Properties Claims

Hanoi

         

     The Toa Kham Su (St. Joseph Cathedral) Incident

 During the end of December 2007, peaceful protests of the Catholics in Hanoi claiming back the parcel of land near the“Toa Kham Su cu (Old Vatican Mission Siege) took place. On December 30, 2007, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung came paid a visit to the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet, supposedly to settle the matter. This emplacement was confiscated by the Communist administration in 1959. The small piece of land covers 1ha2, and the Hanoi archdiocese, in principle, is the legal proprietor. It still holds with it the legal documents. Over the years, the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam has repeatedly requested the administration to render the area to the archdiocese. The late Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung had many times sent his requests, and Bishop Ngo Quang Kiet also sent his yearly. These requests nevertheless came to no answer. 

      

On December 20, 2007, after the celebration of ordination of 16 assistant celebrants at Hanoi Grand Seminary, the laity came to and prayed at the site. The incident suddenly caused a serious problem to the regime. It was the first time the citizens in the North expressed dissidence in public, ever since the Viet Minh takeover of Hanoi in 1954. On January 5-6, after the Saturday and Sunday Masses at the St. Joseph Cathedral, the defacto siege of the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam, priests and the parishioners continually held parties of prayers and night vigils at the site. The People’s Council of Hanoi, in its letter to the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam and the Archbishop of Hanoi, charged the participants with violations of the law, causing public disorder. It demanded that mass gatherings be stopped. The Archbishop of Hanoi, in his reply, refuted the allegations. The laity committed no violation of the law; there is no law that interdicts the citizens to take part in religious parties for prayers.

     

Tension never eased. In the regular news conference on January 24 in Hanoi the spokesman of the State Le Dung declared that land belongs to the State and organizations and individuals are entitled to the rights to use it only. He also announced that the People’s Council of Hanoi would consider the need of the Church and settle the matter in accordance with the law. On January 25, thousands of Catholics marched through the streets in central Hanoi, saying prayers and demanding the State to under the estates of the Catholic Church which the State had unlawfully dispossessed of it. The followers, led by a priest in a white tunic carrying a Crucifix and a brass band, marched through the streets from the Hoan Kiem area to the St. Joseph Cathedral. The following day, January 26, 2008, the People's Council of Hanoi imposed a ban on gatherings in the streets. By 3 P.M. January 27, police dispersed all gatherings and removed the crucifix and the statue of the Virgin Mary the followers had erected in the site. The follower resisted with resilience. Protest rally for prayers continued. The protesters demanded that the estate belonging to the St. Joseph Cathedral be returned to the Archdiocese of Hanoi.

The official journals An Ninh Quan Doi (Security of the Army) and Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi), on January 26, justified with argument and the current law that the estate is under the management of the State in accordance with the law. Moreover, the property ownership to the land was handed over to the administration by the late official manager of the archdiocese, the Reverend Nguyen Tung Cuong. The argument was unsustainable. The Reverend Tran Cong Nigh, Director of Viet Catholic News Agency, explained in an interview with the RFA that the argument is not only legally baseless but also in convincing. According to the laws of the Church, a priest is entitled to no rights whatsoever to offer the property of the diocese. He is not the owner of that property. The bishop of the diocese is vested with the rights concerned; he is the decision maker.

On January 28, the official Voice of Vietnam announced that the rally was illegal, causing impact on the lives of the residents in the quarters nearby.  It was in violation of the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs. The government spokesman Le Dung, again, explained that, under the Constitution, the State owns all land and organizations and citizens are entitled only to purchase land usage rights. Meanwhile police conducted a criminal probe into a hidden scheme behind the rally. Tension intensified. The protesters removed the gates to the outer area of the property, planted a cross at the entrance, and set up tents. The situation at the siege was quiet. However, anger was felt in the parishes. The official press published articles alleging that the population was fooled around and incited to agitation by some leaders of the Church. State media fastened the blame on the archdiocese, repeating the argument that the estates of the Archdiocese of Hanoi had been offered to the State by the official manager of the Church. In response, the Archbishop of Hanoi, in his letter sent to the director of Hanoi Television, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Tuoi Tre (The Youth), and the editor in chief of the journal An Ninh Thu Do (City Security) calling for respect for the truth. The Hanoi Archdiocese has full legal documents as regards the ownership of the property and all rights therefrom.

