MENNONITES AND POLICE IN CONFRONTATION IN HCMC

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000538

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL KIRF SOCI PGOV VM
SUBJECT: MENNONITES AND POLICE IN CONFRONTATION IN HCMC

REF: 05 HCMC 1182 AND PREVIOUS


1. (SBU) On May 23, political activist Do Nam Hai told us that
Mennonite Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang and other members of his
church had been detained by local HCMC District 2 police on May

22. Radio Free Asia also broadcast an interview with Pastor
Quang's wife Le Thi Phu Dung in which she alleged that police
assaulted members of Quang's church as they sought to rebuild
their home, which also doubles as a house church. Another RFA
interviewee, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, said that Ms. Le Thi Hong Lien,
another member of the "Mennonite 6" was beaten unconscious
during the incident. (Note: Pastor Quang, Nhan, Lien and three
others were arrested in March 2004 following a confrontation
with police in district 2 near Quang's home. The imprisoned
group collectively became known as the "Mennonite 6." End
Note.)


2. (SBU) Later in the morning of May 23, we visited Pastor
Quang's house to assess the situation and to speak with church
members and neighbors. Ms. Dung said that her husband and eight
other members of the church -- including Lien, Pham Ngoc Thach
and Nguyen Hieu Nghia, also members of the "Mennonite 6" -- were
detained following an altercation with police. The dispute
arose over plans of the congregation to rebuild their home/house
church. Ms. Dung gave us a copy of a "house repair permit" from
ward authoritiQ that she asserted allowed them to go ahead with
construction.


3. (SBU) Dung said that, on the morning of May 22, ward
officials told them that the construction was illegal and
ordered it removed. Pastor Quang reportedly rejoindered that
they had no written order authorizing stoppage or removal of the
new construction and continued with the work. That afternoon
"many tens" of police came to Quang's house to remove the
construction. Dung and Nhan told us initially that it was at
that time that they also assaulted the church workers who were
at the building site. However, after we reviewed the building
permit, Dung and Nhan acknowledged that it only authorized
repairs to the existing structure, not additions. They
confirmed that the roofline of the new structure was raised two
meters (6.5 feet) above the original structure. The new steel
supports for the expanded building also had joists and hangers
installed. Dung told us that metal cross beams between the
joists were removed by police the previous day. Ms. Dung said
that they were building an "attic for storage."


4. (SBU) Dung and Nhan said that police ordered Pastor Quang and
his followers to come down from the 2nd story where they
working. They refused. Subsequently, police used ladders and
electric batons to remove the workers one by one. The situation
became heated. Le Thi Hong Lien came out of another portion of
the house not under construction to "yell at police." Her
arrest was ordered. When she refused to comply, she was carried
out first by two, then by four police officers. Her face was
scratched during the process, but neither Nhan nor Dung alleged
to us that she was beaten or made unconscious. Nhan said that,
during the effort to remove the church members from the 2nd
story, police pushed Nghia, who fell to the ground unconscious.
Church members claimed that he was beaten by police with an iron
bar and kicked as he was taken away. Nhan said that "even if
the construction was illegal, police should have used due
process to get us to remove the structure." As of COB May 23,
Quang and two others remained in police custody.


5. (SBU) Comment: Prior to this incident, Pastor Quang was able
to hold church services in his home with minimal interference
since his amnesty release from prison in September 2005.
Despite his past history of tension with HCMC officials
(reftel),he sought and received permission from local
authorities to repair, but not expand his home. (The area of
Quang's home is zoned for major redevelopment and the city has
placed a moratorium on property improvements to limit the
compensation it must pay.)


6. (SBU) Comment Continued: There is little doubt that local
authorities overreacted and did not follow due process. The
Mennonites allegations of excessive use of force also are
troubling. However, in this case, our discussions at the scene
made it clear that Quang knowingly violated zoning laws and the
repair permit. When challenged by local officials, he refused
to comply with orders to cease construction or police orders to
come down peacefully from the roof. Quang once again appears
prepared to goad the easily-provoked police; it may not be
coincidence that this incident occurred just as HCMC began
hosting the APEC Trade Ministerial. We are urging HCMC
authorities to treat Quang and his group carefully and not to
make him into a martyr. There are many serious human rights or
religious freedom cases in Vietnam. As it currently stands,
this incident does not appear to fit into that category. End
Comment.

Winnick