A Vietnamese Buddhist monk on a barefoot pilgrimage from his homeland to India ran into some unexpected opposition in Sri Lanka on the latest leg of his circuitous journey around Asia.<\/p>\n
A witness told Radio Free Asia that when the Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Tue and his entourage were about to go to a local Hindu temple to rest, a local monk, claiming to be from the Sri Lankan Buddhist Sangha, came to the temple and asked that he not stay.<\/p>\n
Local Sri Lankans objected, taking sides with their Vietnamese visitor.<\/p>\n
The Sri Lankan monk then took out his phone and read the contents of a letter allegedly sent by Thich Nhat Tu, a representative of the state-backed Vietnam Buddhist Sangha \u2013 or religious association – to the Sri Lankan Sangha, to justify his demand that Thich Minh Tue leave the leafy temple compound in Giriulla, a town about 30 miles northeast of the capital Colombo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe pointed to the letter and read the content to prove that this group of monks are a fake monks and were violating the law,\u201d said Nguyen Minh Chi, a Vietnamese filmmaker who witnessed the exchange. <\/p>\n
The letter is visible in video and photos of the incident, filmed by YouTubers accompanying Thich Minh Tue. <\/p>\n
RFA has not been able to verify the authenticity of the letter. It bears a signature and the name of Thich Nhat Tu, along with the seal of the International Buddhist Council of the Vietnamese sangha, for which he serves as deputy head.<\/p>\n
Thich Minh Tue was eventually able to enter the temple.<\/p>\n