Vietnam Authorities Closely Monitor Venerable Thich Tue Sy’s Funeral 

The U.S. State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, on Nov. 27 released a press statement on the recent passing of The  Most Venerable Thich Tue Sy, one of Vietnam’s most prominent monks. Tue Sy, 81, passed away at Phat An Pagoda in Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province. He was the leader of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), which was banned by the Vietnamese government in 1981 when it declined to join the state-established Vietnam Buddhist Church.

Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, called Tue Sy “a tireless champion for freedom of religion or belief and related human rights,” which resulted in his decade-long imprisonment in Vietnam. Tue Sy is also a writer, translator, researcher, and Buddhist philosopher. “Our thoughts are with his UBCV community in Vietnam and worldwide,” said the statement.