Hanoi - Vietnam denounced a U.S. commission hearing on Vietnamese religious freedom as a ``gross interference'' in its internal affairs, AFP and AP said, citing the Communist Party newspaper, Nhan Dan.
The comment came as exiled Vietnamese religious leaders are in Washington appearing before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body charged with monitoring freedom to worship around the world.
``Those who understand the religious situation in Vietnam consider them (those testifying) a dissonant voice, which some hostile forces tried to create to distort and tarnish the bright image of Vietnam,'' Associated Press quoted a Nhan Dan editorial as saying.
The U.S. Congress will this year consider a bill normalizing trade relations with Vietnam following an agreement reached between the countries in 2000. The bill will complete the process of restoring full U.S.-Vietnamese relations, which began in 1995 with diplomatic ties being reestablished and was cemented by President Bill Clinton's visit to the country last November.
The Washington hearings come as Vietnam faces protests in its central highlands region by minority groups, many of which follow the Protestant religion. The demonstrations are mainly over the loss of ancestral lands, though Protestants are also complaining about a crackdown on the church by local authorities.
The U.S. should delay approving the trade pact, Agence France- Presse quoted Vo Van Ai, exiled spokesman of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam as saying in Washington.
``The benefits of bilateral trade should not be given free,'' he said. ``Vietnam must be made to earn them by respecting its citizens' rights.''
Religious Crackdown
Protestant groups in central Vietnam said they were protesting because the local authorities had broken up church services and confiscated property in recent weeks.
AFP cited Vietnam's foreign ministry as saying last week there was evidence of ``evil elements abusing religion.'' It said the authorities in Gia Lai province called a meeting of religious leaders and urged them to maintain solidarity in the face of ``attempts by wicked elements to exploit religion.''
The Vietnamese government last week began moves to recognize the largest Protestant church in the country, the Evangelical Union of Vietnam, the British Broadcasting Corp. said.
Feb/13/2001 21:06 ET