An ethnic Vietnamese congressman from the California State House of Representatives has written to the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam about the case of Buddhist “monk” Thich Minh Tue, who went missing for a second time on June 12.
On July 1, Thich Minh Tue's younger brother Le Anh Thin wrote to the police at the commune, district and provincial level requesting help finding his brother.
The same day, congressman Ta Duc Tri wrote to U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper, to express his concern about Tue, who became an internet sensation after going on a pilgrimage across Vietnam.
Tue, whose real name is Le Anh Tu, drew a wide following on social media in May when influencers documented his journey across Vietnam on TikTok and other social media platforms. Supporters were drawn to his simple lifestyle and humble demeanor.
Congressman Tri had already written to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on June 4 to voice his concerns about religious freedom in Vietnam, after Tue and more than 70 mendicants were rounded up in a police raid and sent to their home provinces.
“Unfortunately, since I wrote that letter, the situation with Thich Minh Tue has deteriorated and my concern for his wellbeing has grown considerably,” the congressman wrote.
In a letter on his Facebook page, the congressman, who was once mayor of Westminster city, which has a large Vietnamese population, said he had no confidence in the Vietnamese government to give a truthful account of Tue’s condition.
“I hope you will stand with me for religious freedom as a fundamental human right and immediately call to end the religious persecution of Thich Minh Tue and for his release if he is in fact being held unjustly. The United States must continue to press this issue at every available opportunity with the government in Vietnam,” the congressman wrote.
Radio Free Asia emailed the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam with requests for comment on the congressman’s letter but they did not immediately respond.
Family call for help
Thich Minh Tue does not claim to be a monk but he has become a symbol for many Buddhists by drawing attention to what many people say is the lack of religious freedom in Vietnam.
Freedom of religion is technically enshrined in Vietnam’s constitution but Tue does not belong to a Buddhist sect that is recognized by the state. Without recognition, religious groups are not allowed to organize.
RELATED STORIES
[ No word from Thich Min Tue in nearly 3 weeks, monk's relatives sayOpens in new window ]
[ Facebook user fined in Vietnam for posts about missing monkOpens in new window ]
[ Mendicant monk Thich Min Tue offers an embarrassing contrast to Vietnam elitesOpens in new window ]
According to Tue’s family, he told relatives on June 12 he would leave the temple where he has been staying for five to seven days before returning to continue practicing Buddhism.
On July 1, when Tue had still not returned, his family became worried.
In a video clip posted to the NSN YouTube channel on July 2, Tue’s brother, Le Anh Thin, said he was working with the authorities on Tue’s case.
"Yesterday I went to work with the authorities and they said that Mr Le Anh Tu is a normal citizen, he did not violate any laws, so they have no right to detain him," he told RFA.
He said the police "did not know where the monk was and only accepted applications to help."
A Buddhist monk in Ho Chi Minh City who has closely followed Tue’s story said the authorities forced monks to write commitments not to walk, beg for alms, wear robes or let their images spread on social networks, even though the Constitution and the 2016 Law on Religious Beliefs stipulate that citizens have the right to follow any religion.
The Ho Chi Minh City monk, D.H.T. Hoa, told RFA he believed the government's methods were not transparent and legal.
"Thin and his family have just filed an application. We need to wait and see how the government reacts to this story, but things seem to be quite complicated,” he said.
“Because monk Thich Minh Tue has a citizen’s ID card, the local government must guarantee him all the civil rights stated in the constitution."
An activist in Hanoi, who didn’t want to be identified for security reasons, said that Gia Lai provincial police were responsible for the safety ofLe Anh Tu.
“I don’t think that the danger … comes from the government but may come from those who are taking advantage of religious practices to profit from people's offerings, because his asceticism awakens people and they no longer go to commercial temples like they did for a long time,” he said.
Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.