Vietnam: Vietnamese Christians Face Death, Disappearances, and Church Closures, Page 4

Vietnamese Christians Face Death, Disappearances, and Church Closures

	Vietnamese believers hide behind  a bamboo tree to worship

Over the past two years the Vietnamese government has been stepping up efforts to wipe out the Christian faith among tribal communities throughout Vietnam. In recent months this has resulted in the death of three pastors, the disappearance of 56 other pastors, and the closure of more than 350 churches.

The heavy hand on preachers of the Gospel by the Vietnamese government is partially due to the fact that the government blames pastors of the Central Highlands for instigating public protests that were carried out during February of 2001. At that time, Montagnard ethnic minorities protested their lack of freedoms and the loss of their land in the Central Highland provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai. The result was one of the greatest crackdowns on Christians in recent years. As the government grew angry and quickly crushed the protest, thou-sands of Christians fled for safety to Cambodia. However, the Vietnamese government demanded that Cambodia return the refugees and at least 100 Vietnamese were forced to return. There were unconfirmed reports of beatings and torture.

On October 29, 2002, three Montagnard pastors imprisoned for their role in the February 2001 protests were killed by lethal injection. Y-Het Nie Kdam, Y-Suon Mlo and Y-Wan Ayun, all of Dak Lak province, were executed in their cells at Buonmathuot. Tribal Christians fear these executions are the beginning of a new trend. They may have good reason to worry, according to ICC sources, which indicate that 56 Ede and Mnong pastors in the Central Highland disappeared, and are believed to have been arrested by the Vietnamese government, during the month of October. When family members followed the government's instructions for locating their loved ones, their search resulted in a dead end. In addition, 354 of the 412 churches in Dak Lak Province have been forcibly closed and more closures are expected to follow.

While the Montagnards face increased persecution, the Hmong ethnic minority of northern Vietnam also continue to suffer. In January 2002, approximately 1400 people were forced to flee their homes in the Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Thanh Hoa and Lai Chau provinces in the north. Many fled to the jungles to avoid the police and tried to resettle in the Central Highlands. Most fled without being able to take any provisions with them. ICC sources also indicate that 11 Hmong pastors have been recently imprisoned.

In Lai Chau province, a Hmong pastor was tortured until he became unconscious, and then imprisoned. All members of his house church were required to do public service. In an attempt to force these members to recant their faith, several homes were set on fire. Out of desperation, all of these families fled to live in the jungle. However, life in the jungle is very difficult because food is scarce, as is potable drinking water. Many die from a lack of simple medicines (such as anti-diarrhea medicine) or from the lack of food.

PLEASE PROVIDE HELP FOR THOSE SUFFERING IN VIET-NAM! ICC WORKS TO HELP SUSTAIN THE PERSECUTED CHURCH. YOUR GIFT TO ICC WILL SUPPORT PASTORS, MEET THE NEEDS OF IMPRISONED CHRISTIANS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND AID THOSE FORCED TO FLEE INTO THE JUNGLE.

You can also help by signing ICC's petition to President Bush on behalf of Vietnamese Christians at our web site, www.persecution.org. You may also write a letter of protest directly to the Vietnamese Embassy expressing your concerns over the treatment of Vietnamese Christians.

(Click here for more information on Vietnam.)

POSTED:  January 14, 2003