E/CN.4/1995/91 page 109 Concerning specific "cases" you mentioned in your letter, while continuing to seek relevant information from Vietnamese Government agencies concerned that can be provided to you, I wish to bring to your attention the fact that VO VAN AL, President of the so-called "Viet Nam Committee on Human Rights" and his collaborators, for political ends rather than genuine human rights concerns, have sought by all means to distort the situation of human rights in Viet Nam, systematically making numerous groundless allegations and transmitting them to the Centre for Human Rights in the form of "communications" in abuse of the 1503 procedure. Answering these communications really constitutes an unnecessary heavy administrative burden for the Government. Innumerable visitors can see for themselves that in Viet Nam today, as a result of the renovations process under way for eight years now, the citizens are enjoying broader and broader democratic freedoms, including religious freedom, and that in Southern Viet Nam today, life, including religious life, is much more free and democratic than when it was under the rule of the nostalgia. I hope that when examining the situation of religious life in Viet Nam, you will keep in mind the explanations given above.’" Yemen In a communication dated 19 October 1994 the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following observations to the Government of Yemen: "The Special Rapporteur has been informed that the Missionary Sisters of Charity and the Salesian Fathers have been harassed by North Yemen soldiers since the signing of the armistice on 7 July 1994. Shots were reportedly fired on the church run by the Salesians. Armed persons also allegedly tried to steal vehicles belonging to the Missionary Sisters of Charity and a priest. There are reportedly 20 Missionary Sisters of Charity who have opened centres in Aden, Al Hudaydah, San’a and Ta’izz to provide assistance for the poor and sick people, as well as four Salesian priests from the province of Bangalore who are helping the nuns and accompanying migrant workers from India." Zimbabwe In a communication dated 5 October 1994, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following observations to the Government of Zimbabwe: "According to the information received, the Ministry of the Interior of Zimbabwe has confirmed that restrictive measures are being applied in connection with the granting of work permits to foreign missionaries. It was reportedly stated, in particular, that: ’The kind of missionary we are looking for is one who can contribute to the development of the country.’ Requests for work permits submitted by teachers, doctors, engineers and agronomy experts have been favourably received. As regards missionaries wishing to teach the Bible, ’we think we have enough Zimbabweans qualified to be ministers of religion and to teach the Bible’."

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