Threatened Buddhists to Leave Vietnam Temple: Abbot

December 11, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Yahoo News

Wire Service: AFP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091211/wl_asia_afp/vietnamreligionbuddhisteu

The head of a Buddhist pagoda in Central Vietnam said Friday that followers of an influential French-based monk can no longer seek shelter with him following three days of mob pressure.

"I had to agree, and I had no choice," Thich Thai Thuan told AFP from Phuoc Hue pagoda in Lam Dong province.

He said there has been "strong pressure" from crowds of about 100 people who noisily descended upon the pagoda for three days until Friday, demanding that devotees of the French-based Thich Nhat Hanh leave.

"It's because of that that I had to sign this morning... a written promise of their departure, at the latest December 31."