS SAID THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANY SATISFACTORY ANSWER 
TO THEIR COMPLAINTS. 
 
5.  (C)  DUONG TOOK POLOFF TO TWO NEARBY BUDDHIST SITES, 
HOI SA PAGODA AND CANH PHUC TU PAGODA, JUST OVER THE BORDER 
IN HA NAM PROVINCE.  MONKS AT THE 1000 YEAR-OLD HOI SA 
PAGODA SAID THAT THE ARMY HAD APPROPRIATED LAND JUST NORTH 
OF THE PAGODA'S BUILDINGS FOR A WAREHOUSE DURING THE WAR. 
THEY SAID THAT THE WAREHOUSE HAD NOT BEEN USED FOR MANY 
YEARS, BUT THE ARMY WAS UNWILLING TO RETURN IT.  ACCORDING 
TO THE MONKS, THE WAREHOUSE SPOILS THE PAGODA'S AESTHETICS. 
RICE PADDIES BORDER THE PAGODA'S OTHER THREE SIDES.  CANH 
PHUC TU PAGODA, ACCORDING TO DUONG, WAS ONE OF THE TWO MOST 
BEAUTIFUL PAGODAS IN HA NAM, ENCOMPASSING 21 HECTARES WITH 
A FAMOUS GARDEN.  ALL BUT 1744 SQUARE METERS WERE LOST TO A 
MILITARY WAREHOUSE DURING THE WAR, PAGODA ATTENDANTS NOTED, 
AND IN THE LATE 1990'S THE POLICE EXPROPRIATED MORE LAND 
IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF THE PAGODA'S BUILDINGS, LEAVING ONLY 
598 SQUARE METERS.  ONE 300-400 YEAR-OLD TREE REMAINS OF 
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THE GARDEN.  THEY SAID THAT THE POLICE HAD BUILT TWO 
HOUSES, AMONG OTHER BUILDINGS, ON THE RECENTLY EXPROPRIATED 
LAND.  FOUR NUNS AT THE PAGODA ADDED THAT THEY CONTINUED TO 
COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LOSS OF PAGODA LAND BUT HAD NEVER 
RECEIVED AN ANSWER FROM DISTRICT AUTHORITIES AND THAT 
PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES HAD GIVEN AN ESSENTIALLY "UNETHICAL" 
ANSWER.  DUONG SAID THAT THE POLICE WERE PARTICULARLY ANGRY 
WITH HIM AFTER HE BECAME INVOLVED WITH CANH PHUC TU PAGODA 
IN 1999. 
 
6.  (C)  DUONG POINTED OUT TWO MAIN REASONS HE SAID THE GVN 
CONTINUES TO TREAT PAGODA AND TEMPLE LAND WITHOUT RESPECT. 
ONE REASON IS IDEOLOGICAL: MARXISM-LENINISM IS 
MATERIALISTIC AND UNCONCERNED WITH SPIRITUAL NEEDS.  WHILE 
HE CLAIMED REPEATEDLY TO BE A COMMUNIST, HE DISCUSSED AT 
SOME LENGTH CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN MARXISM-LENINISM AND 
RELIGIOUS BELIEF, CONCLUDING THAT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO 
RECONCILE THESE DIFFERENCES.  AS A PATRIOT, HE SAID HE HAD 
TO PROTECT VIETNAM'S CULTURE AND TRADITIONS.  THE SECOND 
REASON, HE ALLEGED, IS THAT GVN OFFICIALS ARE SELLING OR 
USING THE APPROPRIATED LAND FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT. 
 
7.  (C)  COMMENT:  OTHER RELIGIOUS FIGURES INCLUDING THE 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ0946 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  01274  02 OF 02  200744Z 
ACTION EAP-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  PERC-00 
      SRPP-00  EB-00    ED-01    HHS-01   H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00 
      IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OPIC-01 
      PRS-00   P-00     SP-00    SS-00    STR-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00 
      PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------B0CD05  200744Z /38 
R 200737Z MAY 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6512 
INFO AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE 
AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL 
 
ARCHBISHOP OF HANOI HAVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT LAND 
EXPROPRIATION AND PROPERTY DISPUTES.  WHILE THESE IN HA TAY 
AND HA NAM ARE MOSTLY REMNANTS OF THE WAR, THE 
UNWILLINGNESS OR INABILITY OF THE GVN -- ESPECIALLY THE 
GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE ON RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS -- TO RESOLVE 
THEM CONTINUES TO CREATE SOME RESENTMENT.  MORE LOCAL 
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PAGE 02        HANOI  01274  02 OF 02  200744Z 
ACTIVISM MAY FOLLOW, EVEN AT THE RISK OF "DAMAGING NATIONAL 
SOLIDARITY." 
BURGHARDT 
 
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