Vietnam says it has placed three senior monks from an
outlawed Buddhist church under house arrest for two years for violating
national security legislation.
The move comes amid international condemnation of an escalation in the
crackdown on the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
However, a foreign ministry spokesman says there is no religious repression in
Vietnam, only the settlement of law violations.
Vietnamese law allows heads of provincial governments to place individuals
under house arrest from six to 24 months without trial for harming national
security.