Hanoi, June 28: Vietnam has lifted the house arrest order against the country's most famous Buddhist dissident and Nobel peace prize nominee Thich Quang do two months earlier than scheduled, officials said today. The 75-year-old deputy head of the outlawed unified Buddhist church of Vietnam (UBCV) was freed yesterday after more than two years of administrative detention at the Thanh Minh Zen monastery in Ho Chi Minh city.
"The Phu Nhuan district people's court announced its ruling on Friday (yesterday) afternoon and it came into effect immediately," a senior official from the district people's committee said, requesting anonymity.
"This is thanks to the lenient policy of the government, his good behaviour during his house arrest and because he is an old and weak man."
The Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB), following a telephone conversation with do, said the monk's release paper was officially signed on June 26, but he was only informed the following day.
"We are delighted Vietnam has finally given into international pressure. We have been waiting for this for so long," IBIB president Vo Van Ai told.
"But on the other hand we are very sad that he lost two years of his life while being held incommunicado in unlawful detention in harsh conditions. This is totally contrary to both Vietnamese and international law."
Diplomats welcomed do's release but expressed doubts over whether this marked the start of a genuine era of reconciliation between the UBCV and the communist regime.
Bureau Report