Protest Letter No. 2 By the 8406 Group* of 557 Citizens Advocating Democracy For Vietnam
Vietnam, May 23, 2006
Upon receiving in the evening of May 22, 2006 the urgent notice from the Office of the Mennonite Church of Vietnam, located at C5/1H Tran Nao street, ward Binh Khanh, district 2, Saigon and later verifying with a number of eyewitnesses, we now know that:
In the afternoon of May 22, 2006, the Vietnamese Communist authorities of ward Binh Khanh, district 2, Saigon sent over 50 people from the Public Securities, Civil Defense, government offices, Youth association, and City Management to the Office of the Mennonite Church at C5/1H Tran Nao street, ward Binh Khanh, district 2, Saigon, which also serves as the place of worship for members of the Church in the area. These intruders forcefully dissembled the Church to the bare frame, savagely beat the Church members. Some members were pushed from the 5 meter-high roof to the concrete floor and badly injured; others were handcuffed and dragged on rough ground. Nine members of the Church were taken away (and might be held at ward Binh Khanh or district 2. Their exact whereabouts is unknown), including: Dang Ngoc Thuan, 15 years old; two ethnic minority members from the High Land, named Bom and Thuc; 2 youth members named Nguyen Thi Thu Loan and Tran Minh Hoa, 2 Missionaries named Le Thi Hong Lien and Nguyen Huu Nghia; Pastors Nguyen Hong Quang and Pham Ngoc Thach. The two pastors are also members of the 8406 Group.
To such actions of the Vietnamese Communist authorities, we, the undersigned representatives of the 8406 Group – the combined voices of 557 citizen activists advocating democracy for Viet Nam, hereby unanimously declare:
1- We strongly protest these acts of terrorism, oppression, brutality, and savage detainment by the Vietnamese Communist authorities on the Mennonite Church of Vietnam incessantly for so many years, including forcing Church members to renounce their faith at various localities across the country in the last 60 years. Some of these forced renouncement of faith have just taken place in this very month of May in the Binh Phuong and Bac Giang province.
2- We urgently raise this issue before the international community and demand the Vietnamese Communist authorities across the nation stop immediately all similar oppression against non-denominational churches.
3- We strongly protest the abuse of authorities by the Vietnamese Communist government when it used the excuse that the Church office and chapel at the above address was repaired to 1 to 2 meters higher than the blueprint to destroy the entire roof. The government’s task force also tried to provoke the worshipers and pastors to protest and then used their peaceful complaints as pretext for brutal attacks and arrests. No government in the world would use such petty excuses to beat up its citizens unless it is intentionally trying to suppress freedom of religion as accurately exposed by the international community for the past 60 years.
4- We call on all international human right organizations, the Media, governments and congresses to use their influence to intervene on behalf of the Mennonite Church of Vietnam currently under severe oppression. Please contact the Church Office at : (84) 08.4021.937.
Vietnam, May 23, 2006
Representatives of the 8406 Group of 557 Citizens:
Hoang Minh Chinh in Ha Noi
Do Nam Hai in Sai Gon
Tran Anh Kim in Thai Binh
Nguyen Van Ly in Hue
* Group 8406: The signatories to the 2006 Manifesto of Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam, announced on the 8th of April, 2006
Translated by Vietnam Reform Party
