VZCZCXRO2280
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH
DE RUEHHM #0672/01 3440900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100900Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6153
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 4048
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY PRIORITY 6396

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000672 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIRF PHUM PGOV PREL VM
SUBJECT: ANGRY MOB DISRUPTS EU VISIT WITH LANG MAI FOLLOWERS; CRA 
DENIES SPONSORSHIP REQUESTS 
 
REF: HCMC 669 AND PREVIOUS 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000672  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Subject:  Angry Mob Disrupts EU Visit with Lang Mai Followers; 
CRA Denies Sponsorship Requests 
 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The situation for the Lang Mai followers 
currently housed at the Phuoc Hue pagoda deteriorated further on 
December 9 after angry locals gathered and threatened the group, 
calling on Phuoc Hue's leaders to evict them -- the same tactics 
that were used to force them to leave Bat Nha pagoda in 
September (reftels).  Local authorities were present but have 
done nothing to dissuade the mob, according to a Lang Mai nun. 
The crowd of protesters also interrupted a visit by three 
resident EU diplomats (who, according to press reports, returned 
for meetings later in the day), and followers report rising 
tensions.  More seriously, the national Committee for Religious 
Affairs (CRA) meanwhile denied requests from two Vietnam 
Buddhist Sangha (VBS) pagodas that offered to sponsor the group 
in Dong Nai and Dalat, and ordered the followers to disperse and 
return to their home provinces.  Post continues to call for a 
peaceful and legal resolution to the situation.  We are meeting 
with senior CRA officials on December 14 to express our 
concerns, and ConGenOff will visit Lam Dong December 15-17.  End 
summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) On December 9, foreign press reported that a 
three-member EU delegation broke off their morning meeting with 
Lang Mai followers after approximately 100 angry locals 
gathered, shouting threats and calling on Phuoc Hue's leader, 
Thich Thai Thuan, to evict the group.  The EU delegation later 
returned to Phuoc Hue pagoda in the afternoon to meet privately 
with Thich Thai Thuan, but a Lang Mai nun told ConGenOff that 
protesters smelling of alcohol returned after the delegation 
left, and are still protesting at the pagoda.  An online video 
clip (http://hoitrongbatnha.blogspot.com/) shows several monks 
being pushed and shoved by locals inside the pagoda's main 
atrium, then switches to a scene inside the pagoda where 
townspeople confront a small group of adherents.  Near the end 
of the clip, the crowd is heard shouting as the monks try to 
conduct services.  In the video clip, the Lang Mai adherents are 
shown passively enduring the shouting and shoving.  Our contact 
reported that several plainclothes police were interspersed with 
the crowd and local police have failed to respond to the 
pagoda's requests for assistance.  She called the situation 
increasingly "dangerous," and asserted that authorities are 
using the same tactics employed to force the group out of Bat 
Nha pagoda in September. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Meanwhile, on November 26, the national CRA officially 
turned down two sponsorship offers by VBS pagodas in Dalat and 
Dong Nai, saying the group did not have permission from local 
authorities to gather at religious institutions and instructing 
Lang Mai adherents to return to the provinces where they have 
legal residency by December 2009.  A local media report on the 
CRA's decision said the Lang Mai adherents have "breached the 
VBS charter and failed to obey the law, threatening the unity of 
Vietnam's Buddhist community and the prestige of the national 
and Lam Dong VBS." 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Approximately 200 monks and nuns who range in age from 
15 to 25 years old are currently residing at Phuoc Hue pagoda. 
Among the expelled leaders of Lang Mai, monk Phap Sy remains 
under house arrest in Khanh Hoa province, but has been in touch 
with ConGen regarding the recent developments in Lam Dong.  Monk 
Phap Hoi is in Hanoi, while Monk Phap Tu reportedly remains in 
hiding at an undisclosed location. 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment:  The events that preceded the Lang Mai group's 
forced eviction from Bat Nha pagoda in September appear to be 
repeating themselves at Phuoc Hue, and the tense situation 
reported by EU and Lang Mai representatives does not bode well 
for a non-violent end to the group's bid to remain together. 
The CRA's decision to turn down the two VBS requests for 
sponsorship leaves the adherents with no legal recourse, and 
post believes the monks and nuns will eventually be forced to 
disperse and return to their home provinces.  Post continues to 
call for a peaceful resolution and protection for the Lang Mai 
group, a point we will raise with when we meet the 
national-level CRA December 14.  We remain in contact with our 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000672  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
EU colleagues and will press forward with plans to return to Lam 
Dong ourselves December 15-17.  End comment. 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Hanoi. 
FAIRFAX