Vile Tricks

 In the district of Ea Sup, province of Dak Lak, seven missionaries of the Ede ethnic minority came to an assembly to share the words of the Lord in a locality near the frontier of Kampuchea. These believers were arrested and detained for no reason by the frontier police. Each of them  had to pay a fine for  an amend of 350,000 $VN dong.

    

Ha Won, a missionary of the hamlet of Suoi Thong, Commune of Thanh My reported on how Christians are treated with discrimination::

"Like other students in other areas who finished secondary education, our children want to go to college. They can only register at the college departments for ethnic students at Nha Trang, Saigon, or a major city. But, the Service of Education of the province of Lam Dong gave us this warning:: "We do not accept the children whose parents or grand-parents are pastors or missionaries, or those whose parents are Christians. We have received written orders from superior authorities on this matter.."      

For a long time, the authorities of Dak Lak had in mind a "public policy" to deal with Evangelical Christianity in the Central Highlands. In 2002, in particular, they found out among Evangelical congregations a group of "Dega Christians," an impetus for a potential Christian opposition movement of more than 400 Churches in the province of Dak Lak in  Fall 2002. It is a peril to the regime, and measures should be taken to tear it off, Aware of this, the Reverend. Duong Thanh, President of the Evangelical Christian Churches of Vietnam in the South, presented the case in a letter addressed to the prime-minister, October 19, 2002. Dozens of reports on the critical situation of leaders of non-sanctioned Evangelical Churches that had been forced to dissolve and stop religious activities were sent to the Evangelical Christian Churches of Vietnam in the South for support. The reaction came to no result, however, A method used to disperse the Dega Christians and stop the activities of the group was openly diffused on the State television. Human Rights Watch disposes of a video cassette of a program of 25 minute diffused at Dak Lak, September 28, 2002.

     

An analysis based on facts and realities aired on the television of the State shows how tricks of propaganda were used to incite popular anger at the Christians. This vile action was easily perceived during a traditional ceremony when a whole community of Montagnards were reassembled for a public assembly presided over by the provincial and local authorities. At a glance, one can read on banners and placards slogans denouncing the “vile scheme” of evildoers destined to create national disorder. There appeared at the same time a scene of mine people who paraded with microphones in the hands and who, read hastily confessions and pledges of engagement, vowing to abandon the "illegal Christianity" and serve the Party. Piles of “illegal materials" seized were shown on the television screen. These materials comprise Bibles and books of catechism. In the show, there also appeared people signing documents, an indication that they truly wanted to mend their way. In another sequence of actions, a man of a tribal type, whose appearance bears features similar to those of a man born from an ethnic minority, One cannot refrain from thinking of him a man made out of wood being dragged from the far end of forest for presentation before the public. Curiously enough, he spoke to the camera. The voice sounded like Vietnamese, mumbling: " This television show is a challenge to evildoers and at the same time a true picture of Christianity and the minority people."

In a journal published in Dak Lak of May 17, 2002, one read under the heading "District of Kong Pak" an article entitled "16 families with 405 believers voluntarily renounced faith in Evangelical Christianity. In this article as well as in a radio program entitled "Internal policy," the propaganda boiled over anger of the public. The pressure created by this "internal policy" was so powerful that public officials had  to seek means to soften public anger, preventing people loyal to the regime from expressing blatant joy over the authorities’ success in their conversion of Christians to animism. Brazen lies were equally revealed.  No one could find trace of the 161 families who, according to the authorities, had abjured their faith. 

Ouside observers note that telling lies is common practice in this type of psycho-warfare propagand in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In many instances, one hardly tells where lies the truth. The authorities in Dak Lak, as a case in evidence, would think imagination really works wonder when one successfully creates facts of which no one would ever have a doubt. They, therefore, could achieve brilliant work to stop the house church movement that was on the rise in the Central Highlands. They even improvised a plan of actions, imposing strict measures on the local Evangelical Churches and submerging them in inaction. They ordered public officials at the district and commune levels to force the leaders of the local Churches (pastors, ministers, and Church chiefs), especially those in the district of Dak Rlap, to observe the following guidelines:

    

1. No person is entitled "pastor" or "minister" in this sector. (Because the government never recognizes those who are nominated pasters by the Executive Committee of the Evangelical Christian Churches of (South) Vietnam even their titles are confirmed by official documents from the Church in this regard.)

       

2, There are no “Churches” in this sector. (since the authorities don't recognize them, even in certain places, hundreds of Christians are successful in observing their faith,  to pray and  profess faith  and loyalty to the Evangelical Christian Churches of Vietnam (South).

3. The directional committees of local Churches must be dissolved, and

        

4. All physical structures belonging to the Churches must be dismantled. If a Christian uses his house for religious services, the authorities will confiscate it, including personal propertiy: curtains, tables, chairs,, and so on.  (Previously, they had demolished three churches in the district of Dak Lak).

    

The authorities  fabricated information relating to the agitation sustained by the Dega, spreading news such as certain Church leaders in the district had signed documents of engagement with pledges to observe the authorities’ guidelines. Why had they signed such fallacious assertions? Most Christians believe that they had signed them in grievance and tears because they would have failed to resist pressure from the authorities. They shed more tears when they repented on what they had done before God. And these leaders would probably believed that the district authorities had only executed order from the provincial government and that if they did not sign the documents that day, they would have to sign them the following day. And, if they did not sign them the following day, the authorities would make them suffer even more pressure until they complied with the order. As a result, most Churches in the district could no longer perform religious services and neither could they celebrate the fete of Christmas 2002.

  

Why did the authorities of Dak Lak fabricate the story? Just to protect themselves merely from incapacity of creating work achievements. In truth, there were only few Churches in the sector, and they had already been recognized by the State. The President of the Evangelical Christian Churches of (South) Vietnam, in the letter to the prime- minister, specified that the story is a fallacy and that the so-called “leaders of the Churches,” that signed the documents with pledges were, in fact, non- existent.!

The truth is that the chief of the People's Council of Dak Lak declared to a disappointed delegation of the European Union on its visit to the Central Highlands in November 2002 that the religious situation in the province was stable, By that time, the central authorities came to terms with the representatives of the Evangelical Christian Churches of (South) Vietnam. It should be blamed for what had happened. The fake story raised doubt about whether or not the leaders of the Churches were worthy of trust.  they themselves would have to give an answer!

   

 Fallacy exists elsewhere in the Central Highlands, in Lam Dong Province as a case in evidence, there was a certain number of Christian students who followed their studies in the schools reserved for the youth of the ethnic minorities of Lam Dong could assemble to celebrate the annual Christmas Eve. Nevertheless, on Christmas 2003, the authorities of the school forbade them to go to church to observe the cult on the days of grand ceremony and other holy days such as Easter Day. They did not give them permission to have a Bible in their bedroom. These directives encroached upon them.They were even barred from practicing their faith. Worse still,  Christian Students would only be allowed to continue their study at tnstitutions  of higher education with approval from the authorities,  (Two Distinct and Conflicting Policies The Protestant Experience: A Report of the Evangelical Alliance of Canada.  EDA 371, March 16, 2003).

Many official reports show excitement over the success of this "internal policy." On May 22, 2002, the security organ of the district of Khanh Son of the province of Khanh Hoa did not dissimulate self-confidence. The authorities congratulated themselves on having "mobilized 28 families of Christians of 90 people to abandon their religion." In another instance, the police of Khanh Son affirmed to have given 100,000 $VN dong (about US$ 7) as premium to each family in the area for compensation for  abjuring Christianity. To an outsider, these reports were proofs of an anti-Christian "internal policy."