UPDATE ON ARREST OF DISSIDENT CATHOLIC PRIEST AND THREATS TO BUDDHIST, HOA HAO DISSIDENTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000603 SIPDIS SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00603 01 OF 02 181255Z STATE FOR S/S-O, P, EAP, EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/JMARTIN STATE ALSO FOR DRL/IRF, DRL/BA AND PRM CINCPAC FOR FPA SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN ROME PLEASE PASS VATICAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM VM HUMANR RELFREE SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ARREST OF DISSIDENT CATHOLIC PRIEST AND THREATS TO BUDDHIST, HOA HAO DISSIDENTS REF: HANOI 1208 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: AS REPORTED REFTEL, POLICE IN THUA-THIEN HUE PROVINCE ARRESTED FATHER LY ON MAY 17. VIETNAM NEWS MEDIA REPORTED THE ARREST, INCLUDING SOME FOOTAGE SHOWN ON A LOCAL PROVINCIAL NEWS CHANNEL. THERE ARE CONFLICTING REPORTS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT PARISHIONERS ATTEMPTED TO PREVENT THE ARREST AND WHETHER OR NOT POLICE MET THESE ATTEMPTS WITH VIOLENCE. ON MAY 18, THICH QUANG DO WAS SUMMONED TO A DISTRICT PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE IN HCMC. AUTHORITIES ALLOWED HIM TO RETURN TO HIS PAGODA AFTER TWO HOURS OF QUESTIONING. BUT THE WARNED HIM NOT TO MAKE A PLANNED CONTROVERSIAL VISIT TO QUANG NGAI PROVINCE IN JUNE. HOA HAO ELDER LE QUANG LIEM REMAINS UNDER HOUSE ARREST AT HIS HOME IN HCMC. CONTRARY TO INDICATIONS REPORTED IN REFTEL, IT APPEARS THAT LIEM IS NOT IN DANGER OF ANY FURTHER POLICE ACTIONS AT THIS TIME. END SUMMARY. ARREST OF FATHER LY -------------- UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00603 01 OF 02 181255Z ¶2. (U) ON MAY 18, THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY "VIETNAM NEWS," VIETNAMESE VERNACULAR "TUOI TRE" ("YOUTH") AND "THANH NHIEN" ("YOUTH"),AND THE HANOI VOICE OF VIETNAM RADIO ALL CARRIED SHORT PIECES ON THE MAY 17 ARREST OF CATHOLIC DISSIDENT PRIEST NGUYEN VAN LY IN HUE CITY. THE ARTICLES ECHOED THE FOREIGN MINISTRY'S WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT LY HAD BEEN ARRESTED BECAUSE HE HAD "CONTINUED TO CARRY OUT BEHAVIOR THAT AFFECTED PUBLIC SECURITY AND DISRUPTED THE NORMAL LIFE OF THE PEOPLE." THE VIETNAMESE VERNACULAR DAILIES ADDED THAT THE ARREST TOOK PLACE IN FRONT OF A GREAT NUMBER OF LOCAL RESIDENTS. ¶3. (U) A MAY 17 REUTERS ARTICLE STATED THAT LY WAS ARRESTED AFTER CONDUCTING A MASS FOR ABOUT 150 PARISHIONERS DURING WHICH HE HAD DISTRIBUTED ANTI- GOVERNMENT LEAFLETS. A PRESS RELEASE BY THE "FREE VIETNAM ALLIANCE" SAID 600 SECURITY OFFICERS USED FORCE TO REMOVE LY FROM HIS CHAMBERS. IT SAID, "PARISHIONERS... BEGAN TO CRY AND TRIED TO BLOCK THE ARREST. POLICE IN TURN USED ELECTRIC PRODS AGAINST THE PARISHIONERS AND TOOK THE PRIEST AWAY." ¶4. (SBU) ON MAY 18 POLOFF SPOKE BY PHONE WITH A BUDDHIST RESIDENT AND A CATHOLIC RESIDENT OF HUE CITY. BOTH KNEW ABOUT THE ARREST AND SAID THEY HEARD SECOND-HAND THAT ONLY A "FEW" POLICEMEN CAME