HIV/AIDS INTER-FAITH SERVICE DRAWS TOP CITY

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000160

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SOCI KIRF PGOV KHIV VM RELFREE HIV AIDS
SUBJECT: HIV/AIDS INTER-FAITH SERVICE DRAWS TOP CITY
LEADERSHIP AND THOUSANDS OTHERS

REF: HCMC 132


1. (U) Over 6,000 people attended an inter-faith prayer
service to raise HIV/AIDS awareness organized by the
Catholic Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of
February 15. Senior city government and Party leaders as
well as heads of Vietnam's six recognized religions
participated in the service, the first of its kind in HCMC.


2. (U) The nearly three-hour event opened with a speech by
Nguyen Thanh Tai, Vice-Chairman of the HCMC People's
Committee, responsible for social and cultural affairs. Tai
outlined the threat that HIV/AIDS poses to the community and
HCMC's response. He welcomed the efforts of religious
groups, other NGOs, and individual volunteers to combat
HIV/AIDS. Following Tai, Buddhist, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao,
Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic leaders emphasized their
desire to work together to combat HIV/AIDS. Following the
speeches, Cardinal Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh
City, led a Catholic service. The event concluded with
testimonials from HIV positive patients and volunteers
caring for AIDS patients. Local print and television
outlets covered the event.


3. (U) During the event, Catholic Church representatives
announced they would launch an AIDS awareness campaign
throughout the HCMC archdiocese. They also said they were
planning to establish Church-based volunteer networks to
care for AIDS patients throughout the city. Alluding to the
HCMC government's discouragement of charitable activities by
religious groups in the past, the Vicar General of the
Catholic Church said "we hope the government's offices will
give more favorable conditions to religions as well as
social and charitable organizations in order to serve man
more concretely and efficiently."


4. (SBU) Phuong Dinh Toai (protect),Program Manager of the
Archdiocese's AIDS Committee, told us the Church spent five
months negotiating the inter-faith service with the
government and other religious leaders. However, once the
Archdiocese received permission from the government to move
ahead, the Church was free to plan the event as it chose.
Toai said that the Church made the final decision on whether
to allow local Government leaders to participate or not
based on the content of their speeches, which were
prescreened by the Archdiocese.


5. (SBU) Comment: Cardinal Man previously had grumbled that
the HCMC government was limiting unduly the Church's
charitable activities. A lot has changed over the past few
months: the HCMC government has allowed the Church to become
the primary care giver at an HIV/AIDS treatment facility
within a drug rehabilitation center (Ref A). The Church
also recently secured formal permission to operate an AIDS
hospice in the HCMC area. Other Church initiatives, such as
an HIV/AIDS counseling and testing center, while not yet
Government-approved, operate without hindrance.


6. (SBU) Comment Continued: The well-orchestrated inter-
faith service made clear and very public the desire of
religious organizations -- particularly the Catholic Church
-- to do more in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The prominent
involvement of the City's high-ranking leaders in the
service is an encouraging sign that the HCMC government is
ready to partner more fully with religious-based and non-
religious NGOs to combat a growing HIV/AIDS threat. End
Comment.

WINNICK