Vietnam Catholic Parish Requested to Demolish Christmas Cave

Thugs supported by police trying to attack followers in Dong Kieu parish in recent days

By Defend the Defenders, December 15, 2017

Authorities in Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An have requested the Catholic community in the Dong Kieu parish in Dien My commune, Dien Chau to demolish its Christmas cave the local followers have built to celebrate the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday.

Earlier this week, police came to the church to demand followers to destroy the cave within 24 hours, otherwise they will come back and impose administrative fine, local bloggers announced.

On the evening of December 13, thugs supported by police came to the parish, attacking followers and demolishing many properties of local followers.

Thugs were reportedly to use iron bars to destroy houses of parishioners, fired teacher Lien with gun and attacked Mr. Thuan from Dong Trang village with a sword when he passed the parish. They also demolished his motorbike.

Due to the assaults, Lien and Thuan suffered serious injuries in their heads and bodies, local parishioners said.

Local authorities are deploying many plainclothes agents to the areas near the parish, ready to suppress followers.

The attacks are part of ongoing suppression of authorities of Nghe An province against local Catholic community which is strongly protesting the Taiwanese Formosa steel plant which caused environmental disaster in the central coast by discharging huge amount of toxic industrial waste in the waters. Due to the illegal discharge carried out by the Taiwanese company, massive death of marine species occurred in April last year, making tens of thousands of fishermen in five central coastal province to become jobless.

In recent days, numerous police officers have been sent to the Dong Kieu parish with aim to force followers to demolish the cave while the parishioners are challenging the request, saying they have the right to build it for Christmas.

The Catholic community in Vietnam has around seven millions out of the country’s total population of around 93 million. It is a subject to discrimination by the communist government.