Press Release by the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights
Paris - As Buddhists around the world prepare to celeb rate the 2542nd Anniversary of the Birth of Buddha on 10th May 1998, four Nobel Prize Winners from different countries and horizons are launching an appeal for the release of imprisoned dignitaries of the now-banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV).
In a letter sent to SRV Communist Party Secretary Le Kha Phieu, President Tran Duc Luong, and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai today, the four Nobel Prize laureates, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet, Nobel Peace Prize (1989) ; Ms Mairead Maguire, Ireland, Nobel Peace Prize (1976) ; Professor Fran=E7ois Jacob, France, Nobel Medicine Prize (1965) ; Jos=E9 Ramos-Horta, East Timor, Nobel Peace Prize (1996) called for the immediate and unconditional release of UBCV leaders Thich Huyen Quang detained without charge in Nghia Hanh, Quang Ngai since 1982 ; Dr Thich Quang Do, currently serving a 5 year sentence for sending an Open Letter to the Communist authorities denouncing violations of religious freedom and human rights in Vietnam in 1994 ; Prof. Thich Tue Sy and Dr Le Manh That, both condemned to death in 1988, their sentences later commuted to 20 years hard labour as a result of international pressure ; Thich Tri Tuu, Superior monk of Linh Mu Pagoda in Hue, imprisoned for 4 years and now detained under house arrest for his participation in the demonstration of 40,000 Buddhists in Hue on May 24th 1993 ; Thich Khong Tanh and Thich Nhat Ban, serving 5 and 4 year sentences for organising a UBCV Rescue Mission for flood victims in the Mekong Delta in 1994.
The text of the letter is as follows :
"Your Excellencies,
"We are writing to express our deep concern about the detention of prominent Buddhists belonging to the traditional Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV). We refer to the UBCV Patriarch, Very Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and his Deputy Dr Thich Quang Do ; Buddhist scholars Prof. Thich Tue Sy (philosopher) and Dr Le Manh That (historian) ; monks Thich Tri Tuu, Thich Khong Tanh and Thich Nhat Ban. According to our information, these men are imprisoned for organising a humanitarian mission to distribute relief aid to 500,000 victims of flooding in the Mekong Delta, and for peacefully advocating human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam.
. . . / . . .
"Such acts cannot be interpreted as "crimes". They are simply legitimate expressions of the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience, rights guaranteed by your country's Constitution and enshrined in the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your Government has ratified and pledged to uphold. "The detention of these Buddhists is not only a serious violation of human rights, but one that bears grave consequences for the future of your country. Vietnamese Buddhism, with its two-thousand-year tradition of compassion and tolerance, is followed by the great majority of the population. By banning the traditional Unified Buddhist Church and imprisoning its leaders, you stifle the spirit of vast numbers of Vietnamese, and jeopardize the reconstruction of a prosperous society in Vietnam.
"We welcome the recent appeals launched by your Government and the Vietnamese Communist Party to "efface past hatreds" and "unite all Vietnamese people, whatever their origins or affiliations" in the task of national reconciliation. We therefore call on your government to put this policy into action by ordering the immediate and unconditional release of the seven Buddhist leaders quoted above, and by restoring their fundamental freedoms.
"Yours sincerely,
Dalai Lama, Tibet, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1989
Mairead Maguire, Ireland, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1976
Francois Jacob, France, Nobel Medicine Prize laureate, 1965
Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1996".
Vietnamese Buddhist all over the world are publicly celebrating the Vesak with prayers, meetings and demonstrations calling for religious freedom and the right to existence of the traditional, independent Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. In California, 25,000 Vietnamese Buddhists gathered in Santa Ana, Orange County at the end of April in celebrations organised by the Overseas Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. In a Message to this gathering, President Bill Clinton paid tribute to the : "Buddha's teachings of compassion, virtue, and moderation" which "offer countless people across the globe wise guidance and a sure path to peace in today's complex society".
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights
25 rue Jaffeux, 92230 Gennevilliers
tel 33 1 47 93 10 81, fax 33 1 47 91 41 38
e-mail : 100302.3100@compuserve.com