ACTIVISM OVER RELIGIOUS PROPERTY COMPLAINTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001274 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL 05/20/2012 TAGS: PHUM SOCI KIRF VM HUMANR RELFREE SUBJECT: ACTIVISM OVER RELIGIOUS PROPERTY COMPLAINTS REF: 2001 HANOI 2321 ¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY SCOTT BELLARD, POL/C; REASON 1.5(D) ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: ACCORDING TO ONE CRITIC, LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN SOME PLACES REFUSE TO RETURN PAGODA AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 01274 01 OF 02 200744Z TEMPLE LAND APPROPRIATED BEFORE AND AFTER 1975, DESPITE ONGOING COMPLAINTS FROM CITIZENS TO DISTRICT, PROVINCIAL, AND NATIONAL OFFICIALS. PERCEIVED GVN INDIFFERENCE TO VIETNAM'S RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE HAS MOTIVATED AT LEAST A FEW ACTIVISTS TO EMBARK ON EFFORTS TO PROTECT BUDDHIST PAGODAS AND TRADITIONAL TEMPLES THREATENED BY LAND USE CHANGES. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) RETIRED SENIOR COLONEL TURNED ACTIVIST PHAM QUE DUONG INVITED EMBOFFS TO HIS HANOI HOME ON MAY 3 TO DISCUSS VIETNAMESE "CULTURE" AND, ON MAY 7, TOOK POLOFF TO HIS HOME VILLAGE IN HA TAY PROVINCE TO VISIT TRADITIONAL TEMPLE SITES AND PAGODAS IN THE AREA. HE DESCRIBED ONGOING PROBLEMS RELATED TO GVN TREATMENT OF BUDDHIST PAGODAS AND TRADITIONAL TEMPLES. DUONG (ONE OF THE SIGNATORIES OF THE SEPTEMBER 2001 PROPOSAL TO SET UP A CITIZEN'S GROUP "TO HELP THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) AND THE GVN FIGHT CORRUPTION" -- REFTEL) STATED THAT HIS ACTIVISM DATES BACK TO 1986-87, WHEN CONSTRUCTION OF THE HO CHI MINH MUSEUM IN HANOI THREATENED THE FAMOUS ONE PILLAR PAGODA. ALARMED AT THE GVN'S INDIFFERENCE TO ONE OF VIETNAM'S MOST HISTORIC RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL SITES, DUONG, AT THAT TIME STILL EDITOR OF THE ARMY'S HISTORICAL JOURNAL, HELPED LEAD A SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO CHANGE THE MUSEUM'S DESIGN AND PRESERVE THE PAGODA. ¶4. (C) DUONG SAID HE HAD DEVELOPED AN INTEREST IN PROTECTING OTHER PAGODAS AND TRADITIONAL TEMPLES, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN AND AROUND TU DUONG, HIS HOME VILLAGE. ACCORDING TO DUONG AND LOCAL RESIDENTS, DISTRICT AND PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS TORE DOWN THE VILLAGE PAGODA IN 1967- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HANOI 01274 01 OF 02 200744Z ¶68. THE SITE IS NOW A RICE FIELD, BUT THEY SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT SOLD THE LAND TO A HANOI COMPANY AS A "FACTORY SITE" SEVERAL YEARS AGO. VILLAGE RESIDENTS RECOUNTED THAT DISTRICT AND PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS HAD ALSO APPROVED THE DESTRUCTION OF TWO OF TU DUONG'S TEMPLES AND THE CONVERSION OF A THIRD INTO A STORE DURING THE WAR. ONLY ONE TEMPLE, INSIDE THE VILLAGE DINH (COMMUNITY HALL),REMAINS, ALONGSIDE AN ALTAR DEDICATED TO HO CHI MINH. VILLAGE RESIDENTS SAID WHEN THE TEMPLES WERE DESTROYED, THEY BELIEVED THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO REBUILD THEM. DESPITE ONGOING "COMPLAINTS" FROM VILLAGE RESIDENTS TO DISTRICT, PROVINCIAL, AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIALS, TU DUONG RESIDENTS SAID THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANY SATISFACTORY ANSWER TO THEIR COMPLAINTS. ¶5. (C) DUONG TOOK POLOFF TO TWO NEARBY BUDDHIST SITES, HOI SA PAGODA AND CANH PHUC TU PAGODA, JUST