Thich Quang Do, a dissident Buddhist monk who has effectively been under house arrest since 2003 and was nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize , has died aged 93 .
Head of the banned Unified Buddist Church of Vietnam , the vocal patriarch was born on November 27, 1928 in northern Thai Binh province and spent most of his life advocating for religious freedom and human rights in communist-run Vietnam .
His staunch activism landed him under what was effectively house arrest in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003 , where he was under constant surveillance .
Do died on Saturday night at Tu Hieu pagoda , UBCV announced on Sunday morning .
According to his will signed on April 2019 , Do requested a “ simple funeral, not more than three days ” .
“ After the cremation, my ashes will be scattered at sea , ” said the statement quoting his will .
The UBCV also requested for followers not to bring money , as is customary for Vietnamese funerals .
“ There will be no final words , no biographies , no emotional showings … just praying . ”
Do has long been a thorn on the side for communist-run Vietnam , and he has been nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his vocal advocacy for democracy .
The formative event of his life came in 1945 , the year Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam ’ s independence from France , when a teenaged Do witnessed the execution of his religious master by a communist people court .
“ Then and there I vowed to do all that I could to combat fanaticism and intolerance and devote my life to the pursuit of justice through the Buddhist teachings of non-violence , ” Do wrote , according to a biography issued by the UBCV’ s Paris office .
Some 30 years of his life was spent in and out of prison or under house arrest , as the regime accused him for “ counter -revolutionary activities” and for refusing to bring his church under state control .
The UBVC has been banned since the early 1980 s when it refused to join the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Church .
In 2001 , he wrote an “ Appeal for Democracy” , which saw the support of more than 300 , 000 Vietnamese from different religious backgrounds , according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedoms ( USCIRF ) .
Source:- Punchng
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