http://www.unpo.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7928&Itemid=130
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Christopher Hill, testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the recent hearing on “US-Vietnam Bilateral Relations”, that “religious freedom in Vietnam has expanded significantly” and that “Vietnam no longer qualifies as a serious violator of religious freedom,” however, the Vietnamese government has murdered another Christian Degar prisoner in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
[…]
Our Christian brother, Rahlan Hen, is from the village of Ploi Beng, in the commune of Ia Cia, from the district of Ia Grai in the province of Gialai. Rahlan Hen was a simple man who belonged to the Degar church in his village of Ploi Beng. His troubles all began when he refused to join Siu Kim’s church, which is the government sanctioned church. Many Degar Christians disagree with the practices of this church and feel that Siu Kim is actually teaching people to worship the government and not God. This is why Rahlan Hen refused to join. Because of this, the government decided to arrest him.
On June 14, 2006, the Vietnamese government sent security police along with riot police to his house and arrested him. They handcuffed him […] dragged him from his house, […] and took him to the district of Ia Grai prison.
[…]
Rahlan Hen was sentenced to prison for 6 years and was then transferred to the T-20 facility in Pleiku. He was later transferred to another prison facility in the province of Phu Yen. This is one of the deceitful practices of the Vietnamese government. They will transfer certain prisoners frequently, […] keeping them away from their families […] so that the government can more easily fool the international community.
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When his wife went to see him at the Phu Yen province prison, one of his legs was paralyzed and he could barely walk. She was overcome with sorrow, but could do nothing to help him. All she could offer him was her tears.
On March 17, 2008, the security police from the province of Phu Yen summoned her because Rahlan Hen was sick. But when she arrived, the security police informed her that he was already dead. They took his wife to the burial site and opened the coffin so that she could see her husband’s face for the last time. Rahlan Hen’s wife then begged the security police to allow her to take her husband’s corpse back home so that his relatives could also see his face for the last time. This practice is an important part of the Degar culture, but the security police refused. They told her “he has been sentenced to 6 years in prison so you can come back and pick up his bones in three more years after he had finished his prison term.”
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Furthermore, the inhuman action of the Vietnamese government truly contradicts the statement of US Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Hill, who said that “religious freedom in Vietnam has expanded significantly” and that “Vietnam no longer qualifies as a serious violator of religious freedom.” The Degar people wonder why Mr. Hill said these things. Does he really believe that Vietnam is innocent of torturing Degar Christians, or has he been influenced by some pro-Vietnamese lobbyist organization? In any case, look at the Vietnamese law below:
“Article 70
The citizen shall enjoy freedom of belief and of religion; he can follow any religion or follow none. All religions are equal before the law.
The places of worship of all faiths and religions are protected by the law.
No one can violate freedom of belief and of religion; nor can anyone misuse beliefs and religions to contravene the law and State policies.”
Rahlan Hen was imprisoned for refusing to join Siu Kim’s church. Therefore, the laws above are clearly nothing more than smoke and mirrors, designed only for foreign eyes. They have no real substance in Vietnam politics, at least not for Degar Christians.
We ask that Mr. Hill look deeper into Vietnam’s policies before making such a powerful judgment call. Vietnam has not improved religious freedom towards our Degar race. We hope the US Government will not accept the documents Vietnam gives him at face value.
Filed under: Human Rights, Religion | Tagged: Human Rights, Vietnam, Religion, Montagnards, Abuses
