5/30/11 Vietnam (AP) — The charred earth left by campfires is one of the few signs that thousands of Vietnamese ethnic minority Hmong took over a remote community in early May awaiting their “messiah.” Yet many questions surrounding the incident continue to burn, and critics say government attitudes to religion are partly to blame for the country’s worst known case of ethnic tension in about a decade.

Crowds of the Hmong, a mainly Christian group, camped for a week around two hillocks in the far northwest of the communist nation in what has been labelled a cult. Although the devotees’ motivation was apparently sincere, they were inspired by leaders preaching “a toxic blend” of separatism and millennialism, mixed with traditional belief in a Hmong king coming as a saviour, said a foreign diplomat.

The gathering in Dien Bien province was eventually dispersed with help from security forces, sources said, but restricted access and information has kept details hazy concerning both the Hmong intentions and the authorities’ response. “Why did they bring up the riot police and the military?” the Hanoi-based diplomat said on condition of anonymity, calling the response “heavy-handed”. “They’ve just been very non-transparent across the board in dealing with the issue,” the diplomat added, questioning why communist authorities waited three weeks to allow foreign journalists into the area.

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They and other sources said the prophecy of US radio preacher Harold Camping, who claimed the world would end on May 21, was a key to the gathering’s timing. The result was the country’s worst case of ethic tension since about 2,000 Montagnards fled to Cambodia in 2001 and 2004 after troops crushed protests in the Central Highlands.

Ethnic relations can still be a sensitive matter in Vietnam, where a 2009 World Bank report cited “widespread cultural stereotypes” as a factor in the high poverty rate among ethnic minorities compared with the majority Kinh group.

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Officials say they persuaded the Hmong to return home, giving them transport and financial assistance. “I would like to reaffirm that we didn’t use any form of violence and force to deal with the situation,” said Giang Thi Hoa, vice-chairwoman of the provincial government. A military source however told AFP that “minor clashes” occurred after the army sent reinforcements, while one resident said hundreds who feared arrest fled into the forest after security forces told the crowd to disperse. The resident said many remained in the area until well after the government said things had returned to normal, finally going home after the messiah did not appear on May 21.

On Friday, AFP saw a military truck loaded with armed soldiers travelling away from Muong Nhe district where the Hmong gathered. It was not clear what the troops’ mission was but the truck’s tell-tale red army licence plate had been obscured, and the soldiers were concealed under a tarpaulin. Provincial officials say seven unnamed people who “reacted aggressively” have been detained for investigation, and outsiders agree the government had reason to be concerned.

A call for autonomy would be a “red flag” to security officials, according to Australia-based Vietnam analyst Carl Thayer. Christian and other Hmong “have borne the brunt of discrimination by local authorities”, he added.