NEW YORK, Jan 17 (AFP) - Communist Vietnam 's human rights record took "several major steps backward" during 2001, with religious rights in particular coming under attack, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report.
A "heavy-handed response" to "unprecedented mass demonstrations" in the central highlands in February and the detention of "many religious leaders and political dissidents" had dashed hopes of a more liberal line under new communist party supremo Nong Duc Manh, the New York-based advocacy group said.
In the central highlands, a "popular protest over land rights" by mainly Christian indigenous hill tribes had prompted the authorities to send in the army and order door-to-door searches for suspected ringleaders.
"Some were beaten, kicked or shocked with electric truncheons by police officers upon arrest and during interrogation.
"In many parts of the highlands, the government banned gatherings of more than four people, restricted freedom of movement and increased its surveillance of ethnic minority Protestants."
Minority Protestants had been a particular focus of the regime's attentions, although the authorities continued to outlaw all but a handful of officially recognized religious groups.
In the highlands, Human Rights Watch had "received reports of security forces burning down several Protestant churches".
In Plei Lao village south of the city of Pleiku, police had opened fire on an all-night prayer meeting by several hundred Jarai hill people, wounding "dozens" and killing "at least one", before setting fire to the church.
From June, the authorities had conducted "dozens of ceremonies" at which the protestors were "forced to renounce Christianity in front of entire villages, sealing their pledges by mandatory drinking of rice wine mixed with goat's blood".
Protestants in the northern mountains had also been the subject of harassment, with at least 16 ethnic Hmong believed to remain in prison as of October.
The Catholic church had also been hit with the jailing for 15 years of parish priest Nguyen Van Ly, while the dissident leaderships of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the Hoa Hao sect had faced renewed harassment.
"Throughout Vietnam , the government conducted a systematic campaign of intimidation and surveillance of perceived political opponents," targeting former party cadres and army veterans as well as clergymen, the rights group said.
Publication of HRW's annual report came as the advocacy group faced a war of words with the communist authorities over a special report released earlier this week in which it alleged renewed oppression of minority Protestants in the central highlands over Christmas.
The government rejected the charge and Vietnam 's two main official dailies Thursday slammed the accusation as "rude and slanderous" and a "terrible fabrication" aimed at sabotaging improving relations with former foe the United States.