PROTESTANT SEMINARY TO OPEN?

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 001885 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL/RF E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/12 TAGS: PHUM PINS VM HUMANR RELFREE SUBJECT: PROTESTANT SEMINARY TO OPEN? REF: HO CHI MINH CITY 630 ¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/C SCOTT BELLARD, REASON: 1.5 (D) ¶2. (C) DURING A LUNCHEON WITH POL/C AND POLOFF ON JULY 26, ACTING HEAD OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF VIETNAM- NORTH (ECVN) REVEREND AU QUANG VINH (PLEASE PROTECT) SAID THAT THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF VIETNAM-SOUTH (ECVS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 01885 290930Z -- RECOGNIZED BY THE GVN ONLY IN 2001) WAS PREPARING TO OPEN A SEMINARY IN HO CHI MINH CITY IN SEPTEMBER 2002, ALTHOUGH IT STILL HAD NOT LOCATED A SUITABLE SITE. (ITS PRE-1975 CAMPUS IN NHA TRANG IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, HE NOTED.) REVEREND VINH PREDICTED THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WOULD BE ABOUT 100. HE EXPRESSED CONCERN, HOWEVER, THAT THE GVN'S PERMISSION APPEARS TO BE ONLY APPLICABLE TO THIS ONE CLASS; IT IS FAR FROM CLEAR WHETHER THE SEMINARY WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE AFTER THE GRADUATION OF THAT CLASS. HE POINTED TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ECVN'S SEMINARY IN HANOI, WHICH BOTH VINH AND HIS WIFE ATTENDED; THE HANOI SEMINARY CLOSED IN 1993 AFTER PRODUCING ONLY ONE CLASS OF 12 GRADUATES. HE NOTED THAT THE GVN CONTINUED TO BLOCK THE ECVN'S EFFORTS TO GET ITS SEMINARY GOING AGAIN (UNDER THE PRETEXT THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF QUALIFIED INSTRUCTORS) OR EVEN TO HOLD A GENERAL MEETING OF THE ECVN LEADERSHIP (THE LAST MEETING WAS HELD IN 1988). ¶3. (C) REVEREND VINH CONFIRMED OTHER REPORTS (REFTEL) THAT THE LATE HEAD OF THE ECVS, REVEREND PHAM XUAN THIEU, HAD COME UNDER MUCH CRITICISM WITHIN THE ECVS FOR HAVING PARTICIPATED IN A MAY DELEGATION OF GVN AND RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS TO THE U.S. HE SAID THAT REVEREND THIEU (WHOM HE DESCRIBED AS ONE OF HIS OWN FORMER TEACHERS) HAD FELT THAT HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PARTICIPATE, BUT WAS CLEARLY UNCOMFORTABLE IN BEING PART OF THIS DELEGATION. ¶4. (C) REVEREND VINH ALSO EXPRESSED CONTINUED CONCERN OVER GVN SUPERVISION OF ECVN ACTIVITIES. HE NOTED THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HANOI 01885 290930Z HE HAD BEEN EFFECTIVELY BARRED FROM TRAVELING TO LAO CAI PROVINCE, FOR EXAMPLE, DUE TO EARLIER "PROBLEMS" (WHICH HE DID NOT WISH TO DESCRIBE IN DETAIL) RELATING TO HMONG CHRISTIANS. HE REMAINS CAUTIOUS ABOUT MEETING WITH FOREIGNERS; HE URGED POL/C NOT TO TRY TO CONTACT ANY OF THE WORSHIPPERS ENCOUNTERED DURING THE SUNDAY SERVICES. REVEREND VINH EXPRESSED CERTAINTY THAT THERE WAS MPS SUPERVISION, IF PROBABLY INDIRECT, OF THESE WORSHIP SERVICES AT THE SOLE VIETNAMESE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN HANOI. (REVEREND VINH NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN NINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN 1954.) HE ADMITTED HIS OWN RELUCTANCE TO MEET WITH FOREIGN DELEGATIONS, INCLUDING THE UPCOMING VISIT OF AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM JOHN HANFORD, BECAUSE HE FEELS HE CANNOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS FREELY AND OPENLY, AND YET DOES NOT WANT TO SPOUT THE OFFICIAL LINE. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: REVEREND VINH'S COMMENTS REFLECT THE DUALITY OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IN VIETNAM: WHILE THERE IS PROGRESS ON SOME FRONTS, SUCH AS THE PROBABLE OPENING OF THE ECVS SEMINAR, OTHER GVN RESTRICTIONS AND ONGOING SUPERVISION MAKE AT LEAST MANY RELIGIOUS LEADERS FEEL FRUSTRATED AND HAMPERED IN THEIR RELIGIOUS WORK. BURGHARDT CONFIDENTIAL