VIETNAM Hanoi blocks Thich Minh Tue, the “wandering monk.” His fate is unknown

The Buddhist leader had become famous for walking from north to south of Vietnam in defense of rights. According to the authorities, who have him on file, he interrupted his march on purpose. A version that does not convince activists and human rights groups. A US congressman appeals to the Religious Freedom Commission.

Hanoi () – For a few days now, the fate of Le Anh Tu, better known as Thich Minh Tue, the “wandering monk”, who became famous for having chosen to walk from north to south, becoming a voice of peace for a tolerant Vietnam and respectful of civil (and religious) liberties. Meanwhile, Ta Duc Tri, a Californian congressman of Asian origin, made a written appeal to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressing his “concern” about the condition of the 43-year-old Buddhist leader, while asking an investigation. According to the official version of the Hanoi authorities, he had stopped walking “voluntarily” after “realizing” that he could “threaten” “social stability.” In fact, people close to him claim that he was “forced” to stop the march and that he is now being held at an unknown location.

For weeks, Thich Minh Tue had attracted curiosity and attention about the pilgrimage, followed on social media, in live broadcasts and gathering sympathy along the way, to the point of becoming – despite himself – a symbol of the battle for freedom (including religious freedom) in Vietnam. Police reportedly detained him, along with dozens of “followers”, in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on June 2, and there has been no certain news since. The official note states that he was “taken to the place where he was supposed to go”, identifying it with the province of Giua Lai, where he had apparently registered his residence. Meanwhile, an image of a police officer collecting the monk’s fingerprints (pictured) has gone viral online, although the police neither confirm nor admit having detained the Buddhist leader.

Recent media reports and witnesses indicate that the communist regime of Vietnam arbitrarily forced him to end his trip and cease his religious practices,” wrote deputy Ta Duc Tri in his letter to Uscirf. In the letter, which he published on social media, he stressed that “he has disappeared from circulation and his whereabouts are unknown,” and insisted that the matter confirms “the importance of keeping Vietnam on the special watch list” for “serious” violations of religious freedom. .

Thich Khong Tanh, a senior leader of the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam (banned by the government), told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that Tue was at risk of being punished by the authorities, but that he would currently be detained but without suffered abuse. There could be restrictions, parole or solitary confinement and, if necessary, the authorities could also consider using monk Minh Tue [para sus propios fines]”He added. “However, in my opinion, they will not kill him or harm him.”

The Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, which claims to still rally the majority of the Vietnamese population, was banned in 1981 in Hanoi following its refusal to submit to the Communist Party. The government then replaced it with the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, without, however, getting the “unified” one to cease its religious activities. Its greatest exponents, such as Thich Quang Do, were arrested and released on several occasions.

Tue’s case has attracted the attention of activists and human rights groups, including Phil Robertson, former deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch (Hrw), now head of Asia Human Rights and Labor, who says “no one believes” the “ridiculous” story of the voluntary cessation of the pilgrimage. He goes on to note that this history of repression “reveals the Vietnamese Communist Party and Government’s inherent lack of trust in the Vietnamese people.” “This paranoia translates,” the expert concludes, “directly into the severe ongoing repression against all independent people and groups in society, making Vietnam the worst violator of human rights in Southeast Asia after the military regime. of Myanmar”.