Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 04HANOI2430, STAFFDEL JANUZZI MEETINGS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #04HANOI2430.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
04HANOI2430 2004-09-03 05:32 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Hanoi
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002430 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF, AND H 
 
H PLEASE PASS TO FRANK JANUZZI IN OFFICE OF SENATOR BIDEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM ETMIN HUMANR RELFREE
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL JANUZZI MEETINGS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
 
Reftels: A) HCMC 622;  B) Hanoi 712;  C) Hanoi 1987 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: During meetings with Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee staff member Frank Januzzi in Hanoi on 
September 1, a Catholic Church leader and a GVN Committee 
for Religious Affairs (CRA) official depicted a steadily 
improving situation for religious believers in Vietnam.  Of 
note, the Catholic Church is increasing the number of 
seminarians studying in Hanoi this year, and hopes to expand 
charitable activities when the new Ordinance on Religion 
comes into effect on November 15.  The CRA official said 
that the process of opening new churches in the Central 
Highlands was continuing without interruption, and that 
seven new Protestant churches would be recognized by the end 
of 2004.  Mr. Januzzi's other meetings in Hanoi and visit to 
Gia Lai province will be reported septel.  End Summary 
 
2. (SBU) Bishop Ngo Quang Kiet, Apostolic Administrator of 
the Hanoi Archdiocese and Bishop of Lang Son diocese, told 
Mr. Januzzi that religious freedom is "evolving" in Vietnam, 
and noted "ten years ago we couldn't have had this meeting." 
Similarly, he explained that a decade ago, ordaining new 
Catholic bishops in Vietnam was "very difficult," but now 
all dioceses had bishops.  Bishop Kiet said that more 
Catholic churches were being built in both northern and 
southern Vietnam, and that Church activities were 
"diversifying."  For example, he cited that 5000 young 
Catholics had participated in a church retreat in Hanoi just 
two weeks before.  He also pointed out that Catholic bishops 
now had no difficulty traveling to the Vatican.  In fact, 
the entire Vietnam Bishops Council had visited Rome two 
years ago, and Bishop Kiet would leave for his fourth trip 
to Rome in five years this weekend.  Bishop Kiet credited 
these changes to "improved policies" by the GVN. 
Nonetheless, Kiet noted that "religious activities are 
easier to carry out in the south than in the north, in urban 
areas rather than in rural areas, and are still difficult in 
the mountains." 
 
3. (SBU) Bishop Kiet particularly stressed that the Church 
had recently been allowed to recruit more seminarians to 
study in Hanoi.  In the past, he said, the Hanoi seminary 
had only been allowed 45-50 students entering once every two 
years.  In this fall's new class, however, there would be 90 
new students.  [Note: Restrictions on the number of 
seminarians has been a point of particular frustration for 
the Catholic Church in Vietnam.  In addition to numerical 
caps, seminarians must be approved by relevant GVN agencies 
before they begin their studies, and again before they are 
ordained.  End note] 
 
4. (SBU) Bishop Kiet also discussed the Church's charitable 
activities.  Until now, he said, such activities had been 
done through Church participation in state-run programs, 
through independent activities that had explicit approval by 
authorities, or through "secretive activities."  For 
example, he noted that last year in HCMC, when the GVN found 
itself unable to cope with the number of new HIV positive 
patients "in their final stages," it called upon the 
Catholic Church for assistance.  The Church provided 150 
religious workers to assist. (ref. A)  "We have long 
proposed that the government allow us to conduct more 
activities in educational and social affairs," Kiet 
explained, adding that the Church was generally restricted 
only to supporting kindergartens.  He said that the Church 
thought "it is our responsibility to society" to operate 
charitable schools and health care centers, and wanted "the 
independence to do so."  Bishop Kiet acknowledged that 
Vietnam's new Ordinance on Religion - which would take 
effect November 15 - made mention of charitable activities 
by religious groups, but said "we are not sure" if the 
ordinance would allow the Church the freedom of activity it 
sought. 
 
5. (U) Nguyen Thanh Xuan, Deputy Chairman of the GVN's 
Committee for Religious Affairs, focused largely on religion 
in the Central Highlands, in advance of Mr. Januzzi's trip 
to the region the following day (septel).  Xuan said that 
Protestantism had first come to the Highlands in the 1930's, 
that there were 60,000 Protestant believers there in 1975, 
and over 100,000 today.  [Note: Mission figures put the 
number at 350,000. End note.]  He said that the 
"normalization" of the situation for Protestants in the 
Central Highlands began with the recognition of the Southern 
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) in 2001, and pointed 
out that four highlands ministers now sat on the SECV's 
board and students from the region were enrolled at the 
SECV's seminary in HCMC.  This process continued with the 
decree on normalization of relations with the SECV, issued 
in November 2003 (ref. B), and was aimed at putting SECV 
activities in the Central Highlands on the same basis as in 
all other parts of Vietnam.  "The Central Highlands," he 
said, "have been given high priority" and the process of 
normalization continued unabated.  [Note: This differs with 
comments of CRA Chairman Thi, who told Ambassador Hanford in 
June that the normalization process has been suspended as a 
result of unrest in the Central Highlands in April.  End 
note.] 
 
6. (U) Specifically, Xuan said that seven new Protestant 
churches would be officially recognized in Gia Lai province 
before the end of 2004.  He did not comment on possible new 
churches in other highlands provinces.  Xuan noted that 
there was still a shortage of pastors in the region, but 
said that the CRA was planning to help the SECV's seminary 
in HCMC "increase its capacity" and was continuing with 
plans to carry out "on site training" in the Central 
Highlands next year.  This would involve uncertified 
religious leaders receiving instruction from teachers from 
HCMC.  He added that the CRA had suggested to the SECV that 
it send students to study abroad.  In the meanwhile, Xuan 
said that Protestant villages should register the number of 
Protestant believers, the name of their church leaders, and 
the schedule and location of their religious activities. 
Those village congregations that did not meet all the 
criteria for recognition could operate as "satellites" of 
larger, officially recognized congregations, he said.  "When 
a village has its own pastor, it can separate and establish 
an independent congregation," he added. 
 
7. (U) Mr. Januzzi brought up the new Ordinance on Religion, 
and noted that many in Washington were disappointed that it 
did not contain specific language banning forced 
renunciations (ref C).  Xuan replied that the ordinance was 
a "framework," and that it still remained for the GVN to 
draft "implementing documents," which would be more 
specific.  "We understand that (forced renunciations) exist 
in some areas, but they are the result of individual 
actions," he said.  He described forced renunciations as a 
"psychological matter," the reaction when people with long- 
held traditional beliefs were suddenly confronted with "new 
phenomena."  Nonetheless, "the new ordinance will overwhelm 
such actions," Xuan promised.  He added that the creation of 
a single code to govern religion would have "significant 
legal effect and significant unifying effect" and would make 
the practice of religion "equal for all of Vietnam." 
 
8. (SBU) Comment:  Xuan's comments were some of the most 
positive news we have heard on religion in Vietnam in some 
time.  So positive, in fact, that we fear he may have been 
just telling his Congressional visitor what he wanted to 
hear.  Mission will monitor the situation in the highlands 
to see if the "normalization process" for the SECV has 
indeed resumed, and if new churches will open as promised. 
End comment. 
 
9. (U) Mr. Januzzi has not cleared this cable. 
BURGHARDT