The Human Right Watch (HRW) network once again confirms the sufferings of the minorities in Central Highlands of Vietnam: relentless efforts of local authorities to coerce them to either abandon their Christian faith or face harassment, physical violence and arrest.
In its 45 page long report, HRW on Mar. 30 warned the free world about the ongoing persecution by the Vietnamese authorities against the Christian Highlanders in Central region of Vietnam, home of hundreds of thousands of Catholics among millions of local residents, despite the regime's effort to mislead the world about how much freedom of religion these mountainous people are enjoying.
From the report, one can see that there is virtually no improvement in the way Christians in this region has been treated, when they are participating in regular bible study meetings or gathering to worship at independent, residential "church". For these purely religious activities, they became prey to the local authorities who stop at nothing to coerce them into renouncing their faith by all means including violent verbal and physical abuses, even torturing them to death. In 2010, there were 250 of those minorities are in jail awaiting their trial for charges of national security offenses such as "sabotaging the unity of the national people", "taking advantages of religion as mean to cause disturbance".
This report has resonated Kontum Bishop Micheal Hoang Duc Oanh's view in 2008 of how desperate the situation has been after his pastoral tours to "no religion zones" established by the local government in its effort to wipe out any religions in the area.
The prelate himself had been subjected to those tactics but by the grace of God he had come out unscathed, becoming a living witness to how much the residents have been suffering when they try to preserve their way of life, their culture, and their faith. The courage of these people helped strengthening his zeal to devote his life for evangelism and standing up for justice and human dignity of the poorest and most uneducated groups among the national Vietnamese population.
The HRW's report once again sheds light to how much reality differs from what the so-called “Vietnam Committee for Catholic Solidarity” has been covering up by thanking the government for its ”great help” to the Church in Vietnam after praising it for “great progress” in “all aspects of the society”.
In its 45 page long report, HRW on Mar. 30 warned the free world about the ongoing persecution by the Vietnamese authorities against the Christian Highlanders in Central region of Vietnam, home of hundreds of thousands of Catholics among millions of local residents, despite the regime's effort to mislead the world about how much freedom of religion these mountainous people are enjoying.
From the report, one can see that there is virtually no improvement in the way Christians in this region has been treated, when they are participating in regular bible study meetings or gathering to worship at independent, residential "church". For these purely religious activities, they became prey to the local authorities who stop at nothing to coerce them into renouncing their faith by all means including violent verbal and physical abuses, even torturing them to death. In 2010, there were 250 of those minorities are in jail awaiting their trial for charges of national security offenses such as "sabotaging the unity of the national people", "taking advantages of religion as mean to cause disturbance".
This report has resonated Kontum Bishop Micheal Hoang Duc Oanh's view in 2008 of how desperate the situation has been after his pastoral tours to "no religion zones" established by the local government in its effort to wipe out any religions in the area.
The prelate himself had been subjected to those tactics but by the grace of God he had come out unscathed, becoming a living witness to how much the residents have been suffering when they try to preserve their way of life, their culture, and their faith. The courage of these people helped strengthening his zeal to devote his life for evangelism and standing up for justice and human dignity of the poorest and most uneducated groups among the national Vietnamese population.
The HRW's report once again sheds light to how much reality differs from what the so-called “Vietnam Committee for Catholic Solidarity” has been covering up by thanking the government for its ”great help” to the Church in Vietnam after praising it for “great progress” in “all aspects of the society”.