On January 29, hundreds of Catholics in Hanoi rallied for prayers within the St. Joseph Cathedral, regardless of threat of repression. The authorities ordered that parties of prayers be stopped, if not, strictest measures could be carried out. Talks between the authorities and the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet began to take place while the laity continued to gather to say prayers. On February 2, in his letter to the priests, student-priests, and the laity of Hanoi, the Archbishop informed that there had been concrete results after the dialogue between the administration of Hanoi and the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam. In response to the call for reconciliation from the prelacy, the Catholic laity of Hanoi temporarily ceased to perform parties for prayers, destined to demand the return of the estate to the Church. The Archbishop of Hanoi expressed hope that the State would render to the Church its estate. He also wished the State and the Church would take concrete steps to solve the problem.  Meanwhile, the Vatican called on the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam in Hanoi to end resistance with gatherings for prayers. The authorities still came up with no solution. Rallies for prayers continued.

       

The official Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi), on August 21, urged on   the Church leadership of Hanoi to call on the followers to stop their demonstration.  On September 9, the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet openly defended the cause. The Catholicism was only asking for the return of the land of the Church. He particularly referred to the cause for demonstration by Thai Ha parishioners to demand the return of the parish property. The demands in this and the other case were legitimate and legal. Moreover, the protests were peaceful. There was no violation of the law. There was no disruption of social order and security. Neither was there inconvenience affecting the lives of the people. The parishioners had nothing in their hand and did nothing but saying prayers. The official media still spread propaganda with charges and blame. The archbishop preached peace and non-violence    

Chaos occurred when, on September 9, some 200 policemen with 2 mechanized vehicles came to bulldoze the constructions in the interior of the St. Joseph Cathedral at Pho Nha Chung (Catholic Mission Street). At 4:00 in the morning, they began to dismantle the fence. Police blocked the area with barbed wires, closing entrances to the surrounding quarters of the archdiocese, the Order for Sisters of the Cross, and the monastery and schools. Nguyen Trung Thanh, Office chief of the People‘s Council of Hanoi, declared that the State was proceeding the clearing of the land to build in it a library and a park. The State was in no need to consult with the parish because the site belongs to the State. The blockade of the area drew a gathering of hundreds of Catholics in front of the Mission, regardless of the presence of the police force on guard. The Catholic priest Nguyen Van Khai said that the followers were struggling for peace and justice. They were not afraid and ready to die. Nguyen Trung Thanh, on the other side, said the followers would not be punished as long as they would commit no acts of violence.

       

On September 19, the State said it had notified the archdiocese of its plan of work at the site. The priests, on their part, said they had not heard anything about such a notice. The situation suddenly grew tense when an AFP correspondent was arrested and beaten while at work by the security police. The police sealed with barbed wires the Archdiocese buildings, the Order of Sisters of the Cross quarters, and the Old Vatican Mission Seat. Dogs for security crowded on both sidewalks inside the archdiocese quarters.  Priests and followers rallied for prayers. From 4:00 A.M., the ground clearance at the Mission Seat began. Mechanized vehicles broke down the fence in the front. Materials of all kinds were removed outside. Groundwork for a green park started as planned. 

At 8:00 A.M. of September 21, after the morning Mass at the Main Cathedral of Hanoi, more than 5,000 Catholics flocked in groups to the Mission site. There, they gathered, prayed, and chanted songs, challenging police threat at the entrance. The gathering was growing larger as the security police tightened the siege. No clash occurred, however. On September 22, a meeting between the People’s Council of Hanoi and the Archbishop of Hanoi took place. The Chairman of the People's Council of Hanoi and the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet exchanged views on a number of issues among which were the questions on and solutions to a variety of problems. Among the issues were the relations between the State and the Church and the conduct of affairs of the administration, the dispute over land between the authorities of the State and the Church, and the Church’s claims over the disputed estate. While recognizing the goodwill of the administration, the Archbishop of Hanoi expressed deep concerns over a variety of remaining difficulties. The People Council of Hanoi had created favorable condition for certain religious activities. However, “there still exists a psychology of “apply for-- be granted,” that is, “to grant a privilege.” Religious freedom is necessarily a right of man. The State for the people is responsible for creating this right. It is a right and not a privilege.” The presentation of the archbishop came to no concrete response. The dispute grew tense. Parishioners from six various parishes in and around Hanoi traveled came in buses to join in the parties of prayers. They rallied in a sit-in demonstration close to the barriers where construction works of the green park was going on.

Dating back from decades in the past, the priests and laity of the Hanoi archdiocese had long aspired to have the Old Mission Siege returned to the Church. This is a long story. This historic site had been dilapidated as years went by. Until 2002, there had only existed within it a center of activities for the youths of Hoan Kiem Precinct, mostly for the children of Catholic families of the local parish.  It was then taken down, and a cultural center was built in its place. This construction has disfigured not only the religious appearance of the archdiocese but also paralyzed the religious life of the followers. The archdiocese had tried in vain to remedy the situation as the Church is no longer the actual proprietor.

