A/HRC/13/40/Add.1 Y. 1. (a) Viet Nam Communication sent on 25 November 2009 jointly with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Allegations transmitted to the Government 259. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information they had received regarding the recent eviction of monks and nuns from Bat Nha monastery and their future eviction from Phuoc Hue temple, due to take place on 30 November 2009. 260. On 27 September 2009, about 150 people armed with sticks and hammers attacked the Bat Nha monastery. Plain-clothes police officers were reportedly amongst the mob and police officers in uniform blocked the roads leading to the monastery. The mob violently proceeded to the eviction of 379 monks and nuns from the monastery. Some monks and nuns were beaten up and four of them were sexually assaulted. According to the reports, the monks did not attempt to defend themselves, but they sat down and started to chant in order to respond in a non-violent manner to the attacks. Two senior brothers, Mr. Phap Hoi and Mr. Phap Sy, were beaten and would be still held under house arrest without proper charges in Hanoi and Nha Trang. 261. After being evicted, the monks and nuns were offered refuge by Mr. Thai Thuan, the abbot of Phuoc Hue temple in Bao Loc. On 28 September 2009, the police threatened the abbot, claiming he had no right to offer refuge to the Bat Nha monks and nuns. The police then surrounded the temple and they started an intimidation campaign. Flyers were distributed in Bao Loc in order to damage the reputation of the abbot and he was denounced through loudspeakers in schools and in the streets. Police officers threatened to undertake attacks on Phuoc Hue temple similar to the ones undertaken against the Bat Nha monastery on 27 September 2009. The intimidation campaign culminated with the demand that the abbot surrender fifteen monks and nuns. Under this extreme pressure, the abbot acceded to the demand and surrendered fifteen monks and nuns, who were taken into police custody and were driven more than 200 km away from Ho Chi Minh city. 262. The other Bat Nha monks and nuns who currently remain in Phuoc Hue temple were still reportedly undergoing pressure and threats from the authorities to leave the temple. They were living under strict control of the police. The police harassed and obstructed people who were bringing food and clothing to the temple. Anyone who stopped in the vicinity of the temple was being stopped and questioned. 263. Concerns were expressed that the crackdown on the Bat Nha Buddhist community was due to the teachings of Mr. Thich Nhat Hanh, leader of the Bat Nha Buddhist community. Mr. Thich Nhat Hanh would have made public recommendations in 2007 in order to improve the situation of religious freedom in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, including a request to disband the country’s religious police. 264. The Special Rapporteurs urged the Government to take all necessary measures to guarantee that the rights and freedoms of the members of the Bat Nha Buddhist community are respected and that accountability of any person guilty of the alleged violations is ensured. The Special Rapporteurs also requested that the Government adopts effective measures to prevent the recurrence of these acts. 60