Plans to suppress growth of church in Vietnam exposed
-14/11/06
By Ed Thornton
The gov
Plans to suppress growth of church in Vietnam exposed
-14/11/06
By Ed Thornton
The government of Vietnam plans to suppress the growth of the Protestant church in parts of the country, according to a leaked document obtained by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
CSW has acquired details of a manual, entitled ëTraining Document: Concerning the Task of the Protestant Religion in the Northern Mountainous Regioní, that outlines a plan ìto resolutely subdue the abnormally rapid and spontaneous development of the Protestant religionî among ethnic minorities in the north-west highlands.
CSW says the document appears to have been issued by the Central Bureau of Religious affairs, a Vietnamese government department.
While the document recognises ìthe spiritual need for a portion of our peopleî, it empowers local authorities to arbitrate on the legitimacy of congregations and to force newer Protestants to renounce their faith.
The document emerges at a time when Vietnam is expected by many to be removed from the US blacklist of ëCountries of Particular Concerní for religious freedom violations, a list that includes countries such as China, Iran, Pakistan and Burma. Vietnam is also preparing to host the 2006 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit, which will be attended by US President George Bush, and is soon expected to enter into the World Trade Organisation.
ìThe emergence of this document is highly incriminating at a time when Vietnam is trying to show a positive face to the world,î said CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas. ìWhile it undoubtedly reflects an increased engagement with the issue of religious freedom, the fact that it allows local authorities to arbitrarily decide on the legitimacy of individual congregations is shocking and flagrantly inconsistent with international standards on religious freedom.î
Thomas added: ìIf Vietnam wants to participate fully on the world stage, she must respect international law by protecting the full religious freedom of her citizens. In particular, the policy of allowing attempts to force Protestants to renounce their faith must be unequivocally denounced and prohibited.î
Church groups in Vietnam have been under pressure due to the governmentís strong stance against what it sees as unregistered or dissenting religious groups. Protestants have come under particular pressure, although Catholics ñ who have traditionally had better relations with the authorities because of the historic role of the Catholic Church in Vietnam ñ have also complained of interference.
In May a Mennonite Church in Ho Chi Minh City was violently raided by an estimated 50 public security officials after a grievance over a building permit being used by the church. A number of church members were arrested during the raid including former Mennonite prisoners Nguyen Hong Quang, Pham Ngoc Thach, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Le Thi Hong Lien. All were released the following evening.
Nguyen Hon Quang, a Mennonite pastor, and five others were imprisoned for terms of between six months and three years for an incident in March 2004. Pham Ngoc Thach was the final prisoner to be released, in March 2006.
During Rev Quangís imprisonment, the Mennonite church in Ho Chi Minh City was frequently raided by officials and in July last year part of it was demolished.
Plans to suppress growth of church in Vietnam exposed
-14/11/06
By Ed Thornton
The government of Vietnam plans to suppress the growth of the Protestant church in parts of the country, according to a leaked document obtained by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
CSW has acquired details of a manual, entitled ëTraining Document: Concerning the Task of the Protestant Religion in the Northern Mountainous Regioní, that outlines a plan ìto resolutely subdue the abnormally rapid and spontaneous development of the Protestant religionî among ethnic minorities in the north-west highlands.
CSW says the document appears to have been issued by the Central Bureau of Religious affairs, a Vietnamese government department.
While the document recognises ìthe spiritual need for a portion of our peopleî, it empowers local authorities to arbitrate on the legitimacy of congregations and to force newer Protestants to renounce their faith.
The document emerges at a time when Vietnam is expected by many to be removed from the US blacklist of ëCountries of Particular Concerní for religious freedom violations, a list that includes countries such as China, Iran, Pakistan and Burma. Vietnam is also preparing to host the 2006 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit, which will be attended by US President George Bush, and is soon expected to enter into the World Trade Organisation.
ìThe emergence of this document is highly incriminating at a time when Vietnam is trying to show a positive face to the world,î said CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas. ìWhile it undoubtedly reflects an increased engagement with the issue of religious freedom, the fact that it allows local authorities to arbitrarily decide on the legitimacy of individual congregations is shocking and flagrantly inconsistent with international standards on religious freedom.î
Thomas added: ìIf Vietnam wants to participate fully on the world stage, she must respect international law by protecting the full religious freedom of her citizens. In particular, the policy of allowing attempts to force Protestants to renounce their faith must be unequivocally denounced and prohibited.î
Church groups in Vietnam have been under pressure due to the governmentís strong stance against what it sees as unregistered or dissenting religious groups. Protestants have come under particular pressure, although Catholics ñ who have traditionally had better relations with the authorities because of the historic role of the Catholic Church in Vietnam ñ have also complained of interference.
In May a Mennonite Church in Ho Chi Minh City was violently raided by an estimated 50 public security officials after a grievance over a building permit being used by the church. A number of church members were arrested during the raid including former Mennonite prisoners Nguyen Hong Quang, Pham Ngoc Thach, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Le Thi Hong Lien. All were released the following evening.
Nguyen Hon Quang, a Mennonite pastor, and five others were imprisoned for terms of between six months and three years for an incident in March 2004. Pham Ngoc Thach was the final prisoner to be released, in March 2006.
During Rev Quangís imprisonment, the Mennonite church in Ho Chi Minh City was frequently raided by officials and in July last year part of it was demolished.