Dissidents in Vietnam welcome Norway’s Rafto Prize 2006 for Thich Quang Do

PARIS, October 27, 2006 (IBIB) – The Norwegian Rafto Foundation announced on 21st September that Venerable Thich Quang Do, Deputy leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), will receive the 2006 Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for his contribution to human rights and as a “unifying force” and a “symbol for the growing democracy movement in Vietnam”. The news has been warmly applauded by dissidents from all religious and political currents inside and outside Vietnam. The Rafto Foundation, the International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB) and Thich Quang Do have received thousands of E-mails, letters and messages from Vietnamese and international personalities worldwide. We publish below extracts from a sample of letters from democracy activists in Vietnam.

The Rafto Prize will be presented in Bergen, Norway on 4th November 2006, shortly before heads of state from many countries, including US President George W. Bush, meet in Hanoi for the APEC Summit. The Rafto Foundation’s Chairman, Arne Liljedahl Lynngård said the Rafto Prize was very timely : “Vietnam is seeking to improve its international image, and many Western leaders will be in Hanoi to hold talks with the Vietnamese leadership during the APEC Summit” he said. “The Rafto Prize will increase their focus on the problems of human rights and democracy in Vietnam, and help to put these issues high on the APEC summit’s agenda”.

“We have urged Norwegian politicians to raise the international community’s concerns [about democracy and human rights] when they meet officials in Hanoi. They should not just discuss investment and economic development. We want to see real progress in human rights, and reforms that lead to a democratic society in Vietnam. With the Rafto Prize, we want to tell the Vietnamese people and government that the world is watching them, and wants to see real changes in Vietnam. It is time for the government to listen to the Vietnamese people and realize that they want to see progress in their country, and catch up with other countries in the world”.

On 25 September, in a visit to Hanoi, Ms Erna H. Solberg, Chair of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs met with the Vietnamese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and strongly urged them to release Venerable Thich Quang Do and allow him travel to Norway to receive the Prize. So far, Vietnam has made no reply.

“I am very happy to learn that Venerable Thich Quang Do has been awarded the Rafto Prize, and I wanted to share this anecdote with you, to show what an exceptional, noble and courageous person he is. After [the fall of Saigon in] 1975, I met with Venerable Thich Thanh Long, the Buddhist army chaplain to discuss plans to help Buddhists escape from Vietnam and seek political asylum. He told me that the American Embassy asked for a list of Buddhist clergy who wanted to be evacuated to the United States. A list was established, but when Venerable Thich Quang Do saw it, he declared that no Buddhist monks and nuns would flee, they would stay and look after the people. [Under the communist regime] there would soon be terrible repression, imprisonment and suffering. The people would need the help and support of Buddhist clergy all the more, he said. Venerable Thich Quang Do then walked up to the bell-tower of An Quang Pagoda, sounded the great prayer bell, and burned the list of names in front of everyone. This is a heroic gesture. It should go down in our history books”.

“Please accept my warmest congratulations for the great honour bestowed on you by the Rafto Foundation. It is very significant that the Rafto Foundation chose to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its creation by awarding their prize to a Vietnamese human rights defender. In my view, the most important part of the Rafto Foundation’s announcement on the attribution of the 2006 Rafto Prize is their clairvoyant analysis of the oppressive political and social climate in Vietnam. Also, they recognize the immense hardships faced by Vietnamese pro-democracy activists, who are resolutely fighting to replace the one-Party communist regime with a democratic, pluralist state based on the rule of law and respectful of international rights standards enshrined in the United Nation’s Bill of Rights and international human rights law.

“The Rafto Foundation also recognizes the fundamental importance of the “Appeal for Democracy” you launched on 21.2.2001, an unprecedented 8-point programme for democratic change, and your “New Year’s Letter” (9.2.2005) calling for democracy and pluralism in Vietnam.

“The Rafto Prize 2006 is not only a great personal honour to you, for your inspiring example as a tireless champion of democracy and human rights, but it is also an inestimable gesture of support for all Vietnamese who are struggling to realize democracy and freedom in Vietnam.

“The prestigious Rafto prize honours you for your lifelong devotion to the sacred mission of implementing Buddhist teachings. As you said: “Buddhism shows the way to liberate humankind from ignorance, fear and slavery. It places the human being at the centre of society and the universe, endowed with the capacity to free himself and to emancipate his fellows” (“Appeal for Democracy)”…

“I am so happy to learn that the Rafto Foundation has awarded you its prestigious human rights award for 2006. This is an honour and recognition of the great contribution made by the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, under your leadership, to the advancement of freedom, democracy and human rights, particularly the right to religious freedom in Vietnam.

“The 2006 Rafto Human Rights Prize draws international attention to the just struggle of the Vietnamese people by highlighting your example, that of a devoted Buddhist monk who has endured countless suffering and persecution, yet has persevered in the peaceful struggle to protect Buddhism and save the Vietnamese people from repression over the past 30 years”.

“The Bloc 8406 shares the great joy of all the Vietnamese people, all those struggling for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, and people all over the world concerned for democratic development in Vietnam, to learn that the Board of the Rafto Foundation in Norway has decided to award you the 2006 Rafto Human Rights award. Not only are you a most worthy recipient of this prize, Venerable Thich Quang Do, but we believe you deserve even wider international recognition for the great contribution you have made, at the leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, to the cause of human rights, freedom, democracy and especially religious freedom in Vietnam.

“You gave vision and inspiration to the Unified Buddhist Church and shaped the UBCV into a movement that sought concrete solutions for our people’s tragic plight. Despite fierce repression [after the communist regime took power on 30th April] 1975, you were the first to publicly challenge the authorities by calling on them to make 30th April a “Day of Repentance” to apologize for the crimes committed by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The Rafto Prize shines a light on your life-long efforts to build a bridge between the Vietnamese people and the international community, and reflect the image of a wise Zen master, determined to overcome all hardships to find the path of salvation for your people and your faith”.

“The Vietnam Progress Party is very happy to hear that you have been awarded the Rafto Prize 2006. The Prize honours you as prominent human rights defender who has never ceased to struggle for religious freedom, democracy and human rights for the Vietnamese people.

“Venerable Thich Quang Do, you are not only worthy of the honour conveyed by the Ratfo Foundation’s Board, but in reality you should have greater recognition from the international community, because you persevered for over 30 years in peacefully opposing the communist regime in Vietnam, and have become a symbol for the growing democracy movement in our country. The Vietnam Progress Party expresses its deepest admiration for your unwavering commitment to the struggle to demand religious freedom, democracy and human rights for the Vietnamese people”.