{"id":175,"date":"2004-10-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-10-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/queme.org\/en\/open-letter-to-the-european-union-for-the-fifth-asem-summit-in-hanoi-8-9-october-2004\/"},"modified":"2016-09-09T13:51:25","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T13:51:25","slug":"open-letter-to-the-european-union-for-the-fifth-asem-summit-in-hanoi-8-9-october-2004","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/open-letter-to-the-european-union-for-the-fifth-asem-summit-in-hanoi-8-9-october-2004\/","title":{"rendered":"<i>EP<\/i> : Open Letter to the European Union for the Fifth ASEM Summit in Hanoi (8-9 October 2004)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.europarl.eu.int\/home\/default_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"..\/images\/PE_logo.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"287\" height=\"64\" alt=\"European Parliament - http:\/\/www.europarl.eu.int\"><\/a><br \/><font color=\"#0000BC\">EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT<\/font><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe the undersigned, Members of the European Parliament, are deeply concerned by the Vietnamese government\u2019s decision to separate, for the very first time, the official ASEM Summit and the ASEM People\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly 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\u2019 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 <i>\u201cpossessing state secrets\u201d<\/i>, but we believe that their sole \u201ccrime\u201d 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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe European Parliament condemned the crackdown and called for the immediate release of the UBCV leaders in a \u201cResolution on Religious Freedom in Vietnam\u201d (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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe aim of the ASEM process is to foster dialogue and development between Europe and Asia, based on the conviction that <i>\u201csustainable 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\u201d<\/i> (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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\n<i><b>Signatories\u00a0:<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<p>1.\tMr Alexander Nuno ALVARO<br \/>\n2.\tMr Alfonso ANDRIA<br \/>\n3.\tMr Kader ARIF<br \/>\n4.\tMs Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENE<br \/>\n5.\tMs Margrete AUKEN<br \/>\n6.\tMs Irena BELOHORSK\u00c1<br \/>\n7.\tMr Max van den BERG<br \/>\n8.\tMs Jana BOBO\u0160\u00cdKOV\u00c1<br \/>\n9.\tMr Elmar BROK<br \/>\n10.\tMs Emma BONINO<br \/>\n11.\tMr Mihael BREJC<br \/>\n12.\tMs Frederika M.J. BREPOELS<br \/>\n13.\tMr Jan BREZINA<br \/>\n14.\tMs Kathalijne Maria BUITENWEG<br \/>\n15.\tMs Marie-Arlette CARLOTTI<br \/>\n16.\tMr Paulo CASACA<br \/>\n17.\tMr Michael CASHMAN<br \/>\n18.\tMs Charlotte CEDERSCHI\u00f6LD<br \/>\n19.\tMr Daniel COHN-BENDIT<br \/>\n20.\tMr Richard CORBETT<br \/>\n21.\tMr Marek Aleksander CZARNECKI<br \/>\n22.\tMr Ryszard CZARNECKI<br \/>\n23.\tMr Chris DAVIES<br \/>\n24.\tMr Harlem D\u00c9SIR<br \/>\n25.\tMr Panayiotis DEMETRIOU<br \/>\n26.\tMr Nirj DEVA<br \/>\n27.\tMr Agust\u00edn D\u00cdAZ DE MERA GARC\u00cdA CONSUEGRA<br \/>\n28.\tMr Gintaras DID&#381;IOKAS<br \/>\n29.\tMs Rosa M. D\u00cdEZ GONZ\u00c1LEZ<br \/>\n30.\tMr Antonio DI PIETRO<br \/>\n31.