Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice Chairman of Government for Religious Affairs and Mr. Huỳnh Văn Tâm, director of Gia Lai’s Home Affairs Department co-chairs the conference

The conference were co-chaired by Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice Chairman of GCRA and Mr. Huỳnh Văn Tâm, and Director of Gia Lai’s Home Affairs Department, and attended by representatives from leaders of departments and units of the GCRA (Committee Office, Department of Buddhist Affairs, Department of Catholic Affairs, Department of Protestant Affairs, Department of Other-Religion Affairs); provincial Departments of Home Affairs and the provincial Committees for Religious Affairs of all provinces in the Central Coast and the Central Highlands.

Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice Chairman of Government for Religious Affairs delivers an opening speech at the conference

After the opening speech, Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà outlined the key issues to be discussed at the conference, including: review the State religious affairs in the first six months, set out targets and tasks for the last six months, tasks regarding Protestantism, religion-related land issues and draft Law of brief, religion...

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Huỳnh Văn Tâm said Gia Lai has five active religions namely Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Caodaism and Baha'i, with total of believers about 345,000 followers, accounting for about 26% of the population in the province; more than 2,000 dignitaries, deacons, and 193 religious places. In recent years, thanks to due attention and instruction by the Government, the GCRA and close collaboration from provincial Committees for Religious Affairs of provinces and cities in the region, Gia Lai’s State management on religion has achieved good results, religious dignitaries and believers were delighted and confident in the religious policies of Party and State.

At the conference, delegates heard reports on the religious situation and results of the first six-month work in 2014 and the working plan for the last six months for the State management on religion sector nation-wide in general, and in the provinces and cities of the Central Coast and Central Highlands in particular. Delegates raised opinions on the religious issues in the region and proposed solutions to issues such as religion-related land issues, building worship places, deviant beliefs...

In the conclusion, Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice Chairman of the GCRA gathered comments from local officials, and requested the provincial Committees for Religious Affairs to concentrate on main tasks in last six months of 2014: actively comprehend the religious situation; effectively solve religion-related issues; closely coordinate with local and central concerned agencies and departments, as well as promote the dissemination of the Party' guidelines and policies, and State’ laws on religion, such as the Decree 92/NĐ-CP dated 11/08/2012 of the Government detailing and providing measures for implementation of the Ordinance on Belief and Religion, Circular No. 04/2014/TTLT-BVHTTDL-BNV guiding implementation of a civilized lifestyle in religious institutions…

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