AMBASSADOR HANFORD MEETS WITH GVN OFFICIALS TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 002358 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV VM SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HANFORD MEETS WITH GVN OFFICIALS TO URGE ACTION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ISSUES REF: A. HCMC 491 ¶B. HANOI 1133 ¶C. HANOI 1764 ¶D. HANOI 1666 HANOI 00002358 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On August 17, IRF Ambassador John Hanford met in separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and MFA International Organizations Department Director General Minh to discuss the GVN's record of implementing its commitments to improve religious freedom. While acknowledging progress in some areas, in both meetings Ambassador Hanford urged expedited efforts in the Northwest Highlands. DPM/FM Khiem asked him to convey to Washington a message about Vietnam's progress and its will and determination to overcome shortcomings. DPM/FM Khiem also remarked that religious and human rights issues should not be attached to economic issues. DG Minh outlined the progress Vietnam has made since the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue and asserted that Vietnam continues to fulfill its commitments in the area of religious freedom. DG Minh also questioned U.S. efforts to resolve Vietnam's CPC status. End Summary. VIETNAM'S PROGRESS ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES POSITIVE... -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom John Hanford, accompanied by Ambassador Marine, met August 17 with GVN Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. Ambassador Hanford began by noting that religious freedom is a "good news story" with respect to Vietnam, to which DPM/FM Khiem responded with a broad smile. Ambassador Hanford mentioned that there have been important positive developments on religious practice in Vietnam during the past two or three years, such as the government's strong action to stop local officials from aggressive acts against religious groups and progress on registering new religious groups. The issue of religious freedom was a positive aspect of the former Prime Minister's trip to the United States and the new PM has been reaching out to religious groups. ¶3. (SBU) With that introduction, Ambassador Hanford said the purpose of his current trip is explore areas in which Vietnam can make further progress in addressing our issues of concern. Religious freedom is of deep personal interest to many American citizens, as well as to the President and the Secretary. There has been some negative attention in SIPDIS Washington concerning religious freedom in Vietnam, but it is also important to recognize the progress that Vietnam has made to date, Ambassador Hanford said. ... BUT EXPEDITED EFFORTS WOULD BE TIMELY IN LIGHT OF PNTR -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford said that the USG is strongly behind passage of PNTR and WTO accession for Vietnam. In the area of religious freedom, issues of concern remain, and the USG would like Vietnam to take steps to address still problematic areas. The Vietnamese government has made significant strides towards addressing the issues targeted in the exchange of letters, such as registration of places of worship. Still, more action is necessary since there has been an uneven record of progress from province to province. This is particularly so in the NortQest Highlands. ¶5. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford said he would meet with Vice Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong and VM Le Van Bang on August 18 to discuss actions that could be taken during the next six weeks to address continuing religious freedom concerns. This is not a proposal of new ideas, but rather an acceleration of current processes and increased Vietnamese government interaction with religious leaders. Ambassador Hanford said he had been assured by the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) that efforts are currently concentrated in the Northwest Highlands. He suggested to CRA Chairman Ngo Yen Thi that current plans to approve training of religious leaders and to register new places of worship in this region could be accelerated to help address our concerns. ¶6. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford remarked that there will be critics in the United States who will never be satisfied with Vietnam's record. There would likely continue to be criticism about the lack of progress in the north, and it is important that registrations there procede at a faster pace. In addition, Ambassador Hanford said he would make specific suggestions about other actions that could be carried out HANOI 00002358 002.2 OF 004 during the next six weeks at his meetings with GVN officials on August 18. A roadmap of what the GVN plans to do to advance religious freedom would also be welcomed. It is clear that the GVN has plans to register additional groups and provide training for local officials regarding proper implementation of laws on religion. To have a statement of the government's intentions in the form of a letter would help address criticism in the United States. KHIEM'S RESPONSE: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) DPM/FM Khiem said he had listened carefully to Ambassador Hanford's observations and was pleased that Ambassador Hanford expressed a good understanding of Vietnam. All American delegations leave Vietnam with a good impression, and there is a need to promote visits and exchanges to enhance mutual understanding. The U.S.