VZCZCXRO8296
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1554/01 1740730
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230730Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2495
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1395
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001554 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KIRF PHUM PGOV HUMANR RELFREE VM
SUBJECT: SOME PROGRESS FOR QUANG NINH PROTESTANTS 
 
REF: A) 05 HANOI 2838, B) HANOI 1466 
 
HANOI 00001554  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) On June 16, Poloff met Quang Ninh Province religious 
affairs officials and visited a Ha Long City Protestant house 
church.  Poloff was allowed to participate in a frank dialogue 
between provincial officials and congregants at the church 
concerning the group's one year delayed registration under the GVN's 
new framework on religion.  Officials noted that the province will 
not let Protestants register soon, but will allow them to gather for 
worship in small groups for the time being. Nevertheless, the 
unprecedented access to the Protestant's place of worship we were 
afforded and the fact that we were allowed to observe the dialogue 
are positive developments and run counter to our expectations of 
this normally recalcitrant province.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 16, Poloff and Pol Assistants traveled to Quang 
Ninh Province and met with Mr. Nguyen Tran Truong, Deputy Director 
of the provincial Department of Religion and Ethnicity (DRE).  There 
were no police or Ministry of Public Security (MPS) participants in 
the meeting.  Poloff stressed the importance of expanding religious 
freedom for U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relations and inquired about the 
DRE's efforts to fulfill the PM's instructions on Protestant 
registration, noting that the GVN's Committee on Religious Affairs 
(CRA) recently informed the Embassy that each province in the North 
is developing its own plan to implement the registration policy (REF 
B).  Poloff expressed concern that despite longstanding 
applications, three Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) 
congregations (one in Ha Long City and two in Mong Cai District) 
have not yet been allowed to register (REF A). 
 
Protestant Registration Will Not Occur This Summer. 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Nguyen provided the standard historical overview that 
Protestantism has only existed in Quang Ninh Province since 1990, 
and that many Protestants are confused about their actual church 
affiliation.  Some congregations have multiple denominations or 
frequently change their allegiances.  Despite this, "provincial 
authorities are strictly implementing the PM's instructions and have 
established a roadmap to fulfill GVN policy on religion."  This 
includes conducting seminars for district and commune officials 
responsible for "educating" Protestants about their legal obligation 
under registration laws.  Regarding the three unregistered 
congregations, Nguyen maintained that his department has initiated a 
long-term process to register the groups, but noted that "the 
congregations need to understand their activities and establish 
themselves according to the law" before they will be allowed to 
register.  For the time being, local commune officials will 
"continue to provide the necessary guidance," and members will be 
allowed to continue to meet privately in small groups, he said. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Poloff noted that Vietnam's accession to the WTO and the 
opening up of Vietnamese society will likely introduce more 
Protestant denominations in the province.   It is to the province's 
advantage if Quang Ninh officials register the three ECVN 
congregations before the number of applications increases.  If local 
officials use this opportunity to establish a coherent framework for 
the registration process, the province will ensure a stable 
expansion of religious freedoms in Vietnam, which is a core interest 
of the United States.  Nguyen promised to convey this message to the 
provincial leadership. 
 
Officials Are Open To Dialogue With Congregations. 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Nguyen attributed tensions between provincial officials and 
Protestant groups to a "failure to communicate" and complained that 
congregations do not report their meetings to authorities. 
Provincial officials have sought out Protestant groups with a 
sincere desire to discuss conditions for registering their 
activities.  Nguyen requested the Embassy team dispel Protestants' 
fears about the local administration and expressed a desire to 
establish a dialogue with congregations.  Poloff observed that 
Protestants' anxiety and frustrations with local officials are 
legitimate and stem from negative experiences dealing with the DRE 
in the past, but welcomed Nguyen's efforts to reach out to them. 
 