   

On September 25, the People’s Council of Hanoi sent a letter to the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam requesting it to consider a measure to neutralize the intervention of the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet. It even stressed that the archbishop had done things that are contrary to the current religious laws of the Catholic Church. In his reply, Bishop Nguyen Van Nhon, Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, clarified that the Archbishop of Hanoi has done nothing contrary to the current religious laws of the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam.

     

The sea-saw dispute over land dragged on. On September 28, the authorities of Hoan Kiem Precinct voluntarily had the statue of the Lady of Patheo and the worship objects at 42nd Quarters removed and taken away. Crowds of followers flocked in. The news spread, flaming up the followers’ humiliation. This authorities’ action was viewed as an act of theft. However, the masses did not know what to do. They gathered in groups, crying out. The police stood by, watching. On October 1, a meeting between the authorities from the central administration and the representatives from the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam took place at the Archdiocese of Hanoi.   Police stations were posited around the area. No information on the dialogue between the two parties was heard. The authorities of Hoan Kiem Precinct nevertheless showed an attitude of reconciliation. It voluntarily established contacts with the Archdiocese of Hanoi and seemed not to interfere in parties of prayers of the followers that were in attendance at the Main Cathedral. Curiously enough, while maintaining reconciliation with the faithful, the administration leveled charge against the Archdiocese for violating the laws.  The followers flatly refuted the charge. It only revealed an act of dishonesty of the State, dissimulating a hidden scheme. It illegally dispossessed the land of the Church while leveling charges against it. The land of the Church must be returned to it. There exist until the present day no State laws that provide rules to settle land dispute in this amber.

     

The reconciliation of the State brought little progress for a solution to the dispute. Rumors asking the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet to resign from position circulated here and there in the city. Still, semiofficial sources divulged news about house surveillance should be placed on the Archbishop, and restrictions on his movement about should be also imposed on him. 

     

On October 15, the People’s Council of Hanoi announced in a conference of the representatives of foreign embassies in Vietnam that it would make a proposal aimed to send the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet out of the Capital.  Nguyen the Thao, Chairman of the People’s Council, stressed that the decision was executed in response to the wishes of the people and the Catholic laity of the Capital. The official publicly declared that the cause of the recent troubles in the Capital originated from a number of Catholic priests with Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet at the head.  This high dignitary of the Church took advantage of recent troubles to violate the laws. The charges aggravated the situation. Indignation was felt throughout the parishes in and around Hanoi. No one knew what would happen to the prelacy of the archdiocese in the days to come.

Properties Claims

Nghe An

       Lap Thach Parish

The conflict over land between the local administration and the parishioners of Vinh Diocese, Nghe Am, the home province of the late President Ho Chi Minh became increasingly tense. In March 2009, the parishioners of Lap Thach, District of Nghi Loc, angrily protested against the communal authorities’ inconsistent conduct of public affairs, particularly on land management. To proceed with the construction of a parish cemetery, the parish, first, presented all documents necessary to the communal authorities its application for authorization. The plan was approved. Upon completion of the clearance of the land, the authorities intervened in the construction process, arguing that the parish had transgressed the commune land, part of which is the State’s. The parishioners were not convinced, categorically refuting the authorities’ unfounded charge. Both sides came up with no solution, and the conflict ever persisted.    

       Cau Ram Parish

          

On July 7, 2011, Bui Nguyen Lan, Director of the War Invalids and Social Works Department, Nghe An Province, announced  in an article  on the Journal Nghe An that the authorities would build a war martyrs statuary at one of five locations in Cau Ram Parish. A poll would be conducted to assess public opinion on the project, and the masses were called on to contribute to the work. The parishioners of Cau Ram were nevertheless confused when, later, they learned that the location was to be transformed into an ecological area, instead. The administration’s initiative raised doubts about its transparency in the conduct of public affairs. Cau Ram is the ancestral land where for generations the local parishioners have settled from the beginning of the 19th century. Incidents of conflict have happened as a result of the administrative arbitrary decisions. For decades, the parishioners repeatedly requested in vain the authorities to authorize them to reconstruct their cathedral, which had been ruined by the war, but received no reply from the administration. This time, there seemed a hidden scheme behind the construction of war hero statuary --to transform it into a new ecological area, apparently for the benefits of some corrupt officials. 

    

On September 10, 2011, about 1,500 parishioners of Cau Ram gathered in front of the Office of Reception awaiting the decision from the municipal authorities concerning the right to use of land. The parish claimed the land belongs to the parish, and it has never been transferred to the State. The parish has many times requested the administration to use the land of rhea Church properly for public interests. It has been used for other illicit purposes, instead. It was even given to a private company for use. Worse still, to deceive public opinion, the Department for War Invalids, Veterans, and Social Works of Nghe An camouflaged its hidden scheme with holding a poll for the erection on the land a war hero statuary.

