EP : Open Letter to the European Union for the Fifth ASEM Summit in Hanoi (8-9 October 2004)

 

 

“We the undersigned, Members of the European Parliament, are deeply concerned by the Vietnamese government’s decision to separate, for the very first time, the official ASEM Summit and the ASEM People’s Forum, thus excluding civil society and separating Asian and European NGOs from their governments. We further condemn the deliberate exclusion of Vietnamese civil society from attending the Forum and the banning of access to the national and international press.

“We are also deeply disturbed by the continued detention of Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and the Venerable Thich Quang Do, prominent dissidents and leaders of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV). We urge the European Union and EU member states to call for their urgent release at the forthcoming Fifth Summit of ASEM leaders in Hanoi.

“The ASEM Summit, which gathers heads of state from the 25 EU members, China, Japan, South Korea, 10 ASEAN nations and the head of the European Commission, will be held on 8-9 October 2004. This date marks the sombre anniversary of a most brutal and pervasive crackdown launched by the Vietnamese authorities against the banned UBCV.

“Exactly one year ago, on 8 October 2003, Security Police intercepted UBCV monks as they left the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh province, where they had held a peaceful assembly to elect a new leadership, following promises of increased religious tolerance made by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. After a tense 10-hour standoff, in which 1,000 Buddhists formed a human wall around the monks’ vehicle and Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do staged a hunger strike inside, Police arrested 11 members of the new UBCV leadership. Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang (87) and his Deputy, Nobel Peace prize nominee Thich Quang Do (76), were placed under house arrest without trial. They were charged of “possessing state secrets”, but we believe that their sole “crime” was that of steadfastly defending religious freedom and human rights. Venerable Thich Thien Hanh, Thich Tue Sy, Thich Vien Dinh, Thich Thanh Huyen, Thich Nguyen Ly and Thich Dong Tho were also condemned to 2 years administrative detention. Hundreds of UBCV pagodas were placed under surveillance by Security Police and UBCV followers all over the country were intimidated and harassed.

“The European Parliament condemned the crackdown and called for the immediate release of the UBCV leaders in a “Resolution on Religious Freedom in Vietnam” (20 November 2003). Despite this strong outcry, and despite its binding pledge to respect human rights under the 1995 EU-Vietnam Cooperation Agreement, Vietnam took no steps to free these men. Today, Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do are detained in total isolation. They have both spent more than 23 years in detention for their nonviolent advocacy of religious freedom, democracy and human rights.

“The aim of the ASEM process is to foster dialogue and development between Europe and Asia, based on the conviction that “sustainable trade, investment and economic development cannot be achieved in the absence of the development of democracy, the rule of law, civil society and human rights” (EP Resolution on ASEM, 1998). As an ASEM member and host of this Fifth ASEM Summit, Vietnam has a double obligation to uphold these binding principles.

“We therefore call upon EU heads of State and governments, the EU Presidency and the European Commission to place human rights firmly at the centre of discussions at the ASEM Summit in Hanoi, and specifically to press for the immediate and unconditional release of UBCV Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do, the 6 UBCV leaders and all other Vietnamese citizens detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of opinion, religion, expression and association”.

Signatories :