-Vietnam relationship is developing well, and the GVN will do its utmost to bring the relationship to a new plane as agreed by the President and former PM Phan Van Khai. Hosting the President during the APEC summit will be an historic event. One month ago, DPM/FM Khiem spoke with the Secretary and found her supportive on the PNTR and CPC issues. He said he thought the Secretary would urge Congress to expedite progress on PNTR. ¶8. (SBU) In terms of Ambassador Hanford's specific suggestions, the GVN will take note of what has not been accomplished and try to make progress on these items, DPM/FM Khiem continued. The GVN respects the right to follow or not follow a religious faith, as provided in the constitution and in the legal framework on religion. In cases in which some local authorities do not act appropriately, the central government will do its best to intervene. DPM/FM Khiem asked Ambassador Hanford to convey a message about Vietnam's progress and its will and determination to overcome these difficulties. He said he deeply appreciates USG support on PNTR and is grateful for Ambassador Hanford's efforts on this. Religious and human rights issues should not be attached to economic issues, and, in the future, the situation on religion will improve. After Vietnam is removed from the CPC list and PNTR is finalized, DPM/FM Khiem affirmed Vietnam will continue to work with the United States on religion and human rights issues. Vietnam is open to receiving scholars and experts to look into these issues, DPM/FM Khiem said. MEETING WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DG MINH -------------- --- ¶9. (SBU) Immediately prior to the meeting with DPM/FM Khiem, Ambassador Hanford met with MFA International Organizations Department Director General Pham Binh Minh. Ambassador Marine was also present. (Note: DG Minh led the Vietnamese side in February's Human Rights Dialogue. End Note.) Responding to DG Minh's invitation to begin, Ambassador Hanford expressed his belief that the religious freedom situation in Vietnam is generally improving. Many places in which harassment of religious believers was previously a problem are now tolerating religious activities. Forced renunciations and physical abuse of religious faithful are also increasingly rare. ¶10. (SBU) Unfortunately, progress in the Central Highlands has not been mirrored in the north, Ambassador Hanford continued. We have yet to see a clear instance of a congregation in the north being able to register, although the CRA claims six registrations under a pilot program. The Evangelical Church of Vietnam-North (ECVN) reports that 700 applications for registration have been turned in, but that many have been returned unopened (not to mention that the organization has heard nothing of this pilot program, Ambassador Hanford added). The CRA disputes this figure, and we have asked to see the ECVN's list of these 700 congregations. Furthermore, the ECVN says that it has not been able to arrange a meeting with the CRA in over one year, Ambassador Hanford said. ¶11. (SBU) This lack of progress is particularly striking when compared to the south, Ambassador Hanford observed. For example, permission was recently granted for a Christian training institute to be opened in the south. This is a significant step forward, in part, because it represents progress in an area that was not part of our two countries' exchange of letters. However, this progress has not been mirrored in the north, where the ECVN has asked for official HANOI 00002358 003.2 OF 004 permission to train deacons, the goal of which is to have an increasingly sophisticated and knowledgeable church leadership. This also squares with the GVN goal of having pastors who understand Protestantism and its teachings, but there has been no official response to the ECVN's request, Ambassador Hanford said. ¶12. (SBU) DG Minh explained that his mandate for this meeting is to outline the progress Vietnam has made since the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue. In response to the USG's request, the GVN allowed U.S. Mission officers to visit two prisons in southern Vietnam (Ref A). U.S. Mission officers, including the Ambassador, have also been able to pay many visits to northern Vietnam and the Central Highlands. Furthermore, USG prisoner of concern Do Van My was released (Ref B). (Note: We have not yet been able to independently confirm this. End Note.) The CRA's Chairman Ngo Yen Thi has separately communicated to Ambassador Hanford progress in the area of religious freedom (Ref C). For example, by the end of June, 64 congregations were registered in the Central Highlands (an increase of four over the 60 reported by Chairman Thi in his message to Ambassador Hanford, Minh added) and more than 700 places of worship there were organized. In the north, six congregations were registered and 620 places of worship were "facilitated." All of these actions show that the GVN is interested in responding to USG concerns, DG Minh asserted. ¶13. (SBU) As promised, the GVN is paying special attention to northern Vietnam, including the Northwest Highlands. The CRA plans to continue to register congregations in northern Vietnam. In September, the GVN will work with U.S. faith-based organization the Institute for Global Engagement to organize a seminar on law and religion for Southeast Asian nations. The GVN is also considering the release of USG prisoners of concern on the occasion of the upcoming National Day amnesty. However, in spite of all these actions, the GVN wonders what the USG has done, particularly regarding Vietnam's CPC status, DG Minh said. ¶14. (SBU) Noting intense