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Followers of the Evangelical Church of Christ in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province have accused native police of monitoring and disrupting their worship for practically a month.
Their claims got here simply forward of Wednesday’s U.S. Human Rights Dialogue within the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. One of many points that might be raised is the suitable to non secular freedom.
Y Nguyet Bkrong, one of many followers of Vietnam’s greatest Protestant church, mentioned that round 7:30 a.m. on Sunday round 20 believers gathered at his home to wish. After 10 minutes, plain garments police arrived and advised them to cease the ceremony. In addition they ordered everybody who was not registered as a resident of the home to depart.
“Once I carried out Christian non secular rites … 15 folks from the commune and metropolis police in addition to the Folks’s Committee of Hoa Thang Commune, got here. They didn’t permit us to apply non secular actions,” mentioned church follower Y Coi.
“They mentioned that no matter [religion] the State has not but acknowledged is not going to be allowed to apply. The Evangelical Church of Christ has no authorized entity, so if we proceed, they’re more likely to take more durable measures.”
Earlier than the followers left, he mentioned the police made two copies of a press release and gave one copy to him.
“half-hour after everybody left, officers got here again and requested me to present them again the doc,” he mentioned.
“They threatened that if I did not return it, they’d get orders from their superiors to go looking my home. I used to be alone on the time, so I needed to obey their request.”
Ceremonies in Buon Ma Thuot metropolis additionally stopped
The same incident occurred on the identical morning on the dwelling church of Evangelical Church of Christ follower Y Lui Bya in Buon Ma Thuot metropolis, the capital of Dak Lak province. Greater than a dozen plainclothes and uniformed police burst into the home, stopping worshipers from performing non secular rites.
“The police mentioned that the State doesn’t acknowledge or permit our sect,” he mentioned.
“Believers requested them why the state didn’t acknowledge our sect if there’s a freedom of faith.
“Then they threatened to demolish the home that was worshiping God. They needed to beat my son-in-law. They threatened us, telling us to signal a press release however we refused.”
RFA known as the Buon Ma Thuot Metropolis Police on the cellphone quantity posted on the Dak Lak Provincial Police Portal. The officer on obligation hung up after being questioned concerning the incident and no one answered once we known as again.
Fixed surveillance
Y Nguyet Bkrong, Y Coi and Y Lui Bya all mentioned they had been saved below fixed surveillance final month.
Y Lui mentioned he has been watched by the police since Oct. 13.
“I’m nonetheless below surveillance now. They all the time observe wherever I am going. Once I go to the fields, additionally they observe.”
Y Coi advised RFA that from Oct. 13 to 17, he was watched and was adopted by police wherever he went. From Oct. 27 to 29, he mentioned the police arrange night time surveillance in entrance of his home:
“The Communist authorities of Vietnam carries out strict surveillance. I do not know why they had been on guard, not letting me go anyplace. I’ve photos as proof that the provincial police and the town police monitored me,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that whereas giving an interview to RFA on Monday night, greater than a dozen policemen had been in entrance of his home.
“Every time there’s a U.S. delegation to Vietnam, the very first thing they do is go to every home … so generally I really feel burdened and unsafe.”
Protestants in Central Highlands accused of making an attempt to ascertain their very own State
The Vietnamese authorities has repeatedly accused the Protestant Church within the Central Highlands of being a reactionary group, profiting from faith to oppose the State.
In January, the Folks’s Police newspaper web site printed an article accusing them of gathering dignitaries and ethnic minority believers within the Central Highlands and in addition within the U.S. to “collect pressure, struggle for non secular freedom, democracy and human rights. To proceed to ascertain their very own faith and an ethnic minority State within the Central Highlands.”
The churchgoers RFA interviewed all denied the accusations.
“My non secular actions at dwelling usually are not meant to oppose or overthrow them in any manner,” mentioned Y Nguyet Bkrong.
“Right here it’s simply non secular perception, worshiping with out the supervision of the Authorities, being free to worship God, not as they are saying, profiting from faith to oppose them.”
Y Coi served eight years in jail for “conducting anti-state propaganda” on account of his non secular actions. He mentioned that since being launched from jail, he has been continually harassed and his household have been unable to run a secure enterprise.
“They summon me time and again, threatening all the pieces,” he mentioned.
“They are saying we’re towards the folks’s authorities, towards the Get together and the State. However the truth is that we aren’t towards the State. I need to rebuild the church, the church must be separate and unbiased.”
The twenty sixth U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue on Nov. 2 might be led by the U.S. Senior Bureau Official for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erin Barclay and Vietnamese Assistant Overseas Minister Do Hung Viet. America’s Ambassador at Massive for Worldwide Non secular Freedom Rashad Hussain can even attend.
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