A/HRC/13/40/Add.1 (b) Responses from the Government dated 2 and 3 February 2010 265. In its response letters dated 2 and 3 February 2010, the Government indicated that the information in the allegation letter of 25 November 2009 concerning the recent eviction of monks and nuns from Bat Nha monastery and their future eviction from Phuoc Hue temple did not accurately reflect the reality. The Government stated that no one at Bat Nha monastery and Phuoc Hue temple had been threatened, beaten up, sexually harassed, arrested or detained by local police officers. Reportedly, the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect had to leave Bat Nha monastery due to the fact that they had no longer been offered refuge by the abbot of Bat Nha monastery. According to information given by the abbot of Bat Nha monastery, Lang Mai had carried out a number of activities in violation of the charter of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha, including its self-made decisions on the appointment of the Deputy Administer of Bat Nha monastery and the organization of a religious training course without approval of the Administer of Bat Nha monastery. These actions taken by Lang Mai had – according to the Government – demonstrated the lack of respect towards the Administer of the monastery and had resulted in deep disagreement with the monastery’s Buddhist followers. 266. The Government stressed that over the past, while staying at Phuoc Hue temple, the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect had continued not to abide by the charter of the Buddhist Sangha and laws, bringing about a conflict with local Buddhist followers and negative impacts on the social order. Due to these facts, the Sangha Patronage Council and the Buddhist Provincial Executive Board of Lam Dong Province had requested the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect at Phuoc temple to return to their registered localities. The Government added that the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha had also given instructions to the Buddhist Provincial and City Executive Boards of Lam Dong to provide the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect with favourable conditions to return to their registered residence and continue to lead their normal religious life. 267. Furthermore, the Government informed that at present the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect had left Phuoc Hue temple and returned to their registered residence to continue to lead their normal religious life with the assistance and support given by the local authority. The competent Vietnamese authorities had not received any complaint lodged by the monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect with regard to the alleged incident. 268. The Government indicated that the Vietnamese authorities had immediately reported on the incident in question and that Government officials had been sent right away to Lam Dong Province to carry out inquiries on the ground. These inquiries had confirmed that the incident at Bat Nha monastery and Phuoc Hue temple constituted a nonviolent conflict on the modalities of leading a religious life between two groups and that no one had been beaten up, sexually harassed or illegally detained etc. Due to the lack of adequate evidence, the competent agencies had not carried out judicial investigations and subsequently no one had been accused of criminal charges. 269. The Government emphasized that the incident which happened at Bat Nha monastery and Phuoc Hue temple belonged to the Buddhist internal affairs since it was a pure disagreement on the organizational method of leading a religious life between those Vietnamese monks and nuns of Lang Mai sect (French) and Buddhist followers of Bat Nha monastery and Phuoc Hue temple (Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province). According to the Government, these Buddhist internal affairs should be solved by and guided by the Sangha Patronage Council of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha without the intervention by the Vietnamese authorities except measures that are needed to be taken to safeguard the security and social order. 270. Finally, the Government added that Vietnamese law always respects and ensures that citizens carry out legitimate and legal religious activities. Due to the fact that Lang Mai 61