International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, #941 • Washington, DC 20006-1846
www.persecution.org/ Email: icc@persecution.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Logan Maurer, Advocacy Officer
1-800-422-5441, logan@persecution.org
Tragic Details Emerge in Vietnamese Persecution

Washington, D.C. (August 26, 2010)–International Christian Concern (ICC)
has learned new details about recent religious persecution in Vietnam and the
following brutal cover-up.
Vietnamese authorities ordered the Christian Con Dau village, near the city of
Da Nang, to be abandoned to build a resort on the site. When the people resisted
water irrigation was shut off to the rice fields, cutting the main source of
income and food. On May 4, 2010, Vietnamese police surrounded and attacked a
funeral as it approached the cemetery. Police arrested and beat 62 persons
including women that were stripped naked. One pregnant woman, Le Thi Van, was
struck in her stomach until she had a miscarriage.
After the initial incident, special police units have since returned to Con Dau
multiple times, demanding information and forcing villagers to sign
self-incriminating statements and to spy on each other. Those suspected of
taking pictures and communicating to the outside world have been beaten. Some
villagers have been forced to return to the local police station for further
interrogation and torture.
One of the funeral procession leaders, Thomas Nam Nguyen, refused to return to
the police station after being recalled and beaten multiple times. On July 2,
the police came to his house and caught him as he tried to escape. He was
handcuffed and ordered to kneel with his head on the ground while the police
kicked his back, chest and head. His wife was present and begged the police to
stop. They continued to beat him for approximately four hours, and then released
him in critical condition. On July 3, he died at home in the hands of his
mother, surrounded by his wife and three children.
“The people of Con Dau are living in desperate fear and confusion,� said Dr.
Thang Nguyen in an interview with ICC. Dr. Nguyen is the Executive Director of
Boat People SOS, the organization representing the Con Dau victims. “Hundreds of
residents have been fined, and many have escaped to Thailand.�
Eight individuals are still in police custody and are awaiting trial. To date no
family members have been able to see them. Their names are Nguyen Huu Liem, Tran
Thanh Viet, Doan Cang, Le Thanh Lam, Nguyen Thi The, Phan Thi Nhan, Nguyen Thi
Lieu, and Nguyen Huu Minh.
On August 18, Congress held a hearing on Vietnamese persecution, focusing on the
Con Dau incident. Witnesses included the brother of Thomas Nam Nguyen, a brother
of a villager who escaped to Thailand, and a sister of two who are currently
imprisoned. It was noted that the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael W.
Michalak, said that the incident was a land dispute and refused to become
directly involved.
ICC’s Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, “The Vietnamese government has
exposed its brutality and greed, torturing and killing Christians to make room
for their ambition. The tourist resort they plan to build in Con Dau will have
its foundation in blood. In 2006 the US State Department removed Vietnam from
the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, citing progress in religious
freedom. This incident shows it could not be more wrong.�

Please contact the Vietnamese embassy in your country and politely ask the
Vietnamese officials if they are aware of what has occurred in Con Dau.
Vietnamese embassy contact info: (US) 202.861.0737, (UK) 44.20.7937.6108,
(Canada) 613.236.0772
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International Christian Concern
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