The Province Still Needs More Priests. 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Turning to Catholic issues, Nguyen acknowledged that the 
number of priests in the Catholic parish remains inadequate.  Out of 
the 57 new priests recently ordained in Vietnam, only one was 
assigned to the province.  Nguyen assured Poloff that he plans to 
support any applications for priesthood to the Hanoi seminary from 
his jurisdiction. (Note: when Ambassador Marine visited Quang Ninh 
Province last October, there were only five priests assigned to the 
parish, although the church estimates that it needs at least twice 
this number to serve the needs of parishioners. End Note.) 
 
HANOI 00001554  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
Quang Ninh Allows Embassy Team To Visit House Church. 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) In the afternoon, Poloff visited the ECVN-affiliated Ha 
Long Congregation and met with members of its executive board. 
Nguyen and Mrs. Kim (NFI), the DRE's Expert on Protestant Affairs, 
also accompanied the Embassy team.  Mr. Tan Truong Sy, Chairman of 
the congregation's executive board, greeted Poloff in a busy Ha Long 
City neighborhood and led the party to the group's place of worship, 
which is located in a small triangular space above a grocery store. 
This sparsely furnished room fronts the third floor of the building 
which sits in the middle of the block and has picture windows facing 
the street.  As we arrived, a meeting was in session and hymns were 
clearly audible from the sidewalk.  There was no visible police 
presence observing the storefront or the group's activities inside 
the church.  About fifteen congregants were present for the meeting, 
most over the age of forty.  Roughly two-thirds of those assembled 
were women.  The congregants cheerfully welcomed the Embassy team 
and some wept for joy at the occasion throughout the ensuing 
discussion. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Tan gave a short introduction and summarized the hurdles 
the congregation has faced since first applying for registration 
over a year ago (REF A).  He noted that after seeking the guidance 
of provincial officials the congregation resubmitted a new 
application on April 24 following DRE-stated guidelines.  To date, 
the group has still not received any official response and local 
(ward) authorities have ignored all inquiries.  The executive board 
is discouraged and has now adopted a wait-and-see attitude, Tan 
said. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Poloff observed that this meeting was a good opportunity to 
build trust between the congregation and provincial officials, and 
noted that while the executive board has not always responded to the 
DRE's meeting requests (which has frustrated officials), dealing 
with local authorities is understandably intimidating for members of 
the congregation.   Nevertheless, the relationship between 
congregation members and local officials appears to be moving in the 
right direction.  Poloff also emphasized the significance of Nguyen 
and Kim's presence.  Poloff encouraged members of the executive 
board to share their concerns directly with DRE officials, and 
invited Nguyen and Kim to clarify DRE policies on registration 
procedures and explain why it has not responded to the 
congregation's application within 60 days as required by law. 
 
Congregation Members Express Their Grievances. 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶10. (SBU) One member of the executive board (NFI) rose and, after a 
ten-minute preamble in which he expressed the fervent desire that 
"God will love Mr. Nguyen and Ms. Kim and the other officials in 
Quang Ninh province and open their hearts to salvation," voiced his 
frustration about the registration process and stated that "local 
members feel helpless and do not know what else to do."  "In the 
interest of Christian truth," the man also complained about an 
altercation between members of the church and authorities which had 
occurred when a small prayer group had convened the previous 
Saturday.  He stated that local police officers interrupted the 
prayers and ordered all members of the church to leave, claiming 
that any such activities are illegal before the congregation's 
registration is complete.  Despite this setback, the man stated that 
he still hoped for peaceful relations between church members and 
local officials and he offered a prayer for them. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Another male member of the church rose and also complained 
about the length of time it has taken to receive any response to the 
group's registration application and lamented continued harassments 
from local police who routinely label Protestantism an "illegal 
American religion" and spread other distorting rumors about 
churchgoers' practices including that they worship drunk and in the 
nude.  By this point, the congregation, which had seemed timid and 
cautious at the beginning of the discussion, had become more brazen 
in showing its discontent.  Emboldened by his co-religionists' 
support, the man began to make increasingly provocative statements, 
e.g. "we call on God and America and the international community to 
force the Communist party to change." Poloff interrupted the man 
before the discussion got too subversive, and invited the DRE 
officials to reply. 
 
