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News
January 24, 2003
Vietnam tightens grip on
religion
By Clare Arthurs
Hanoi (BBC
News) - Vietnam's ruling Communist Party has resolved to increase state
control over religious affairs in an effort to reduce ethnic unrest and dissent.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan says it is the first time the party central
committee has passed a resolution on religious activities.
It called on religious followers to foil attempts to undermine the regime by
what the party calls "hostile forces".
During a nine-day meeting the committee also discussed land issues and ethnic
minorities.
Officially, Vietnamese people are allowed religious freedoms.
But the government only allows six official religious organisations, which it
monitors closely.
Vietnam's rulers are regularly criticised by human rights observers for
religious repression.
The plenum of the central committee opened with a call from the party's General
Secretary, Nong Duc Manh, for new policies to strengthen political and social
stability.
It closed with his reminder that the party bans activities which threaten that
order and a reference to two of the government's most sensitive security
problems, ethnic and religious unrest.
The new party resolution promotes a campaign against dissent.
It will appeal to the patriotism of religious people, encouraging them to
counter attempts to use religious and ethnic issues against the party.
The new resolution appears to cement control of religion from within.
It provides for a programme to specifically increase the state management of
religious affairs and to guide the six approved religions in line with party
policy.
To do this it has ordered the build-up of a core group of party members who are
also religious followers, for each religion.
The plenum has ordered a review of party policy in order to set up a programme
for managing religious affairs over the long term.
Central highlands
Vietnam is generally considered to be politically stable.
But human rights groups and diplomatic sources say that they continue to hear
reports of unrest, particularly from the troubled central highlands.
This region, home to many Protestants, has been sealed by police since an
uprising by indigenous people two years ago over religious freedom and access to
land.
Several Buddhist dissidents are also kept under house arrest or in jail.
It appears that the party has resolved to further stem opposition voices which
are believed to harm the country's development by increasing the state's tight
control over religious affairs.
The resolution will be closely monitored by international donors to Vietnam who
have raised concern about the country's human rights record.
Some countries, such as the United States, European Union members and Australia
have begun a low key rights dialogue with Hanoi.
But the Communist rulers draw a firm line between exchanging views and what they
consider interference.
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