1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to the Stand. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: History Class, a podcast where the past becomes the present. 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: Today is May eight. The day was May eighth, nineteen 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: sixty three, South Vietnamese soldiers and security forces fired into 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: a crowd of unarmed Buddhist protesters in Hawaii, South Vietnam. 7 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: The shootings marked the beginning of the Buddhist Crisis, a 8 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: period of tension and protests in South Vietnam incited by 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: the South Vietnamese government's repressive treatment of Buddhists. In nineteen four, 10 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: Vietnam was divided into the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and 11 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: the North and the State of Vietnam in the South. 12 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: The next year, God Dean Zem declared South Vietnam a 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: republic and became president by means of a fraudulent election. 14 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: Anti communist countries like the US backed South Vietnam, Zem 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: became increasingly dictatorial, and his regime was corrupt and nepotistic. 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: He and his brother for the Kan Law Party, a 17 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: political party that helped Zom secure power in South Vietnam. 18 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: His regime threatened, deported, tortured, imprisoned and executed thousands of 19 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: suspected Communists and people they deemed opponents of Zem. Zem 20 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: was Catholic, and government officials, business owners, landholders, and high 21 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: ranking military officers were largely Catholic as well. Catholics were 22 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: a minority in South Vietnam, as Buddhists made up somewhere 23 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: around eight of the population, but the regime gave preferential 24 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: treatment to Catholics. Some historians and journalists have maintained that 25 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: this picture of Zom is inaccurate and that there was 26 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: no evidence he ever persecuted Buddhists. They have portrayed at 27 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: him as a leader who was committed to modernization and 28 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: helped preserve Vietnamese Buddhist heritage. Zam had issued a decree 29 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifties banning the display of religious flags 30 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: without government permission, but it was rarely enforced. On May seven, 31 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three, a deputy province chief in the city 32 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: of Hui decided to invoke the law, even though Buddhist 33 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: and Catholic flags had been allowed to remain flying for years. 34 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: In practice, many Buddhist flags were on display in Hui, 35 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: but authorities took them down. The next day was Foot Dawn, 36 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 1: a holiday commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. 37 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: That day, Buddhists marched and gathered at the Too Dam 38 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: Pagoda to protest the ban and call for religious equality. 39 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: Among named tick Tree Kwang was a leader in the demonstration, 40 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: but as the crowd grew throughout the day, tensions escalated 41 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: and armored cars, civil guardsmen, and security officials showed up. 42 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: Military forces began shooting and throwing grenades into the crowd. 43 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: Around nine people were killed. Zim blamed the National Liberation Front, 44 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: a political organization that fought against the South Vietnamese government. 45 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: He said that authorities had taken the proper actions to 46 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: disperse the crowd, but Buddhists continued to protest the incident 47 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: and their mistreatment. Tick Tree Kwong presented a list of 48 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: demands that included allowing Buddhists to fly their flag, permitting 49 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: legal equality between Catholics and Buddhists, and punishing the people 50 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: responsible for the killings, but Zem rejected these demands. Buddhists 51 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: continued to protest by distributing pamphlets and organizing hunger strikes. 52 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: Eventually Zem agreed to dismiss some of the perpetrators and 53 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: compensate the victims families with the equivalent of about seven 54 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: thousand U S dollars. Still, he denied the government's responsibility 55 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: for the killings. The whole ordeal developed into what became 56 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: known as the Buddhist Crisis. The period was characterized by violence, protests, 57 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: and growing opposition to the ZM regime. In June, South 58 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: Vietnamese troops poured chemicals onto the heads of praying Buddhists. 59 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: That same month, among named Tick Kwang Duke self immolated 60 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: in protests of Zem's policies. In August, Zim proclaimed martial law, 61 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: shortly before launching coordinated raids on Buddhist pagodas. The Buddhist 62 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: Crisis continued until November, when Zim was deposed by a 63 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: group of officers in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. 64 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 1: He was arrested and assassinated. Still, tension between Catholics and 65 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: Buddhist persisted, and Buddhists remained involved in politics and social 66 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: movements as unrest and war continued to affect Vietnamese society. 67 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeffco and hopefully you know a little more 68 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: about streets today than you did yesterday, and if you'd 69 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: like to send us any suggestions or comments, you can 70 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: send us an email where at this day at I 71 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 72 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,799 Speaker 1: We're at t d i h C podcast. Thanks again 73 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 74 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: M For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the 75 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 76 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.