Buddhist Letter Implores New U.S. Ambassador to Support Religious Freedom in Vietnam
by the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee (OSHHAC)
May 2018
May 5, 2018
Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
Subject: Persecution of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Congregation by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
(Respectfully submitted to Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink on his acceptance of his new post as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam).
Dear Ambassador Kritenbrink:
I, Nguyen Van Tao (Tao V. Nguyen), on behalf of the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee (OSHHAC) in the U.S., heartily congratulate you on your recent appointment as Ambassador to Vietnam. I would also like to take this opportunity to solicit your assistance in supporting religious freedom in Vietnam until it is on a par with the protection of religious freedom which exists under law in democratic countries. I fervently ask you to help secure the release of incarcerated Hoa Hao believers (listed below) whose only " crime" is their perseverance in practicing their faith and fighting for their Religious Freedom.
As you may already know, Hoa Hao is one of the four major religions in Vietnam (Buddhism, Christianity, Caodaism and Hoa Hao Buddhism) which has been in existence for a long time. It was estimated that there were three million Hoa Hao believers out of 25 million South Vietnamese under the Republic of Vietnam and before the fateful day of April 30th, 1975, when the Hoa Hao Church was abruptly and totally dissolved . All dignitaries of the Church were sent to hard labor camps (which were falsely called re-education camps) All Church property was confiscated, including land holdings, school buildings, worship halls and all other possessions . The population in Vietnam has more than tripled since then. The number of Hoa Hao believers has expanded to around six million. After 24 years of unsuccessfully trying to eliminate the Hoa Hao Church entirely, international pressure and resistance from believers prompted the Viet Cong government to form a supervisory "Representative Committee" on May 25th 1999. This Representative Committee is but a puppet organization, consisting of eleven Communist Party Members who dictate all policies and exert absolute control over the believers' activities with harsh measures. The believers are forbidden from:
-Displaying the Church's colors at home
-Commemorating the "death anniversary" of His Holiness Huynh, who was murdered by the Communists on April 16th,1947
-Using the correct name of the place where His Holiness was born. The Viet Cong changed the name "Ancestral Home" to "Worship Place." (Thanks to the followers persistent objections the original name was restored).
The communist government also:
-Truncated the "Book of Oracles", which is the Bible of the Hoa Hao believers. Furthermore, the Viet Cong only allow half of the contents of the Book of Oracles to be circulated.
-Refused to return most of the temples they had confiscated since April 30th, 1975.
-Utterly limited the Hoa Hao's activities and refused to grant us the legal status similar to that of prior to 1975.
-Changed the historical name of "Hoa Hao" town into "Phu My" town of Phu Tan district.
Over the last 43 years the Viet Cong government appeared to have somewhat loosened its very tight grip on Human Rights and Religious Freedom in order to dupe the public. In reality, a totalitarian regime is imposed on the people. Activists for equality and freedom are monitored, arrested, imprisoned or are brutally murdered.
We would like to ask for your intervention to help secure the release the following "prisoners of conscience."
1. Nguyen Tan (born in 1992, An Giang) 5-year prison term
2. Huynh thi Kim Quyen (born in 1979, An Giang) 4-year prison term
3. Nguyen Ngoc Quy (born in 1992, An giang) 3-year prison term
4. Pham Van Trong (born in 1994, An Giang) 3-year prison term
5. Nguyen Thanh Binh (born in 1994, An Giang) 3-year prison term
6. Nguyen Bac Truyen (born in 1968, Saigon) 11-year prison term
7. Bui Van Trung (born in 1962, An Giang) 6-yr prison term
8, Bui Van Tham (born in 1986, An Giang) 6-year prison term
9. Vuong Van Tha (born 1969, an Giang 12-year prison term
10 Vuong Van Thuan (born in 1990, An Giang) 7-year prison term
11. Nguyen Nhut Truong (born in 1985, Can Tho) 6-year prison term
12 Nguyen Nhut Thuong (born in 1985, Can Tho) 6-year prison term
13, Nguyen Hoang Nam (born in 1982, An Giang) 4-year prison term
14 Le Hong Hanh (born in 1979, An Giang) 3-year prison term
15. Bui thi Bich Tuyen, 3-yearr prison term
The most barbaric case was that of Mr. Nguyen Huu Tan, who was arrested and killed on May 2, 2017. His throat was slit from ear to ear during an interrogation at the police station in Thanh Duc, town of Binh Minh, Vinh Long province.
Mr. Ambassador:
The U.S. is the greatest nation on earth for Human Rights and Religious Freedom. We implore you to help us in earnest bring justice to the above-mentioned victims We as Vietnamese Americans respect and admire you, and would be forever grateful to you for any help in righting this wrong.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
May God Bless You Abundantly,
Sincerely yours,
Nguyen Van Tao
Chairman of the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee, U.S.A.
by the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee (OSHHAC)
May 2018
May 5, 2018
Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
Subject: Persecution of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Congregation by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
(Respectfully submitted to Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink on his acceptance of his new post as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam).
