Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Thich Tri Thu, 1981

Interviewer: Your Venerable, please tell us about your arrest in Hue . Thich Tri Thu: Yes. I guess you already know that President Ngo Dinh Diem had a brother who was an archbishop and who, presumably, wanted to turn Vietnam into another Vatican. Therefore, he announced to the whole world that there were over four million Catholic converts in Vietnam. During the anniversary of Buddha 's birthday there were foreign observers who came here to find out whether what the archbishop said was true. But, to the contrary, on the anniversary of Buddha 's birthday the entire population of Hue as well as inhabitants elsewhere put up the Buddhist banners and lit their lamps everywhere. Thich Tri Thu: The archbishop was nervous and did not want people to find out that he had been wrong in his statement so he ordered all the banners and lamps to be taken down. He forbade all to put up banners and lamps. But his order came out late on the eve of the anniversary and so the entire Buddhist population protested this. Faced with the reaction from the population, he then decided to repress them. Tanks and armored vehicles were brought in and seven persons were killed in the city of Hue . Thich Tri Thu: For this reason, the struggle spread wider and wider. By August 12 he declared martial law on the city and had all Buddhist monks and nuns arrested and jailed. But those nuns and monks who escaped continued to protest by self-immolation, demonstrations and rallies. And so, finally, on November 11 Diem fell. And it was only with the fall of the Diem regime that I was released from jail. Interviewer: Your Venerable, please repeat that again. Thich Tri Thu: Although Ngo Dinh Diem issued that order, the entire Buddhist population as well as other city inhabitants did not obey it. They continued with their protest by lighting their lamps, putting up their banners and carrying out the ceremonies. And so he was forced to send in the tanks and armored vehicles to repress the population, but the people rose up nevertheless. Finally, on August 20 , at about 11 p.m., he brought in large armed forces to lay siege to all the pagodas in Hue as well as in other provinces. Thich Tri Thu: From Saigon to Ben Hai there was no place where there were no armed units occupying the pagodas and arresting monks and nuns and Buddhist lay people. This went as far as having the highest Buddhist leader, the Most Venerable Thich Thien Khiet , arrested and jailed. Although they had the pagodas surrounded and searched and had anybody who still remained in the pagodas arrested, a number of people managed to escape and to continue with the struggle. Although we were in prison, these people vowed to fight for us until the end. And so finally Mr. Diem had to fall.

Interviewer: Your Venerable, please tell us how you yourself got arrested.

Thich Tri Thu: I was still in the pagoda talking with other people when I found out that the soldiers were laying siege to the pagoda and that there was not a tiny opening left. Then they shot profusely into the air. We did not know what to do and just sat there until they came in and carried us out into their vehicles and had us taken away and jailed. Interviewer: In the West people said that at the time the National Liberation Front did get into contact with the Buddhist movement to provide it with leadership. Did you know of this? If you did, what were your reactions? Thich Tri Thu: At that time I was only aware of the fact that there were only Buddhists . But you must know that there were Buddhists everywhere and so there was no way for us to prevent members of the Front to take part in the movement. This was only a natural thing.