Hanoi to let UN envoy meet jailed monks
HANOI - Vietnam will allow a United
Nations special rapporteur to meet two jailed Buddhist
monks, the head of the powerful government committee
on religion said on Friday.
Le Quang Vinh said that four dissident Buddhist monks
had been released from jail as part of a mass amnesty in
early September but that two remained in prison.
Abdelfattah Amor, the U.N. special rapporteur on
religious intolerance, is due to arrive in Hanoi on
Saturday before beginning a 10-day investigative trip
around the country on Monday.
``We will create conditions for him to meet the people
who are still in jail,'' Vinh told Reuters in an interview.
He named the two monks as Thich Nhat Ban and Thich
Khong Tanh who were both members of the outlawed
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV).
The two monks had been among a group jailed in
August 1995 on charges of undermining religious
solidarity through organising an illegal relief operation to
a flood-hit area.
Amor had asked to meet representatives of all religious
groups in communist-led Vietnam, and Vinh pledged he
would have free and unfettered access.
``I'd like to make clear that if the rapporteur asked for
private meetings then we won't prevent it,'' he said. ``We
want the rapporteur to know the truth and we have no
intention to restrict him..''
The special rapporteur for religious intolerance operates
under the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights.
Findings are submitted to the Commission on Human
Rights and the U.N. General Assembly, and both can
adopt resolutions.
Vinh said that many reports about religion in Vietnam
were distorted and untrue.
Vietnam's constitution enshrines freedom of religion but
in reality the communist party and state retain tight
controls over the organisation and activities of religious
groups.
While the atmosphere for worship has eased in the last
decade there are strict limits on the numbers of new
priests and monks, Catholic priests need permission to
travel outside their parishes and non-state sanctioned
religious groups are banned.
Vinh said such controls were necessary as for over a
century imperialists and colonialists had taken advantage
of religion to sabotage the country's independence.
``We are not against religion but we are determined to
fight against the use of religion to sabotage our
independence and freedom,'' he added.
Vinh said hostile forces, which he declined to identify,
wanted to overthrow the Hanoi government.
``Vietnam wants to be friends with all countries in the
world but there are still many forces that want to
overthrow the ruling regime,'' he said.
By Andy Soloman - Reuters - October 16, 1998.
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