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Press Release Congress of the United States Prime Minister Phan Van Khai Dear Honorable Khai: We are writing to express our strong concern about violations of religious rights in Vietnam. We believe this is also a deeply felt concern of citizens in Vietnam, some of whom have publicized and protested at great personal risk against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s religious policy. Most recently, in a joint statement dated December 27, 2000, four religious leaders: Mr. Le Quang Liem of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, the Most Venerable Thich Thien Hanh of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and the Reverends Nguyen Van Ly and Chan Tin of the Catholic Church recounted the worst violations: confiscation of properties belonging to Vietnam's five major faiths; the detention and imprisonment of religious leaders; and the actions of authorities to undermine and divide religions by monopolizing worship in state-controlled religious bodies. Freedom of religion is an universal human right recognized in international treaties in which the State of Vietnam is a signatory. We call on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to honor its commitment under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. By honoring international norms on human rights, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam would demonstrate its reliability as a partner to international agreements. Equally important, by respecting human rights including religious freedoms, your government could allow the talents of the Vietnamese people to flourish. Take for instance what religious organizations could contribute if allowed to operate independently. The impact of the recent floods in the Mekong Delta would have been lessened if the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do and members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam were allowed to deliver much needed aid as they had attempted, but were prevented from doing so. In closing, we reiterate our continued concern regarding the status of religious rights in Vietnam. We call on your government to respect religious freedoms, starting with the right of Churches to independently train and appoint clergy and the right of citizens to freely choose their own religious organizations. Moreover, we call on your government to respect the rights of Vietnamese, including Mr. Le Quang Liem, the Most Venerable Thich Thien Hanh, Reverend Nguyen Van Ly, and Reverend Chan Tin, to express their beliefs without threat of harassment or persecution. Very truly yours,
(Signed by 43 US Congress Representatives as follows) 1. Loretta Sanchez |
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