VISIT OF AMBASSADOR HANFORD TO HCMC: OFFICIAL MEETINGS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001035

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TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF PINR VM
SUBJECT: VISIT OF AMBASSADOR HANFORD TO HCMC: OFFICIAL MEETINGS

REF: HANOI 1666

HO CHI MIN 00001035 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador-at-Large for International
Religious Freedom John Hanford told GVN officials during a
August 14-16 visit that he welcomed the progress that Vietnam
has made on religious freedom over the past two years. However,
additional progress was needed, especially in the Northwest
Highlands. Chairman of the National Committee for Religious
Affairs -- also visiting HCMC -- acknowledged that progress in
Northwest Highlands has been slow, but affirmed that the GVN is
working to facilitate church registration there. The Chairman
said that Vietnam would continue to implement the legal
framework on religion -- its own laws -- irrespective of CPC.
That said, Vietnam desired lifting of CPC. The Chairman
welcomed Ambassador Hanford's suggestion of a "roadmap" that
would delineate further progress on religious freedom in Vietnam
as a mechanism to secure CPC lifting. HCMC government officials
pledged to make further progress on religious freedom, but did
not make any specific commitments on the issues that Ambassador
Hanford raised, including property restitution and official NGO
designation for the HCMC Catholic Archdiocese's HIV/AIDS
program. Septel covers Ambassador Hanford's meetings with
Protestant church leaders. End Summary.


2. (SBU) During a visit to HCMC August 14 to 16, Ambassador John
Hanford, accompanied by DRL/IRF advisor Clarissa Adamson, met
with GVN, HCMC and Protestant Church leaders to review progress
on religious freedom issues. In a lunch discussion, Ambassador
Hanford told the National Chairman of the Committee for
Religious Affairs (CRA) Ngo Yen Thi and Protestant affairs
specialist Nguyen Van Thong, that "Vietnam was an unfolding good
news story." The substantial progress made over the past two
years was a result of the hard work of Thi and his CRA
colleagues. However, significant concerns remain. These
concerns have an impact on the Congressional debate over
extending Vietnam Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR).
Ambassador Hanford told Chairman Thi that the objective of his
visit is to find a way forward on Vietnam's Country of
Particular Concern (CPC) status. This requires Vietnam to show
progress on remaining areas of concern, including: registration
of churches in the North West and Central Highlands belong to
the Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) and the Southern
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV). The USG also is looking
for registration of unofficial house church organizations such
as the Mormons, United World Mission Church (UNWC) and Baptist
groups.


3. (SBU) Responding to Ambassador Hanford's question on the slow
pace of church registration in the NW Highlands, especially
compared to the Central Highlands, Chairman Thi observed that it
took Hanoi two years to achieve current gains in the Central
Highlands. Although Hanoi is applying the "lessons learned"
form the Central Highlands, the situation in the Northwest is
perhaps even more difficult. Protestantism is a new phenomenon
in the Northwest. Thi acknowledged that Hanoi has been slow to
train local officials in the NW on Protestantism and their
obligations under the legal framework on religion. The spread
of Protestantism in the Northwest has caused significant
friction within some ethnic minority communities as some ethnic
village leaders see the religion as a threat to traditional
beliefs. Local governments need to ensure that church
registrations do not undermine "community harmony." Another
complicating factor is that the ECVN is far less organized than
the SECV and does not have trained pastors to lead communities.
CRA Specialist Thong also took strong issue with ECVN claims
that it has over 700 congregations in the NW Highlands, saying
that the number is far smaller and that some congregations are
affiliated with other Protestant (house church) groups.


4. (SBU) To deal with these challenges, the CRA has been working
with provincial governments in the NW Highlands on a series of
"pilot registrations." Thi said that Lai Chau province has
registered two ECVN congregations, Lau Cai four. (Comment:
Embassy Hanoi has not yet confirmed these claims. End Comment.)
Another five registrations are "in progress" in Thai Nguyen,
"five or six" in Bac Can, and four in Yen Bai. Once local
officials are more confident with the process and with their
ECVN counterparts, the CRA can accelerate registrations.
Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands, in addition to continuing
the process of registration of SECV congregations, the CRA is
working to introduce ethnic minority-language bibles in the
three major ethnic languages (Bahnar, Ede, Jarai).
Registrations for some house churches (Mormons, UWMC),two small
Buddhist sects and the Baha'i are pending; other registrations
will be considered once these registrations are concluded. The
GVN also will continue "to consider" property restitution claims
from the ECVN and the SECV. Thi also said that he has "solved"
the problem of local officials rejecting petitions for national
identity documents if the applicant declares that he is a
Protestant. The Chairman asserted that he has instructed police
in Thanh Hoa province to apologize to the house church preacher
who was assaulted a few weeks ago and to reprimand officials

HO CHI MIN 00001035 002.2 OF 002


responsible. (See reftel for additional reporting on the Thanh
Hoa incident.)


5. (SBU) Chairman Thi noted that Vietnam will comply with its
own laws -- and thus continue the process of church
registrations -- irrespective of the status of CPC. However,
Thi hoped that CPC could be lifted soon. He welcomed Ambassador
Hanford's idea of a "roadmap" that would cover additional GVN
progress on religious freedom as part of a CPC-lifting strategy.
Thi welcomed Ambassador Hanford's upcoming meetings with senior
GVN officials including the Vice Minister of Public Security.
Thi requested the Ambassador to assist him by pressing GVN
interlocutors to instruct local governments to implement the
legal framework on religion more aggressively. Chairman Thi
also welcomed Ambassador Hanford's suggestion to bring CRA
officials from key provinces to the U.S. on an exchange program
on religious affairs.


6. (SBU) Chairman Thi noted that the GVN had resolved
outstanding issues related to a Catholic church request to open
a new seminary in Dong Nai province near HCMC. On August 21,
officials from the Xuan Loc Bishop's Office confirmed that the
diocese will open a seminary there, as a branch of the HCMC
Seminary. This year's intake will be 68 students from the
diocese. In 2007 the church plans to take additional students
from three other dioceses: Ba Ria Vung Tau, Lam Dong and Phan
Thiet. Groundbreaking for a new seminary building will take
place on August 26.


7. (SBU) In a separate meeting with HCMC People's Committee Vice
Chairman Nguyen Thanh Tai, the Ambassador lauded the HCMC
government's recent decision to approve the opening of a new
seminary for the SECV. He thanked the HCMC government for its
leadership role in house church registrations. The Ambassador
noted that the USG expects that this process will continue with
the registration of additional HCMC-based house church
denominations and the resolution of outstanding SECV property
claims, especially that of its former headquarters and another
key property. The Ambassador also encouraged the HCMC
government to support efforts of the Catholic Archdiocese to
secure GVN recognition of its "Pastoral Care" HIV/AIDS program
as an official Vietnamese NGO.


8. (SBU) Vice-Chairman Tai told the Ambassador that the HCMC
government is working with provincial CRA officials to
strengthen grassroots implementation of the legal framework on
religion. Even in HCMC, local understanding of Hanoi's "clear
policy" is not yet adequate. Tai said that he allocated
recently substantial funds to district-level governments to
facilitate the process of local registration of house churches.
While supportive of Archdiocese efforts on HIV/AIDS, Tai made no
commitment on its request for NGO designation. Tai said that he
would work with the SECV on property restitution issue and would
"study" their request for the return of two downtown HCMC
properties.


9. (U) This message was cleared by Ambassador Hanford.
WINNICK