By Andy Soloman
TAY NINH, Vietnam, April 21 (Reuters) - Cao Dai is a religion under siege in Vietnam.
Believers say priests cannot be trained, certain sacred activities are banned and property has been confiscated. Sources say several Cao Dai clergy have also been jailed for actions considered a threat to national security.
Fear is pervasive at the Tay Ninh Holy See, the seat of this unique sect that blends Eastern and Western religious philosophies under a banner of ``Love and Justice'' and which counts several million adherents in Vietnam.
But that image remains hidden from the scores of foreign tourists who flock to the Tay Ninh Cao Dai cathedral, 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, to snap pictures of the almost psychedelic temple and white-clad believers.
``The tourists know nothing. They come here and think they are seeing freedom of religion,'' said one man, who like most Cao Daiists, declined to be identified.
``There is so much I want to tell you, but I am frightened of the police. Maybe I can tell you in two or three years.''
Communist-ruled Vietnam vehemently rejects charges it limits religious freedom, and its 1992 constitution enshrines the right to follow or not follow a faith.
But while the atmosphere for worship has eased in the last decade, the state retains strict controls on the organisation and activities of religious groups.
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PARTY TIGHTENS CONTROL
After the unification of Vietnam in 1975, Hanoi replaced Cao Dai's traditional organisation with a state controlled management council, seized property and closed the seminary.
Cao Dai beliefs came through spiritualism and ``automatic writings,'' a practice the authorities banned as superstitious.
According to tradition, two mediums would hold an upturned wicker basket pierced with a long stick with a pen attached. Followers believe the basket moves on it own, hence, ``automatic'' writings. The messages would then be interpreted by a third person.
``This is the most important function of Cao Dai. Any business of the organisation, appointment of clergy, promotion, laws or rules amendment have to be approved by the Spiritual (Pope) via spiritism,'' said Hum Bui, general secretary of the California-based Executive Council of Cao Dai Overseas.
Figures on the number of Cao Dai followers abroad were not available but branches are known to exist in countries including the United States, Canada, France and Australia. Though some Westerners have converted most members are believed to be Vietnamese.
One believer at the Tay Ninh Holy See said mediums were still active in Vietnam but sessions were held in secret.
In September 1997, a group of Cao Dai clergy writing under the title ``White- Robed Person'' appealed for help from Cao Daiists abroad and complained of arrests, expulsions and demotions.
``(As) the central target of the evil government's religious elimination plan, we desperately ask you...to voice your opposition,'' said the letter.
A 1997 Tay Ninh Communist Party report seen by Reuters said the Cao Dai cathedral was ``where enemies take advantage to stir up political reactionary operations against our revolution.''
``We all agreed to fade out Spiritualism; to wipe out the (Cao Dai) system, which was organised like a state within a state,'' the report said.
But the report added counter-revolutionaries could use the lack of new clergy as an excuse to rouse people against Hanoi.
In 1997 Cao Dai was finally recognised under terms and conditions imposed by the Communist Party.
``It's true that Cao Dai has been recognised, but the way Cao Dai is allowed to function will lead to its destruction,'' said Bui.
U.N. ENVOY TAKES DIM VIEW
A damning indictment of Vietnam's policy against the Cao Dai appeared in a report last month by Abdelfattah Amor, the U.N. special rapporteur on religious intolerance, who visited the Tay Ninh Holy See last October.
Amor said clergy were reluctant to talk and that his meetings had been filmed and tape recorded.
``A number of non-governmental sources, including Cao Dai sources, said the authorities had followed a policy of interference that was extremely harmful,'' Amor's report said.
Hanoi has dismissed Amor's report and said he showed bad will to the country.
But the Cao Dai faithful retain hope. ``From where we stand to Nirvana is a very long way,'' said one man.