In the latest episode of a series of persecutions against Catholics in Vietnam, a Catholic man was beaten to death by police for his protest against the seizure of his parish cemetery.
Local Catholic source from the diocese of Da Nang reported that Mr. Nam Nguyen, 43, a parishioner of Con Dau, died on Saturday July 3, after being beaten brutally by police in Da Nang, a large city in the Central of Vietnam.
Throughout the last fortnight, Nam, a member in the parish’s funeral team, had been subjected to a series of long hour interrogations and brutal violence by police for his active role in a funeral in early May that led to a clash between Catholics and police.
During the procession of the funeral of Mary Dang Thi Tan, 82, on May 4, police intervened to prevent her burial in the parish cemetery. For almost an hour, there were clashes between the faithful and 500 police resulting in the arrest of 59 people and the injuries of dozens Catholics who were beaten brutally by police.
Nam was among detainees. Later, he was released.
On Monday May 17, police in Cam Le district of Da Nang city announced that they were going to prosecute 6 parishioners of Con Dau for “disrupting public order” and “attacking state security administration personnel who are carrying out their functions according to law”.
Nam and another parishioner had been summoned by police and forced to provide false accusations against the six parishioners who are going to be tried in a short time. He had refused to “collaborate” with state agents despite being threatened and beaten brutally.
Last Saturday, police released him just a few hours before he died at home.
Radio Free Asia reported that an atmosphere of scare and fear has reigned over the parish after his death.
Since early this year, the peaceful life of Con Dau residents have been turned upside down by a local governmental decision to clear out all homes in the parish of Con Dau, established 135 years ago, to make room for a tourist resort without proper compensation or assistance for their relocation. The faithful remain opposed to the project that wants to destroy their homes, land and the resting place of their ancestors. The government is pressing on, however, threatening that they will soon send bulldozers to raze the parish.
The parish cemetery is located in an area of 10 hectares, about one kilometre from the church. It has been the only burial site of the deceased in the parish for over a hundred years and previously was listed among the protected historical sites by Hanoi. Since March this year, the government has forbidden parishioners to bury their deceased relatives there. This order has led to continual clashes between Catholics and local authorities.
The Vietnamese government has repeatedly denied the brutal attack against Catholics at Con Dau during the funeral of Mary Dang and the subsequent large-scale arrest. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Nguyen Phuong Nga categorically denied the allegation saying: "this information is false and aimed only to slander Vietnam.”
However, the outraged incident was denounced by the Bishop of Da Nang. In a pastoral letter issued the next day after the funeral, Mgr. Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri condemned the brutal attack against parishioners calling for immediate release of the detained. The prelate also warned about further arrests. “Police are hunting more parishioners,” he wrote.
In the era of open markets, land values have increased at a dizzying rate. As values of religious properties being reassessed, their economic potentials turn out to be so great that the authorities must find ways to claim them for personal gains. Con Dau parish is a typical example.
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| Parishioners face police in mass |
Throughout the last fortnight, Nam, a member in the parish’s funeral team, had been subjected to a series of long hour interrogations and brutal violence by police for his active role in a funeral in early May that led to a clash between Catholics and police.
During the procession of the funeral of Mary Dang Thi Tan, 82, on May 4, police intervened to prevent her burial in the parish cemetery. For almost an hour, there were clashes between the faithful and 500 police resulting in the arrest of 59 people and the injuries of dozens Catholics who were beaten brutally by police.
Nam was among detainees. Later, he was released.
On Monday May 17, police in Cam Le district of Da Nang city announced that they were going to prosecute 6 parishioners of Con Dau for “disrupting public order” and “attacking state security administration personnel who are carrying out their functions according to law”.
Nam and another parishioner had been summoned by police and forced to provide false accusations against the six parishioners who are going to be tried in a short time. He had refused to “collaborate” with state agents despite being threatened and beaten brutally.
Last Saturday, police released him just a few hours before he died at home.
Radio Free Asia reported that an atmosphere of scare and fear has reigned over the parish after his death.
Since early this year, the peaceful life of Con Dau residents have been turned upside down by a local governmental decision to clear out all homes in the parish of Con Dau, established 135 years ago, to make room for a tourist resort without proper compensation or assistance for their relocation. The faithful remain opposed to the project that wants to destroy their homes, land and the resting place of their ancestors. The government is pressing on, however, threatening that they will soon send bulldozers to raze the parish.
The parish cemetery is located in an area of 10 hectares, about one kilometre from the church. It has been the only burial site of the deceased in the parish for over a hundred years and previously was listed among the protected historical sites by Hanoi. Since March this year, the government has forbidden parishioners to bury their deceased relatives there. This order has led to continual clashes between Catholics and local authorities.
The Vietnamese government has repeatedly denied the brutal attack against Catholics at Con Dau during the funeral of Mary Dang and the subsequent large-scale arrest. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Nguyen Phuong Nga categorically denied the allegation saying: "this information is false and aimed only to slander Vietnam.”
However, the outraged incident was denounced by the Bishop of Da Nang. In a pastoral letter issued the next day after the funeral, Mgr. Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri condemned the brutal attack against parishioners calling for immediate release of the detained. The prelate also warned about further arrests. “Police are hunting more parishioners,” he wrote.
In the era of open markets, land values have increased at a dizzying rate. As values of religious properties being reassessed, their economic potentials turn out to be so great that the authorities must find ways to claim them for personal gains. Con Dau parish is a typical example.