Press Release from INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST INFORMATION BUREAU
Harassment and intimidation of Unified Buddhist Church leaders intensifies: Security Police search Thich Khong Tanh's Pagoda and confiscate UBCV fax machine, documents and correspondence.
At 9.00 am (Viet Nam time) on Friday October 29th 1999, a squad of twenty Security Police surrounded the Lien Tri Pagoda on Luong Dinh Cua Street in An Khanh quarter, Thu Duc, in the 2nd Ward of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). Lien Tri Pagoda is the residence of Buddhist monk Thich Khong Tanh, and also the headquarters of the UBCV's recently-created Buddhist Information Bureau in Viet Nam. The Buddhist Information Bureau was set up under Decision No. 02/VHD/QD signed by Venerable Thich Quang Do, Head of the Institute for the Propagation of the Dharma (Vien Hoa Dao) on 27.8.1999 in order to support the UBCV's Official mouthpiece, the Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau, by relaying information to Buddhists inside Viet Nam, thus reinforcing the movement for religious freedom, human rights and the right to existence of the UBCV.
Led by First Lieutenant Nguyen Dong Thanh of the local Police and several officials from the People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office, Security Police broke into the Pagoda. Despite Thich Khong Tanh's strong protests, Police proceeded to search the premises thoroughly for three hours. At 11.15 a.m. Police Lieutenant Nguyen Dong Thanh drew up a statement recording the confiscation of : (a) one sheet of paper with the letterhead "Unified Buddhist Church of Viet Nam - Buddhist Information Bureau in Viet Nam" ; (b) one Brother Fax machine ; books and correspondence belonging to the UBCV. He signed the statement along with three other officials and also made Thich Khong Tanh sign. Thich Khong Tanh wrote : "I certify that a fax machine was seized without any justification, along with letters and note-paper belonging to the UBCV".
Police then ordered Thich Khong Tanh to report to the Police Station for questioning at 2.00p.m. that afternoon (Friday 29th October). Weakened by continuous Police harassment, Thich Khong Tanh was too ill to go. The 56-year-old monk, who has spent 14 years in prison and reeducation camp for his advocacy of the UBCV, has been subjected to intensified pressure over the past weeks. Police are seeking to isolate the monk by terrorizing the parents of his disciples, so they are afraid to let their children help him at the Pagoda. He has also received death threats. Police recently insinuated that he could be the victim of a fatal "accident" or be beaten to death by "thugs and vagrants" if he did not cease his activities in favour of the UBCV.
The International Buddhist Information Bureau protests the unlawful confiscation of the UBCV's fax machine and documents. This constitutes a grave violation of Article 73 of the 1992 Vietnamese Constitution : "Safety and secrecy are guaranteed to the citizens' correspondence, telephone conversations and telegrams" and Article 19 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Viet Nam acceded in 1982, which guarantees that : "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression : this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print..." .