Vietnamese followers of famed Zen master seek asylum in France after pressure from officials
By Ben Stocking, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, December 17, 2009
In this May 20, 2007 file photo, Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh is seen upon his arrival at Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok. Some 400 disciples of Nhat Hanh, who has popularized Buddhism in the West and sold millions of books worldwide, were forcibly evicted from the Bat Nha monastery in Lam Dong province in late September, 2009. Since then, nearly 200 have taken refuge at the nearby Phuoc Hue pagoda, but they have been ordered to leave by Dec. 31. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/File)
HANOI, Vietnam - Followers of a famous Buddhist teacher plan to seek temporary asylum in France after months of pressure from Vietnam’s communist authorities to leave pagodas in the country’s south.
Some 400 disciples of Thich Nhat Hanh, who has popularized Buddhism in the West and sold millions of books worldwide, were forcibly evicted from the Bat Nha monastery in Lam Dong province in late September. Since then, nearly 200 have taken refuge at the nearby Phuoc Hue pagoda, but they have been ordered to leave by Dec. 31.
The standoff came to a head last week when a crowd of about 100 people, including undercover police, invaded Phuoc Hue and demanded that the abbot kick the disciples out. The angry crowd stopped a meeting under way between Nhat Hanh’s followers and a European Union human rights delegation.
"We can no longer withstand the government’s intense pressure to disperse," senior monk Thich Trung Hai wrote in a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy posted on a Web site operated by followers of Thich Nhat Hanh on Thursday. "We must turn to you to ask for temporary asylum in France so that we can remain together."
Vietnamese authorities could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The government accuses Nhat Hanh’s followers of sowing discord and defying central authorities by worshipping without official approval. The monastics say they followed all necessary procedures and only want to meditate and practice together.
Leaked official documents strongly suggest that the government, angry at Nhat Hanh for making political comments, deliberately sowed discord at their monastery, blamed it on Nhat Hanh’s followers and has been using it as a pretext to break them apart.
Vietnam-born Nhat Hanh lives at the Plum Village monastery in southern France, where thousands of people from around the world visit each year to practice his progressive brand of "engaged Buddhism," which stresses nonviolence and good works.
Nhat Hanh has lived in exile since being forced out of the former South Vietnam in the 1960s because of his opposition to the Vietnam War.
He was warmly welcomed by authorities during a homecoming visit four years ago, and a member of Vietnam’s official Buddhist Church invited his followers to settle at Bat Nha.
But relations with the government began to deteriorate after a 2007 visit during which Nhat Hanh suggested to President Nguyen Minh Triet that Vietnam give up control of religion and consider dropping the word "socialist" from Vietnam’s formal name.
On Wednesday, about 20 senior Plum Village monks and nuns met with Heidi Hautula, who chairs the human rights subcommittee of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. She issued a statement saying she was "deeply concerned" about the treatment of Nhat Hanh’s followers.
New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a statement Wednesday accusing the Vietnamese government of creating "orchestrated mobs" to break up Nhat Hanh’s followers.
Thich Thai Thuan, the abbot at Phuoc Hue and member of Vietnam’s official Buddhist church, said he signed the letter setting the Dec. 31 deadline under pressure from a mob including undercover police.
"I wanted to protect the Plum Village people," Thai Thuan said. "Where can they go if they are evicted?"
