To the Hono u rable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representat ives :

The Bat Nha Monastery, in the Lam Dong province, has been attacked and destroyed, and aggression and violence have been used to evict 400 peaceful Monks and Nuns. This is in contradiction of international law. It ignores human rights and social justice, the principles of Australian government and its people.

We therefore ask the House to call on the current Chairman of ASEAN to initiate a re-evaluation of the appointment of Vietnam to the position of Chair 2010, in view of the Vietnamese Government ' s non intervention in this crisis that shuns basic human rights and social justice let alone stable economic and multilateral trade conditions. We also ask the House influence to ensure that the 400 monastics be offered every assistance in terms of security of accommodation, freedom from harassment by police that they currently experience daily, to practise their religious beliefs without persecution as law abiding Vietnamese citizens .

from 1,560 citizens