Having met strong opposition from the parishioners, the Department Chief Bui Nguyen Lam withheld the initiative. The parishioners aspired that the State and the People’s Council of Vinh to return the land to the parish. The total area of 35,000 m2 of land, part of which has been cut off and sold to private companies by the administration. The remaining area, which measures 10,800m 2, is still under dispute. Parish representatives met with the authorities. As always, there were only empty promises.

      

          Ngoc Long Parish 

      

In 2007, parishioners at Ngoc Long Parish offered the parish a lot of 7,000 m2 to construct a soccer field on it. The parish applied for permission from the communal authorities, but received no answer. The parish proceeded with the construction. On May 26, 2011, when the construction was completed, the parish received an order n to "work with" the communal administration. The pastor of the parish Tran Van Phuc was informed that the land on which the soccer field was constructed is the property of the commune and that the parish had illegally occupied the land. At the same time, the chairman of the People’s Council of Yen Thanh District also had a circular sent to the authorities at all levels in the district, the Parish Council of Ngoc Long, the Bishop of Vinh Diocese announcing that, until June 30, 2011, should the parish not voluntarily remove the construction built on that public land, the authorities would remove it. The pastor of Ngoc Long sent to the district authorities a letter with counter arguments. He proposed a solution. There should be a meeting between the authorities and the parishioners of Ngoc Long Parish, and both parties would then settle the matter. The communal authorities of Ngoc Long rejected the proposal, however. Land belongs to the people, and the State is the manager. The authorities took it back, and there were no other arguments whatsoever.    

    

     Quy Chau District    

Chau Binh in Quy Chau District is a small congregation with some 120 followers. The local authorities never considered it a legal religious unit. The People’s Council of Quy Chau District, by its notice of 03/UBND/NV of June 1, 2012 to the congregation, stated that it “does not authorize the followers to organize religious services in the area of Quy Chau District.” The interdiction met with strong opposition from the local priest and followers. The decision was in contradiction with the Article 17 of the Order on Religion of the Permanent Committee of National Assembly and the Decree 22/ND/-CP of 2005 of the government according to which the citizen “has the rights to proceed with activities of worship and prayers in the family and participate in religious activities at worship places.”

On June 13, 2012, Catholics at Chau Binh were hindered from practicing their religious services, although prior to the celebration, the authorities and the local priest had reached an agreement according to which small group religious performance was allowed. Nevertheless, the authorities complicated all religious services after that. Scuttle happened. Three followers, Tran Van Luong, Tran Thi Ru (female), and Kim Van Anh, were brutally beaten. Following the incident, the Diocese of Vinh sent a letter to the administration of Nghe An Province denouncing the authorities' acts of atrocity at Chau Binh Commune, Quy Chau District, Nghe An Province. The protest came to no result.       

    Quang Lang Parish

Violence intensified.  At 10:26 A.M. of November 30, 2011, the chapel at Quang Lang Commune, Bot Da District, Vinh Diocese, was vandalized with explosive. The explosion was sharp. Debris scattered over the three step floor of the chapel. Even though, there was no serious damage to the worship place. The security came, investigated the incident, and affirmed there were no marks and cracks caused by the explosive. They only found several steel caps and debris. According to the Reverend Pham Ngoc Quang, the pastor of Quang Lang Parish, deducing from a series of incidents of religious intolerance, there was a question of who pulled the string behind the scene. If the authorities were behind the sabotage, they were held responsible for it. The rights to religion worship are the rights of every citizen that is recognized by the laws and the Constitution of Vietnam. In the recent past, attacks on and violence against the followers by hooligans happened regularly. These bad elements gathered in front of the church, yelling, and swearing while the priests and followers were celebrating Masses. They damaged religious facilities to the indifference of the authorities. The small congregation resigned themselves to serve faith in humiliation.

       Con Cuong Parish

On November 13, 2011, hundreds of followers in Con Cuong District were assaulted with bricks, rocks, and filth by thugs while they were celebrating Mass in their chapel. Through the loudspeakers, these bad elements incited the masses to lend them a hand to attack on the priest and followers. On July 1, 2012, plain-clothes security police openly assaulted the priest and followers while they were celebrating Mass. The followers resisted with fervor the attack to protect their priest and the worship place. Many were beaten and seriously injured.

On July 1, 2012, the parishioners were, again, violently attacked during Mass celebration by local authorities including the military personnel, plainclothes police, and non-Catholics. Some parishioners were beaten. One was severely injured. A statue of the Virgin Mary was smashed. Church members said that they were repressed out of religious intolerance. Catholic priests from Vinh Diocese maintained that the attack on the priest and followers in Con Cuong District was maneuvered by the administration. They also sent a letter to State President Truong Tan Sang protesting against the violence.