OVER THE BORDER IN HA NAM PROVINCE. MONKS AT THE 1000 YEAR-OLD HOI SA PAGODA SAID THAT THE ARMY HAD APPROPRIATED LAND JUST NORTH OF THE PAGODA'S BUILDINGS FOR A WAREHOUSE DURING THE WAR. THEY SAID THAT THE WAREHOUSE HAD NOT BEEN USED FOR MANY YEARS, BUT THE ARMY WAS UNWILLING TO RETURN IT. ACCORDING TO THE MONKS, THE WAREHOUSE SPOILS THE PAGODA'S AESTHETICS. RICE PADDIES BORDER THE PAGODA'S OTHER THREE SIDES. CANH PHUC TU PAGODA, ACCORDING TO DUONG, WAS ONE OF THE TWO MOST BEAUTIFUL PAGODAS IN HA NAM, ENCOMPASSING 21 HECTARES WITH A FAMOUS GARDEN. ALL BUT 1744 SQUARE METERS WERE LOST TO A MILITARY WAREHOUSE DURING THE WAR, PAGODA ATTENDANTS NOTED, AND IN THE LATE 1990'S THE POLICE EXPROPRIATED MORE LAND IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF THE PAGODA'S BUILDINGS, LEAVING ONLY 598 SQUARE METERS. ONE 300-400 YEAR-OLD TREE REMAINS OF CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HANOI 01274 01 OF 02 200744Z THE GARDEN. THEY SAID THAT THE POLICE HAD BUILT TWO HOUSES, AMONG OTHER BUILDINGS, ON THE RECENTLY EXPROPRIATED LAND. FOUR NUNS AT THE PAGODA ADDED THAT THEY CONTINUED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LOSS OF PAGODA LAND BUT HAD NEVER RECEIVED AN ANSWER FROM DISTRICT AUTHORITIES AND THAT PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES HAD GIVEN AN ESSENTIALLY "UNETHICAL" ANSWER. DUONG SAID THAT THE POLICE WERE PARTICULARLY ANGRY WITH HIM AFTER HE BECAME INVOLVED WITH CANH PHUC TU PAGODA IN 1999. ¶6. (C) DUONG POINTED OUT TWO MAIN REASONS HE SAID THE GVN CONTINUES TO TREAT PAGODA AND TEMPLE LAND WITHOUT RESPECT. ONE REASON IS IDEOLOGICAL: MARXISM-LENINISM IS MATERIALISTIC AND UNCONCERNED WITH SPIRITUAL NEEDS. WHILE HE CLAIMED REPEATEDLY TO BE A COMMUNIST, HE DISCUSSED AT SOME LENGTH CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN MARXISM-LENINISM AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF, CONCLUDING THAT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO RECONCILE THESE DIFFERENCES. AS A PATRIOT, HE SAID HE HAD TO PROTECT VIETNAM'S CULTURE AND TRADITIONS. THE SECOND REASON, HE ALLEGED, IS THAT GVN OFFICIALS ARE SELLING OR USING THE APPROPRIATED LAND FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: OTHER RELIGIOUS FIGURES INCLUDING THE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ0946 PAGE 01 HANOI 01274 02 OF 02 200744Z ACTION EAP-00 INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PERC-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 ED-01 HHS-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 LAB-01 L-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OPIC-01 PRS-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W -------------- B0CD05 200744Z /38 R 200737Z MAY 02 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6512 INFO AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001274 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL ARCHBISHOP OF HANOI HAVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT LAND EXPROPRIATION AND PROPERTY DISPUTES. WHILE THESE IN HA TAY AND HA NAM ARE MOSTLY REMNANTS OF THE WAR, THE UNWILLINGNESS OR INABILITY OF THE GVN -- ESPECIALLY THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE ON RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS -- TO RESOLVE THEM CONTINUES TO CREATE SOME RESENTMENT. MORE LOCAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 01274 02 OF 02 200744Z ACTIVISM MAY FOLLOW, EVEN AT THE RISK OF "DAMAGING NATIONAL SOLIDARITY." BURGHARDT CONFIDENTIAL