Published: February 16, 2006
Leading Vietnamese Monk Arrested
By Radio Free Asia
A key Vietnamese dissident and leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City as he prepared to lead a group of monks to visit the church's leader, who is under house arrest, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports.
Police from precincts 38 and 40 of the Ho Chi Minh City police arrested the Venerable Thich Quang Do at 6:45 a.m. Feb. 16, a member of the monks' delegation told RFA's Vietnamese service. They were led by a Colonel Xuan, the source said.
"There were fights at the scene and as a result, [and] the most venerable Thich Quang Do fainted before police took him away in a car," Ven. Thich Thien Minh said. "The situation is very tense."
Thich Quang Do, 78, was leading a group of several dozen monks to Binh Dinh province to visit and wish longevity to the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, Venerable Thich Thien Minh told reporter Y Lan.
As of 10 p.m., the remaining monks-who had been joined by several dozen more-were staging a silent protest outside the train station and vowing to remain there until Thich Quang Do's release, he said. Around 10 p.m., police came to the station, summoning one of the monks, identified as Thich Khong Tanh, to follow them to the police station with medications for Thich Quang Do. The whereabouts of both monks are unknown.
No further information has been available about the monks because the police appear to have confiscated their mobile phones.
Long history of harassment
Religious leaders from the banned UBCV face ongoing persecution for their long history of confronting Vietnamese authorities, according to the nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch. The UBCV was the main Buddhist organization in south and central Vietnam before 1975, when administration of its properties and institutions were taken over by the government.
In 1981 the UBCV was dissolved by the government and replaced with the state-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church. Since that time tensions have risen steadily between the government and the UBCV, which does not recognize the authority of the Vietnam Buddhist Church, particularly during the 1990s when the government jailed many UBCV monks.
The Supreme Patriarch of the UBCV, Thich Huyen Quang, in his 80s, remains under pagoda arrest in Binh Dinh province.
Thich Quang Do has frequently faced official harassment in the past for his opposition to the government.
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