Dear Ambassador Kritenbrink:
I, Nguyen Van Tao (Tao V. Nguyen), on behalf of the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee (OSHHAC) in the U.S., heartily congratulate you on your recent appointment as Ambassador to Vietnam. I would also like to take this opportunity to solicit your assistance in supporting religious freedom in Vietnam until it is on a par with the protection of religious freedom which exists under law in democratic countries. I fervently ask you to help secure the release of incarcerated Hoa Hao believers (listed below) whose only " crime" is their perseverance in practicing their faith and fighting for their Religious Freedom.
As you may already know, Hoa Hao is one of the four major religions in Vietnam (Buddhism, Christianity, Caodaism and Hoa Hao Buddhism) which has been in existence for a long time. It was estimated that there were three million Hoa Hao believers out of 25 million South Vietnamese under the Republic of Vietnam and before the fateful day of April 30th, 1975, when the Hoa Hao Church was abruptly and totally dissolved . All dignitaries of the Church were sent to hard labor camps (which were falsely called re-education camps) All Church property was confiscated, including land holdings, school buildings, worship halls and all other possessions . The population in Vietnam has more than tripled since then. The number of Hoa Hao believers has expanded to around six million. After 24 years of unsuccessfully trying to eliminate the Hoa Hao Church entirely, international pressure and resistance from believers prompted the Viet Cong government to form a supervisory "Representative Committee" on May 25th 1999. This Representative Committee is but a puppet organization, consisting of eleven Communist Party Members who dictate all policies and exert absolute control over the believers' activities with harsh measures. The believers are forbidden from:
-Displaying the Church's colors at home
-Commemorating the "death anniversary" of His Holiness Huynh, who was murdered by the Communists on April 16th,1947
-Using the correct name of the place where His Holiness was born. The Viet Cong changed the name "Ancestral Home" to "Worship Place." (Thanks to the followers persistent objections the original name was restored).
The communist government also:
-Truncated the "Book of Oracles", which is the Bible of the Hoa Hao believers. Furthermore, the Viet Cong only allow half of the contents of the Book of Oracles to be circulated.
-Refused to return most of the temples they had confiscated since April 30th, 1975.
-Utterly limited the Hoa Hao's activities and refused to grant us the legal status similar to that of prior to 1975.
-Changed the historical name of "Hoa Hao" town into "Phu My" town of Phu Tan district.
Over the last 43 years the Viet Cong government appeared to have somewhat loosened its very tight grip on Human Rights and Religious Freedom in order to dupe the public. In reality, a totalitarian regime is imposed on the people. Activists for equality and freedom are monitored, arrested, imprisoned or are brutally murdered.
We would like to ask for your intervention to help secure the release the following "prisoners of conscience."
1. Nguyen Tan (born in 1992, An Giang) 5-year prison term
2. Huynh thi Kim Quyen (born in 1979, An Giang) 4-year prison term
3. Nguyen Ngoc Quy (born in 1992, An giang) 3-year prison term
4. Pham Van Trong (born in 1994, An Giang) 3-year prison term
5. Nguyen Thanh Binh (born in 1994, An Giang) 3-year prison term
6. Nguyen Bac Truyen (born in 1968, Saigon) 11-year prison term
7. Bui Van Trung (born in 1962, An Giang) 6-yr prison term
8, Bui Van Tham (born in 1986, An Giang) 6-year prison term
9. Vuong Van Tha (born 1969, an Giang 12-year prison term
10 Vuong Van Thuan (born in 1990, An Giang) 7-year prison term
11. Nguyen Nhut Truong (born in 1985, Can Tho) 6-year prison term
12 Nguyen Nhut Thuong (born in 1985, Can Tho) 6-year prison term
13, Nguyen Hoang Nam (born in 1982, An Giang) 4-year prison term
14 Le Hong Hanh (born in 1979, An Giang) 3-year prison term
15. Bui thi Bich Tuyen, 3-yearr prison term
The most barbaric case was that of Mr. Nguyen Huu Tan, who was arrested and killed on May 2, 2017. His throat was slit from ear to ear during an interrogation at the police station in Thanh Duc, town of Binh Minh, Vinh Long province.
Mr. Ambassador:
The U.S. is the greatest nation on earth for Human Rights and Religious Freedom. We implore you to help us in earnest bring justice to the above-mentioned victims We as Vietnamese Americans respect and admire you, and would be forever grateful to you for any help in righting this wrong.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
May God Bless You Abundantly,
Sincerely yours,
Nguyen Van Tao
Chairman of the Overseas Hoa Hao Administrative Committee, U.S.A.