Vietnam’s Hosting of Religious Event Called “Window-Dressing”
Vietnam’s Hosting of Religious Event Called “Window-Dressing”
ICC Note:
Vesak, a Buddhist celebration marking the “birth, enlightment, and the passing away” of the Buddha, is to be held in Vietnam for the first time, but human rights activists criticize the decision on the grounds of the government’s worsening record on religious freedom. Particular attention is drawn to Buddhist persecution as well as the Hmong and Montagnard Christians who are routinely persecuted for their faith.
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5/14/08 Vietnam (CrossWalk) A U.N.-sponsored international event marking the Buddhist religion’s “contribution to building a just, democratic and civilized society” has begun in Vietnam, but critics are questioning the suitability of the venue, given the communist government’s record on religious freedom and political dissent.
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This year, Vietnam — which has the world’s third largest population of Buddhists after China and Thailand — was chosen as host.
On Monday, the head of a government agency dealing with Vietnamese living abroad, Nguyen Thanh Son, told a group of Buddhists who had returned for the event that the U.N. Vesak celebration was “the clearest proof” of Hanoi’s respect for religious freedom.
Yet the event comes at a time restrictions on both religious and political rights in the South-East Asian country are drawing negative attention.
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But human rights campaigners charge that since making the diplomatic gains, Hanoi has moved away from earlier improvements, especially in the area of religious freedom.
Among those targeted by government policies are members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), an independent group that Hanoi has outlawed, as well as Christians, especially members of the Montagnard and Hmong minorities.
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Buddhists independent of the state-sponsored Buddhist organization are not the only Vietnamese facing difficulties relating to their religious beliefs.
Montagnard (also known as Degar) Christians of the Central Highlands, victims of state repression for decades, were last month targeted by a new crackdown after members demonstrated for religious freedom and the release of Montagnard prisoners, and against the confiscation of ancestral lands.
The U.S.-based Montagnard Foundation reported a number of atrocities, including the alleged murder on April 28 of a Christian who it says was tied with a rope to a police jeep and dragged until he died.
Rights activists say Montagnards are frequently harassed and detained, and typically accused of separatist activities or sympathies.