June 2009

Vietnam: Greater Destruction as Persecution Escalates

- with a call to pray for Vietnam

During the 1990s, Vietnam began to open up economically and introduce economic reforms. US-Vietnam diplomatic relations were established in July 1995 and ambassadors were exchanged in May 1997. As a pre-condition of joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and avoiding costly US sanctions, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) successfully strove to improve its religious liberty image. In May 2006 Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation. In November 2006 Vietnam hosted the APEC Summit, albeit with their most prominent human rights advocates under house arrest, including the evangelical religious liberty advocate Nguyen Van Dai. On 8 December 2006 the US extended Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam.

Strategists who believed that economic reform (even though it was solely in pursuit of wealth) would lead to political and human rights reform have been proved wrong, as have all who thought Vietnam's promises of religious reforms were genuine. On 3 February 2007 attorneys Nguyen Van Dai (38) and Le thi Cong Nhan (27) were arrested at Dai's law office in Hanoi. In May 2007 the two were charged, convicted and imprisoned under Vietnam's rights-obliterating Article 88 of the Criminal Code which makes it illegal to 'conduct propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam' (see RLP 420, 14 March 2007; RLP 431, 7 May 2007).

Throughout 2008 the ruling Communist Party resisted church pleas for the return of confiscated properties. Despite massive public prayer vigils, the authorities pressed on with demolitions (see RLP 496, 17 September 2008). On 6 January 2009 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a note regarding 'lands and properties in relation to religions'. It co! nfirmed that none of the 2,250 properties taken from the c hurch will be returned but will instead be used for the 'common benefit' of the population. Catholics and Protestants are suffering escalating persecution across all Vietnam.

CATHOLICS:

The government has recently demolished two Catholic properties in the far south -- the monastery of The Sisters of St Paul of Chartres in Vinh Long, and the monastery of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Holy Family in Long Xuyen. A Catholic school teacher, Miss Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh (28), was recently fired for encouraging children to use the Internet. According to state-run media (1 June), Miss Nguyen is accused of 'taking advantage of her teaching position to disseminate counter revolution thoughts . . . '. AsiaNews reports (12 June) that authorities in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak recently ordered Dominican priest Fr Peter Nguyen Van Phuong to cease ministry as 'there is no need for religion'. Also, Fr Peter Tran Dinh Lai in! Nghe An Province, who is 'well liked by his 2,500 parishi oners', has been warned that his life is in danger since he refused to obey government directives to stop his parishioners attending the prayer vigils. On 6 June Redemptorist Fr Joseph Le Quang Uy was held at the airport, interrogated and his computer seized.

PROTESTANTS:

Vietnam's Central Highlands are home to around one million indigenous ethnic Degars (also known as Montagnards, Yards or Moi). More than half are Protestant and some 200,000 are Catholic. Vietnam's persecution of the Degars is severe with many believing it constitutes ethnic cleansing. The authorities want to exploit Degar lands, so they use intensive ethnic and religious persecution to drive them away. On 11 March the authorities demolished the historic Degar Church in Buon Ma Thuot, capital of Dak Lak Province. As the first church established for the Degar people, it was especially precious to them as the site from where Christianity spread across the region! . On 1 May more than 86,000 Degars from 375 villages and f ive provinces in the central highlands stayed home to mourn the loss of their church and to pray for the nation.

The fate of Degar woman Puih H'Bat -- a house church leader arrested on 11 April 2008 for refusing to register with the state-sanctioned Evangelical Church of Viet Nam -- is still unknown. She has four children (aged 7-19) and her husband is a refugee in the USA. The authorities' secrecy over her whereabouts causes great concern as torture and fierce brutality against Degar believers is commonplace, with several having been tortured to death in recent years.

On 13 June 2009 the authorities arrested Le Cong Dinh (41). He is one of Vietnam's most respected lawyers and has represented a number of pro-liberty and pro-democracy advocates including religious liberty advocate Nguyen van Dai. Like Dai, Le Cong Dinh is to be charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code for 'colluding with domestic and foreign reactionaries to sabotage the Vietnamese State'. A! ccording to State media, Le's crimes include the charge th at he 'took advantage of his work as a defence lawyer for a number of reactionary elements like Nguyen Van Dai . . . turning their trials into "forums" against the State'.

(previous bulletins may be viewed at
http://www.ea.org.au/ReligiousLiberty/PrayerPostings.aspx )

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT:

• all Vietnam's imprisoned Christians -- church leaders (such as Puih H'Bat in the Central Highlands), lawyers (such as the evangelical religious liberty advocate Nguyen van Dai in Hanoi) and many other faithful believers both Catholic and Protestant -- that they will be sustained physically, emotionally and spiritually by the Spirit of the Lord; for justice and that God will encourage ! and provide for their families.
  
  
• the Spirit of God to awaken Vietnamese society to the deception, oppression, brutality and injustice of the Communist system; may this actually point many to Christ (just as in China).

'He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' (Luke 4:18b NIV) Christ is the hope of Vietnam -- and we are Christ's ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20).

• the Church in Vietnam, that God will continue to build and sanctify her for his glory and in preparation for a future with freedom.

Elizabeth Kendall