Democratic Voice of Vietnam

Press Release of Vietnam Freedom of Religion or Belief Roundtable

Contact email: bpsos@bpsos.org; Website: https://www.vnforb.org/
April 6, 2020
Today 28 religious organizations, the vast majority of which are not legally recognized by the Vietnamese government, and 108 individuals coming from different religious and ethnic communities wrote to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc calling for a policy of social inclusiveness to better fight the spreading coronavirus pandemic.
Coordinated by Vietnam Freedom of Religion or Belief Roundtable, the joint letter contends that “…combatting [the pandemic] requires the involvement of everyone and all sectors in society… Any form of monopoly or discrimination would diminish the efficacy of the fight against the spreading pandemic.”

The signatories offered three recommendations to the Prime Minister.

Addressing the high number of functionally “stateless” Hmong and Montagnard Christians – they have been denied household registration and citizenship ID for having resisted local governments’ pressure to abandon their faith, the joint letter urges prompt issuance of such personal documents, without which access to public benefits and medical services would be denied.

The joint letter asks that the Prime Minister, in light of the spreading pandemic, “urgently communicate to government authorities at the provincial, district and local levels a policy of absolute non-discrimination regarding access to medical services and social benefits.”

The second issue raised involves the high risk of infection among prisoners. The joint letter calls for the release of prisoners, “particularly the ones posing no risk to society such as those who defended human rights, those who exercised their freedom of expression or those who advocated environmental protection.”

Finally, the joint letter asserted the role and highlighted the contributions of civil society, including religions not recognized and religious organizations not registered by the government, in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

“Facing the pandemic, mobilizing the totality of resources in society is urgent and critical,” the signatories explained. “Even if a group or a community of citizens is excluded or marginalized, the total capacity of society would diminish, and the risk factor would increase.”

To ensure that there will be no reprisal against the signatories, a team of some 20 local “rapporteurs” have been deployed by the Violations Reporting Committee, a Vietnam-based civil society group, to monitor and report any incident of retaliation or harassment.  

The joint letter is open for additional signatories.

The original Vietnamese joint letter and its English translation are attached.

Nguyen Dinh Thang, PhD
CEO & President
BPSOS