PRESS RELEASE
December 3, 1998

The free practice of religion will continue to be denied to the people of Vietnam if, as is likely, the new draft decree is adopted by the Vietnamese Government. Despite earlier admissions by Hanoi officials that the present policy restraining religious affairs is unsatisfactory, and despite assurances that things would change, the new policy (made available on 1 October 1998) represents just more of the same.

In renewing its determined opposition to the free practice of religion Vietnam remains in flagrant contravention of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992). This Declaration provides for the right of religious minorities to "profess and practise their own religion ... in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination." [Article 2(1)]

In Vietnam, however, all religious activities still require official government approval. Moreover, religious dissidents are subject to arrest and imprisonment, and then further detention under house arrest where their lives are at risk. Those at risk include journalists who publish religious ideas not sanctioned by the Communist party.

Particularly at risk today are Father Chan Tin (Catholic priest) and the Venerable Thich Huyen Quang (Buddhist priest). Publication of their names in the world media may well save their lives.

Religious dissidents under house arrest in Vietnam appear to be prone to car "accidents" resulting in their deaths according to well-documented sources Father Chan Tin and catholic writer and journalist Nguyen Ngoc Lan have already been the subject of a staged traffic accident.

We call for the abolition of the Directive which seeks to control the legitimate expression of religious freedom and the freedom of the press.

The new decree attempts a distinction between a "Vietnamese Catholic Church" and the universal Catholic Church, the former being without ties to the Vatican, a "foreign religious organization". The new decree insists that "legal religious organizations within the country must obtain civil authority permission to put into practice religious guidelines coming from foreign religious organizations." Thus, in practice, it would be illegal for Vietnamese Catholic Bishops to enact policies set by Rome. This will probably mean that Vietnamese Catholics will be either prevented from participating in the Jubilee Year 2000 or risk arrest and imprisonment if they do.

We call for the abolition of the Directive 31/CP, a new weapon by the Vietnamese Government to suppress the opposition. This Directive 31/CP allows the Ministry of Interior and the Security Office to detain any citizen for up to two years without judgement and with no right for appeal. There is no definition of who may be detained in this way as this is left to the Security Office to determine. This Directive opens the way to abuses of the worst kind and, in practice, nullifies any semblance of justice that may exist now. At present, a substantial number of dissidents such as biologist Ha Si Phu, writer Tieu Dao, poet and journalist Bui Minh Quoc,journalist Nguyen Ngoc Lan, physician Nguyen Dan Que (released in august 1998), General Tran Do, Reverend Thich Tri Sieu (released in august 1998), Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, Venerable Thich Quang Do (released in August 1998), Father Chan Tin, Father Tran Dinh Thu ... are known to be the victims of this arbitrary measure.

Concern for the widespread violations of human rights in Vietnam will be expressed at The Forum on Human Rights and Freedom of the Press in Vietnam, Parliament House, Canberra, Australia on Monday 7th December 1998 (4.30 pm - 9.00 pm).

Speakers at the Forum include:
Mr. Greg Sheridan (Foreign Editor of The Australian)
Mrs. Kate Gilmore (National director, Amnesty international)
Mr. André Frankovits (Executive Director, Human Rights Council of Australia)
Mr. Kieran Fitzpatrick ( Asia Pacific Policy Officer, Human Rights Commission)
Mrs. Julliee Smith (Director, Working Together)
Mr. Tuong Quang Luu (Head of SBS Radio-Australian Multicultural Broadcaster)
Bishop John Hepworth (Chairman, Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Committee, South Australia).

Guests at the Forum include:
Leading members of major political parties,
The Hon. James Samios (Shadow Minister for Ethnic Affairs, LP)
The Hon. Peter Collins (Leader of the Opposition, NSW)
Ms. Yvonne Preston (President, PEN International)
Churches, trades unions, Vietnamese Communities in Australia, and
Vietnamese-Human Rights groups.

For more information please contact:
Australia Vietnam Human Rights Committeee,
Dr. John Fleming:
Tel: (08) 8297 0022 (W); (08) 8358 3316 (H); 0419 819 452 (Mobile)