Mennonite Church Canada letter to the Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam

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June 14th, 2004

H.E. Mr. Richard Lecoq
Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam
31 Hung Vuong Ha Noi, Vietnam

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

We first want to bring you warm greetings and express our appreciation for your willingness to listen to our concerns about our fellow Mennonites in Vietnam.

As you may know the Mennonite Church is an international church with congregations in sixty-six countries on five continents. We can assure you that Mennonite people seek to do no harm. Documented evidence throughout our history in Russia, Mexico, Paraguay, Canada and other countries has shown that Mennonites who are free to practice their faith also bring improvements to social life, civil life and the economy. This evidence is widely available through various government archives and the internet. Many Vietnamese in Canada and in various parts of Vietnam have also embraced this faith.

Mennonite Christians have a deep religious faith and are committed to helping others in need regardless of religion or lack of religion. With this commitment, Mennonite communities and personnel from Canada, the United States and other countries have worked alongside the Vietnamese people for fifty years providing emergency assistance to displaced persons, giving medical care, supporting educational programs and encouraging agricultural development and income generation. Much of the support was given during the time of the American war in the southern part of the country, but aid was also given to victims of war in the north. After 1975 our churches contributed to a significant development program throughout the country which is ongoing and well documented.

We have a great appreciation for Vietnam's policy of freedom of religion as guaranteed in Vietnam’s Constitution. Many established religious communities are thriving. However, we also want to express serious concern about some incidents in which a number of Christians, and particularly the Mennonites, have been badly mistreated.

We recognize the Vietnamese government’s need to maintain order in the central highlands. However, credible evidence indicates that Christian ethnic minority people in this area are suffering unwarranted harassment from the local authorities. Some of these harassed minority people are related to the Mennonite Church. On January 16, 2004, in the city of Kon Tum, the home of a Mennonite leader was destroyed for unknown reasons by the local security police, just weeks after it was built. (Please see attached reports.) Mennonite leaders in Vietnam have also informed us that some Mennonite Christians were among those killed, injured and missing in the aftermath of the government’s harsh crackdown April 9 and 10 on the ethnic minorities who had planned peaceful demonstrations to call attention to loss of land and lack of religious freedom. We believe that ethnic minority Christians in the central highlands desire to live peacefully, to work and care adequately for their families, to practice their religious faith and to help strengthen the nation.

Recently on June 8 in Ho Chi Minh City a prominent church leader, Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang, was arrested for investigation on the charge of "inciting others to interfere with an officer doing his duty." During the past few years Rev. Quang has documented the arrest of religious leaders, the destruction of church buildings and the harassment of many local religious persons by security police. He once lived in the central highlands and has many friends there. In recent years many ethnic minority people have come to his home to tell their stories of abuse.

On March 2 four of Rev. Quang's associates were arrested and detained, and his own arrest on June 8 appears to stem from the same incident. Unknown persons were shadowing, following and on occasion threatening persons who came to see him. On March 2 some of Quang's associates jotted down the license number of the motorcycle of these men and photographed the vehicle to report this harassment to the precinct government. However, within a short time a large number of security officials appeared. Quang and several others were beaten. A church deacon was arrested and taken away. When they heard reports that this man was being beaten in police custody, three others went to the police station and were also arrested. Some were severely beaten. Three months later they have apparently not yet been formally charged, though some are accused of "resisting persons carrying out official duties." Officials claim these arrests have nothing to do with religion, but that these are only civil cases against those who criminally violate civil laws. (Please see attached reports for details.)

Besides these incidents, members of Mennonite churches in many other places have been harassed. Believers have been stopped on the way to church, or interrogated after being there. Worship services have been interrupted and some churches are closely watched by the police. Pastors have been forbidden from traveling beyond their local areas. Especially at the Mennonite Church in Vinh Cuu, Dong Nai, the police have interrupted the services many times, threatening the believers and temporarily detaining the church leaders for interrogation. On Easter Sunday the pastor was summoned to the security police station for questioning for conducting “illegal” religious activity. Power supply to the church has been cut off. On Sunday May 2, 2004, the police surrounded the church and broke the glass door to enter the building while the believers were worshiping inside. The forced entry caused injury to a number of people. (Please see attached report for details.) Government officials repeatedly said that their actions had nothing to do with religion, while at the same time demanding that people sign statements that they will no longer meet at the Mennonite church.

We believe that religious freedom is an innate human right and a fundamental condition for a stable and progressive society. We would like to ask you, Mr. Ambassador, to present our concerns to the Vietnamese government by sending them our letter. We would appreciate your assistance in securing the release of Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and other church leaders. We also seek the return of church property, such as documents and computers, confiscated when Pastor Quang was arrested. We request you assistance to do whatever you can so that the harassment of Mennonites would be stopped as soon as possible.

Respectfully Yours,