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Protesting at Xa Doai |
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Condemning the brutality of police |
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Protesting at Con Ca |
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Peter Mai Van Truong at Cua Lo hospital |
Carrying banners denouncing the brutal violence of the local government of Dong Hoi against priests, religious and faithful, Catholics from 178 parishes of the diocese of Vinh marched with sheer determination on the streets while other dioceses throughout the country simultaneously observing minutes of silence to pray for and stand in solidarity with victims of police and government contracted –gangsters, and the safety of Catholics in the region of Dong Hoi.
Right in front of the Bishop’s office of Vinh Diocese at Xa Doai, Nghe An, approximately ten-thousand others joined in a protest to condemn savage assaults against priests and faithful in Dong Hoi.
Protestors came to "show how outraged they were at the news of Catholic families who had been beaten and robbed by government thugs, and to convey the message of 'enough is enough' to the source of the problem, the mishandling of the government", Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Khai reported.
He went on to say: "A typical, regrettable example was Mr. Peter Mai Van Truong, 48, and his wife of Dong Yen, Ky Anh, Ha Tinh province were beaten to half-death, and all his properties including necessary means to earn for living were confiscated without a warrant,”
More details on the couple brutal attack has surfaced as their story becoming more symbolic of a harsh reality the Catholics and ordinary citizens alike are subject to at the hands of the dictatorial government: on the way from Ky Anh to Dong Hoi to visit his brothers and sisters at Tam Toa on July 27, Truong and his wife were ambushed by government thugs. “Having recognized them Catholics, the gang beat them savagely and took away his motorbike, his driver license and other documents, as well as his money, and a camera from a friend valued at about 500 USD,” he added, noting that all happened in broad daylight under indifferent eyes of police officers in uniform.
“Passersby took me to a hospital where I was beaten savagely the second time as the gang took me for a priest,” said Truong himself from Cua Lo hospital. “He has escaped the death but with broken ribs and head injuries, his condition remains very serious,” Fr. Peter Nguyen continued, asking for fervent prayers from Catholics in Vietnam and aboard.
"Overall, the situation might spin out of control as the local government of Dong Hoi keeps using hired thugs, and disaffected youth to attack Catholics while state media keep spreading negative image of Catholic by ongoing distortion of truth, the defamation of religion, and the promotion of hatred between Catholics and non-Catholics,” reported Sr. Emily Nguyen from Vinh.
“People start spelling out short slogans such as ‘blood shed’ and ‘martyrdom’ as a response to the chanting of thousands of thugs on the streets: ‘Kill them all!’, ‘Kill their priests,’ using profane and violent language. It’s extremely volatile,” she warned.
In a statement released on July 31, Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung, the chief secretary of Vinh Diocese, speaking on behalf of the diocese, demanded the immediate release of other Catholics who are still behind bars. “The Church tries its best to calm down its faithful,” he said. However, “The government must take its responsibility should the persecution keep going,” he warned.
Despite mass protests in the Vietnam, the government seems not to be ready for peaceful dialogue. On Sunday night Aug. 2, 2009, state television channels broadcast a report on Tam Toa with very negative views against the Church and the diocese of Vinh.
Catholic sources in Dong Hoi have revealed that local government has instigated the hatred against Catholics among non-Catholics who are living nearby the church of Tam Toa, lying on them that the Church has demanded not only the ground of the Church but also all lots of land around, including those on which they built their houses.