On July 12, in a show of intimidation, the administration deployed military forces at the diocesan quarters. Convoys of military trucks were first seen passing by the premises of Vinh Diocese at Xa Doai. Armored vehicles stopped in front of the diocese buildings for 30 minutes. The clergy and followers nevertheless contained themselves, performing religious services with calmness. The prelacy tried to work beside the administration for a solution, Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop of the Vinh Diocese called for discussion with the authorities at high levels. The situation “is like the last drop in an overflowing cup of water.” 

Elsewhere, Catholic priests sent petitions to the Head of State Truong Tan Sang to protest against violent attacks on the clergy and followers at Con Cuong. The clergy at Vinh Diocese specifically charged the authorities with acts of repression against the followers during Mass celebrations as “illegal and immoral.” On July 15, Catholics from 20 parishes from Quang Binh to Nghe An gathered at the Main Cathedral of Vinh Diocese. Thousands of protesters showed resilience in defiance of intimidation from the administration. Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh Diocese declared that violence with threats called for discussion with the authorities at high levels.

A Movement for Justice and Peace

Incidents of repression against the Catholics following the Con Cuong incident multiplied. Beginning in January 2012, fervent youths in Vinh Diocese became the target of repression. The family of J. B. Hoang Phong of the parish Thuan Nghia affirmed that their son was abducted on December 29, 2011. Hoang Phong left his house at 10:00 A.M. and had not returned home since then. Around 4:00 P.M., a man, who identified himself as security policeman, told the family that Hoang Phuong was under temporary detention in Nghe An. A notice would be forwarded to the local authorities and the family Nonetheless; the family had received no official information from the authorities thereafter.  

      

Hoang Phong is a graduate from the Technical College 3, Vinh City. A fervent Catholic of Thuan Nghia Parish, he is also a member of the Center for the Protection of Life John Paul II. He had joined in the protest against the repression of the authorities of Nghe An Province against fervent Catholic students who actively participated in religious activities. A movement for faith and justice surfaced. An increasing number of Catholic youth and students in Vinh Diocese were targeted with repression. Another member of the Center, Nguyen Dinh Cuong was arrested on December 24. Nguyen is a parishioner of Yen Dai Parish, Cau Ram District, and Vinh Diocese. Still, more than a dozen Catholic youths in Vinh Diocese were arrested on ungrounded charges and detained in various prisons in the city. Seven others were arrested elsewhere. Paulus Le Van Son was arrested by a group of plain-clothes police on Bui Xuong Trach Street, Hanoi, on August 3, 2011. Phero Ho Duc Hoa, Phanxico Xavie Dang Xuan Dieu, and Gioan Baotixita Nguyen Van Oai of the Vinh diocese, were arrested in Saigon. Phero Tran Huu Duc, Anton Dau Van Duong, and Phanxico Dang Xuan Tuong  were arrested in Vinh. The arrested are all Catholic youths. They are all college graduates and businessmen. Sources said that they are targeted with repression simply because they are all advocates for justice and the truth and active members of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of which Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop is the Chairman. They are also the signatories of the petition against the bauxite exploitation in the Central Western Highland and the petition demanding the release from prison of the lawyer Cu Huy Ha Vu. This mass arrest to the political observer might be a police measure of the authorities against the young Catholics in reprisal for their idealistic fervor.

On March 6, 2012, the People’s Court of Nghe An Province sentenced  two Catholic of Vinh Diocese Vo Thi Thu Thuy (female), aged 50 and Nguyen Van Thanh, aged 28, to 5 and 3 years in prison, respectively, for “propaganda to oppose and destroy the State.” Vo Thi Thu Thuy, being prosecuted for having participated in a protest at Tam Toa, Dong Hoi Township, Quang Binh Province. Vo was an active participant, raising a tent on the ground floor of the cathedral in ruins at Tam Toa. She then trailed by the police and fled to Xa Doai Commune, Nghe An. She and Nguyen Van Thanh then initiated contacts with the Reverend Nguyen Van Ly who then lived under waiver of imprisonment for medical treatment at the Hue Mission. They received from him documents which they printed and distributed to fellow Catholics. In reality, Vo Thi Thu Thuy, in the views of the Catholic priest Le Thnh Hong, the pastor of Tam Toa Parish, is only a compassionate Catholic, and an active participant in religious services and activities. Her devotion was interpreted by the authorities as a crime --fomenting propaganda to oppose and destroy the State, which charge, to a rights observer, is a vague interpretation of the law.

