OFFICIALS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS PORTRAY POSITIVE PICTURE OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001056 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF, PRM/ANE, PRM/A E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF PREL VM SUBJECT: OFFICIALS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS PORTRAY POSITIVE PICTURE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BEN TRE AND SOC TRANG REF: A) HCMC 1054 B) 07 HCMC 1236 HO CHI MIN 00001056 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Ben Tre and Soc Trang authorities attribute the positive religious freedom situation in their respective provinces in part to their sponsorship of annual training on 2004 and 2005 central government regulations on religion. Ben Tre officials cautioned, however, that religious believers should not carry out "activities hostile to the state under the cover of religion." For their part, Soc Trang officials said the province does not require congregations to provide lists of followers and one religious leader can register several congregations. Soc Trang Catholic leaders concurred with the positive picture depicted by provincial authorities: while their churches have space and personnel needs, they say they have good relations with Soc Trang officials and no official obstacles stand in the way of Catholics carrying out charitable activities. End Summary. Implementing Regulations in Ben Tre -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee and Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) officials on November 17 told PolOffs that central government regulations have facilitated religious practice because they codify certain rules and are "clearly written." CRA organizes annual training programs on these regulations, including sessions on registration procedures, they explained. (Note: The regulations include the 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief, the Prime Minister's 2005 "Instruction on Tasks Regarding Protestantism" and a 2005 decree guiding implementation of the Ordinance on Religion and Belief. End Note). Commune and district officials and villagers also come to the provincial administration seeking guidance on how to implement regulations, they said. ¶3. (SBU) Ben Tre provincial authorities stated that people are free to practice their beliefs but warned that religious followers should not carry out "activities hostile to the state under the cover of religion." They noted that the province has not experienced any negative incidents nor disciplined any officials for intolerance of religious activities since 2006. If a commune leader were to make derogatory statements about a religious faith, the leader would be disciplined, they guaranteed. ¶4. (SBU) In response to PolOff's question about an incident reported to ConGen HCMC, Ben Tre provincial authorities denied that Tan Phong Commune police and officials insulted and threatened Vietnamese Assemblies of God followers. Provincial authorities concluded that no one in the commune said the faith was "reactionary." They said the problem was that the local head of the congregation registered a single congregation in three different places. However, regulations require congregation to register at a specific locale, not three different locations, they stated. (Comment: Local congregations must register in one locale, but there can be three different congregations at three different locales. If they want to move their church they have to re-register at the new location. End Comment). Promoting Peaceful Relations in Soc Trang -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Soc Trang Ethnic Minority and Internal Affairs Department officials on November 20 told PolOff that relations between Kinh and Khmer are "harmonious." Soc Trang officials, however, did not make mention of the cases of four former Khmer Buddhist Khmer monks who were imprisoned after their involvement in a February 2007 demonstration, which was raised by the USCIRF delegation last year (Ref B). An Ethnic Minority Department official asserted that provincial and local governments have not denied benefits to anyone because of religious affiliation or ethnicity. No officials had been disciplined for violating religious freedom regulations or for saying the Protestant faith was "reactionary," the official emphasized. ¶6. (SBU) Soc Trang's positive religious freedom situation was partly attributable to officials and villagers participating in training on the contents of the 2004 and 2005 Central Government regulations on religion, the official continued. He said Soc Trang does not demand that congregations provide lists of followers and one religious leader can register several congregations, the official explained. ¶7. (SBU) Catholic Church leaders confirmed in a subsequent meeting that provincial and local authorities have pursued an enlightened approach toward religion. The head priest at the Soc Trang Catholic Church (in the Can Tho Diocese) told PolOff that Catholics are free to practice their beliefs and have good relations with provincial and local authorities. There are no obstacles to the Church carrying out charitable activities, HO CHI MIN 00001056 002.2 OF 002 which mostly consist of administering to the poor, the head priest said. The Church does not need approvals for its activities but informs local Vietnam Fatherland Front representatives about the activities, he said. Comment: If Only Tra Vinh Would Copy -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The largely positive state of religious freedom in these two Delta provinces stands in stark contrast to neighboring Tra Vinh (Ref A) and serves to highlight Hanoi's uneven progress in getting local governments to implement central government regulations on religion. End Comment. ¶9. (SBU) This cable was co-written by Embassy Hanoi. FAIRFAX