PARIS, 5th February 2008 (IBIB) - From house arrest at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh province, the Supreme Patriarch of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) Thich Huyen Quang has sent an audio Message to the international community and Vietnamese around the world. The Message was recorded in secret and broadcast on Radio Free Asia on Monday 4th February. This is the first time in five years, since the Patriarch was placed under tight surveillance following a crack-down on the banned UBCV in 2003, that his voice has been heard on the international media. Firstly, Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, 89, sent special thanks to Amnesty International for adopting him as a “prisoner of conscience” and launching a worldwide campaign for his release. In this campaign, Amnesty International Group 65 in Toronto, Canada, sent over 3,500 letters and petitions to the Vietnamese and Canadian governments and Amnesty sections in Massachusetts and California also sent thousands of letters to the US and Vietnamese governments, along with hundreds of post cards to Thich Huyen Quang wishing him courage and good health. The International Buddhist Information Bureau, who received copies of these letters, informed the UBCV Patriarch of this campaign. On behalf of the UBCV, Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang thanked Group 65 for “the thousands of letters they have sent to the Vietnamese and Canadian governments calling for the re-establishment of the UBCV’s legal status, and campaigning for my release and religious freedom… Your selfless actions warm my heart, and that of every Buddhist in Vietnam. There is an old saying: “Across the four oceans, all men are brothers”. Today, your concern for the plight of others in such a far-away country as Vietnam demonstrates this spirit of humanity, which transcends all borders, political opinions and religious beliefs. In Buddhism, we call this Universal Compassion, the commitment to save all beings from suffering, regardless of origin or race”. Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang also extended warm thanks to “the government and people of Canada, who, for so many decades, have shown such generous hospitality to Vietnamese Boat people in their quest for freedom. You have given them refuge, a safe haven in which to settle and live freely in accordance with their ideals and beliefs. This is a fine example of civilisation, one that should teach a lesson to developing countries such as Vietnam”. VietAm Review has attached a message from the Vietnamese Canadian Federation which describes the government and Vietnamese community support noted by Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang which was forwarded by Can D. Le, Project Director of Freedom at Last.   more »