Request to support Nobel nomination for Vietnamese Buddhist monk

We are looking for politicians' support in nominating prominent Vietnamese dissident and Buddhist monk Thich Quang Do for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

Thich Quang Do, leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), has dedicated his life to the peaceful struggle for justice, peace and freedom in Vietnam. In his opposition against the Communist regime, he has sacrificed his own freedom , enduring imprisonment, internal exile and house arrest for almost three decades. Today, he is under house arrest at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon.

Thich Quang Do is a long friend of the Nonviolent Radical Party – you may remember the Messages he sent for our General Council Meetings and in support of our world-wide Satyaghra for Peace. He is a living symbol of the ideals we all share - those of Gandhian non-violence, tolerance and the commitment to freedom and democracy. Vietnam’s Communist leaders fear this symbol, for they know the power of nonviolence and see its threat to their regime. This is why they systematically seek to silence, repress and isolate Thich Quang Do, to prevent his voice reaching the outside world.

Just recently, in December 2008, Radical leader Marco Pannella MEP and Senator Marco Perduca tried to visit Thich Quang Do in Saigon and meet members of the National Assembly. They were prevented from boarding the plane to Vietnam. Hanoi pretexted that they could not ensure their security, and claimed – falsely - that their travel visas were irregular. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesman later declared that the Radicals were “enemies of the regime” and were “not welcome in Vietnam”.

We cannot remain silent and let Vietnam stifle all democratic voices as it seeks to join the community of nations. In 2006, Thich Quang Do was awarded the Norwegian Rafto Prize for his “personal courage and perseverance through three decades of peaceful opposition against the Communist regime”, as a “unifying force”” for the democracy movement” in Vietnam. Today, his safety is at risk. By nominating him for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, we can help to win his freedom and support the nonviolent democracy movement in Vietnam.

Time is short – the deadline for Nobel Peace prize nominations is 1st February 2009. Those eligible to nominate are Members of Parliament, University professors of history, political science and philosophy and former Nobel Peace Prize winners. We urge you to join with us urgently in signing this appeal and collecting signatures from your colleagues.

Please return your signatures to marco.cappato@europarl.europa.eu