By Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)
CNS Information Services
09 August, 1999
Four churches in the Binh Phuoc province have been destroyed by armed officials in the latest round of persecution and harassment of the ethnic minorities in Vietnam. This incident is just one of many in Vietnam which was raised by CSW, under the auspices of WEF at the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
When a Mnong community in Tho Son village built a church without official permission after the collapse of their old church, the local authorities sent around 50 armed officials, who proceeded to smash the building to pieces. Before the attack on July 1st the authorities had tried to force the members of the Dak La Church to sign a paper stating they would voluntarily destroy their church building. Over 150 believers staged a sit-in inside the church after which the authorities left, only to return with armed policemen and soldiers.
Since then, three more churches have been destroyed, the last one on July 30th. Further incidents are expected and the authorities have promised to destroy all places of worship in the province.
The Binh Phuoc province was part of Song Be Province, where the Mnong Christians enjoyed relative freedom and were able to build a number of churches. Since the division of the Song Be Province into Binh Phuoc and another province, the local authorities have taken a tougher line. Numerous requests to repair or rebuild churches, which by now are old and crumbling, have been ignored or denied.
Christians have now submitted a petition to the Vietnamese authorities calling for a stop to this campaign of destruction. The petition asks poignantly "Is this consistent with the law and the legal process of Vietnam?"
In April, Vietnam adopted a new decree governing religious practices (No. 26/1999/ND-CP). Whilst this does appear to confirm the freedom of belief and religion, article 5 catalogues a number of activities that are punishable by law ranging from 'superstitious activities' to activities that 'go against the healthy culture' of the nation.
Whilst welcoming Vietnamese authorities attention to concerns regarding shortcomings in their legislation affecting religions, CSW is naturally concerned by these latest developments. A CSW Religious Liberty Adviser said "the ambiguously worded decree leaves a wide margin for interpretation and grants both the local authorities and security services remarkable discretion to determine the legality of religious activities. We fear that this decree is open to abuse and will further fuel the climate of uncertainty and fear amongst the religious communities."