The leader of Vietnam's main dissident Buddhist church has urged the government to end his house arrest.
Thich Huyen Quang, 86, made the call in a letter to major leaders including Communist Party Secretary-General, Nong Duc Manh.
The letter was published by the Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau, which is the communications arm of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
Mr Quang says he and his deputy, Thich Quang Do, 76, were placed under house arrest by verbal orders on October 9, 2003.
The information bureau says Mr Do and other monks tried to visit Mr Quang for the traditional new year earlier this month, but police prevented them from travelling.
Last week, Foreign Ministry spokesman, Le Dung, said the two men are still leading their own lives and practising religion freely, but their sect no longer exists.
Vietnam has come in for repeated international criticism for its suppression of religious freedoms and constant harassment of political dissidents.
The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam has been banned since 1981 for refusing to submit to communist party supervision.