\tMr \u00c1rp\u00e1d DUKA-Z\u00d3LYOMI<br \/>\n32.\tMr Antoine DUQUESNE<br \/>\n33.\tMs Lena EK<br \/>\n34.\tMr Carlo FATUZZO<br \/>\n35.\tMs H\u00e9l\u00e8ne FLAUTRE<br \/>\n36.\tMs Anna Elzbieta FOTYGA<br \/>\n37.\tMs Monica FRASSONI<br \/>\n38.\tMr Michael GAHLER<br \/>\n39.\tMs Kinga G\u00c1L<br \/>\n40.\tMr Patrick GAUBERT<br \/>\n41.\tMr Jas GAWRONSKI<br \/>\n42.\tMr Ignasi GUARDANS CAMB\u00d3<br \/>\n43.\tMr Bronislaw GEREMEK<br \/>\n44.\tMs Ana Maria GOMES<br \/>\n45.\tMs Lilli GRUBER<br \/>\n46.\tMs Fiona Jane HALL<br \/>\n47.\tMr Malcolm HARBOUR<br \/>\n48.\tMs Satu HASSI<br \/>\n49.\tMs Adeline HAZAN<br \/>\n50.\tMr Roger HELMER<br \/>\n51.\tMs Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT<br \/>\n52.\tMs Marie Anne ISLER B\u00c9GUIN<br \/>\n53.\tMs Sophia Helena in \u2019t VELD<br \/>\n54.\tMr Jelko KACIN<br \/>\n55.\tMs Piia-Noora KAUPPI<br \/>\n56.\tMs Ewa KLAMT<br \/>\n57.\tMr Bogdan Adam KLICH<br \/>\n58.\tMs Magda K\u00d3S\u00c1N\u00c9 KOV\u00c1CS<br \/>\n59.\tMs Eija-Riitta Anneli KORHOLA<br \/>\n60.\tMr Ole KRARUP<br \/>\n61.\tMr Wieslaw Stefan KUC<br \/>\n62.\tMr Joost LAGENDIJK<br \/>\n63.\tMr Alain LAMASSOURE<br \/>\n64.\tMs Jean Denise LAMBERT<br \/>\n65.\tMr Vytautas LANDSBERGIS<br \/>\n66.\tMr Romano Maria LA RUSSA<br \/>\n67.\tMr Alain LIPIETZ<br \/>\n68.\tMs Pia Elda LOCATELLI<br \/>\n69.\tMs Caroline LUCAS<br \/>\n70.\tBaroness Sarah LUDFORD<br \/>\n71.\tMr Albert Jan MAAT<br \/>\n72.\tMr Edward H.C. McMILLAN-SCOTT <br \/>\n73.\tMs Jamila MADEIRA<br \/>\n74.\tMs Cecilia MALMSTR\u00f6M<br \/>\n75.\tMr David W. MARTIN<br \/>\n76.\tMs Edith MASTENBROEK<br \/>\n77.\tMr Hans-Peter MAYER<br \/>\n78.\tMr Francesco MUSOTTO<br \/>\n79.\tMs Pasqualina NAPOLETANO<br \/>\n80.\tMr Cem \u00f6ZDEMIR<br \/>\n81.\tMr Justas Vincas PALECKIS<br \/>\n82.\tMr Marco PANNELLA<br \/>\n83.\tMr Rihards PIKS<br \/>\n84.\tMr Pawel Bartlomiej PISKORSKI<br \/>\n85.\tMr J\u00f3zef PINIOR<br \/>\n86.\tMr Hans-Gert POETTERING<br \/>\n87.\tMr Jos\u00e9 Javier POM\u00c9S RUIZ<br \/>\n88.\tMr Bernd POSSELT<br \/>\n89.\tMs Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique RIES<br \/>\n90.\tMs Zuzana ROITHOV\u00c1<br \/>\n91.\tMr Ra\u00fcl ROMEVA RUEDA<br \/>\n92.\tMr Dariusz Kajetan ROSATI<br \/>\n93.\tMr Libor ROUCEK<br \/>\n94.\tMs Martine ROURE<br \/>\n95.\tMr Leopold J\u00f3zef RUTOWICZ<br \/>\n96.\tMr Jos\u00e9 Ignacio SALAFRANCA S\u00c1NCHEZ-NEYRA<br \/>\n97.\tMs Amalia SARTORI<br \/>\n98.\tMs Luciana SBARBATI<br \/>\n99.\tMr Frithjof SCHMIDT<br \/>\n100.\tMs Gitte SEEBERG<br \/>\n101.\tMr Istv\u00e1n SZENT-IV\u00c1NYI<br \/>\n102.\tDr Charles TANNOCK<br \/>\n103.\tMs Patrizia TOIA<br \/>\n104.\tMr Johan VAN HECKE<br \/>\n105.\tMr Daniel VARELA SUANZES-CARPEGNA<br \/>\n106.\tMr Ari VATANEN<br \/>\n107.\tMr Graham R. WATSON<br \/>\n108.\tMr Jan Marinus WIERSMA<br \/>\n109.\tMr Luis YA\u00d1EZ-BARNUEVO GARC\u00cdA<br \/>\n110.\tMr Mauro ZANI<br \/>\n111.\tMr Stefano ZAPPALA\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT &nbsp; \u201cWe the undersigned, Members of the European Parliament, are deeply concerned by the Vietnamese government\u2019s decision to separate, for the very first time, the official ASEM Summit and the ASEM People\u2019s Forum, thus excluding civil society and separating Asian and European NGOs from their governments. We further condemn the deliberate exclusion &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":544,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-resources"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}