DRE officials tell their side of the story. 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Kim rose confidently to address the congregants' 
criticisms and responded that the application the congregation had 
submitted a year ago "was not in good form" and did not meet legal 
requirements.  She also added in an officious tone that "according 
to the Ordinance on Religion," the congregation needs to establish 
themselves for a year at the "grass-roots level" before the 
 
HANOI 00001554  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
provincial DRE can consider their formal registration request. 
"This is the procedure laid out in the law."  Her statement 
immediately provoked an uproar among the members of the executive 
board.  Poloff noted that the ordinance does not lay out procedures 
as she described and attempted to mitigate the tension in the room 
by noting that each province has developed its own policies to 
implement the Ordinance on Religion.  He encouraged members of the 
congregation to cooperate more closely with provincial officials, in 
order to convince them to speed up their implementing plan. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Nguyen intervened and suggested that Kim (who showed 
extreme embarrassment at her loss of face) had only stated her 
personal opinion about the law's language on the registration 
process.  He reiterated his wish to maintain "peaceful relations" 
with church members, because the DRE respects "some of the 
activities of the congregation."  Since the GVN respects religious 
freedom, the state will never intervene when followers conduct their 
activities at home, but public gathering without proper 
authorization is illegal.  Even so, if the local police act 
inappropriately, "local authorities will correct the situation and 
not leave it unresolved," Nguyen stated 
 
¶14. (SBU) Nguyen further noted that Protestantism is a new religion 
in Quang Ninh Province; therefore, processing the congregation's 
application will take time, because "not many local bureaucrats are 
believers or even understand the religion."  He compared the 
development of Protestantism to the development of the Cao Dai sect, 
which appeared in 1926 in Vietnam but was only recognized in 1999. 
Nguyen also maintained that after receiving the congregation's 
second application, the DRE promptly reported the issue to the 
provincial leadership, which advised congregation members to 
organize as smaller groups for the time being.  According to the 
provincial plan, Protestants should initially register their 
activities at the grass-roots level, before the DRE can facilitate 
the formal registration application.  Nguyen concluded by saying 
that the disagreement arising from lack of resolution of the 
congregation's application has also bothered the DRE because 
congregation members do not seek out the DRE to discuss the 
implementation of provincial guidelines. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Poloff commended the dialogue between members of the 
executive board and the DRE officials, and reiterated that both 
sides' frustrations are legitimate so more discussions are necessary 
to develop mutual understanding and trust.  Nguyen seconded Poloff's 
statement and said: "I have learned something new at this meeting." 
He promised to report the congregation's frustrations to 
higher-level provincial officials and to work out a solution to 
accelerate the registration process.  Another member of the 
executive board attempted to question Poloff about the USG 
assessment of the condition of human rights in Vietnam and 
illustrated his own assessment with another instance of harassment 
during a Christmas celebration in December 2005.    Tan concluded 
the discussion by noting that the congregation is now optimistic 
that local officials take their plight seriously and he asked 
congregation members not to blame provincial officials for all their 
ills.  He urged members of the church to always report ward level 
police harassment to provincial authorities, so that the DRE and the 
Provincial People's Committee can investigate and resolve these 
incidents as Nguyen suggested. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶16. (SBU) Although the conditions for the Ha Long City Protestant 
congregation are much improved since the security-plagued visit last 
October during which the PPC attempted to prevent the executive 
board of the Ha Long congregation from meeting with the Ambassador, 
it is clear that the Quang Ninh provincial government will not 
register any Protestant congregations for the time being.  Despite 
Nguyen's assurances of good faith, the provincial strategy to 
implement the PM's Instruction on Protestantism only at the 
grass-roots level appears to be a stalling tactic as the province 
resolves its suspicions about the "new religion." Nevertheless, 
unprecedented Embassy access to the Protestants' place of worship 
and the fact that we were allowed to observe the dialogue between 
the congregation and DRE officials are strikingly positive 
developments.   Since our visit, the congregation has confirmed that 
there have not been any repercussions from or police harassment 
concerning the meeting. 
 
MARINE