In May 2012, four Catholics youths were convicted of conducting propaganda against the State. They were Dau Van Duong, Tran Huu Duc, Chu Manh Son, and Hoang Phong.  All four convicts are members of the Catolic community in Vinh. They had participated in volunteer activities such as blood donations, anti-abortion program, and humanitarian works. They were punished udder Article 88 of Vietnam's Criminal Code --a controversial provision arbitrarily imposed on bloggers, legal dissidents, and rights critics of the State. Dau Van Duong was arrested following his distribution of pro-democracy leaflets. He was sentenced to three years and a half in prison and an additional 18 months of probation. He was freed in October 2014.   His fellow inmates Pham Huu Duc and Chu Manh Son were given a prison terms of three years and three months, and three years, respectively. The fourth defendant Hoang Phuong was given 18 months' probation. Dau Van Duong suffered beatings and constant humiliation while in prison.  He was placed in a cell together with police prisoners and criminals. The young activist said after his release that he had not been reeducated and that he vowed to continue join in humanitarian activities with other Catholic youths, fight against injustice, and protest against any government wrongdoings.

     My Yen District   

On July 1, 2013, police injured at least 7 people in a crackdown when hundreds of protesters demanded the release of Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Ha held in detention without trial.  Local authorities promised but did not free Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai.  On September 4, hundreds of parishioners, again, held in protest against the arrests of Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai and demanded their release. Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh Diocese appealed to the international opinion for support, saying the situation in the parish was dangerous and worrying. On September 16, 180 priests and followers from the three adjoining provinces, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, and Thanh Hoa , congregated at Trai Gao Church issued a statement denouncing police brutal action and rejecting the authorities' and State media's accusations that blamed the protesters' provocations. The crackdown was directed by the Nghe An police. It was inhuman and illegal. On October 23, the People's Court of Nghe An sentence dNgo Vn Khoi to 7 months in prison and Nguyen Van Hai to six months term  for"disturbing public order."

Properties Claims

Ha Tinh

     My Loc Parish

During November 2011, the parishioners of My Loc Parish, Binh Loc Commune, Loc Ha District, Ha Tinh Province, were targeted with harsh police repression as a result of land dispute. District civil guards were deployed throughout 13 communes to execute the land eviction. In My Loc, the authorities had their men with field tractors, shovels, and hoes to clear the land, using as a pretext to set up irrigation works. Bad elements including drug addicts were used to intimidate the parishioners, stealing and destroying their crops. The security police chief of the commune Phan Khac Cu even seemed to ignore the complaints the parishioners reflected to him. 

      

On October 15, authorities extended groundwork as far as the premises of the parish. Unable to resist their anger, the parishioners rushed in a gathering, blocking them from proceeding with their work. Parishioners threw mud into the work team and the chairman of the commune people’s council. The work team had to withdraw. On October 17, the authorities and their work team came back. The parishioners resisted with resilience. Their crops were about to be gathered. The authorities and their work team, again, had to withdraw. The dispute over land at My Loc Parish persisted without solution like in parishes elsewhere in the country, An Bang, Thai Ha, and Dong Chiem where the problem in question remained unsettled. 

Unrest

The Fish-Kill Incident

In early April 2016, tons of dead fish washed ashore along the seacoast provinces of Ha Tinh, Qung Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thieh – Hue. The dead fish included species living far-offshore in deep water. The authorities conducted investigation, focusing on a mile-long waste pipeline running from the steel plant in Vung Ang industrial zone, Ha Tinh Province operated by Taiwanese Formosa. For many days, the cause had not been found. Local leaders told people to avoid eating fish. Fishermen didn’t go fishing. Dissent over  the mass fish deaths caused by the plant sparked as the mass and protests were fueled as Chou Fan, Formosa external manager, said local communities needed to consider where true interest lie, to catch fish and shrimp or build a steel mill. Vietnam reportedly earned 5 billion from steel exports. Formosa nevertheless attempted to distance itself from Chou’s statements, saying that the latter official interview with the press was unauthorized and thus did not reflect the company’s views. It further affirmed that wastewater generated from the factory “is processed properly,” and hoped that it would find the answer.

During a press briefing over mass fish deaths in the coastal provinces in Central Vietnam on April 27, 2016, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan failed to show evidence that links with the mass fish deaths.  This state high official said that this catastrophe “results from either the effects of a chemical toxin generated by people on land or sea and an unusual environmental phenomenon identified as red tide.” National Resources and Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha, on April 28, told reporters that although ministries and science agencies had made efforts to deal with the disaster, they were still confused. The minister apologized for slow response to this mass fish kill and took responsibility for the issue. In a way, the minister’s assertion seemed to nullify the assertions according to which some form of red tide had caused the disaster. The theory could be ruled out. Professor Le Huy Ba, former director of the Institute for Environment, Science, Technology, and Management at the Institute in Ho Chi Minh City asserted that “red tide normally happens at the end of summer. There was no change in the sea color, a sign of red tile. The toxins are chemicals or metals including chromium, nickel, mercury, or copper. They must come from industry waste.” Meanwhile hundreds of people in Quang Binh Province exposed dead fish on National Highway 1 and blocked the traffic to protest Formosa.

