|
VIETNAM: Police Torture & Kill Christians
|
John Henry
|
May 31, 2007 17:42 PDT
|
Vietnam Police Kill Christian Prisoners And Relatives, Investigators
SayMay 29th, 2007
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife with
reporting from Vietnam
HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife) -- Vietnamese security forces have tortured
and killed at least two Christian Degar Montagnards in Vietnam's Central
Highlands in recent months and allegedly murdered relatives of religious
prisoners, representatives said Monday, May 28.
The US-based advocacy group Montagnard Foundation Incorporated (MFI),
which has contacts in the region, told BosNewsLife that one of the
Christian Degar Montagnard prisoners, 43-year-old Rahlan Lua from the
village of Bon Toat in Gialai province, died last month, April 10. He
died "from the effects of torture and maltreatment he received in
prison," MFI stressed.
A fellow believer, 53-year-old Y-Kuo Nie, from Buon Cu Mil village in the
province of Daklak died the previous month, March 18, "after he was
released from prison," and apparently tortured, the group
added.
Lua had been sentenced to several prisons since his first arrest in
December 2001, on charges related to what MFI described as "his
involvement in a peaceful demonstration calling for religious freedom and
land rights," earlier that year.
TORTURED AGAIN
He was released in July 2005 but "re-arrested, tortured again and
sent to the prison facility in the province of Tuy Hoa" several
months later in November, MFI said.
Lua's health reportedly started to deteriorate before he was released
this year in February, but he eventually died April 10, 2007. "His
village reports that the Vietnamese security police arrested and tortured
him the second time to make sure that he would certainly die when he gets
home," MFI claimed. He was buried on April 12, but it apparently
took time before information of his death could reach the international
community.
Y-Kuo Nie had a similar experience since February 2001, when he was first
"arrested, tortured and sent to the prison facility in Ha Nam
province" for supporting a peaceful demonstration demanding
religious freedom and land rights that year, according to MFI
investigators.
"Due to the severity and repeated torture he endured the Vietnamese
security police knew hewas going to die, so, the police called his wife
to go pick up her [dead] husband from Ha Nam prison," MFI claimed.
However, Y-Kuo’s wife, H’Long Buonya, "was so poor and could not
afford to travel to Han Nam even though she so wanted to," MFI said.
Vietnamese security police reportedly brought her husband home to his
village on March 17, 2007, for burial.
RELATIVES KILLED
Their deaths came amid reports that some relatives of Christian prisoners
have been killed. In one of the latest incidents in March, two female
relatives of Degar Montagnard Christian and political prisoners and their
driver were killed in March in a "suspicious" car accident
after returning from "the notorious Vietnamese prison in the
province of Ha Nam" to visit their loved ones, MFI claimed.
The killed women, H’Powel Eban, 35, and H’Wot Buonkrong, 45, were
apparently part of a group of 12 relatives who were attempting to visit
the prisoners. H'Powel Eban was killed after she visited her jailed
husband Y-Yuan Buonya and now leaves behind him and four young children,
MFI said. It was not immediately clear what would happen with the
children who are 14, 10, 6 and 4 year old.
H’Wot Buonkrong died after visiting her jailed brother Y-Hoang Buonkrong
in the same prison facility, MFI explained. The driver's name was not
immediately known.
They were killed on their way back home when a large army truck coming
from the opposite direction swerved in their direction towards their van,
MFI quoted eyewitnesses as saying.
FORCED COLLISION
"The van driver tried to avoid the collision but was unable to
escape. The truck crashed into them, [forcing] their van off the road,
killing the driver and the two women who were sitting next to the
driver," MFI said. Nearly all other passengers were reportedly
seriously injured.
Vietnamese officials have not reacted to the latest claims, however in
previous statements the government has strongly denied human rights
abuses. There are an estimated 350, predominantly Christian, Degar
Montagnards, an ethnic group, in prisons across in Communist-run Vietnam
and many other jailed dissidents and Christian believers, human rights
groups claim.
MFI and other organizations have linked the crackdown to concern among
Communist authorities about the spread of Christianity outside the
government controlled churches and growing demands that economic reforms
accompany democratic changes. There has also been frustration about the
support given by Degar Montagnard forces to American troops during the
Vietnam War.
Human rights groups have alleged that the Vietnamese government tries to
suppress information about the alleged human rights abuses. This month
Vietnam reportedly pressured the United Nations to ban the screening of
two films made by an independent film maker during UN events about
indigenous people in New York.
http://www.christianpersecution.info/news/vietnam-police-kill-christian-prisoners-and-relatives-investigators-say/
---
Why is the US Government so anxious to normalize relations with
Vietnam and China with this kind of thing being rampant in those
Communist countries?
-- John Henry
-------------------------------
"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them
which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."
(Hebrews 13:3)
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great
is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)
Fair Use Notice: This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. The moderator is making it available in an effort to advance
understanding scriptural, political, and social justice issues, etc. The
moderator believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of this
copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material is
distributed without profit to those who have by subscribing to this
eGroup have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and
educational purposes. It must not be used for profit!
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the
opinions of the moderator.TO
UNSUBSCRIBE GO TO:
http://groups.LandmarkBibleBaptist.net
THIS MESSAGE IS ARCHIVED AT:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Persecution-Watch
|
|
 |
|
