US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY232

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: LATEST CLAIMS OF "RELIGIOUS OPPRESSION" DON'T WASH 
 
REF:  A) 03 HCMC 0710   B) 03 HCMC 0766   C) 03 HCMC 0933   D) 03 
 
HCMC 1222 
 
1. (SBU) On March 4, ConGen received information from U.S.-based 
sources that Vietnamese public security officers had surrounded 
the home of Mennonite Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang in District 2 of 
HCMC, at 16:15 local time on March 2.  The security officials were 
alleged to have ordered everyone who was inside the house, 
including visiting Kon Tum Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, to report to 
the local police station.  The situation was said to be "quite 
tense," as the believers refused to obey the police and remained 
inside the home.  According to the reports, the raid included 
elements from the Binh Khanh Ward police and a unit "reportedly 
involved in liquidating opponents."  By March 5, the ConGen and 
Embassy had heard variations on this report from third-country 
diplomats and a U.S. Congressional staffer.  Information on this 
case was also presented by a USG official during a press 
conference covering other issues related to religious freedom in 
Vietnam. 
 
2. (SBU)  Immediately after receiving the initial report, Post was 
able to easily contact Pastor Quang at his home.  The story he 
told in the course of a 30-minute telephone conversation was very 
different.  He said the confrontation began after Pastor Chinh had 
already left HCMC for Kon Tum (where he returned without 
incident).  One of Quang's followers noticed two familiar-looking 
men, whom he thought were watching them, hanging out near the 
house.  When Quang and his follower went out to photograph the men 
and their license plates, the men tried to prevent them from 
taking pictures.  A scuffle ensued (Post could not get Quang to 
say who started it), but Quang managed to keep the camera.  The 
men then tried to flee on their motorbikes, but skidded and 
flipped off the vehicles.  At this point, some of Quang's 
followers tried to prevent them from leaving.  They eventually got 
away, but Quang kept one of the motorbikes.  Some time later that 
day, uniformed police returned to Quang's house to get the bike 
back.  They also wanted Quang to sign some sort of statement about 
disturbing the peace.  Quang refused both requests, another 
physical altercation ensued (Quang would not say who started it -- 
Post could not pin him down as to who started it), and one of 
Quang's followers was detained.  Two others were detained after 
they followed their colleague to the police station, but Quang had 
no further contact with the police. 
 
3. (SBU) Comment:  This case demonstrates a growing problem Post 
faces in dealing with a more provocative stance by religious 
freedom activists in Vietnam.  Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang and his 
associates are involved in one way or another with nearly every 
celebrated case of alleged religious persecution in HCMC over the 
past year (reftels).  Unfortunately, his track record is one of 
engaging in deliberately provocative acts for the purpose of 
generating international attention.  Even his own colleagues in 
the underground Protestant house church community acknowledge that 
he embellishes his claims to make his point.  But they know what 
he knows: In the Internet Age, this sort of information is quickly 
snatched up by a variety of NGOs and Vietnamese expatriate groups 
and used to demonstrate that the human rights situation in Vietnam 
is deteriorating.  If the facts turn out to be different, no one 
will ever go back and publish a correction.  Meanwhile, we are 
concerned that scarce resources are being diverted from genuine 
cases of human rights and religious freedom abuses. 
YAMAUCHI