Bush spotlights concern on Vietnam religious rights

HANOI, Nov 19: US President George W Bush worshipped at a Hanoi church today, giving Vietnam's Communist rulers a nudge toward allowing greater religious freedom.

Bush had tread a mostly cautious line as the second post-war US president to visit Vietnam, shying away from from direct criticism of the tightly-controlled one-party state and focusing instead on its economic successes.

But when, in keeping with his normal Sunday routine, he went to church on his third day in the Southeast Asian country, he cast a spotlight on lingering concerns about religious rights.

''A whole society is a society which welcomes basic freedoms, and there's no more basic freedom than the basic -- the freedom to worship as you see fit,'' Bush said outside the ornate white church in central Hanoi.

''It's our way of expressing our personal faith and, at the same time, urging societies to feel comfortable with, and confident in saying to their people, if you feel like praising God you're allowed to do so in any way you see fit,'' he added.

The United States on Monday dropped Vietnam from a list of nations it says severely violate religious freedom, citing improvement in religious tolerance.

Vietnam's state-supervised religious groups welcomed the move but critics said harassment of believers remained a problem in the provinces.

Most Vietnamese are Buddhist but many do not officially profess a religion and Catholics are the second largest Catholic community in Asia.

All faiths are under state supervision, though Hanoi says it protects the rights of citizens ''to belief or non-belief''.

But the president said on Friday after his arrival that religious tolerance in the one-party state remains a concern.

Bush appeared to choose his words carefully today, mindful of the sensibilities of Vietnam's leadership, who have worked to spruce up their country's image for this weekend's 21-nation Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

He has made clear that instead of dwelling on the Vietnam war that divided America a generation ago he wanted to look to the future.

Bush began the day by attending a service with his wife, Laura, at the Cua Bac Church set amid a maze of alleyways and packed with 450 worshippers, Catholics and Protestants alike.

The congregation of men in crisp white shirts and women in traditional long silk dresses sang hymns in Vietnamese during a mixed Catholic and Protestant ceremony hosted by Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet.

Outside the church Bush was given a send-off by dozens of worshippers who shook his hand or bowed.

Followers of Hoa Hao Buddhism today said their plans to demonstrate in Ho Chi Minh City near the US Consulate were foiled by security police.

One of the leaders, who is under house arrest in the southern province of An Giang, said by telephone that police arrested several of the organisers overnight.

Truong Van Duc said he was ''very, very upset'' by the US decision to remove Vietnam from the blacklist. ''We know there is religious persecution in this country.'' Asked to comment on Bush's remarks at the Hanoi church, Duc said, ''The comment is a good gesture but we need concrete action against the Vietnam government.''

REUTERS