International Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. about what they say is widespread persecution of Christians in the Communist nation, BosNewsLife monitored Wednesday, June 22.
The testimony came as Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phan Van Khai began a historic visit to the United States Monday, June 20, which is aimed at boosting relations with Washington, 30 years after the Vietnam war ended.
Church leaders Rev. Tran Mai, general director of the Inter-Evangelistic Movement of Vietnam, Evangelist Truong Tri Hien of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, and the Rev. Pham Dinh Nhan of the United Gospel Outreach church were reportedly among several religious leaders detailing attacks against Christians.
The last Vietnamese religious leader who submitted written testimony to a US government agency, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, was Father Nguyen Van Ly, noted Christian news agency Compass Direct.
15 YEARS PRISON
After his written testimony was read into the Commission record on February 13, 2001, Vietnamese officials sentenced him to 15 years in prison "for slandering Vietnam."
He was released in February this year as part of a government amnesty for the Lunar New Year, but not before he had completely changed his views, said Compass Direct, which has close ties with persecuted Christians in the region. His close friends believe his mind was altered through drugs, the news agency said.
Reporting from Washington, Compass Direct quoted US Congressman Chris Smith as saying that he convened the committee hearings to "speak truth to power."
LEADER FLEES
Nhan and Mai serve as top leaders of their respective house church organizations in Vietnam, while Hien, a close friend of the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang, had to flee Vietnam following the arrest of Quang just over a year ago.
He has UN refugee status and is awaiting asylum in the United States, Compass Direct said. Nhan and Mai still serve as chairman and vice chairman respectively of an association of house churches called the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship.
In "a compelling" 14-page document, Hien, who has legal training, described 77 separate actions against the Mennonite church and headquarters in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City from June 8, 2004, to May 31, 2005, said Compass Direct which saw transcripts of the hearing.
SEVERAL ARRESTS
The arrest of Quang and five other church workers took place between March and June, 2004 and many of the actions against the church came after Vietnam proclaimed new, and supposedly more liberal, laws on religion in the last few months.
Hien reportedly said the Vietnamese authorities commonly employ force to break up meetings. Secondly Communist officials "use administrative paperwork such as identity (ID) cards, motorbike registrations and licenses to harass, and at times, confiscate property. For example, they will confiscate an ID card without giving the person a receipt and a week later, fine the same person for not having an ID card," Compass Direct quoted him as saying.
As a third method authorities reportedly "incite" the Christians’ neighbors to hate them and to take "spontaneous" action against them. Fourth, the authorities allegedly try to destroy the morale of believers. They recently raided the church and home of Mrs. Quang and her three small children in the middle of the night, for several nights in a row, and have written up frequent charges against believers and made them wait many hours for their interrogations, Hien said.
Finally, "the government employs the state monopoly of the media to launch scurrilous and sustained character attacks against religious leaders it deems "bad"", the church leader reportedly added.
DEMANDS FOR RELEASE
In the document, Hien also requested that two Vietnam Mennonite Church leaders remaining in prison be immediately released. The Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang is serving a three-year sentence and Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach is serving a two-year sentence; both sentences were upheld at an appeal court hearing on April 12.
He also asked that Mennonites be treated according to new legislation on religion and be allowed to register their activities. Two special appeals to the prime minister on this matter , which have so far gone unanswered.
He asked the prime minister’s office to set up a special task force to handle quiet appeals coming from religious groups which cannot get redress in any other way. Hien also urged the government to create a plan and method to deal with "the many officials who routinely violate the religious freedom of Vietnamese citizens and abuse them because of religion," Compass Direct said.
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
Mai submitted his testimony directly from Vietnam. He gave current stories of religious persecution from Hai Phong harbor to the Mekong Delta. He quoted Hmong, Kor and Hre ethic minority leaders recounting incidents of beatings, pepper spray, forced labor, confiscation of property — including land and houses — and imprisonment, all of which have occurred since the “liberalization” of laws and regulations on religion, Compass Direct reported. He also named victims and perpetrators.
Mai reportedly concluded that “the Ordinance on Religion and the Instructions signed by the Prime Minister [is] ‘old wine in new skins.’ The new legislation still retains the essence of oppressing religion. The government has officially announced that ‘The government will only recognize a few religious denominations.’"
"So what does this mean for those who will not be recognized?", he reportedly wondered.
WORSHIPPING AMID UNCERTAINTY
"It means plainly that these organizations will be outside the law. Today they may meet for worship, tomorrow not. Today they are released, tomorrow they may not be. How is it different for these organizations than being a fish on a chopping block? How is this different than being a fish in a pond that can be caught and killed at any time?"
He warned that Western countries should not be gullible and should be very careful not to be taken in by Vietnam’s "illogical and immoral religion policies." In the committee hearings, Helen Ngo of the Vietnam Committee for Religious Freedom reportedly read a section from Nhan’s testimony of how oppression and restrictions had affected his pastor father, his mother and his own family.
Congressman Smith warned Vietnam that the US would be looking closely to see what happened to those who stand up to speak the truth, Compass Direct said. "This will be a test for both the U.S. and Vietnam," the news agency quoted a ‘Vietnam observer’ as saying. (With BosNewsLife Research, Compass Direct and reports from Vietnam).