1. Mr Alexander Nuno ALVARO
2. Mr Alfonso ANDRIA
3. Mr Kader ARIF
4. Ms Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENE
5. Ms Margrete AUKEN
6. Ms Irena BELOHORSKÁ
7. Mr Max van den BERG
8. Ms Jana BOBOŠÍKOVÁ
9. Mr Elmar BROK
10. Ms Emma BONINO
11. Mr Mihael BREJC
12. Ms Frederika M.J. BREPOELS
13. Mr Jan BREZINA
14. Ms Kathalijne Maria BUITENWEG
15. Ms Marie-Arlette CARLOTTI
16. Mr Paulo CASACA
17. Mr Michael CASHMAN
18. Ms Charlotte CEDERSCHIöLD
19. Mr Daniel COHN-BENDIT
20. Mr Richard CORBETT
21. Mr Marek Aleksander CZARNECKI
22. Mr Ryszard CZARNECKI
23. Mr Chris DAVIES
24. Mr Harlem DÉSIR
25. Mr Panayiotis DEMETRIOU
26. Mr Nirj DEVA
27. Mr Agustín DÍAZ DE MERA GARCÍA CONSUEGRA
28. Mr Gintaras DIDŽIOKAS
29. Ms Rosa M. DÍEZ GONZÁLEZ
30. Mr Antonio DI PIETRO
31. Mr Árpád DUKA-ZÓLYOMI
32. Mr Antoine DUQUESNE
33. Ms Lena EK
34. Mr Carlo FATUZZO
35. Ms Hélène FLAUTRE
36. Ms Anna Elzbieta FOTYGA
37. Ms Monica FRASSONI
38. Mr Michael GAHLER
39. Ms Kinga GÁL
40. Mr Patrick GAUBERT
41. Mr Jas GAWRONSKI
42. Mr Ignasi GUARDANS CAMBÓ
43. Mr Bronislaw GEREMEK
44. Ms Ana Maria GOMES
45. Ms Lilli GRUBER
46. Ms Fiona Jane HALL
47. Mr Malcolm HARBOUR
48. Ms Satu HASSI
49. Ms Adeline HAZAN
50. Mr Roger HELMER
51. Ms Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT
52. Ms Marie Anne ISLER BÉGUIN
53. Ms Sophia Helena in ’t VELD
54. Mr Jelko KACIN
55. Ms Piia-Noora KAUPPI
56. Ms Ewa KLAMT
57. Mr Bogdan Adam KLICH
58. Ms Magda KÓSÁNÉ KOVÁCS
59. Ms Eija-Riitta Anneli KORHOLA
60. Mr Ole KRARUP
61. Mr Wieslaw Stefan KUC
62. Mr Joost LAGENDIJK
63. Mr Alain LAMASSOURE
64. Ms Jean Denise LAMBERT
65. Mr Vytautas LANDSBERGIS
66. Mr Romano Maria LA RUSSA
67. Mr Alain LIPIETZ
68. Ms Pia Elda LOCATELLI
69. Ms Caroline LUCAS
70. Baroness Sarah LUDFORD
71. Mr Albert Jan MAAT
72. Mr Edward H.C. McMILLAN-SCOTT
73. Ms Jamila MADEIRA
74. Ms Cecilia MALMSTRöM
75. Mr David W. MARTIN
76. Ms Edith MASTENBROEK
77. Mr Hans-Peter MAYER
78. Mr Francesco MUSOTTO
79. Ms Pasqualina NAPOLETANO
80. Mr Cem öZDEMIR
81. Mr Justas Vincas PALECKIS
82. Mr Marco PANNELLA
83. Mr Rihards PIKS
84. Mr Pawel Bartlomiej PISKORSKI
85. Mr Józef PINIOR
86. Mr Hans-Gert POETTERING
87. Mr José Javier POMÉS RUIZ
88. Mr Bernd POSSELT
89. Ms Frédérique RIES
90. Ms Zuzana ROITHOVÁ
91. Mr Raül ROMEVA RUEDA
92. Mr Dariusz Kajetan ROSATI
93. Mr Libor ROUCEK
94. Ms Martine ROURE
95. Mr Leopold Józef RUTOWICZ
96. Mr José Ignacio SALAFRANCA SÁNCHEZ-NEYRA
97. Ms Amalia SARTORI
98. Ms Luciana SBARBATI
99. Mr Frithjof SCHMIDT
100. Ms Gitte SEEBERG
101. Mr István SZENT-IVÁNYI
102. Dr Charles TANNOCK
103. Ms Patrizia TOIA
104. Mr Johan VAN HECKE
105. Mr Daniel VARELA SUANZES-CARPEGNA
106. Mr Ari VATANEN
107. Mr Graham R. WATSON
108. Mr Jan Marinus WIERSMA
109. Mr Luis YAÑEZ-BARNUEVO GARCÍA
110. Mr Mauro ZANI
111. Mr Stefano ZAPPALA’