In response to Father Nguyen Van Ly's three appeals for Freedom of Religion in Vietnam, clergies and lay people from other faiths inside and outside Vietnam have voiced their support for his effort and protest the Vietnamese government's oppressive policy on religion.

Following is the translation of a joint statement by four religious leaders inside Vietnam on the subject.

Following April 30, 1975, after conquering the South, the Vietnamese Communists have implemented a severely oppressive policy toward religions in Vietnam:

• Many offices and properties of Churches -- Cao Dai, Catholic, Buddhist, Hoa Hao Buddhist, and Protestant - have been confiscated or expropriated by the communist government for its arbitrary uses.
• Many legal decrees were issued to confine, limit, or take away religious activities in the cruelest fashion never before seen in the history of religions.
• Many plots and traps have been used to detain and jail the leadership of those religions that oppose and demand [an end to] the oppressive and anti-religion policy carried out persistently and ruthlessly by the communist government over the last 25 years (1975-2000).
• Many plots and ploys have been used to penetrate, undermine, divide, and politicize religions such as the Cao Dai, Catholic and various Protestant churches. [Particularly,] Buddhism were split into two churches: the Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Most recently, in May 1999, the communist government blatantly installed the Hoa Hao Buddhist Representative Council of eleven (11) communist party members to lead five million followers of the Hoa Hao Buddhism. This is a monstrous phenomenon never before seen in the history of religions.

In the face of the communist government's severely oppressive policy to suffocate religions, Churches in Vietnam have consistently resisted and demanded RELIGIOUS FREEDOM in a peaceful, non-violent, and determined manner until TRUE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM is achieved as in the vast majority of civilized nations in the world today.

Now, with the humankind's progressive trend of [upholding the values of ] HUMAN RIGHTS, the time has come for us to publicly speak up and call on the communist government to:

1) Fully respect the TRUE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM of all religions, especially in regards to the Churches' most fundamental right of independently and freely choosing, training and appointing clergies and the leadership according to each Church's needs and wishes. [The government must also respect] the RELIGIOUS FREEDOM of each Vietnamese citizen by abolishing sections relating to faith and religion in all administrative documents so each citizen can rest assured of no discrimination based on his/her faith. At the same time, [the government must allow] auspicious conditions for all citizens to live according to their faith by ending the two-faced policies in effect so far.

2) Return to all Churches the offices and properties that were confiscated, expropriated, made exclusive use of, or forced into unfair concession to the government. [These properties must be returned] when proofs of ownership are presented; or when the ownership is undoubtedly recognized by the surrounding population, in lieu of proofs of ownership which might have lost during the war.

3) Cease all plots and ploys to suffocate and annihilate religions. End all attempts to intervene in the internal affairs of religions. Disband all Committees erected by the State in the name of religions but in reality acting only as the communist government's apparatus.

4) Return freedom unconditionally to all clergies and leading lay-people who have received jail sentences or are still being detained in prison camps.

5) Respect all the provisions in the International Covenant on Political Rights of September 24, 1982 which the Vietnamese communist government has signed.

Vietnam, December 27, 2000.

I affirm that I am a co-author of this Declaration,
Le Quang Liem (signed)
Chairman of the Central Council of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church of Vietnam

I affirm that I am a co-author of this Declaration,
Reverend Chan Tin (signed)

I affirm that I am a co-author of this Declaration,
Reverend Tadeo Nguyen Van Ly (signed)

On the issue of true religious freedom in Vietnam, we have issued many documents. However, the Vietnamese communist government still shows no intention [to solve the problems]. Now that other religions have also declared the same view as ours, we are very happy to receive this Declaration.

Hue, December 28, 2000

Bhikkhu Thich Thien Hanh (signed)
Most Venerable Chair of Buddhist Clergy Council, Thua Thien province
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam

FVA Home Page