VZCZCXRO4004
PP RUEHHM
DE RUEHHM #0523/01 1340913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140913Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2619
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 1896
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0022
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0033
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 2816

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF SOCI PINR VM
SUBJECT: GVN STEPS UP DIVIDE AND CONQUER ATTACKS ON UBCV 
 
REF: A) HCMC 407; B) HCMC 266; C) HCMC 261 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Vietnam's Ministry of Public 
Security-affiliated newspaper covered prominently its Vice 
Minister's April 30 meeting with Thich Huyen Quang, the ailing 
90-year old Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam 
(UBCV), as a gesture of GVN goodwill and reconciliation.  The 
article portrayed the Patriarch as a moderate Buddhist leader, 
but slammed UBCV General Secretary Thich Quang Do as a dangerous 
anti-GVN renegade impeding the unification of the Buddhist 
church.  Our contacts in the UBCV confirm that police have been 
asking repeatedly about the Patriarch's will and succession 
plans.  The GVN apparently fears that Thich Quang Do, younger, 
healthier, based in HCMC and far more politically assertive, 
poses a far greater threat should he inherit the leadership of 
the UBCV as is expected.  End Summary. 
 
2.(U) On May 5, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) mouthpiece 
"Cong An" newspaper ran a front page story on the April 30 
meeting between MPS Vice Minister Nguyen Van Huong and UBCV 
Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang at his pagoda in Binh Dinh Province. 
 The article called the meeting "friendly and open-hearted."  It 
reported that the influential MPS Vice Minister highlighted 
previous efforts by the GVN to work with Quang and the UBCV, 
including Quang's meeting with former Prime Minister Phan Van 
Khai in April 2003 in Hanoi.  Huong said that reports of Quang 
being under surveillance or pagoda arrest for the past 20 years 
are "incorrect."  He "strongly affirmed" to Quang that he can 
travel anywhere he wants and noted the March 2007 visit of the 
Consul General (Ref A) and his ability to travel to HCMC for 
medial treatment in 2006 (Ref B) as evidence of his freedom. 
According to the Cong An article, Huong invited Quang to attend 
the upcoming conference of the GVN-recognized Vietnam Buddhist 
Sangha (VBS) to contribute his ideas towards the "improvement 
and unification of Vietnamese Buddhism." 
 
¶3. (U) The article quotes Huong as warning Quang to cease 
associating with UBCV General Secretary Thich Quang Do, who is 
"abusing religion to hide his political purposes."  Huong 
cautioned that Do was taking advantage of Quang's prestige to 
"disturb the people's solidarity."  He asserted that Do had 
faked Quang's last will and testament to ensure that, upon 
Quang's death, he would be appointed supreme UBCV leader.  Huong 
stated Do drafted the Buddha's birthday message on Quang's 
behalf with false statements designed to incite anti-GVN 
sentiments.  The article claimed that Quang "was very upset 
about this."  According to the article, Quang closed the meeting 
by affirming that he does not work against the interests of the 
Vietnamese people or the VBS and expressed his desire to visit 
Hanoi and meet with the Prime Minister. 
 
The UBCV:  More False GVN Propaganda 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Post contacted two of Thich Huyen Quang's aides in Binh 
Dinh Province and a key UBCV leader in HCMC to discuss the MPS 
press play.  They told us that Quang is aware of the MPS article 
and was dismissive of its contents. 
 
The three monks confirmed that the meeting with the Vice 
Minister occurred and that Huong was accompanied by the 
provincial MPS Director and his deputy.  Quang was alone. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Quang reportedly told his aides that the Vice Minister 
again sought to discourage him from associating with Thich Quang 
Do.  Quang said that VM Huong told him that he was free to 
travel so long as he does not meet with Do.  One of Quang's 
aides noted that the Vice Minister inquired about the 
Patriarch's will -- something that police now do often -- but 
Quang replied that it is an internal UBCV matter.  One aide was 
present at the conclusion of the meeting and overheard the Vice 
Minister warn Quang that "Thich Quang Do is holding hands with 
the Americans," to which Quang replied, "so too is the GVN I 
understand." 
 
¶6. (SBU) On May 11, the Paris-based International Buddhist 
Information Bureau, the UBCV's international representative, 
released Thich Huyen Quang's "Buddha Day" message.  We confirmed 
with an aide of Thich Huyen Quang that the message is authentic 
and was transmitted to Paris from Binh Dinh a few days before 
the meeting with Vice Minister Huong.  The message is critical 
of the GVN and touches on some of the most neuralgic issues for 
the Communist Party, including Vietnam's border demarcation deal 
with China.  The message notes that: 
 
-- "the UBCV is suffering some of the worst repression in over 
20 years. I am forbidden to travel to receive medical care. The 
Most Venerable Thich Quang Do is prohibited to visit me in Binh 
Dinh.  In 20 provinces all over the country, members of UBCV 
Representative Boards are coerced and repressed." 
 
HO CHI MIN 00000523  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
-- "imposing monasteries have been built, and costly ceremonies 
organized, but all this cannot hide the fact that the beliefs of 
religious followers are not respected in Vietnam." 
 
-- "spiritual integrity is no different from territorial 
integrity.  If we take the land that our forefathers so 
painstakingly built, and give it away to foreign powers, what is 
left of our people's nation and homeland?  In the same way, the 
human spirit must not cower or surrender to illegitimate and 
immoral forces." 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) If the Vice Minister's approach to Thich Huyen Quang 
was to try and drive a wedge in the UBCV hierarchy or to pitch 
-- again -- for Quang to lead the UBCV into the VBS, he failed. 
Quang's strident Buddha Day message makes it clear that, 
although he is more frail and soft-spoken than Thich Quang Do, 
their views are the same.  Quang, 90, is in poor health.  The 
GVN is concerned that Thich Quang Do will inherit the leadership 
of the UBCV.  Though 80, Do is strong and relatively healthy, 
based in HCMC, and more politically assertive.   The reality on 
the ground for UBCV provincial leaders continues to be 
difficult.  For example, the authorities continue to summon 
members of various provincial boards of the UBCV -- particularly 
in the Mekong Delta and in Hue and Khanh Hoa provinces in 
Central Vietnam -- to "working sessions with the police," and 
demand that they drop their UBCV affiliation or face arrest. 
End Comment. 
WINNICK