Protesters in major cities, Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang, and  Vung Tau, protested against Formosa and the ways the administration handled the disaster, but all gatherings were broken up by police. On May 1, two acivists, Truong Minh Tam and Chu Pham Ngoc Son were arrested after their on-the-spot inquiry into the mass fish deaths.  Following the order of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, authorities investigated into the situation while taking measures to secure public order and political security. The administration appeared to adopt firm stance on any incitement as regards the fish deaths issue. There still remain contradictions on the cause of fish deaths. Formosa maintained that there was no link between the fish deaths and the steel mill, regardless of the existence of mile-long waste pipe running from Formosa’s facility. National Resources and Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha declared the pipe illegal and ordered Formosa to dig it up. The Prime Minister deliberately asserted the government would examine all facilities, including Formosa.  

As late as May, the administration had not released the information on the cause of massive fish kill, raising the question of whether the government had cozy relationship with Formosa. Gatherings for protests continued to grow. Authorities tightened security in Hanoi and Saigon. On Julep 5, police broke a protest against government sluggish response to mass fish kill by young people in Hanoi. In Saigon, a group of a hundred people gathered but were stopped at the first attempt of rally. Meanwhile, residents in the areas affected by fish deaths voiced increasing frustration about job losses and lack of income for “having no sea to live on.” The administration planned to provide each family affected by the disaster with 49 pounds of rice per month.

On June, 30, in a video clip projected during a press conference in Hanoi, Chen Yuan Cheng, chairman of Ha Tinh Formosa, apologized for the toxic chemicals discharged from the steel plant in Vung Angt that caused fish deaths. Mai Tien Dung, Head of the Government Office, told the news conference that Formosa would pay $500 million to compensate the affected people, clean up the environment, and help fishermen to find new jobs. On July 4, Vice-minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vo Minh Tah declared that the ministry would cooperate with the Labor, Invalids, and bad Social Works Ministry on vocational programs to help fishermen to transfer to other jobs. The plan would also entail loans for them to find work abroad. 

In agony, local fishermen voiced anguish, complaining that it was difficult for them to change job. They couldn’t work in the forest; neither could they do farming. The best way for the administration is to clean up the sea so that fishermen can do their jobs. Observer’s ne maintained that the sum of compensation that Formosa offered was not sufficient enough to compensate for the losses millions of people who live along the coast suffer. It is just a small part at the beginning. There should be a legal action to assess all damages. Civil society groups maintained that Formosa and the administration failed to address the question of how the disaster happened, and whether State officials abetted Formosa’s skirting of environmental rules and standards. Some even contended that the 500 million compensation package was too little; others feared that it would be pocketed by corrupt officials. They quickly accepted Formosa the 500 million packages without deeper investigation. In an assigned statement, more than twenty civil society groups, political activists, and religious organizations criticized the administration’s handling of the crisis, accusing it of lenient with Formosa and demanded that State officials be held accountable for their bungled response to a solution to the crisis.

Fishermen in Quang Binh were upset. They had not been able to go to sea since the mass fish deaths in April. Additionally, a lot of fish in river farms suddenly died. Hundreds of fish farms were losing their fish. They had no other means to survive in the coming days. On July 7, thousands of Catholic parishioners in the town of Ba Don, Quang Binh Province, rallied in a protest to  demand the administration and Formosa to help fishermen who faced hardship caused by mass fish deaths. Police instantly repressed the rally, injuring two protesters and detaining one. Repression increased, and the authorities came up with no practical solution whatsoever. Formosa accepted responsibility for a chemical spill that caused mass fish deaths but the question on how to clean up the pollution that devastated the sea remained unanswered. Vo Kim Cu, who played key role in approval of the operation of Formosa in Ha Tinh blamed the company over its observance of the law and environmental protection standards. His approval of the Formosa project was in line with the regulations, and the violations were totally the business of the plant. In June, Formosa acknowledged it was responsible for the pollution that killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and pledged to pay $500 million to clean it up and compensate those affected by it. The government said in a report to the National Assembly that the disaster had harmed the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishermen. No practical measures had been exercised, however

