Eleven Catholics who had been arrested and jailed since Monday were released. But, 7 are still in police custody. Also police threaten to take legal actions against their victims charging them with violating state policies on Americans’ War Crimes Memorial Sites.
“Police had arrested and jailed 18 Catholics of Tam Toa parish and neighboring parishes,” said Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung in a statement signed on the evening of July, 22, two days after a violent police raid on the site of Tam Toa church that was confiscated by the Communist government since 1996.
According to the office of the diocese of Vinh, as of 23rd of July, Catholic activists who were reportedly wounded seriously were still in police's custody. The Secretary of the Bishopric also warned of an effort of police to initiate legal actions against their victims. In fact, those who were released had been forced to sign a statement admitting guilty, the statement said.
“Police charged our brothers and sisters of participating in ‘counter-revolutionary’ crimes, violating state policies on Americans’ War Crimes Memorial Sites, and helping the Americans to destroy evidences of their crimes,” said Ms. Thu Thuy in an interview with Free Asia Radio on July 22.
In his response, the Vice-Chairwoman of the Parish Council was determined to set the record straight: “We have nothing to deal with politics. We only know this is our church where we should be able to come for worshiping God”, she went on, pleading local authorities not to criminalizing the legitimate right of her parish to keep using the church for worshiping.
During the Vietnam War, Tam Toa church was hit by American bombing, but the facade and the bell tower are still standing. Once the bombings were over, the parishioners were so impoverished that they could not afford restoring their church. However, religious ceremonies had regularly been held on its land until 1996, when the People's Committee of Quang Binh province confiscated it. On March 26, 1997, the Committee issued a decree ruling that the church would become “a memorial site” to be “preserved and protected for future generations to remember the war crimes of the Americans ".
Within the area of 155.54 square meters of Dong Hoi city, there is only one church at Tam Toa. Facing the growing spiritual need of local faithful, Bishop Paul Maria Cao Dinh Thuyen had repeatedly asked in vain for the restitution of the church. On 2 February this year, despite the threats of the authorities, the bishop and 14 priests went to Tam Toa and celebrated Mass there, attended by thousands of Catholics.
Sister Marie Tan of the Cross Lovers Congregation of Huong Phuong in Quang Binh province disclosed that for years faithful in the area had to brave cold rain, hot sun, and biting wind to celebrate outdoor Masses. Therefore, she said “We really need a decent place for worshipping but police considered us as anti-revolutionary people.”
Police in Vietnam have granted with almost un-limited powers to extinguish any counter-revolutionary activities by all means and resources. In most of the cases, brutal violence has been employed.
“It was almost unbearable to see they beat our old people to bleeding,” added Sister Marie. She herself was beaten brutally and was taken away to be thrown into police van but the crowd managed to rescue her.
Since Washington lifted its trade embargo in 1994, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the United States of America has increased steadily on average by 35% per year. Last year bilateral trade was worth US $15.7 billion. US investment in Vietnam has amounted to US $8 billion last year. Also, most children of the communist leaders including those of the Prime Minister have come more and more to USA to study at prestige universities. Despite all these and conciliatory visits made by Bill Clinton and George W Bush administration, the incident at the bombed church of Tam Toa highlights the fact that Vietnam communist party-led government still firmly continues to follow a national policy from the Cold War era to nurture anti-Americanism among Vietnamese people.
“Police had arrested and jailed 18 Catholics of Tam Toa parish and neighboring parishes,” said Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung in a statement signed on the evening of July, 22, two days after a violent police raid on the site of Tam Toa church that was confiscated by the Communist government since 1996.
According to the office of the diocese of Vinh, as of 23rd of July, Catholic activists who were reportedly wounded seriously were still in police's custody. The Secretary of the Bishopric also warned of an effort of police to initiate legal actions against their victims. In fact, those who were released had been forced to sign a statement admitting guilty, the statement said.
“Police charged our brothers and sisters of participating in ‘counter-revolutionary’ crimes, violating state policies on Americans’ War Crimes Memorial Sites, and helping the Americans to destroy evidences of their crimes,” said Ms. Thu Thuy in an interview with Free Asia Radio on July 22.
In his response, the Vice-Chairwoman of the Parish Council was determined to set the record straight: “We have nothing to deal with politics. We only know this is our church where we should be able to come for worshiping God”, she went on, pleading local authorities not to criminalizing the legitimate right of her parish to keep using the church for worshiping.
During the Vietnam War, Tam Toa church was hit by American bombing, but the facade and the bell tower are still standing. Once the bombings were over, the parishioners were so impoverished that they could not afford restoring their church. However, religious ceremonies had regularly been held on its land until 1996, when the People's Committee of Quang Binh province confiscated it. On March 26, 1997, the Committee issued a decree ruling that the church would become “a memorial site” to be “preserved and protected for future generations to remember the war crimes of the Americans ".
Within the area of 155.54 square meters of Dong Hoi city, there is only one church at Tam Toa. Facing the growing spiritual need of local faithful, Bishop Paul Maria Cao Dinh Thuyen had repeatedly asked in vain for the restitution of the church. On 2 February this year, despite the threats of the authorities, the bishop and 14 priests went to Tam Toa and celebrated Mass there, attended by thousands of Catholics.
Sister Marie Tan of the Cross Lovers Congregation of Huong Phuong in Quang Binh province disclosed that for years faithful in the area had to brave cold rain, hot sun, and biting wind to celebrate outdoor Masses. Therefore, she said “We really need a decent place for worshipping but police considered us as anti-revolutionary people.”
Police in Vietnam have granted with almost un-limited powers to extinguish any counter-revolutionary activities by all means and resources. In most of the cases, brutal violence has been employed.
“It was almost unbearable to see they beat our old people to bleeding,” added Sister Marie. She herself was beaten brutally and was taken away to be thrown into police van but the crowd managed to rescue her.
Since Washington lifted its trade embargo in 1994, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the United States of America has increased steadily on average by 35% per year. Last year bilateral trade was worth US $15.7 billion. US investment in Vietnam has amounted to US $8 billion last year. Also, most children of the communist leaders including those of the Prime Minister have come more and more to USA to study at prestige universities. Despite all these and conciliatory visits made by Bill Clinton and George W Bush administration, the incident at the bombed church of Tam Toa highlights the fact that Vietnam communist party-led government still firmly continues to follow a national policy from the Cold War era to nurture anti-Americanism among Vietnamese people.