Members of the European parliament have urged Vietnam to
immediately release two aging Buddhist leaders.
Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do, who lead the banned Unified Buddhist
church in Vietnam, are both under house arrest.
In a letter to Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van
Khai, the European leaders said the pair was being detained solely for
non-violently advocating religious freedom and human rights.
Thich Huyen Quang, 86, has been kept under effective house arrest since 1982.
Thich Quang Do, 74, was sentenced to two years' house arrest in June 2001,
mainly for having launched a campaign for democracy in Vietnam.
He is currently living in a monastery in southern Ho Chi Minh City.
The Unified Buddhist Church has been banned in Vietnam since 1981.