A/56/253 demanded that the Patriarch be returned to his home in Ho Chi Minh City (An Quang Pagoda), in accordance with the decision of 27 November 1997 of the authorities of Quang Ngai province whereby Thich Huyen Quang’s house arrest was lifted. The Venerable Thich Quang Do reportedly said that if the decision was not acted upon, a delegation from the Unified Buddhist Church would escort the Patriarch from Quang Ngai province to his home. Following the letter and the announcement, the police apparently tightened security on the Venerable Thich Quang Do and kept him under closer surveillance. On 18 May 2001, the Venerable Thich Quang Do and Thich Khong Tanh (of the same Church) were reportedly called in for questioning, at 2 p.m. by the People’s Committee of Phu Nhuan district and at 8.30 a.m. by the People’s Committee of the second district of the arrondissement of An Khanh in Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. On 1 June 2001, the Venerable Thich Quang Do was placed under two years’ administrative detention by the security forces. On 31 May 2001, three bonzes of the Unified Buddhist Church of Viet Nam, Thich Khong Tanh, Thich Quang Hue and Thich Tam An, were also reportedly arrested in Ho Chi Minh City. 77. On 17 May 2001, a Catholic priest, Father Nguyen Van Ly, was reportedly arrested in the An Truyen church by security forces because of his campaign for religious freedom in Viet Nam. According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Father Nguyen Van Ly was arrested for not obeying the decision of the authorities responsible for his administrative detention. That decision, No. 961/QD-UB, signed by the People’s Committee of the province on 9 May 2001 and served on Father Nguyen Van Ly on 10 May 2001, prohibited the priest from carrying out religious functions in his parish and throughout the territory of Thua Thien Hue province “for the period of his administrative house arrest”. The decision was taken in the context of an administrative detention imposed on Father Nguyen Van Ly by decision 401/QD-UB of 26 February 2001 for allegedly sending written testimony to the Commission on International Religious Freedom of the United States Congress. Since then, Father Nguyen Van Ly has apparently been the target of a harsh campaign of denigration in the official press. Early in March 2001, for example, he was described as a “traitor” collaborating with “hostile forces abroad” (Nhan Dan (the official newspaper) and Quan Doi Nhan Dan (the army newspaper)). 78. On 11 May 2001, the People’s Court of An Giang province reportedly sentenced Truong Van Du and Ho Van Trong to 12 and 4 years’ imprisonment, respectively. They were allegedly accused of “taking part in Hoa Hao religious demonstrations” in December 2000, “displaying reactionary banners” and “striking and injuring several policemen who were attempting to disperse them”. Truong Van Duc and Ho Van Trong apparently had been taking part in the pilgrimage organized to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church. The pilgrimage had been prohibited by the authorities, who deployed large numbers of police to prevent the pilgrims from reaching Hoa Hao village (in the town of Phu My, Tan Chau district, An Giang province). Truong Van Duc, who was accompanying Le Quang Liem, the Secretary-General of the dissident Hoa Hao church, was apparently intercepted by the security forces close to the Church’s ancestral temple. When he protested, he was reportedly struck down, lost consciousness and was taken to Phu Tan district prison. 20