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VIETNAM – Authorities burn down Christian church

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After burning down a Christian church in April 2009, the authorities of Vietnam have threatened members of the community not to tell anyone about the incident. People who have rejected them have been hidden in fear, and this news below finally came out on 2 December by Montagnard Foundation.
After
burning down a Christian church in April 2009, the authorities of
Vietnam have threatened members of the community not to tell anyone
about the incident. People who have rejected them have been hidden in
fear, and this news below finally came out on 2 December by Montagnard Foundation .

CHRISTIAN CHURCH BURNED DOWN:
On April 11, 2009 at 8am Vietnamese government forces burned down a
Christian Church located at Plei Todrah village, commune Ro Pang,
district Amang Yang in Pleiku province. Then on June 11, 2009 security
forces and government officials came back to the village and forced the
villagers to attend a meeting where they were threatened with arrest if
they tell anyone how the church was destroyed. The security forces told
them that if anyone asked about the charred ruins to say that that they
themselves did it because they wanted to build a new church.

COERCION TO JOIN OFFICIAL SANCTIONED CHURCH: FOUR CHRISTIANS IN HIDING
The security forces then told the
villagers that they will give them money to rebuild a new church if
they agree to sign a document stating they will follow the government
sanctioned religion. On June 14, 2009 the security forces gave the
villagers $200 (U.S currency). The villages however, refused to sign
the documents. Four of the villagers representing the village had
spoken out against this and now these four Christians have fled to the
jungle as security forces threatened to arrest them. All four are from
the village of Plei To Drah, commune Ro Pang, district Amang Yang, in
Pleiku province.

The security police are now searching
for these four Christians who remain in hiding. We note that numerous
NGOs and government agencies have long documented abuse and torture of
house Church Christians and today hundreds of Degar Montagnards remain
in Vietnam's prisons. The families of these four villagers who remain
in hiding greatly fear for their welfare as security police are
currently searching to arrest them. The names of these four Christians
now in hiding are:

1. Lo Ren So Blei (born in 1972)
2. Lo Ren So Bro (born 1963)
3. Po Le Wok (born 1984)
4. Lo Ren So Hnup (born on 5 December 1988)

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION URGENTLY CALLS ON:

Concerned Embassies, US State Department, European Commission,
United Nations, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies
investigate the situation facing these four Christians and ensure they
are protected by the UNHCR.

Concerned Embassies, US State Department, European Commission,
United Nations, Red Cross and other international humanitarian agencies
demand Vietnam release and account for all the hundreds of other Degar
prisoners imprisoned in Vietnam.

The US State Department place Vietnam back on the 'Country of
Particular Concern' watch list for committing ongoing religious
persecution against Christian house churches.