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AN OPEN LETTER BY THE VEN. THICH THAI HOA

He also argued that as to the government, the VBC has a status of an association that is equal to the Women Association, and women without its membership don't have to get its recommendation to be granted exit permits. Moreover, he would attend the summit as an individual, Bhikku Thich Thien Hoa, and he would represent neither the Vietnam Unified Buddhist Church (VUBC, an independent church) nor the VBC.

The office chief only told him to wait for the higher authorities' decision. Until September 2, Ven. Thien Hoa received nothing but the same words "waiting for an order from the Central Department for Religious Affairs." (CDRA)

From the facts mentioned above, Ven. Thich Thien Hoa states his opinions in the letter.

1. There are the written Constitution and laws, but in fact, a number of the executive branches and agencies do not enforce them appropriately. Therefore, the fairness of the laws are under people's misapprehension and the party leaders are losing their prestige.

2. That the CDRA manipulates the VBC as a prolonged arm of the government produces a boomerang effect leading to considerable loss of people's trust in the laws.

3. The request for recommendation of the VBC has violated not only his religious freedom but also his civil rights as well as his human rights.

4. Bureaucracy is one of the causes of corruption and authoritarianism that are impeding national development, destroying people's trust and leading to poverty, and turning the assertion of a Society of Equity, Democracy and Civilization into a deception.

5. The letter sent by the Summit Secretary General inviting the chief of the Department for Religious Affairs to attend the summit does not bring any honor to the state or the people. He was invited too late (Aug 28) and without due deference.

6. The Thua Thien and Hue Buddhist Clergy proposed a motion dated July 11, 2000 to the local Party and government officials. Until now, after more than 50 days, there have been no official response. Is this because of red tape or of the contemptuous attitude of public opinion?

The second half of the letter by the brave Bhikku is for his proposals.

1. Patriotism and national defense are the sacred obligations of all Vietnamese. No person or organization shall be allowed to monopolize patriotism.

2. Governments at all levels must be enhancing democracy as determined by laws.

3. The standard of knowledge of government officials in charge of religious affairs should be promoted so that they could properly apprehend the contribution of religions to the people and society, and they should not have prejudices or make use of religions to consolidate personal and factious interests.

4. The legal status of the Unified Buddhist Church should be restored so that it could contribute its efforts to the national construction and development as it has done in the past. The VBC should also be independent from the Central Department for Religious Affairs.

5. Authorities and Fatherland Front committees of all levels should be instructed to assume the role of co-ordinator to bring about solidarity and social stability, to help people with accurate comprehension of domestic and international laws to advance towards Democracy, but not to interfere in religious internal affairs. The goverment and the Fatherland Front should not encourage people to leave one church to join another.

6. The government leaders should submit a legislation concerning religious matters to the National Parliament for approval, so that authorities must treat religions with laws instead with decrees or with resolutions.

7. Nowadays, religious faith becomes a global tendency, with common objectives as assisting the humankind to live in peace, reducing poverty and protecting environment for human and animals. "I demand that you review your policies regarding religious faith so that you would help religious activities in Vietnam, integrating into that of the world community," Ven. Thai Hoa insisted.

8. The letter asks the leaders to order the Thua Thien Party Committee and People's Committee to put an end to their bureaucracy and their contemptuous attitude towards the opinions of the people and the religions.

In conclusion, Ven. Thich Thai Hoa affirms that the letter is not a denunciation but (a call) from the heart and blood of the Vietnamese of 4,000 years' civilization and 2,000 years' Buddhism, the heart and blood in every Vietnamese in Vietnam and abroad "including you and me," he emphasizes.

He urges the Communist leaders to "treat all walks of life with clairvoyance, employing the right persons at the right places so that in the Third Millenium there will be no more poverty and backward in thinking, and to catch up with other countries in the region as well as in the world."

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The open letter was published at the time a report made by the US State Department on International Religious Freedom in the year 2000 was released. In the report, Hanoi is one of the six totalitarian or authoritarian regimes where religious practice is persecuted by the harshest policies. The other five are the tyrannies in Afghanistan, Burma, China, Laos and North Korea.

Reacting to the report, a spokesperson for the Hanoi Foreign Ministry Le Dzung said "these untrue and unobjective assessment on the religious situation in Vietnam does not benefit the promotion of bilateral relations. He stressed that the fact that the United States delegates itself a right to pass judgements on the religious situation in other countries is contrary to fundamental principles of international law and is an interference into other countries’ internal affairs." And just like all other statements made by Hanoi officials regarding violations of religious freedom, Dzung said, " Vietnamese law stipulates and the State of Vietnam guarantees all citizens the right to freely adhere to a religion or not to adhere to a religion. This right is stated in Vietnam’s Constitution and respected in reality. There is no such things as the State of Vietnam represses or hinders religious activities," Dzung is quoted by Radio Hanoi (Voice of Vietnam) as saying.

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