They intended to oppose the authorities and undermine the Party and State’s policy on national unity. They also deliberately acted against Buddha’s teaching to support their own political moves. 

Bonze Thich Huyen Quang became seriously ill last month. Some elements from southern locations such as Quang Do, Vien Dinh and Khong Tanh, calling themselves Buddhists, visited him in Nguyen Thieu monastery in Binh Dinh province where he was receiving medical treatment. Under the pretext of taking care of the Bonze, they attempted to make the situation ever more confounded. Even when Huyen Quang’s health became critical, they continued to put pressure on his followers to take him to Ho Chi Minh City or Hue. Then, before Huyen Quang’s death, they claimed the right to organise his funeral and arrange the leading positions in the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Those moves were aimed at legalising and publicising the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

To develop Buddhism in Vietnam, the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam was established in Saigon in January 1964 after merging with other 11 Buddhist sects in southern Vietnam at that time. After the national renewal process began, leaders of the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam and 8 other Buddhist sects voluntarily joined the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. Since then, the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam has been a member of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. They unanimously issued a Charter which stated that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha was only organisation representing Buddhism in Vietnam.

So, in both historical and legal terms, the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam is no longer an independent religious organisation but part of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, as are other sects that have joined it. But, over the last decade, Quang Do and some other religious elements have nurtured a plot to revive the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam with the aim of using religious affairs to undermine the Vietnamese State.

However, all their moves met with strong opposition from a broad section of Vietnamese society, including Buddhist believers. The Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha said in its Communique No. 481/TB/HDTS that the Sangha did not accept the moves of some individuals who as the self-styled leaders of the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam tried to revive this organisation. This act runs counter to the Charter of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It also sows discord among Buddhist monks and nuns, followers and other people.

The Vietnamese Party and State have played an active role in the process of international integration, particularly since July 1, 2008, when the country assumed the monthy rotating post of UN Security Council presidency. Judging from this fact, Quang Do and some other reactionary elements maintained that Vietnam would not dare to oppose their scheme to publicise the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam. That is why they took advantage of Huyen Quang’s failing health with hopes for his early death to revive this organisation.

To seek funds for this move, Quang Do and his accomplices had got in touch with Vo Van Ai, whom the western press described as a jackal dressed in monk’s robes but closely related to reactionary organisations in the US, to transfer money to Vietnam. Last month, they got about VND1 billion, 20 public toilets and 5 tonnes of food from Ai and some other reactionaries living in exile in the hope of quickly publicising the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam.