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 06HANOI3059, COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS AND PROTESTANT ORGANIZATION

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. #06HANOI3059.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06HANOI3059 2006-12-22 08:52 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Hanoi
VZCZCXRO2237
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #3059/01 3560852
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 220852Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4190
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2280
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 003059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV VM
SUBJECT: COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS AND PROTESTANT ORGANIZATION 
UPDATE POLOFF ON RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENTS 
 
REF: HANOI 1880 
 
HANOI 00003059  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1. (SBU) The Government Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) told 
Poloff on December 19 that it will issue recognition certificates to 
two previously unrecognized church organizations on December 23. 
The CRA also confirmed the existence of a controversial training 
manual on Protestantism.  The manual, intended for use by local 
officials, includes language that might be construed as encouraging 
forced renunciation of some recently converted ethnic minority 
Protestants.  The CRA suggested that this language may be revised. 
Northern Protestants confirmed two new registrations of ethnic 
minority congregations and predicted others, though "progress has 
slowed" in some provinces.  We are encouraged by positive statements 
of government officials and Protestants going into the New Year, but 
will continue to encourage the CRA to increase the pace of 
registration work and revise the training manual so that it cannot 
be interpreted by officials as authorization to encourage 
renunciations of faith.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On December 19, Dang Tai Tinh, Director of the CRA 
International Cooperation Department, briefed Poloff on year-end 
religious freedom developments in Vietnam.  Tinh expressed the CRA's 
appreciation for the USG's recent decision to remove Vietnam from 
the list of Countries of Particular Concern on religious freedom. 
"One way or another, the GVN will continue to promote the spiritual 
well-being of its citizens," Tinh added. 
 
Religious Freedom Developments 
------------------------------ 
 
3. (SBU) Tinh read Poloff portions of the end-of-year internal CRA 
report on religious developments.  The report confirmed that, in 
September, CRA provided recognition certificates to 3 previously 
unrecognized religions, the United World Mission Church and two 
Buddhist organizations and during October issued registration 
certificates to 25 Protestant congregations, in addition to others, 
in Ho Chi Minh City, including 17 belonging to unrecognized 
organizations.  Beyond this previously reported information, Tinh 
also confirmed that the CRA will issue recognition certificates to 
the 7th Day Adventists and the General Baptist Conference (Grace 
Baptist Church) on December 23.  (Note: Both churches were among 
those allowed to register "sub-congregations" in Ho Chi Minh City in 
October.  This latest certificate will legalize their entire 
organizations.  End Note.)  In addition, there are now 781 Southern 
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) "meeting points" registered in 
the Central Highlands (an increase of 73 since October), and another 
123 registered places of worship affiliated with other religious 
organizations in the region. 
 
4. (SBU) The CRA report also confirmed that between June and 
October, 27 Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) churches in 9 
Northern and Northwest Highlands provinces were issued registration 
certificates as part of the CRA's pilot registration program.  As 
promised, the CRA is now assisting provinces in the North to develop 
their own registration programs based on the results of the pilot 
registrations.  Tinh could not provide numbers of additional 
congregations registered since October, but stated that "a few 
additional churches have received their certificates." 
 
5. (SBU) Tinh also noted that the CRA met with a delegation of U.S., 
Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City representatives of the Church of 
Latter Day Saints on November 9 and the CRA is now considering 
whether to register several Mormon congregations in Hanoi.  Tinh 
also highlighted the CRA's recent publication and distribution of 
bibles (and Buddhist materials) in the ethnic minority languages of 
Jarai, Ede and Bana (and Khmer) in the Central Highlands. 
 
Protestantism Training Document 
------------------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) Poloff asked Tinh to confirm the existence of a CRA 
training document designed for local officials on Protestantism, and 
noted our concern that the current version of the document, provided 
to us by religious activists, divides Protestants into three cohorts 
depending on the length of time these ethnic minority individuals 
have professed belonging to the religion.  Poloff also noted that 
the training document's instructions to local officials to encourage 
recently converted Protestants to return to their traditional 
beliefs appears to be an explicit instruction to force some 
Protestants to renounce their faith. 
 
7. (SBU) Tinh confirmed that the training document is a CRA 
publication used as a training manual for provincial, district and 
commune officials in the North.  The manual is issued to officials 
who attend training workshops on the PM's Instruction on 
 
HANOI 00003059  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Protestantism and is designed to educate them about the religion. 
The division of Protestants into 3 cohorts reflects an internal GVN 
compromise brokered by CRA in order to address the concerns of local 
officials (who are often ethnic minority traditionalists) about 
"instability" arising in remote regions from conflict between ethnic 
minority traditionalists and recent Protestant converts.  Tinh 
acknowledged that the manual's language about encouraging recent 
converts to return to their traditional customs could be interpreted 
as an instruction to force renunciation; however, "to err is human" 
and CRA has already made several edits to the manual correcting 
language that could be misinterpreted by unsophisticated officials 
at lower levels. 
 
The Protestant View 
------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) On December 14, ECVN General Secretary Au Quang Vinh told 
Poloff that the ECVN is delighted with recent developments 
concerning religious freedom in the North.  For example, immediately 
following Vinh's November 19 participation in an ecumenical prayer 
service with President Bush in Hanoi (and a meeting later that day 
with Secretary Rice at the Ambassador's residence), he traveled to 
Lang Son Province to participate in the inauguration of a new ethnic 
H'mong church in Bac Son District associated with the legacy Dzao 
ECVN church in the same locality.  This congregation was not on the 
list of pilot registrations promulgated by the CRA before the APEC 
November Summit.  Vinh said that provincial officials decided to 
allow the congregation's registration shortly after, and in direct 
response to, the Ambassador's visit with the Dzao congregation in 
July (Ref A).  Vinh also reported that another congregation in Thai 
Nguyen Province was allowed to register in November and ECVN plans a 
similar event as above with this new church.  This congregation was 
also not on the list of pilot registrations promulgated by the CRA 
before APEC.  Vinh speculates that other previously unregistered 
churches have similarly received their registration certificates in 
the North and Northwest regions, but he simply has not heard from 
them yet. 
 
9. (SBU) Poloff asked if there has been any GVN retrenchment on 
religious freedom since the APEC summit.  Vinh reiterated that ECVN 
has not heard any reports of police harassment of churches in the 
North since last January.  He said that, since APEC, progress on 
religious freedom continues to advance in some areas while "slowing 
in some others"; however, the situation has not actually 
deteriorated in these problematic areas, rather "forward progress 
has simply slowed".  (Note: Vinh did not elaborate.  End Note). 
Vinh reported that ECVN President Pastor Phung Quang Huyen traveled 
to Lai Chau Province in early November (during APEC) as planned. 
Huyen received a chilly reception from provincial officials and a 
slightly more lukewarm reception from district officials; however, 
the provincial and district authorities allowed Huyen an 
unprecedented opportunity to meet and worship with an unregistered 
ECVN church while he was in the province (NFI). 
 
10. (SBU) Vinh also reported that Protestant and Catholic relations 
in the North are "the best they have ever been" since the November 
19 ecumenical service.  ECVN and the Hanoi Archdiocese have had a 
good exchange of ideas on promoting religious freedom for Christians 
in Vietnam since the event and some Catholic parishioners have even 
started attending Protestant services and vice versa in order to 
learn more about each other's faiths. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
11. (SBU) While we had hoped for more concrete information on end of 
year religious developments, particularly on Protestant 
registrations before Christmas, we are encouraged by the level of 
good feeling expressed by the CRA and the ECVN about the status of 
religious freedom in Vietnam.  We were also encouraged by the CRA's 
acknowledgement of the problems with their training manual.  Now 
that the CRA has confirmed that the document is official, we will 
document our specific concerns and more formally press for 
revisions. 
 
ALOISI