Media Advisory
Vietnamese Church Representatives to Tell of Government Terrorism
MONTREAL, 24 OCTOBER, 2001 — As the world community becomes increasingly absorbed in the current international war against terrorism, a delegation of Vietnamese exiled religious representatives arrived in Canada this week to remind the world that the Vietnamese people face terror from their own government on a daily basis.
The Montreal chapter of Democracy for Vietnam will bring together the representatives of the Vietnamese Buddhist, Protestant and Catholic churches in a press conference hosted by Rights & Democracy on Friday October 26 at 11am.
In a meeting this week with Rights & Democracy's president, Warren Allmand, the church representatives highlighted a number of disturbing recent developments.
On October 19, 2001, Catholic Priest Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly was convicted of ?undermining the country's unity' and sentenced to15 years imprisonment after a three-hour closed trial in Hue city. Prisoner of conscience adopted by Amnesty International, Father Van Ly has been subjected to harassment, torture, imprisonment for the last 25 years, because of his peaceful, though persistent, demand for freedom of worship and freedom of expression in Vietnam.
To protest against arbitrary detention of religious leaders, legalized by Decree 31/CP in 1997, Mrs Nguyen Thi Thu of the Hoa Hao Faith in the Mekong Delta committed suicide by self-immolation in March 2001. Mr Ho Tan Anh of the Unified Buddhist Church in Central Vietnam followed suit on September 2, 2001.
Democracy for Vietnam has documented how anyone who advocates for democracy is liable to become a target of an official policy of repression, manifest in acts of torture, imprisonment, harassment and media defamation campaigns.
The news conference, chaired by Warren Allmand, will be held at Rights & Democracy, 1001 Boul. De Maisonneuve East, suite 1100, Montreal on Friday October 26 at 11am.
Speakers:
Vietnamese Committee on Human rights, Paris
Mr. Vo Van Ai, Chairman
Ms. Penelope Faulkner, Vice-Chair, reporter and writer.
Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Church
Most Ven. Thich Ho Giac, Chair of the Unified Buddhist Church Overseas
Ven. Thich Vien Ly, Chair of Unified Buddhist Church in U.S.A.
Most Ven. Thich Quang Ba, Chair of the Unified Buddhist Church in Australia
Ven. Thich Thien Tam, Chair of the Unified Buddhist Church in Canada.
Ven. Thich Bon Dat
Catholic Church
Father Andrew Nguyen Huu Le, International Committee for Religious Freedom, from Washington DC
Protestant Church
Rev. Y-Hin-Nie, Protestant Church Overseas Ethnic Minority Association, North Carolina, U.S.A.
For More Information
Mary Durran (514) 283 6073 -- By email
Dr. T. Lam, Democracy for Vietnam (514) 343 4390, or (514) 895 9597 -- thuvan@total.net.