Having had  heard no words from the administration, on August 15, 4,000 Catholic parishioners in Ky Anh Ha Tinh Province, marched towards Ky Anh township offices to protest against the administration’ s inaction as regards the mass fish deaths and negligence over the hardship and the loss of live hood they were facing,  Most Ky Anh’s residents are fishermen. Following the mass fish deaths, they survived on support of the Church and donors. For four months, they only received each 15 kgs of rice per month.  Worse still, that rice was a kind of moth-eaten rice, and its quality was so bad that they could not eat it. The protesters were blocked and assaulted by more than 200 policemen who set up barricades and seized banners and loudspeakers. One protester was seriously beaten, and many others were injured. The protesters finally reached the township administration offices which were nevertheless closed when they arrived.  There was still no sign of support from the administration, although the villagers had little means of subsistence the coming days. 

 On August 22, National Resources and Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha declared that most beaches along the coastal provinces of  Ha Tinh, Quang Binh,  Quang Tri, and Thua Thien - Hue affected by toxic spill in April from Formosa steel plant were getting cleaner. To prove his views, the minister and other officials went for a swim in the at Cua Viet seaport in Quang Tri Province. They said that the waters in these provinces were safe for swimming. Fishermen showed distrust and questioned the government findings. Fish were still dying. People in the fisheries still could not resume their businesses. Activists did not believe the authorities. Their swimming was just a show; they had done it before.

On September 1, thousands of parishioners from Quy Hoa of the diocese of Vinh took to the street, protesting against the Formosa for having caused pollution disaster along the central coast area in the Center.  To their distress, for four months since the pollution, the authorities had come up with no solution. Fishermen had no jobs, and life was becoming increasingly miserable for them. Formosa had paid U.S. 5,000 dollars for compensation, but the authorities had not paid them. Clashes erupted between the police and the parishioners at the district’s offices. About a thousand from Phu Yen parish with banners marched on the highway from their church to fishing wharves, demanding Formosa to compensate for the losses they had suffered and clean up the pollution. The protesters also demanded Formosa to leave Vietnam because the country doesn’t need it. Plainclothes policemen reportedly stood by and made no interference. On September 26, hundreds of fishermen from Phu Yen flooded the People’s Court in Ha Tinh with lawsuits demanding Formosa to compensate losses caused by toxic pollution it released, killing of thousands of tons of fish and leaving hundreds of thousand people suffer hunger and economic difficulty. It was not until the evening that 199 cases were received.’ and there were still 340 cases to be processed. While the petitioners came forwards to file their suits, others gathered around the court building, said prayers and sang songs peacefully. The police made no motion but seemed ready to interfere with force.  

Protest became increasingly tense when, on October 2, thousands of demonstrators rallied in front of Formosa factory in Ha Tinh to mount claims over the toxic pollution and mass fish kill it caused in April. The protest particularly demanded government transparency as regards Formosa compensation for the people and to stop releasing toxic waste into the local Quyen River. The protesters wanted to talk directly to the company but no one came out. Police lined up in front of the factory, stood by, and made no intervention. On October 18, thousands of parishioners in the province of Nghe An attempted to file new lawsuits. They were blocked while they were on the way to the court in Ky Anh District. Some were harassed and taken away. The situation grew tense after that. Security police warned with threats against car drivers who would bring the protesters to the court building. While local authorities intended to stop mass fling lawsuits, parishioners came even in larger groups. Unrest over Formosa compensation for the toxic spill from the steel mill continued. On December I, about 2,000 fishermen from Quang Binh Province rallied at Xuan Hoa Hamlet, protesting the government’s slow payout from the $500 million U.S. dollars for compensation by Formosa.    

During a meeting with fishermen of Ky Anh District, Ha Tinh Province on December 7,  in response to the questions on the licensing process that allowed the plant to operate and  the compensation agreed to by the administration and Formosa, Environmental and Resources Minister Tran Hong Ha assured the fishermen that licensing granted to Formosa complied with the law and that anything related to Formosa’s operations were under the Ministry’s watch including the soil and sea environment and compensation. He promised that money would be released later to cover vocational training and low-interest loans so that fishermen could buy bigger boats to fish at sea. The Minister came up with no practical solution, however.

On October 11, a thousand villagers from Thach Hao, Ha Tinh Province, submitted a petition to the local People’s council complaining that the amount of compensation given to them was not enough to cover losses they had suffered. The petition came two days after 300 people from Thach Lac Village, Thach Ha District gathered in front of the village’s People’s Council demanding explanation for an act of violence by a security agent. Chaos reportedly happened while the authorities and the villagers were in session to assess losses and prepare procedure for issuing compensation payments. A group of villagers rushed into the office and asked about their eligibility for receiving compensation payments. Chaos was foreseen to spread in the days to come.