Vietnam Forced Degar to Renounce their Faith
Vietnam Forced Degar to Renounce their Faith
ICC Note:
Hanoi continues to deny religious freedom and refuses to release detained Degars in Vietnam. The Montagnard foundation today issued an appeal for the Degars release.
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3/26/08 Vietnam (MFI) Last month, in February 2008 A Degar Catholic named Dinh Plok had his home, his farmlands and all his belongings included his motorcycle (Honda Dream) confiscated by the Vietnamese government because he refused to sign a document renouncing his Christian faith.
Dinh Plok is a 44 year old male from the village of Ploi Kuk Tu, in the commune of Ktung, from the district of Kpang in the province of Gialai. He lived on his farm with his family and many of his relatives, who all depended on Dinh Polok’s farm for their sustenance and livelihood.
Dinh Plok was converted to the Catholicism in 2007. Shortly after, his whole family, including those living under his roof as well as many of his wife’s relatives, followed his lead and also converted to Catholicism. They became the most devoted Christians in the village of Ploi Kuk Tu, and so the Vietnamese government became nervous that these people would cause Catholicism to spread.
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In another separate incident, two more Degar Catholic believers were beaten and imprisoned because they refused to sign a document renouncing their faith.
On February 26, 2008, four Vietnamese security police (Thai Ba Chien and Quinh Lua from the commune of Hoa Binh and Dong Hong Trung and Vo Quang Duy from the city of Kontum) went to the village of Ploi Cor, in the commune of Hoa Binh and the province of Kontum to demand two indigenous Degar Catholic believers (A Plit, a 35 year old man, and A Um, a 25 year old man) to sign documents renouncing their Catholic Christian faith.
Since both of our Christian brothers refused to sign these renouncement papers, the security police became enraged. Vietnamese security official, Thai Ba Chien, became so angry that he began to beat our brother, A Plit. Officer Thai Ba Chien struck A Plit on his face four times and then, wearing heavy military boots, he kicked A Plit on his back so hard until our brother collapsed to the ground. Then, the security police handcuffed both Catholic men and took them to the Hoa Binh prison facility, where they continue to be incarcerated. The families of A Plit and A Um are all terribly worried about them because they know what the Vietnamese security police usually do to Degar prisoners.
Therefore, we the Degar community in the United States, earnestly plea to the international community, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Catholics and Christians worldwide to urgently advocate for Dinh Plok and his families, A Plit, and A Um. Please convince the Vietnamese government to allow Dinh Plok and his family to return peacefully to their home and also to allow A Plit and A Um to be released from prison and to return safely home to their families. We, the Degar community, thank you and pray that God will bless you for your time and assistance.