Vietnamese monks face prison time over temple clash with authorities
Nine Buddhist figures got jail-time in south Vietnam for confrontation with local officials. Case brings up questions about religious practices in the country as human-rights groups speak up
A south-Vietnamese court gave prison terms to nine people including five Khmer Buddhist monks this tuesday‚ The longest sentence of 6 years went to Thach Chanh Da Ra – a well-known Buddhist figure
The court found them guilty of two charges: misusing democratic freedoms and keeping people against their will. Local police say Thach Chanh Da Ra told his followers to fight back when officials came to search his temple about a year ago
The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation tells a different story: they say non-uniformed Vietnamese officers (along with some local thugs) broke-up a peaceful language class at the temple. This wasnt the first issue – back in 22ʼ there was an attempt to cut down a 700-yr old sacred tree at this same place
What was really on trial was the Khmer Krom peopleʼs right to practice their religion‚ language and culture without interference from Vietnamʼs ruling Communist party
The monks didnt have any lawyers; they couldnt pay for them and no-one wanted to take the risk. Asia Human Rights group called these sentences “outrageous and unacceptable“. The US State Department already pointed out religious freedom limits in Vietnam last year
