VZCZCXRO9118
PP RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #0402/01 1000254
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100254Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2484
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 1802
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 2673

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000402 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PREL PGOV KIRF PREF VM
SUBJECT: HAPPY EASTER: SOUTHERN VIETNAM RELIGIOUS FREEDOM UPDATE 
 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000402  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Religious leaders from the Protestant community in 
southern Vietnam told us that successful Easter 
celebrations were another sign of continuing progress on 
religious freedom.  The President of the GVN-recognized 
Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) said that he 
has not received any reports of his congregations 
encountering problems over Easter.  While he cautioned that 
bad news still could filter in from more remote areas, he 
was pleased with the SECV's ability to organize Easter 
celebrations throughout the southern half of Vietnam. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SECV leaders in the Central Highlands concurred. 
Pastor Rmah Loan, head of the SECV in Dak Nong Province, 
said that Easter celebrations were more widespread and 
relaxed this year than last.  Pastor Siu Y Kim in Gia Lai 
Province reported that he had heard from 90 percent of his 
over 400 congregations in the province; none had reported 
problems.  Pastor Huynh Cuong in Dak Lak told us that he is 
not aware of any SECV congregation in the province that was 
prohibited from celebrating Easter.  To date, nine of the 
SECV's 310 congregations in the province have been 
recognized and 141 registered under the legal framework on 
religion.  These congregations have been able to hold 
religious services without any additional permission needed 
or sought, the pastor told us.  Another 135 congregations 
not yet registered were able to apply for specific 
permission to hold village-level Easter celebrations, and 
did so without incident.   However, roughly 25 of the 
SECV's congregations in two districts were ordered not to 
gather in large groups, but were allowed to hold multiple, 
smaller Easter ceremonies. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Pastor Pham Dinh Nhan of the United Gospel 
Outreach (UGOC), Pastor Doan Trung Tim of the Vietnam Good 
News Mission, Pastor Nguyen Ngoc Hien of the Vietnam 
Baptist Fellowship, and Pastor Ho Tan Khoa of the Vietnam 
Presbyterian church (all protect) also reported improved 
conditions for their congregations throughout southern and 
central Vietnam.  None of their congregations had 
encountered any significant harassment in recent months. 
The Baptists and the UGOC were able to work smoothly with 
HCMC authorities to organize large Easter gatherings in 
multiple locations for Easter.  Pastor Henry added that the 
Vietnam Baptist Fellowship cooperated with the Evangelical 
Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) to publish in Hanoi and 
purchase tens of thousands of bibles.  (The SECV has a 
separate version of the New Testament published in Danang.) 
However, Pastor Khoa reported that authorities in Binh 
Phuoc province prevented a house church serving ethnic 
minority worshipers run by the Inter-Evangelistic Movement 
(another house church organization) from gathering for 
Easter.   (Comment:  We will follow up.  End Comment.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) The house church leaders also reported slow but 
continuing progress in securing local-level registrations 
for their congregations, especially in HCMC.  None of the 
Pastors was troubled by the fact that the GVN requires 
house churches to register at the local level before 
considering provincial- and national-level registration. 
Pastor Henry's Baptist church has registered 20 of its 150 
locations; GVN officials have told him that they will 
approve national-level registration for the group once 60 
percent of his congregations have obtained local-level 
registration.  The Presbyterians -- who only recently 
decided to apply for registration -- have had six of 116 
congregations registered, five in HCMC, one in neighboring 
Binh Duong province.  Pastor Nhan told us that he was 
pleased with the number of churches registered and the 
local level thus far and optimistic about the future. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Protestant churches in the south continue to make 
steady progress in their relations with government 
authorities and in conducting their religious affairs, in 
contrast to the GVN's ongoing crackdown on political 
dissent.  The pastors noted that the GVN appears more able 
or inclined to differentiate between those religious 
leaders such as Mennonite Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang or 
Father Nguyen Van Ly and the vast majority of other 
religious groups that steer clear of politics.  In fact, 
the house church leaders were the most upbeat and positive 
that we had seen in the past three years.  For over a year 
following the GVN's creation of its legal framework on 
religion in 2005, these pastors had been fence-sitting, 
demurring on whether to register their congregations.  Now 
they fret that the approval process is too slow.  In some 
cases it is.  We have asked each church to provide us with 
a comprehensive list of those congregations that have 
petitioned for and still await government approval 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000402  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
registration and will work with the authorities to 
accelerate the process.  End Comment. 
WINNICK