US embassy cable - 05HOCHIMINHCITY1009

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 001009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, PGOV, KIRF, VM, RELFREE, HUMANR, ETMIN 
SUBJECT:  MORE ON ALLEGATIONS OF QUANG NGAI RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
VIOLATIONS 
 
REF: HCMC 910 
 
1. (SBU) Post continues to monitor closely reported incidents 
involving severe harassment of two ethnic minority Protestant 
house church congregations in Quang Ngai province in Vietnam's 
Central Coastal region (reftel).  A few days after we submitted a 
letter to the HCMC External Relations Office (ERO) on the 
situation, the usually anodyne GVN-controlled English language 
"Vietnam News" ran a full-page article on September 5, 
challenging previous reports of forced renunciation and stating 
that Dinh Van Hoang -- the lay preacher at the center of the case 
-- was a troublemaker and "not a good citizen."  Hoang is accused 
of preaching illegally and "luring people to blindly believe in 
nonsense", of desecrating an ethnic minority animist cemetery and 
of encouraging villagers to refuse to work.  According to the 
article, "his behavior tested the patience of the community 
members, forcing them to burn his house." 
 
2. (SBU) On September 9, PolOff met with Pastor Le Van Thien, 
Secretary General of the Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam 
 
SIPDIS 
(SECV) to review the Quang Ngai incidents.  Thien confirmed that 
the affected congregations were affiliated with the SECV, and 
that lay preacher Dinh Van Hoang had his home burned down after 
resisting pressure to renounce his faith.  He also rebutted the 
allegations in the Vietnamese media that Hoang had encouraged 
villagers not to work or that he was involved in the desecration 
of an ethnic Hre cemetery.  However, Thien disputed Hoang's 
allegation that seven other Protestant families were forced to 
renounce their faith and had their homes destroyed when they 
refused to do so.  Thien explained that the ethnic minority 
families were relocated to another area -- he was not clear as to 
why -- and that their homes were subsequently rebuilt in the new 
location. 
 
3. (SBU) Thien was concerned about the local government's 
treatment of Hoang but said that he did not believe that the 
incident reflected a particular negative trend in the province. 
According to Thien, local officials in Quang Ngai and elsewhere 
in southern Vietnam tend to be tougher on SECV activities in 
ethnic minority areas.  The four other ethnic minority "meeting 
points" for house churches that the SECV operates in Quang Ngai 
have not faced the same level of harassment that lay preacher 
Hoang experienced.  (The SECV has twelve "meeting points" in 
Quang Ngai":  seven for ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) and five for 
ethnic minorities.)  Five to six Quang Ngai "voluntary lay 
preachers" are scheduled to begin training to become pastors in 
an upcoming course in neighboring Quang Nam Province.  Once the 
training is completed, those pastors will register with Quang 
Ngai Province and supplement the three pastors already registered 
with provincial officials. 
 
4. (SBU) Comment:  The SECV Secretary General's comment that 
officials take a tougher line on Protestantism in the ethnic 
minority communities tracks with our observations elsewhere in 
southern Vietnam.  That said, even in many parts of the Central 
Highlands, the SECV is making good progress in normalizing its 
operations in ethnic minority areas.  With regard to the specific 
allegations of forced renunciation, we will continue to press for 
a formal reply from the ERO and consult with the SECV on whether 
the provincial government has intervened to prevent further 
incidents.  End Comment. 
 
WINNICK