VZCZCXRO2714
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1057 2590850
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 150850Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8454
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH IMMEDIATE 5110
RUEHZS/ASEAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS HANOI 001057 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV VM
 
SUBJECT: DAS MARCIEL MEETS HANOI ARCHBISHOP, DISCUSSES CHURCH LAND 
DISPUTES 
 
REF: HANOI 1007 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. FOR INTERNAL USG USE.  NOT SUITABLE FOR 
INTERNET POSTING. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  EAP DAS Scot Marciel had a very warm meeting 
with Archbishop Joseph Ngo that focused on Catholic land rights 
claims in Hanoi.  The Archbishop reviewed the Catholic Church's 
long-running attempts to regain its land and the lack of response 
from the government.  He criticized the police's use of force 
against parishioners at the Thai Ha parish prayer vigils and the 
public misinformation campaign by local media.  The Archbishop 
confirmed that priests in the Archdiocese had read from the pulpit a 
statement of church support of the Thai Ha parishioners.  The stakes 
continue to rise, with thousands of Thai Ha parishioners attending 
vigils; on September 10, four more parishioners were arrested, 
bringing the total number to seven.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Archbishop on Catholic Land Rights 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a September 10 meeting with visiting EAP DAS Scot 
Marciel, Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet explained that the Archdiocese 
has applied to reclaim land every year since 1995, but emphasized 
that the Church only sought the return of land that is currently 
unused or is being used for "insignificant" purposes.  He commented 
that the GVN built many schools and hospitals on what used to be 
Catholic Church property and that the Church has not attempted to 
reclaim these properties.  What is particularly upsetting to 
parishioners is when the government attempts to sell disputed 
property for speculative purposes.  [Comment: Increasing property 
values in part at least explain the general up tick in ownership 
disputes, not just those involving former Church land.  End 
comment.]  In 2002, Vietnam's Episcopal Council asked formally for 
previously held land to be returned in order to conduct necessary 
Church activities, but has never received a response from the GVN. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Regarding the Thai Ha parish (reftel), the Archbishop 
explained that the land belonging to the monastery does not directly 
fall under the Archdiocese.  He stated that the parish is interested 
in finding a resolution to the ongoing dispute.  But he said this 
was impossible while the state-controlled media continued its 
slanderous attacks on the Catholic Church and the Ministry of Public 
Security (MPS) continued to hold parishioners in detention.  He 
stated that under present circumstances, the parish had no other 
recourse than to continue the prayer vigils. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Archbishop affirmed the fraternal communion that the 
Archdiocese has with the Thai Ha parish and criticized the 
state-controlled media for spreading misinformation about the parish 
and the prayer vigils.  He also disparaged the government's use of 
force, including electric batons and tear gas, on peaceful 
parishioners.  In response, all eighty-two priests in the 
Archdiocese signed a letter condemning the GVN's brutal actions and 
use of force.  This letter was read from the pulpit in all churches 
within the Archdiocese. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Turning to the other high-profile Church land dispute in 
Hanoi involving the former Papal Nuncio residence at Nha Chung, the 
Archbishop noted that the GVN had refused to discuss the property 
until last December's large-scale prayer vigils at the site near 
Hanoi's largest church.  These demonstrations continued until the 
beginning of the Tet holiday, when the authorities offered to 
discuss the return of Church property.  However, once the 
parishioners stopped their prayer vigils, negotiations became harsh 
and unproductive, the Archbishop remarked. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶6.  (SBU) The Thai Ha issue remains unresolved and both sides 
continue to raise the stakes.  The twice-daily prayer vigils 
continue unabated and attendance has exceeded several thousand 
parishioners for the past 12 days.  Catholic Bishops from outside 
Hanoi have been traveling to the parish with their parishioners to 
show solidarity and some have had their buses turned away by the 
MPS.  On September 10, police arrested a further four parishioners, 
nominally in response to the earlier destruction of a brick wall at 
the disputed property.  According to Thai Ha parish priests, the 
total number of parishioners in jail is currently seven.