Facing the wake of overt persecutions, Catholics start fleeing out of Dong Hoi city for their safety.
Police and pro-government thugs in the city of Dong Hoi, located at around 500 km (310 mi) South of Hanoi, are at war with Catholics. Numerous Catholics’ homes have reportedly been raided and a few people have been arrested. In a particular case, “Mr. Nguyen Cong Ly whose house often used by parishioners of Tam Toa for worshipping services was arrested on Tuesday,” said Fr. Vo Thanh Tam, chief secretary of the College of Priests of Vinh Diocese. Local witnesses said that during the police search at Ly’ home, a gang of thugs, surrounding his house, yelled out anti-Catholic slogans suggesting his death.
On the streets, police and gangs of thugs have stopped anyone who dares wearing any Catholic religious symbol to beat them savagely.
Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung, chief secretary of Bishop's Office of the diocese of Vinh, on Tuesday issued a statement asking the local authorities of Quang Binh to be self-constraint and behave within the boundary of the laws.
Tam Toa is the only church within Dong Hoi, a coastal city in Central Vietnam with an area of 155.54 km² (60 square miles) and a population of 103,000. Local authority has not been so shy about making known of their desire to transform Dong Hoi into a "No Catholic zone" just like in Son La and several other towns in the Central Highland of Vietnam when the existence of Catholics have been denied - even thousands of them actually living in the area. Vietnam government has kept bragging about its well established policy on freedom for religion in the world forum, yet on the other hand keeps banning Catholic pastoral cares in numerous areas of the country.
Immediately following the Tam Toa incident, hundreds of Catholic families reportedly have left Dong Hoi to take refuge in Ha Tinh and Nghe An, both provinces belong to diocese of Vinh.
Despite that the situation in Dong Hoi which has been spinning out of control, the government has shown no effort to restore order or taken any actions against police brutality on the unarmed victims. To make the matter worst, state media keep urging severe punishments against Tam Toa's Catholics by publishing articles full of the distortion of truth, the defamation of religion, and the instigation of hatred between Catholics and non-Catholics. It's noteworthy that all more than 600 current media outlets in Vietnam are state owned in comparison with none from the Catholic Church or any other religion, so the Vietnamese public has to rely on independent news sources on the internet. They, however, can only get limited access to such news sources due to heavy firewall systems.
Deeply troubled by what's happening in Dong Hoi, protests in the diocese of Vinh continue to take place with parades and meetings drawing ten-thousands of Catholics. Candlelight vigils have erupted almost simultaneously throughout dioceses in Vietnam especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This has been a tremendous source of encouragement to the lonely diocese in their moment of despair and suffering. Like Thai Ha, the Catholics of Vinh are crying out to the world for prayers and voice of support, especially from those who themselves have been suffering under dictatorial regimes where lives and dignity of the ordinary, law abiding citizens mean nothing when they become in conflict with the interest of the regime.
Police and pro-government thugs in the city of Dong Hoi, located at around 500 km (310 mi) South of Hanoi, are at war with Catholics. Numerous Catholics’ homes have reportedly been raided and a few people have been arrested. In a particular case, “Mr. Nguyen Cong Ly whose house often used by parishioners of Tam Toa for worshipping services was arrested on Tuesday,” said Fr. Vo Thanh Tam, chief secretary of the College of Priests of Vinh Diocese. Local witnesses said that during the police search at Ly’ home, a gang of thugs, surrounding his house, yelled out anti-Catholic slogans suggesting his death.
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| Protesting in Huong Phuong |
Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung, chief secretary of Bishop's Office of the diocese of Vinh, on Tuesday issued a statement asking the local authorities of Quang Binh to be self-constraint and behave within the boundary of the laws.
Tam Toa is the only church within Dong Hoi, a coastal city in Central Vietnam with an area of 155.54 km² (60 square miles) and a population of 103,000. Local authority has not been so shy about making known of their desire to transform Dong Hoi into a "No Catholic zone" just like in Son La and several other towns in the Central Highland of Vietnam when the existence of Catholics have been denied - even thousands of them actually living in the area. Vietnam government has kept bragging about its well established policy on freedom for religion in the world forum, yet on the other hand keeps banning Catholic pastoral cares in numerous areas of the country.
Immediately following the Tam Toa incident, hundreds of Catholic families reportedly have left Dong Hoi to take refuge in Ha Tinh and Nghe An, both provinces belong to diocese of Vinh.
Despite that the situation in Dong Hoi which has been spinning out of control, the government has shown no effort to restore order or taken any actions against police brutality on the unarmed victims. To make the matter worst, state media keep urging severe punishments against Tam Toa's Catholics by publishing articles full of the distortion of truth, the defamation of religion, and the instigation of hatred between Catholics and non-Catholics. It's noteworthy that all more than 600 current media outlets in Vietnam are state owned in comparison with none from the Catholic Church or any other religion, so the Vietnamese public has to rely on independent news sources on the internet. They, however, can only get limited access to such news sources due to heavy firewall systems.
Deeply troubled by what's happening in Dong Hoi, protests in the diocese of Vinh continue to take place with parades and meetings drawing ten-thousands of Catholics. Candlelight vigils have erupted almost simultaneously throughout dioceses in Vietnam especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This has been a tremendous source of encouragement to the lonely diocese in their moment of despair and suffering. Like Thai Ha, the Catholics of Vinh are crying out to the world for prayers and voice of support, especially from those who themselves have been suffering under dictatorial regimes where lives and dignity of the ordinary, law abiding citizens mean nothing when they become in conflict with the interest of the regime.