BISHOP VINCENT NGUYEN
VAN LONG’S MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY
WITH THE PEOPLE OF DONG
TAM VILLAGE, VIETNAM
Parramatta,
Australia January 17th 2020
Once again, conflicts
over land rights have broken out in communist-ruled Vietnam. This time, the
results are deadly.
According news reports,
a huge security contingent made up of thousands of officers from the police,
riot and armed forces stormed a village on the
outskirts of Hanoi in the early hours of January 9th, 2020. As if
moving against a terrorist leader, security forces sealed off the commune of
Dong Tam, illuminated the night with flash grenades, and in a hail of bullets
burst into the home of 84-year-old Le Dinh Kinh (pictured above). Security
forces reportedly killed Mr. Le, along with his son and his 3-month-old
grandson. But Le Dinh Kinh was not a terrorist or fugitive. A long-time member
of the Communist Party, he was the patriarch of a respected family and leader
of a local protest movement against corruption.
The village of Dong Tam
has been effectively in lockdown, with no independent media being granted
access to the area. The issue of land confiscation for economic gain in the
Dong Tam area has been an ongoing issue, with unfair and arbitrary land
seizures a major problem in the country.
This time last year,
Vietnamese communist authorities also violently destroyed the homes and
properties belonging to people of the Catholic Parish of Loc Hung, near Hochiminh
City. These victims were mostly
low-income families, students, former prisoners of conscience and
amputee-veterans of the South Vietnamese Army. To this day, they are left
homeless, their livelihoods totally ruined and their lives irreparably damaged.
All this happened on the eve of the Lunar New Year “Tet” which is considered
the most sacred celebration in Vietnam. Many of them were left at the mercy of
the elements and the support of religious groups such as the Redemptorist
Fathers and fellow parishioners.
These incidents are
proof that the Vietnamese communist regime does not respect the rule of law. In
fact, many observers would say that the human rights situation in Vietnam has
continued to worsen, with a crackdown on basic human rights and freedoms very
much intensifying.
I would like to unite
myself with the people of Dong Tam (meaning “United Hearts) and add my support
to their struggle for dignity in the midst of the incredible ordeal that has
been forced on them. I pray that justice and equity may prevail in Dong Tam and
my country of birth.
I also urge the
authorities to refrain from acts of violence, terror and repression against the
people towards whom they have a duty to protect and assist. I call on the
Vietnamese government at all levels to respect the human rights of its own
citizens, to promote the common good and to ensure justice and dignity for the
people affected.
I call on the
Australian Government and all people of good will, both inside and outside
Vietnam to support the victims of the land seizure in their struggle for
justice and dignity.
Yours sincerely,
Bishop Vincent Long Van
Nguyen OFMConv
Bishop of Parramatta,
Australia
Chair of Bishops
Commission for Social Justice - Mission and Service
Australian Catholic
Bishops Conference