Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05HANOI353
2005-02-15 10:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Hanoi
Cable title:  

PRIME MINISTER ISSUES INSTRUCTION ON PROTESTANTS

Tags:  PHUM KIRF PGOV VM ETMIN HUMANR RELFREE 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000353 

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM ETMIN HUMANR RELFREE
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER ISSUES INSTRUCTION ON PROTESTANTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000353

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM ETMIN HUMANR RELFREE
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER ISSUES INSTRUCTION ON PROTESTANTS


1. (SBU) Summary: Prime Minister Phan Van Khai issued on
February 4 an Instruction to guide Ministries and People's
Committees in their relations with Protestant churches and
believers. The document directs authorities to assist
Protestant followers in celebrating their faith, including
by opening churches, registering pastors and allowing
denominations operating since 1975 to register their
religious practice, even if they do not yet meet all
criteria for official recognition. The Instruction also
specifically bans forced renunciations of faith. In the
Central Highlands, local authorities are to allow those
groups that do not yet meet requirements to form a
congregation to register and conduct their activities so
long as they have no affiliation with separatist movements.
End Summary


2. (SBU) The Prime Minister's Instruction (unofficial
translation in Para 6) directs all relevant authorities to
"create favorable conditions for Protestant followers to
belong to their local communities." When a "true demand for
religious practice is seen," authorities are told to
register for religious practice the activities of those
"Protestant cults and organizations that have not yet met
enough conditions... to be recognized." Authorities are
also to consider for legal status organizations that have
had "pure religious activities since 1975." Addressing the
issue of forced renunciations, the Instruction directs
authorities to "outlaw attempts to force people to follow a
religion or deny a religion." Religious believers
"disguised as Protestants" whose activities "go against the
nation" are to be publicly announced, and "illegal
missionaries" are to be punished.


3. (SBU) Focusing specifically on the Central Highlands, the
Instruction directs authorities to "create favorable
conditions for [congregations] to build places of worship."
For those groups of believers who do not meet the full
criteria of a congregation, authorities should allow them to
"register for religious practice at a suitable place..." so
long as the believers are not linked to FULRO or Dega

separatists. In the Northwest Highlands, authorities are
told to make similar accommodations for "followers who have
practiced their religion for some time," but they are also
to help people who have adopted Protestantism but "wish to
come back to their traditional beliefs...."


4. (SBU) The Instruction was released in a limited way on
February 4, and notice appeared in some Vietnamese
newspapers. The Government has since withheld the
Instruction and plans to re-release it to the press on
February 16. We have obtained an advance copy. While few
of our religious contacts have seen the Instruction, most
are aware of it from media reports. Mission will report on
their reaction septel, after the official release.


5. (SBU) Comment: This is a very positive document. It
contains a specific command from the highest level of the
GVN banning forced renunciations of faith. Potentially, it
also allows house churches to reopen in the Central
Highlands and act more freely in the Northwest Highlands.
This goes a long way in meeting the criteria for progress in
religious freedom that the Department has presented Vietnam
with and upon which we based CPC designation. Of course
orders at the highest level do not always lead to action at
the local level, an excuse we hear often from the GVN. We
will watch closely the GVN's efforts to put these orders
into practice, although this is not something that will
happen overnight. End comment.


6. (U) //Begin Unofficial Embassy Translation//

SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
PRIME MINISTER
No: 01/2005/CT-TTg
Hanoi, February 4, 2005

INSTRUCTION OF THE PRIME MINISTER
On some tasks regarding Protestantism


In implementing of the Party's guidance and State's policies
on Protestantism in the past, concerned Ministries, services
and localities have exerted many efforts and achieved
important results. Pure religious activities for Protestant
clerics and adherents are ensured, which creates a positive
atmosphere among believers and consolidates their trust in
the Party's leadership. Protestant followers have actively
participated in economic, cultural and social development
and contributed to national construction.

In order to continue strictly to implement the Party's
guidance and State's policies on religion and belief in
general and Protestantism in particular, the Prime Minister
requests that concerned Ministries, services, provincial and
municipal People's Committees closely coordinate with the
Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations in strictly
and effectively implementing the following tasks:

-- 1. Fully realize the Party's guidance and the State's
legislation concerning beliefs and religions, and policies
on Protestantism, while actively carrying out economic,
cultural and social development projects for the improvement
of people's living conditions; and create favorable
conditions for Protestant followers to belong to their local
communities, thus encouraging them to become more deeply
involved in local economic, cultural and social development
as well as national construction and defense.

