The board of the Rafto Foundation has decided to award the 2006 Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize to one of Vietnam’s most prominent defenders of democracy, religious freedom and human rights: Venerable Thich Quang Do. He receives the prize for his personal courage and perseverance through three decades of peaceful …
Read More »His Royal Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Kingdom of Thailand Transmitted by the good offices of H.E. Thana Duangratana, Ambassador of Thailand in Paris Paris, 11th September 2006 Your Majesty, On the day you were hospitalized for a grave operation in July 2006, I was in Bangkok on a stop-over to …
Read More »Mr. Vo Van Ai, President of the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights and Vice-President of the International Federation on Human Rights (FIDH) sent an Open Letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urging him to take the opportunity of the ASEM 6 Summit to announce radical measures to …
Read More »The Very Venerable Thich Quang Do, Deputy leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) sent the International Buddhist Information Bureau today an exchange of letters between himself and Hanoi dissident Hoang Minh Chinh, VCP veteran and former Dean of the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Philosophy in Hanoi. Although …
Read More »Hanoi, 30 Aug 2006 (dpa) – Newly freed Vietnamese internet dissident Pham Hong Son vowed hours after his release Wednesday that he would continue to call for free elections in communist-ruled Vietnam despite remaining under house arrest. “I will speak and exchange opinions freely and openly,” Son, 37, …
Read More »Agence France Presse HANOI, Aug 29, 2006 (AFP) – Human rights and press freedom watchdogs welcomed Tuesday the release of Vietnamese dissident Pham Hong Son, but asked the communist government to free other political and religious activists. Vietnam’s ministry of public security said Monday that Son, a businessman …
Read More »PARIS, 28 August 2006 – Vietnam’s Vice-Minister of Public Security has announced that 5,313 prisoners will be released on 2 September, Vietnam’s National Day, including two prisoners convicted of “national security” offences, one of “espionage” and one of “undermining the policy of national unity”. These prisoners reportedly include cyber-dissident Pham …
Read More »HANOI, Vietnam, Aug. 28, 2006 (UPI) — Vietnam has reportedly promised to free its political dissidents before of U.S. President Bush’s proposed visit this year. The gesture is seen as an effort by Vietnam to win more international support, including from the U.S. Congress, for membership in the World Trade …
Read More »The International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB) has received an urgent appeal today from Venerable Thich Chon Tam, Superior monk of Tay Hue Pagoda in the southern province of An Giang and member of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV). Thich Chon Tam reports that the authorities are stepping …
Read More »Venerable Thich Duc Son pleads innocence at the appeal trial PARIS, 10 July 2006 (IBIB) – More than 50 monks and nuns of the State-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church (VBC) staged a demonstration outside the People’s Supreme Organ of Supervision and Control (Supreme Procuracy) in Hanoi on 6 July calling for …
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Quê Me Quê Me: Action for democracy in Vietnam & Vietnam Committee on Human Rights