 In May, civil unrest broke out in South Vietnam following the Hue Vesak shootings.Nine Buddhists were gunned down by the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem after defying a government ban on the flying of Buddhist flags on Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha and marching in an anti-government protest.Following the shootings, Buddhist leaders began to lobby Diem for religious equality and compensation and justice for the families of the victims.