| onks wanted for the monkhood and Buddhism the | | | | draw up a constitution, (2) national elections, and (3) the |
| power that they saw the Catholic Church and the | | | | return to his post of General Thi, a military leader |
| Catholics have under Ngo Dinh Diem. They wanted to | | | | popular among his men and the Buddhists, who had |
| place their chosen Buddhist political laymen in the | | | | been dismissed from his position in Hue. This led to the |
| government, to be advisers to the government, and to | | | | Buddhist crisis which lasted until September 1966. In the |
| gain more state patronage for Buddhism. Then they | | | | process, the Buddhist movement was seriously divided |
| took more direct political action. With their social and | | | | between the moderates who sought to compromise |
| political activities increasing through Buddhist | | | | and the militants who even turned their demands into a |
| organizations, they became more powerful and | | | | campaign to overthrow the Ky regime. In their internal |
| directed influence toward the government. They also | | | | struggle, it was the militants who defeated the |
| developed tensions and even clashed with the | | | | moderates and dominated the actions of the Unified |
| Catholics who were afraid of being treated with the | | | | Buddhist Church. |
| kind of religious discrimination that the Buddhists said | | | | The militant Buddhist students and thousands of |
| they had suffered under the regime of Diem. When | | | | soldiers in Hue and Danang followed the militant monks |
| Nguyen Cao Ky established his military regime in June | | | | and brought the two cities to a point on the verge of |
| 2508/1965, there had taken place four more changes | | | | rebellion. Violent protests were also held in Saigon. The |
| of South Vietnamese governments and the Buddhists | | | | government used force to put down the uprisings. As |
| were said to have been directly or indirectly | | | | in the crisis of 1963, the Buddhists used demonstrations, |
| responsible for the downfall of these governments. | | | | hunger strikes and self-immolation as their weapons. |
| In the early period of the Ky regime, the monks’ | | | | But, this time, even their ultimate weapon of burning |
| overt political activities decreased due to unfavourable | | | | themselves to death did not excite the people and win |
| military and political conditions. Moreover, the split | | | | popular acceptance so much as in the former crisis. |
| widened between the militant and the moderate | | | | The monks did not have a just cause. It was not a |
| monks. Under the urging of the lay Buddhists for | | | | religious struggle to save the Buddhist Church, but a |
| political moderation and the building of internal strength, | | | | false cry without clarity of purpose. This time, it was |
| main efforts were directed towards more positive | | | | not Ky but the militant Buddhists who were defeated. |
| activities, especially Buddhist education, social welfare | | | | Hue and Danang were brought under government |
| and youth programmes. Three weekly newspapers, | | | | control and Ky had no need to resign. |
| three monthly magazines and twenty-five periodicals | | | | However, though the Buddhists failed to remove Ky |
| were published to achieve propagative aims. | | | | from power, lost the effectiveness and credibility of |
| Then, in March 2509/1966, the Buddhists came again | | | | their leadership, and became weakened through their |
| into conflict with the government. The Unified Buddhist | | | | internal dissension, their efforts were notaltogether |
| Church wanted to establish a position of power in the | | | | futile. Following pressure from them, the government |
| new government and brought political pressure on | | | | was forced to hold elections for a national constituent |
| Premier Nguyen Cao Ky. They issued a communique | | | | assembly in September 2509/1966. |
| on March 14, calling for (1) an immediate convention to | | | | |