Vietnamese prisoner of conscience Phan Van Thu, who based an unbiased sect of Buddhism that later turned outlawed by the communist authorities, died Sunday in jail, the spouse of one other prisoner of conscience in the identical jail mentioned.
Thu, 74, founding father of the An Dan Dai Dao non secular group, was serving a life sentence in Gia Trung Detention Heart within the southern province of Gia Lai.
Thu complained Friday of feeling ailing to fellow prisoner of conscience, Luu Van Vinh, who advised his spouse, Nguyen Thi Thap.
Vinh escorted Thu again to his cell and requested jail well being staff to verify on the person’s situation, however they didn’t, Thap advised Radio Free Asia.
“My husband requested that the nurses pay further consideration to him, however they appeared to not care,” she mentioned, including that Thu’s situation turned essential later that day, and his fellow inmates requested that he be despatched to a hospital for emergency care.
“But it surely was too late. He handed away at 9:30 a.m.” on Sunday, Thap mentioned.
It was unclear precisely what Thu died from, however in 2019 Thu’s household advised RFA that they had been involved about his well being due to his historical past of diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular issues. His spouse, Vo Thi Thanh Thuy, mentioned the household despatched written requests to jail officers permitting Thu to go to a hospital for checkups and therapy, however he solely acquired approval to take action as soon as.
RFA couldn’t attain jail officers at Gia Trung Detention Heart to confirm details about Thu’s demise.
Bui Ngoc Dien, Thu’s daughter-in-law, confirmed that Thu had died and that the household was getting ready for his funeral.
Established in 1969, An Dan Dai Dao operated legally below the Republic of Vietnam, however was prohibited and its members persecuted after the communist authorities takeover in 1975.
Its followers wished to create a brand new utopia during which science, nature and humankind can be harmoniously balanced, and arranged conferences and produced leaflets to disseminate their beliefs, in keeping with The 88 Undertaking, which advocates at no cost speech and civil liberties in Vietnam.
At its top, the Buddhist sect had a community of 14 temples, a whole lot of monks, and 1000’s of followers till the federal government expropriated its properties and compelled its followers into hiding.
Underneath Thu, often known as Tran Cong, An Dan Dai Dao constructed the Da Bia Ecotourism Space in Phu Yen province within the south central area.
In February 2012, police raided the ecotourism web site and arrested Thu and two dozen others on costs of “conducting actions to overthrow the federal government” and “unlawful possession, use and sale of explosives.”
Thu was sentenced to life in jail in 2013, whereas 21 others every acquired sentences starting from 10 to 17 years.
Thu was the second member of the Buddhist sect to die in jail. Doan Dinh Nam died on the age of 68 at Xuyen Moc Detention Heart in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, the place he was serving a 16-year sentence.
Vietnam’s one-party communist authorities restricts unbiased non secular teams by way of their proper to observe faith freely by requiring them to register to take action.
Despite the fact that many spiritual organizations have an extended historical past within the nation, the federal government makes it tough for them to observe their faith, and native police typically monitor their followers and occasions.
Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Edited by Malcolm Foster.