Congressional and other interest in religious freedom developments in Vietnam, Ambassador Hanford said that his goal for this visit is to explore with the GVN ways to accelerate progress in the area of religious freedom. One matter of particular concern remains the north, and even the CRA representative at the Human Rights Dialogue acknowledged that local officials in this region can pose difficulties. With attention increasingly focused on Vietnam with the PNTR discussions, the impending CPC decision and the President's November visit, now is the time to move forward. Specific GVN actions over the next six weeks and a roadmap of what it intends to do over the next year to advance religious freedom would send a significant message that Vietnam is committed to addressing our religious freedom concerns, Ambassador Hanford said. ¶15. (SBU) DG Minh observed that Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang's May 2005 letter to Ambassador Hanford is still valid, and Vietnam continues to do what it committed to do in the letter. The CRA had a plan for the Central Highlands and it has a plan for the north, and there will be more progress over the next six months. The CRA has already organized three seminars to instruct trainers, and 500 officials at the village and commune level have received training on implementing the Ordinance on Religion and Belief. Over the next six months, there will be further registrations of congregations as well. But, we have to be realistic. There are difficulties in some northern provinces, and it is not realistic to expect major progress in six weeks. Vietnam will do everything it can, not for the USG, but for the sake of its own people, DG Minh said. DG Minh noted that, just as the GVN promised progress in the Central Highlands, there will also be progress in the north. However, after the exchange of letters, expectations were high that Vietnam would be removed from the CPC list. "Now people doubt that you can do something," DG Minh said. ¶16. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford explained that the exchange of letters was intended to address the issue of what the Department was legislatively mandated to do under the International Religious Freedom Act after Vietnam was designated as a CPC. The CPC designation will be removed when the problems that led to the designation have been resolved. Vietnam is now close, but problems remain, and many people are opposed to lifting CPC. DG Minh said that Vietnam also has domestic constituencies, and the MFA would like to try to find a way forward just as it would like to have Vietnam's CPC designation removed. HANOI 00002358 004 OF 004 ¶17. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford said that there are many things that Vietnam can do over the next six weeks to resolve continued issues of concern. Several of these are probably already in the works and their roll-out would only need to be accelerated. For example, the CRA could work with the ECVN to identify mature congregations in the north and register some 100 of them. A meaningful number of registrations would show Vietnam's obvious commitment to implementing its legal framework on religion. The GVN could also continue to register congregations in other parts of the country, such as the Mennonites, the Baptists and the 7th Day Adventists. ¶18. (SBU) Another issue that could quickly be addressed is the lack of transparency in the registration process. The CRA should play a greater leadership role in this area to ensure that local officials do not tell different congregations different things when they attempt to register. The release or amnesty of religious prisoner of concern Ma Van Bay would be another significant step. We understand that his case is complicated. Notably, he was arrested in 1997 for church collections, something that would not be a crime today. Our list of religious prisoners has, through the GVN's actions, been shortened to one person -- Ma Van Bay -- and it would be good if we could say that there are now no more religious prisoners of concern on our list, Ambassador Hanford noted. ¶19. (SBU) It would also be useful to see instances in which the GVN holds officials accountable for violating the law when it comes to religious rights. While forced renunciations are increasingly rare, problems still occur, such as when certain ethnic minority individuals are told to renounce their faith in return for receiving a national ID card. There are also incidents, such as the ongoing problem in Thanh Hoa Province (Ref D). In terms of property issues, there are one or two that could quickly be resolved, including those involving a Catholic cathedral in Hanoi and the ECVN's Hanoi church. However, we recognize that these can be difficult because local authorities are involved. Similarly, the establishment of a point of contact whom religious groups could reach out to in case of problems with local authorities would be another step forward, as would facilitating meetings between the CRA and the ECVN. Approving training for pastors would be another positive gesture. ¶20. (SBU) In short, these are all specific steps that, if taken over the next six weeks, would be very helpful in advancing our mutual interest in resolving religious freedom concerns. Furthermore, a roadmap of GVN intentions and proposed actions over the next year would be a useful step forward and show Vietnam's commitment to continue to work with us. DG Minh pledged to pass all of this on to VFM Bang (whom Ambassador Hanford was to meet on August 18, reported septel). ¶21. (U) Ambassador Hanford cleared this message. MARINE