-- 2. Raise public awareness about the need to create
favorable conditions for Protestant followers and clerics to
strictly implement the Party's policies and the State's
legislation on beliefs and religions so as to ensure their
religious practice is conducted in a normal routine and in
conformity with the law; encourage every Protestant, cleric
and adherent, to live a good religious and secular life in
the service of God, the fatherland and the nation. Ensure
that each citizen's freedom of religious and belief practice
is observed; attempts to force people to follow a religion
or deny their religion are strictly prohibited. Be
determined to fight attempts by hostile forces to abuse
Protestantism to incite people to act subversively, sow
division among the people, and conduct activities going
against the nation.

-- 3. Guide the Vietnam Protestant Church (northern region)
and the Vietnam Protestant Church (southern region) to
conduct their religious activities in line with their
charters and regulations within the law.

-- 4. For Protestant in the Central Highlands, southern
Truong Son region and central provinces: continue to
consider and recognize eligible chapters of the Vietnam
Protestant Church (southern region) and then create
favorable conditions for them to build places of worship,
and conduct training and arrange clerics who will take
charge of managing those chapters that have been recognized
by the law.

For groups of Protestants which have not met enough
conditions under the requirements of the law to establish a
congregation, communal and ward authorities should create
favorable conditions for them to conduct their normal
religious practice at home or permit them to register for
religious practice at a suitable place in hamlets and
villages, if there exists a pure demand for religious
practice from local followers committed to follow
regulations and not to support FULRO and be affiliated with
Dega Protestantism (which is actually a reactionary FULRO-
affiliated organization).

-- 5. For people of ethnic minority groups in northern
mountainous areas who have just adopted Protestantism:
considering their religious demand, devise proper policies
along the following lines.

For those Protestant followers who have practiced their
religion for some time, they should be guided to practice
their religion at home or at a suitable place in hamlets and
villages. When possible, Protestants should be encouraged
to practice their religion in accordance with the law.

For people having adopted Protestantism who wish to come
back to their traditional belief, they should be helped to
realize their wish.

-- 6. To announce publicly to religious believers those
disguised Protestants whose activities go against the nation
and sow division among the people as well as their illegal
activities and the State's punishments and clemency
policies. As well, illegal missionaries will be strictly
punished in accordance with the law.

-- 7. Protestant cults and organizations which have not met
enough conditions under the requirements of the law to be
recognized should be helped to register for religious
practice with communal and ward authorities, if a true
demand for religious practice is seen. Step by step,
consider and recognize the legal status of Protestant cults
and organizations that had pure religious activities since

1975. If they meet all requirements of the law, they should
be permitted to convene the General Assembly for the legal
status recognition.

-- 8. According to current law, local People's Committees
should facilitate requests for construction of places of
worship, appointment of clerics, and training from
recognized Protestant cults.

-- 9. Ministers of ministries, heads of Ministerial-level
agencies and governmental offices, and chairmen of
provincial and municipal People's Committees must be
responsible for strictly implementing this Instruction.

The Government Committee for Religious Affairs is
responsible for overseeing and guiding the implementation of
the Instruction and providing reports to the Prime Minister.

Recipients:

Standing Secretariat,
President,
National Assembly Chairman,
Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers,
Office of the Central Party Committee and Commissions,
Office of the National Assembly,
Office of the President,
Vietnam Fatherland Front,
Ministries, Ministerial-level agencies and governmental
offices,
Secretaries of Party's Committees and Chairmen of People's

SIPDIS
Committees of provinces and centrally run cities,
Supreme People's Procuracy,
Supreme People's Court,
Steering Committees for the Northwestern region, Central
Highlands region, and Western South region,
Central offices of mass organization,
Official Gazette,
Office of the Government: BTCN, TBNC, research group,
concerned divisions, departments and offices,
Speaker of the Prime Minister,
Archives

//End Unofficial Embassy Translation//
MARINE