Unaffiliated Buddhist monk disappears while on pilgrimage

A prominent unaffiliated Buddhist monk was arrested in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam on 1 June.

Le Anh Tu, aka Thich Minh Tue, has become a well-known figure in Vietnam due to his strict adherence to an extreme ascetic Buddhist practice known as Dhutanga, which calls for him to move constantly from town to town during the day, walking barefoot, and sleeping in forests, cemeteries and bushes at night. His commitment to observing the core principles of Buddhism has drawn praise from Vietnamese citizens from all walks of life, including intellectuals, artists, expatriates, other monks and even some Christian priests.

Tu has gained notoriety over the past six months as some of his followers have shared his pilgrimage on social media.

This has drawn hostility from the only sanctioned Buddhist church in Vietnam, which has lost popular support of late and is viewed to have taken the side of the government, and in doing so, given up on the core principles of Buddhism which call for peaceful action, care for the poor and rejection of the material.

On 1 June Tu and his followers were arrested by plain clothes police. He was pictured being fingerprinted in a police station the following day, but has not been seen or heard from since. His journey and subsequent arrest and disappearance have become emblematic of the restrictions religious groups and practitioners face in Vietnam.

All religious groups are required to register with the government in order to practice legally. Registration brings with it a forced syncretism with the beliefs of the Vietnamese Communist Party.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘Thich Minh Tue has been derided by state-recognised Buddhist leaders as being a rogue Buddhist, without affiliation and whose aims are to sow discord amongst the national Buddhist community. His practice exposes the Vietnamese government and their enablers’ paranoia over religious movements that they cannot control. Religious practice is a human right and the government has no authority to impose its restrictions on religion or belief. We call on the Vietnamese government to immediately provide evidence of the safety and wellbeing of Tu and to release him without condition.’

Note to Editors:

1. Thich Minh Tue practices a strand of Buddhism known as Dhutanga. He is an unaffiliated Buddhist monk which means that he has not been officially ordained or trained by a Buddhist denomination.