In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Thich. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Quang.
Thích Huyền Quang (19 September 1919 – 5 July 2008[1]) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, dissident and activist. At the time, he was the Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, a currently banned organisation in his homeland. He was notable for his activism for human and religious rights in Vietnam.
In 1977, Quang wrote a letter to then-Prime MinisterPhạm Văn Đồng detailing counts of oppression by the communist regime. For this, he and five other senior monks were arrested and detained.[1] In 1982, he was arrested and put on permanent house arrest for opposition to governmental policy after publicly denouncing the establishment of the state-controlled Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.[2]
Quang died peacefully on Saturday, 5 July 2008, aged 88, at his monastery.[4][5][6][7] His funeral was held on Friday, 11 July 2008, without incident.[8]