US embassy cable - 02HANOI1454

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 001454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/IRF AND EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2012 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, SOCI, VM, ETMIN, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: EVANGELICAL PASTOR'S VIEWS ON HOUSE CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM 
 
THIS IS AN AMCONGEN HO CHI MINH CITY CABLE.  CLASSIFIED BY EMI 
YAMAUCHI, CONSUL GENERAL, REASON 1.5 (D). 
 
1. (C) PASTOR NGUYEN HONG QUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE MENNONITE CHURCH AND 
MEMBER OF THE VIETNAM EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP OF HOUSE CHURCHES (VEF), 
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RECENTLY VISITED THE CONGEN.  THE VEF IS NOT REGISTERED WITH THE GVN 
AND IS THEREFORE NOT A RECOGNIZED RELIGION.  QUANG, WHO IS A RELATIVELY 
NEW BUT SEEMINGLY RELIABLE RELIGIOUS ACTIVIST, BROUGHT ALONG PHOTOS AND 
"TESTIMONIES" OF TWO HOUSE CHURCH PASTORS WHO HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO 
HARASSMENT AND/OR BEATINGS IN HO CHI MINH CITY AND KON TUM PROVINCE IN 
THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. POST IS IN THE PROCESS OF 
TRANSLATING/SUMMARIZING THE 25-PLUS PAGES OF DOCUMENTS, POLICE 
COMPLAINTS, ETC. 
 
2. (C) QUANG IS PERSONALLY ACQUAINTED WITH THE TWO VICTIMS.  THE HCMC 
VICTIM IS A HOUSE CHURCH PASTOR WHOSE HOME WAS RAIDED BY POLICE. 
ACCORDING TO QUANG, THE HCMC PASTOR WAS THREATENED BUT NOT HARMED.  THE 
POLICE INSTEAD WALKED OFF WITH HIS TELEVISION SET, RADIO, AND OTHER 
HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS.  (POST NOTE: POST HAS HEARD SIMILAR STORIES IN THE 
PAST ABOUT CONFISCATED TELEVISIONS, BICYCLES, ETC. IN THE PROVINCES, 
BUT SUCH OCCURRENCES ARE SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL IN HCMC.)  HE WAS WARNED TO 
STOP ILLEGAL RELIGIOUS MEETINGS. 
 
3. (C) THE KON TUM PROVINCE VICTIM WAS A HOUSE CHURCH PASTOR WHOSE 
MOTORCYCLE WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD, ALLEGEDLY BY PLAINCLOTHES POLICEMEN. 
THE PASTOR WAS TAKEN TO JAIL FOR "CAUSING" THE ACCIDENT, AND WAS BEATEN 
BADLY ENOUGH TO BE ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL, ACCORDING TO QUANG. 
ENCLOSED WITH THE KON TUM PROVINCE VICTIM'S TESTIMONY WERE PHOTOS, 
WHICH CLEARLY SHOWED CUTS AND BRUISES ON THE HEAD AND NECK, AND TORN 
CLOTHING. 
 
4. (C) IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS FROM THE CG, QUANG RESPONDED: 
 
-- HE HIMSELF HAS HAD MEETINGS WITH GVN AUTHORITIES FROM THE MINISTRY 
OF PUBLIC SECURITY (MPS), THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS, 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS, ETC.  HE BELIEVES THAT AT THE NATIONAL 
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LEVEL, THE GVN IS MAKING AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND THE HOUSE CHURCH 
EVANGELICAL MOVEMENT AND TO IMPROVE TREATMENT OF "NON-REGISTERED 
RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS." 
 
-- IN SPITE OF THE ABOVE CASE OF HARASSMENT IN HCMC, QUANG BELIEVES THE 
LEVEL AND FREQUENCY OF SUCH INCIDENTS HAVE DECLINED GRADUALLY THIS 
YEAR.  AS PROOF, HE SHOWED US HIS NEW "HOUSEHOLD REGISTRATION" BOOKLET, 
WHICH MAKES HIM AN OFFICIAL HCMC RESIDENT.  THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN 
POSSIBLE, HE NOTED, WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE HCMC RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS 
COMMITTEE. 
 
-- IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, HE BELIEVES THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH 
CHANGE.  HARASSMENT AND BEATINGS OCCUR WHEN POLICE DISCOVER "ILLEGAL 
MEETINGS" HOSTED BY UNREGISTERED HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS. 
 
5. (C) QUANG DID NOT WISH US TO RAISE THESE SPECIFIC CASES WITH 
VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES.  HE SAID IT WAS ENOUGH THAT THE USG WAS "AWARE 
OF THESE INCIDENTS" AND THAT WE WOULD "RECORD THESE PROBLEMS" FOR THE 
ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORTS. 
 
6. (C) IN RESPONSE TO CG'S QUESTION ABOUT ANOTHER VISIT TO THE CENTRAL 
HIGHLANDS, QUANG INDICATED THAT THE FELLOWSHIP OF HOUSE CHURCHES WAS 
PLANNING A CONFERENCE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IN LATE JUNE.  IF THE 
CONFERENCE WENT SMOOTHLY, THE FELLOWSHIP'S EXECUTIVE BOARD WOULD SEEK 
TO MEET WITH PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS.  IN THE MEANTIME, FOR HIS 
FELLOWSHIP'S OWN PURPOSES, HE DID NOT BELIEVE CALLING INCREASED 
ATTENTION TO THE HIGHLANDS WAS HELPFUL.  HE SEEMED CERTAIN THAT THE KON 
TUM PASTOR WOULD WELCOME A VISIT FROM CONGENOFFS. 
 
7. (C) COMMENT: QUANG, WHO MET WITH THE COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM THIS PAST FEBRUARY, HAS IMPRESSED US AS A SERIOUS, 
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DETERMINED CRUSADER FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.  THIS WAS, HOWEVER, OUR 
FIRST MEETING WITH HIM ALONE (USUALLY HE IS WITH TWO OR THREE OTHER 
PASTORS OF OTHER PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS).  HE DREW A CLEAR LINE 
BETWEEN THE GVN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES - WHETHER THEY 
WERE OFFICIALS OF THE RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEES, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC 
SECURITY, PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES, OR POLICE DEPARTMENT.  HE ACKNOWLEDGED 
THERE HAD BEEN SOME MODEST PROGRESS IN MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING WITH GVN 
OFFICIALS, AND SHOWED US PHOTOS OF SEVERAL HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS AT 
MEETINGS WITH MPS, PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES, AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS 
COMMITTEES IN HANOI.  QUANG IS FINDING IT JUST AS DIFFICULT AS WE DO, 
HOWEVER, TO FIGURE OUT WHO EXACTLY CONTROLS EACH OF THE PROVINCIAL, 
DISTRICT, VILLAGE, AND HAMLET PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES/COUNCILS, POLICE 
DEPARTMENTS, AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEES -- AND HOW THE GVN CAN 
COMMUNICATE ITS OWN INCREMENTAL ATTITUDE CHANGES EFFECTIVELY TO THEM. 
PORTER 
 
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