Thich Dong Quang
Current Status: At risk
Other Names: Thích Đồng Quảng, Nguyễn Đức Minh
Date of Birth: September 2, 1972
Gender: M
Religion: Buddhist
Ethnicity: Kinh
Occupation: Religious leader
Areas of Activism:
- Religious freedom
Details - Background, History of Activism, Contact Information.
Thich Dong Quang, a monk from Da Nang province, is living in Kon Tum Province.
Profile photo source: Facebook Ngọc Tuyên Đàm
Before living in Ngoc Hoi District, Kon Tum Province, Thich Dong Quang built three pagodas in Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces, which were all destroyed by the authorities. He started building Son Linh Pagoda in Kon Tum Province in 2009. Because he wants to maintain his religious autonomy vis-a-vis the authorities and the state-sanctioned Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, Thich Dong Quang often suffers harassment.
Kon Tum: Chính quyền xua quân đập chùa Sơn Linh Tự khi sư thầy trụ trì đi chữa bệnh (Phần 2), Viet Nam Thoi Bao, January 22, 2019
January 11, 2019: pagoda destroyed
On the morning of January 11, 2019, the authorities of Plei Kan Town, Ngoc Hoi District, Kon Tum Province mobilized a powerful force to destroy Linh Tu pagoda while monk Thich Dong Quang was away for medical treatment. No state media reported this news. After being contacted by a citizen, Facebooker Ngoc Tuyen Dam went to the site of the pagoda and published two articles about the incident.
The reason for the destruction was because of the Thich Dong Quang's "disobedience" towards the authorities. He did not accept being under the control of neither state-sanctioned monk Thich Quang Xa, nor Ngoc Hoi district’s authorities. Despite claiming they respected his religious freedom, the authorities kept harassing the pagoda.
Tìm về Sơn Linh Tự: chứng kiến cảnh chùa bị chính quyền đập phá tan tành (Phần 1), Viet Nam Thoi Bao, January 22, 2019
Kon Tum: Chính quyền xua quân đập chùa Sơn Linh Tự khi sư thầy trụ trì đi chữa bệnh (Phần 2), Viet Nam Thoi Bao, January 22, 2019
August 22, 2020: harassed for commemorating victims of violence based on religion and belief
- liberty and security of the person
- freedom of expression
- respect of privacy, family, home, and correspondence
- freedom of belief and religion
In the early morning of August 22, 2020, the public security of Pleikần Town swamped the personal home of the Venerable Thich Dong Quang and took down the Buddhist flags and banners showing support for the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.
The next day they surrounded his house again and tried to force him to go to a coronavirus quarantine center, even though Quang hadn’t left the town for one month, and Kontum was not considered an infectious area.
The public security threatened him, saying that: “No one can save you, not the US Embassy, not the UN, not the central government in Ha Noi”.
Profile last updated: 2020-12-26 20:57:11