HANOI, Vietnam (Reuters) -- Authorities in Vietnam arrested an outspoken Catholic priest and have accused him of fomenting unrest against the government.
Father Nguyen Van Ly, one of Vietnam's most well-known dissidents, was taken into custody on Thursday morning, according to Nguyen Van Quang of the Phu An commune police.
"He was arrested for spreading propaganda against the government," Quang told Reuters.
On Wednesday, Ly led a religious service of about 150 people in which he distributed leaflets the government said were anti-communist.
Ly, 54, had previously been under heavy police surveillance and in March was denounced by official media as a "traitor" for urging the United States to link religious freedom to ratification of a bilateral trade agreement with Vietnam.
The arrest came amid growing criticism of Hanoi for persecution of religion, an accusation the government denies as "gross interference" in its internal affairs.
It also coincides with talks between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs James Kelly and his Vietnamese counterparts in Hanoi.
Kelly is in Vietnam, briefing Vietnam officials on Washington's proposed National Missile Defense system and follows a two-day visit to Beiijng.
Vietnam insists it grants full religious freedom to its citizens, but some sects are still outlawed and "abuse of religion" punishable by up to a year in prison.
The propaganda charges Ly faces carry penalties of 10 to 12 years in prison.
A longtime critic of the government, Ly has previously spent nearly 10 years in prison and was on Amnesty International's list of prisoners of conscience.
U.S. bases for Vietnam
Manwhile, the Vietnamese government said on Thursday it had not talked to the U.S. about the possibility of establishing a U.S. military base in Vietnam.
"Until now, in meetings between Vietnam and the United States, both sides have not exchanged views on such an issue," foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung told a news conference.
He gave no indication whether such talks would take place.
On Tuesday, a report authorised by a senior aide to President George W. Bush advocated major adjustments to U.S. strategy and military posture in Asia, including developing Guam as a key military hub and possibly opening new bases in Oman and Vietnam.
The report said the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally that once was home to major American military bases, was an "attractive potential partner" for new bases and that in the longer term Vietnam "could provide additional access in southeastern Asia beyond that offered by Singapore and Thailand."
Vietnam and the U.S. normalised relations in 1995, 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War.
But relations between the former foes only progressed markedly after the signing of a trade agreement last July.
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