 Do belongs to a banned Buddhist church |
The Communist authorities in Vietnam have freed one of the country's most prominent dissidents two months before his two-year house arrest was due to end. Thich Quang Do, 74, was allowed to leave his monastery on Friday, Vietnamese media said.
Mr Do is the deputy leader of the Unified Buddhist Church, which is banned in Vietnam.
Observers said the move was more likely an attempt to win international respect than a genuine shift towards reconciliation with the Church.
Surprise
Mr Do, a monk, was put under house arrest at his pagoda in June, 2001, after calling for democratic change.
He was due to be freed in September, and the timing of his release came as a surprise.
"The decision [to free Mr Do] was made out of the Party and State's humanitarian policies that upheld great national unity and to meet the aspiration of Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam," the Vietnam News daily newspaper said.
The state-sanctioned Buddhist Church supplanted the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) in 1981.
Mr Do's release follows an historic meeting in April between the head of the Buddhist Church and the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Van Khai.
However, last September an EU delegation was refused permission to visit him.
The Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau (Ibib) welcomed Mr Do's release.
"We are delighted Vietnam has finally given in to international pressure. We have been waiting for this for so long," said Ibib President Vo Van Ai.
One-Minute World News 
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