(Marissa Williams, The West Australian, August 24 1995)
VENERABLE Thich Quang Duc earned an unforgettable place in world history for the Buddhist
monks of Vietnam.
On June 11 1963, in front of followers and the world press, he set himself on fire to protest at
policies of the then US-backed Diem regime of South Vietnam.
The image of a burning monk seared itself on to the world's conscience and sharpened focus on
Vietnam's civil strife.
Those high profile demonstrations are over but the communist regime still suppresses religious
dissent.
Last week, a court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Unified Buddhist Church secretary general Thich
Quang Do to five years for sabotaging religious solidarity".
Five followers were also sentenced and church head Thich Huyen Quang faces trial soon.
International human rights groups were quick to protest but the response in Vietnam was muted -
which raises the question of why the authorities waste energy clamping down on dissidents who
seem to have little public support.
"It is characteristic of authoritarian governments of any kind to overreact to any kind of disagreement
to their basic principles," Vietnam specialist Cisca Spencer said.
Ms. Spencer, deputy director of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University, said it was hard
to see the monks as a real threat.
"But how much of a genuine political threat the organization is is not the point. There is a systematic
unwillingness to tolerate dissidents. Some of these monks have been making statements that are
unpalatable to the Government," she said.
Venerable Thich Quang Ba, abbot and director of the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre in Canberra,
described the problem as one of legitimacy.
"It is not a confrontation between the communists and the Buddhists in political terms, it is (a
question of) who has a better name in the country," Venerable Thich Quang Ba said.
"Religion stands in people's mind. They respect religion and follow religious teachings."
Venerable Thich Quang Ba said there was support for the monks.
"You can't expect the people to do something silly like that (protest), they would be killed for
nothing. Support comes in different ways other than street demonstrations," he said.
He said Vietnam was an overwhelmingly Buddhist country and people gave generously to temples
even in economic hardship.
Freedom of worship is enshrined in the Vietnamese Constitution but the law says no one may misuse
religion to violate State laws and policies.
Various measures have been implemented towards this end, including banning the Unified Buddhist
Church and new polices which restrict religious education and gatherings. No one can practise
openly as a minister without State approval.
For their part, authorities do not want economic loosening to mean a weakening of their political
hold.
In the wake of Vietnam's entry into Asean and the normalization of relations with the US, some
observers see the jailings as a reminder to the outside world.
But these new economic ties may be the key to social and political freedoms for the Vietnamese,
says Sidney Jones, executive Director of the US-based Human Rights Watch - Asia group.
Ms. Jones cited Australia's success in engaging Cambodia in human rights reforms.
The lack of transparency and accountability in the Vietnamese system did not create a good climate
for trade and investment, so it was in the interest of other countries to encourage political freedom,
she said.
"And without some kind of protection for human rights, economic development can go astray. For
example, if you aren't allowed to challenge poor policy decisions, you are not going to be able to
provide useful criticism even over development policy," she said.
