US embassy cable - 03HOCHIMINHCITY65

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF, CA/VO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: CVIS, PHUM, PGOV, PREL, SOCI, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT:  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: THE VIEW THROUGH THE VISA 
WINDOW 
 
1.  (SBU)  Consular associate recently interviewed a Korean 
missionary affiliated with the Global Mission Society of the 
Presbyterian Church in Korea for a nonimmigrant visa (NIV). 
The applicant, who described himself as a missionary pastor 
with an "underground" Protestant church, said he conducted 
services wherever he could within his geographic area of 
responsibility, which included the Central Highlands and the 
southern part of Vietnam.  While the applicant cited 
continued problems in dealing with government authorities -- 
he described Dak Lak province as a particularly difficult 
place to hold services and practice his faith -- he felt it 
was easier to conduct his work now than in the past. 
 
2.  (SBU)  NIV applicant went on to say that he had been an 
active missionary in Vietnam for about 10 years.  He lived 
here with his Korean wife and children, who attended a 
"missionary school."  (Note:  His passport contained a 
number of renewed Vietnamese tourist visas, the more recent 
of which were multiple entry.)  The most difficult years 
were 1993-1995, when he and his family were under such tight 
surveillance that they considered themselves under de facto 
house arrest.  In contrast, the ever-growing number of 
worshippers throughout the communities he served today made 
him feel more comfortable in carrying out his activities. 
 
3.  (SBU)  NIV applicant came to Conoff's attention when he 
applied for a tourist visa to attend the 2003 Centennial 
World Mission Conference of Korean Christian immigration in 
Honolulu.  (Note:  2003 marks the 100th Anniversary of 
Korean immigration to the United States.  NIV applicant was 
trained in Korea but has connections with congregations in 
the U.S.)  While it is not uncommon for members of the 
Protestant faith to apply for NIV's, anecdotal evidence 
suggests that most are Baptist.  Throughout the interview, 
NIV applicant insisted on speaking English.  He eventually 
became so agitated over the presence of a Vietnamese FSN 
assisting with interpretation that the interview was moved 
to a private room. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Comment:  Consular associate was able to take 
advantage of a nonimmigrant visa interview to gain some 
insight into the life of a foreign Protestant missionary 
resident in HCMC.  This cable does not mean to imply that 
one pastor's circumstances have a broad significance for the 
religious freedom situation in Vietnam writ large.  It does 
provide some interesting perspectives on the mixture of 
restrictions, harsh pressures and considerable ability to 
worship that often seem to characterize the experience of 
clergy from unregistered or suspect religious groups.  In 
this case the pastor was clearly extremely wary of GVN 
authorities based on his own experience of hardship.  At the 
same time, despite his religious activities, he appears to 
have been able to stay in Vietnam for a long time with 
relative ease, travel widely including in sensitive areas, 
and see the numbers of his worshippers increase. 
 
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