TO THE CHURCH, AND THAT THE ARREST TOOK PLACE WITHOUT ANY VIOLENCE. THEY NOTED THAT FOOTAGE OF FATHER LY BEING QUESTIONED BY POLICE WAS SHOWN ON THUA- THIEN HUE TELEVISION THE NIGHT BEFORE (MAY 17). REFTEL REPORTED THAT A CATHOLIC CONTACT IN HCMC TOLD POLOFF ON UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 00603 01 OF 02 181255Z MAY 17 THAT 300 SECURITY OFFICERS HAD ENTERED THE CHURCH COMPOUND, AND THAT VIOLENCE HAD ACCOMPANIED THE ARREST. SUMMONS OF THICH QUANG DO -------------- ¶5. (SBU) UBCV BUDDHIST MONK THICH QUANG DO WAS SUMMONED TO APPEAR BEFORE THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OF PHU NHUAN DISTRICT IN HCMC AT 2:00 P.M. ON MAY 18. POLOFF SPOKE WITH DO BY TELEPHONE AT 4:00 P.M. JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER HE RETURNED TO HIS PAGODA. DO SAID THAT THE OFFICIALS AT THE DISTRICT PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE WARNED HIM STRONGLY NOT TO UNDERTAKE HIS PLANNED TRIP TO QUANG NGAI PROVINCE IN JUNE. (NOTE: DO HAD EARLIER SENT A LETTER TO THE GOVERNMENT REQUESTING THAT UBCV PATRIARCH THICH HUYEN QUANG BE ALLOWED TO RETURN BACK TO HCMC FROM QUANG NGAI PROVINCE. IN HIS LETTER DO STATED THAT IF HE DID NOT RECEIVE A REPLY BY JUNE, HE WOULD TRAVEL TO QUANG NGAI PROVINCE HIMSELF IN ORDER TO RETUIRN THICH HUYEN QUANG TO HCMC. END NOTE.) ¶6. (SBU) DO AGREED TO DELAY HIS PLANNED TRIP. BUT HE SAID HE WOULD WRITE ANOTHER LETTER TO THE GOVERNMENT REQUESTING THE RETURN OF THICH HUYEN QUANG TO HCMC. HE AGREED TO WAIT, BUT SAID IF HE RECEIVED NO WRITTEN REPLY FROM THE GOVERNMENT IN A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME, HE WOULD CARRY THROUGH WITH HIS PLANS. AFTER NEARLY TWO HOURS OF DISCUSSIONS, DO REQUESTED PERMISSION TO RETURN TO HIS PAGODA. THE OFFICIALS ALLOWED HIM TO LEAVE, BUT NOTED THEY WOULD SUMMON HIM AGAIN TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSIONS. DO TOLD POLOFF HE WAS TIRED, BUT OTHERWISE IN GOOD SPIRITS. HOUSE ARREST OF LE QUANG LIEM -------------- ¶7. (SBU) REFTEL REPORTED THAT A CONTACT TOLD POLOFF THAT HOA HAO ELDER LE QUANG LIEM WAS ALSO IN IMMINENT DANGER OF ARREST IN HCMC. (LIEM IS ALREADY UNDER HOUSE ARREST.) CONGEN WAS UNABLE TO REACH LIEM BY TELEPHONE ALL DAY YESTERDAY, MAY 17, OR TODAY, MAY 18. CONGEN WAS ABLE TO REACH ANOTHER HOA HAO CONTACT, HOWEVER, WHO SAID HE HAD TALKED WITH LIEM BY PHONE SHORTLY AFTER NOON ON MAY 17. ALTHOUGH POLICE MAINTAIN A VIGIL AT LIEM'S RESIDENCE, LIEM REPORTED NO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY TO THE OTHER CONTACT. THIS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00603 02 OF 02 181255Z CONTACT DID NOT BELIEVE LIEM WAS IN DANGER OF ANY FURTHER POLICE ACTIONS. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (U) POST WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATIONS OF ALL THREE RELIGIOUS DISSIDENTS, FATHER LY, THICH QUANG DO, AND LE QUANG LIEM, AND REPORT SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS AS THEY OCCUR. RAY NOTE: NOT PASSED TO ABOVE ADDRESSEE(S) UNCLASSIFIED