SITUATION FOR LANG MAI MONKS DETERIORATES AT BAT NHA PAGODA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000599 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH AND DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM SUBJECT: SITUATION FOR LANG MAI MONKS DETERIORATES AT BAT NHA PAGODA REF: HANOI 653 HO CHI MIN 00000599 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On September 21, local authorities raided the dormitory of the besieged monks and nuns of the Plum Village Lang Mai Order at Bat Nha pagoda in Lam Dong province, demanding identification papers and taking several monks into custody for questioning. The police action came shortly after the group was informed by the National Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) that their petition to remain in Lam Dong has been denied, leaving them in legal limbo without official sponsorship. The 400 Vietnamese followers of the internationally renowned Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, have lived with daily harassment from Bat Nha resident monks and locals. While they acknowledge that living conditions for their group have deteriorated rapidly, the Lang Mai adherents are determined to remain at Bat Nha until they receive a final decision from Lam Dong VBS regarding their sponsorship. End summary. CRA Denies Petition, Police Raid Compound -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The situation for Lang Mai monks and nuns at Bat Nha pagoda in Lam Dong province has grown progressively worse this week, culminating in a police raid on their dormitory late in the evening of September 21. A monk within the group told ConGenOff that ten uniformed policemen and a group of plainclothes individuals kicked open the door to the monk's quarters and asked them to present their identification documents. They took the IDs of two monks and asked them to come to the local police station, where they were questioned and released at 0900 in the morning. The call was cut before the monk could relay more details, but international media reported that an angry mob gathered outside the pagoda and pressured monks to leave, including a group carrying knives who reportedly took the monks' laundry off a clothesline and tossed it into a nearby river. ¶3. (SBU) On September 22, Poloff in Hanoi spoke with Colonel Nguyen The Cong, Deputy Director of the Security Department at the Ministry of Public Security to reiterate our concerns about the treatment of the Plum Village monks and to complain about last night's raid and detention of several monks. Poloff reminded Cong that the DCM and Ambassador had expressed similar concerns to senior MFA, MPS and CRA officials and requested that the GVN intervene to protect the monks. Cong said he did not have specific information about last night's incident and whether police were involved, but insisted that if the police were involved they were merely enforcing the law. ¶4. (SBU) The police raid came shortly after the group received a negative reply from the national Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) in response to its petition to remain at the pagoda. In a letter dated September 16, the national CRA cited four reasons for denying the group's request: failure to meet temporary residency requirements, lack of sponsorship by the Vietnam Buddhist Sanga (VBS),lack of support from Bat Nha's head monk Thich Duc Nghi and the lack of a legally appointed spokesperson to submit the petition on behalf of the group, despite the fact the petition had been penned by a monk and signed by most of the Lang Mai members. ¶5. (SBU) The CRA's negative response has dashed further the group's hopes of remaining at the pagoda, but most seem determined to remain at Bat Nha until they receive official notification regarding their September request for sponsorship from the Lam Dong VBS. A monk in close contact with the Consulate said "I know it's no longer safe here...but we don't know where to go now. We still want to follow our faith. For the past year, there were times when I felt so tired, so hurt, but I still try to stay positive. I still believe that we can understand and love each other." COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (SBU) It is unlikely that the VBS will intercede to support the group now that the CRA has officially denied its support for Lang Mai's continued residency at Bat Nha pagoda. The police HO CHI MIN 00000599 002.2 OF 002 raid is likely the first step towards an actual eviction of the group from Bat Nha. Though the group had been living and studying at the pagoda for the past four years, head monk Thich Duc Nghi never filed for the group's temporary residency permits and quickly withdrew his support after controversial articles critical of GVN policies on bauxite mining, Vietnam-China relations and other sensitive subject appeared on a website affiliated with the Plum Village Community late last year (reftel). The articles also prompted local authorities to begin their campaign of harassment towards the Lang Mai community, including inciting local opinion against the group. Part of the Lang Mai group's reluctance to leave has been the substantial sum invested in building their prayer and study facilities at the pagoda, much of which was destroyed by angry locals in June. END COMMENT. ¶7. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. FAIRFAX