The meeting chaired by Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) Vũ Chiến Thắng saw the presence of Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee of Kien Giang Đỗ Thanh Bình and representatives from the Ministry of Public Security and the Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

The working meeting aimed to objectively evaluate the current role of the solidarity association of patriotic monks as well as its organizational structure and operation in order to gather and submit recommendations for enhancing the state administration on the Buddhist solidarity association to the Government and the Prime Minister.

The meeting participants have agreed on the position and role of the solidarity association of Buddhist monks in gathering Khmer Buddhists in the national solidarity bloc and contributing to national construction and defense, and put forward proposals on the state administration for strengthening the Buddhist solidarity’s role and contribution in preserving and promoting cultural identities, as well as for consistently guiding its operation in provinces and cities in the coming time.

Addresing the event Chairman Vũ Chiến Thắng highlighted positive contributions of the committee for solidarity of patriotic monks in Vietnam Southwest in the cause of national liberation as well as in gathering and encouraging Khmer Theravada Buddhists to engage in social movements for national contruction and defense.

The committee for solidarity of patriotic monks in the Southwestern region of Vietnam was founded in 1964 and formed part of the Liberation Front Committee in Vietnam Southwest. The Buddhist solidarity association became one of nine Buddhist sects that merged in 1981 into one single Buddhist organization of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha currently. The committee for solidarity of patriotic monks is still operating in eight Southwestern provinces and cities of Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long.

PTT