In early June 2001, Venerable Thich Tue Si of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam sent his letter of protest to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Inspectorate. He then forwarded that letter to the highest offices of the Vietnamese Communist Party and it Government with the following cover-letter. Ven. Thich Tue Si were incarcerated for a total of 7 years for his calls for religious freedom in Vietnam. He is currently held under effective house-arrest at the Gia Lam Pagoda in Saigon.
To: Mr. Nong Duc Manh
Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party
Mr. Phan Van Khai
Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
I, undersigned as Pham Van Thuong, am a Buddhist monk of the religious name Thich Tue Sy. My residence is the Gia Lam Pagoda at 498/11 Le Quang Dinh street, ward 1, Go Vap district, HCM City.
I would like to forward to you, the Secretary General and the Prime Minister, the letter of protest I had sent to the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Inspectorate of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Even though the Party Central and the Government are not directly responsible for the illegal and arbitrary conducts listed in my letter of protest, everyone knows the People's Court and People's Inspectorate are but instruments of the Proletarian Dictatorial power. Therefore, this letter of protest, in fact, is the indictment against the Party Central and the Government themselves. For that reason, I thought the letter should be sent to the highest offices of the Party and the Government.
Given the administrative process of a bureaucracy filled with those who are experts on corruption and harassing and oppressing people rather than building this country as often claimed, I know this letter will have to travel through many layers before reaching the gate of the supreme leaders who always find ways to deny responsibilities and to claim only glory and greatness. I am also sure that letters of this kind will never be looked at by officials who are supposed to answer to the destitution and backwardness of the country as well as the corruption in the ruling machine.
One thing is for certain. The mindless and thoughtless brutality will never listen to the voices of conscience and logic. I, therefore, have to depend on the modern communication technology to send my thought to everyone who has not been blinded by evil ambitions, inside and outside the country. I am fully responsible for what I say and willing to accept whatever punishment that might follow.
Ultimately, history will never forgive those intellects who have benefited from the contribution of the entire population to obtain the highest level of education and now keep silent toward the injustice and suffering of the people out of fear or in exchange for privileges. I am, therefore, willing to [pay my debt] in risking my life and my dignity as a human being [to raise my protest]. I am not afraid to face the deadly iron fists of the dictatorial violence without any means of self defense, including the legal one. I am not afraid to die from the brutal revenge of the regime just as many respectable and honorable people before me have accepted as the price to maintain the conscience and the most beautiful values of the Vietnamese people.
Messrs. Secretary General and Prime Minister,
I am sure you know much more than I about the things that were and are happening to this country and who are responsible for them. Given the current blockade and isolation being imposed on me by the authorities through various lowly tactics, my knowledge of society is indeed limited. The actual situation could be much worse than what I have seen or learnt. However, I can only say what I myself have seen and learnt.
This letter of protest, for the above reasons, was not sent to the Party and the Government through the proper channels as defined by the cumbersome administrative regulations of the socialist system. I want to walk to the gate of the dictatorial authority myself. Despite my full knowledge that I would be squashed long before I could even see the blur image of the absolute power far away, I still want to drag my body forward as an apology to my fellow-citizens that I have been so useless before the silent and tremendous suffering of my people.