Politics And Death In Vietnam
Vietnam's progress in expanding human rights is incomplete.  This is seen once again in the heavy security presence at the funeral of a
Even as its ties have grown with Vietnam, the United States hasremained focused on the human rights situation there, pushing for agreater role for public discourse while acknowledging efforts withinthe government of Vietnam to expand individual freedoms. There havebeen steps forward. Vietnam, for example, recently committed to reviseits criminal code to conform to international standards and to expandpress freedoms by allowing foreign news outlets to open offices in HoChi Minh City. In their recent meeting in Washington, President GeorgeBush congratulated Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for hiswork in this regard. Vietnam's progress in expanding humanrights, however, is incomplete. This is seen once again in the heavysecurity presence at the funeral of a leading spiritual leader, showingthe government's concern that the event could spark a public protest insupport of a man who lived under virtual house arrest for preaching andpracticing his political and spiritual beliefs. Thich HuyenQuang, patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, or UBCV,died July 5 at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh province. Apeace activist who opposed French colonial rule and the U.S. conflictin Vietnam, he continued his work for human rights and religiousfreedom after the war’s end. The Vietnamese government banned thechurch because it refused to join the state-sanctioned Vietnam BuddhistChurch, or VBC. For his activities, Thich Huyen Quang spent much of thelast three decades in internal exile, house arrest or prison. TheUBCV is planning to hold a quiet funeral for him, honoring a man whowas its spiritual leader for decades. A large number of Buddhist monks-- primarily from the UBCV but also from the government-sanctioned VBS-- are expected to attend. Initial reports had it that the governmentwould forbid the ceremony and conduct the rites itself. Variousstatements in the government-controlled media now indicate that theUBCV service will proceed, but with a warning that while the governmentrespects the right of Thich Huyen Quang's followers to hold a religiousobservance, they shouldn’t turn it into a political event. Any interference in the funeral would be a sign that Vietnam is moving backward, not ahead, in the vital area of human rights.