BREAKING NEWS: Prominent Vietnam Pastor Flees Encircled Home; Wife Beaten, Dissidents
Monday, July 20, 2009 (6:25 am)
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
HANOI, VIETNAM (Worthy News) -- A prominent Mennonite pastor and religious rights advocate has escaped from his besieged home in central Vietnam after "several months of police encirclement" to seek "help, food and medication" for his children and frail wife, who has been abused by police, dissidents said in messages obtained by Worthy News Monday, July 20.
Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh "successfully fled out of his home" in Hoa Lu commune of the central city of Pleiku, early Friday, July 17, added Viet Si, an official of the International Movement for Independence, Democracy, Civil and Human Rights in Vietnam.
He, "fled out of his home after under several months of police encirclement...to seek help, food and medication to save his wife and three [young] children from starvation and serious sickness," Si said in a letter to the United States embassy in Hanoi, seen by Worthy News and its partner agency BosNewsLife.
"After realizing his escape, police got in his home to search but was unable to find him...They got so mad and turned around to assault his wife badly and threatened to deskin his three little toddlers," Si wrote.
"We have been seeking urgent intervention and humanitarian assistance from concerned political authorities, religious leaders and people who have cared about religious freedom, human and civil rights for citizens in Vietnam," he explained.
DETAINED AND INTERROGATED
Chinh's whereabouts were not immediately clear Monday, July 20. The pastor, who was reportedly detained and interrogated as recently as May 14-26 because of his church work, said earlier that a dozen police guard his house around the clock and that they set up a nearby checkpoint after his release from Gia Lai jail on May 26.
Chinh has told reporters that since 2003 he has been under pressure to dissolve his and other growing Mennonite churches he supervises, and that regional officials banned his preaching activities in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
"They don’t want religion to develop among ethnic [minority] communities" in the Central Highlands region," he told U.S. funded Radio Free Asia (RFA)recently. "I am a [minister] preaching the Gospel and the chairman of Vietnamese People’s Christian Evangelical Fellowship," which represents Mennonite and related evangelical churches and groups.
In recent years, security forces also repeatedly raided and attacked his home and church, the pastor said, while Gia Lai and Kontum provincial authorities allegedly also confiscated his motorcycle and mobile phone.
Chinh's escape from his besieged home Friday, July 17, came shortly after his wife was allegedly earlier beaten by police June 6. She was shouting about the disappearance of laundry hung outside to dry when police arrived and assaulted her, he told RFA in a recent telephone interview. Police struck him too, Chinh said, and later stopped him from taking his wife to the hospital.
WIFE "CANNOT EAT"
"My wife stood in front of the house and shouted, 'Who stole my stuff?'" Chinh recalled."She said police were here 24/7, so who could come and steal our stuff? Then some police from the PA-38 unit [for political and religious affairs], who stand guard outside my house, jumped in and beat my wife until she was hurt," he said.
"When I tried to intervene they beat me up too. Then another seven or eight police from the checkpoint joined them and beat my wife, kicked her, until she fainted. She’s confined to bed now, she cannot eat, she has vomited blood, and she is having difficulty breathing."
Police have denied wrongdoing. "Nobody hit her—he made that up…Nobody set up a checkpoint at her house," said a police officer at Hoa Lu commune, Phan Ngoc Doan, contacted by telephone. However, "I can’t talk about this now," he told RFA.
There has been mounting international concern about the pastor's situation, which is viewed by rights groups
as part of a wider crackdown on Christian groups in the Communist Asian nation. United States Representative Ed Royce reportedly raised Chinh’s case June 6 in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and a Vietnamese community group in California.(With sources in and outside Vietnam).
Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh has fled his home, dissidents say.
HANOI, VIETNAM (Worthy News) -- A prominent Mennonite pastor and religious rights advocate has escaped from his besieged home in central Vietnam after "several months of police encirclement" to seek "help, food and medication" for his children and frail wife, who has been abused by police, dissidents said in messages obtained by Worthy News Monday, July 20.
Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh "successfully fled out of his home" in Hoa Lu commune of the central city of Pleiku, early Friday, July 17, added Viet Si, an official of the International Movement for Independence, Democracy, Civil and Human Rights in Vietnam.
He, "fled out of his home after under several months of police encirclement...to seek help, food and medication to save his wife and three [young] children from starvation and serious sickness," Si said in a letter to the United States embassy in Hanoi, seen by Worthy News and its partner agency BosNewsLife.
"After realizing his escape, police got in his home to search but was unable to find him...They got so mad and turned around to assault his wife badly and threatened to deskin his three little toddlers," Si wrote.
"We have been seeking urgent intervention and humanitarian assistance from concerned political authorities, religious leaders and people who have cared about religious freedom, human and civil rights for citizens in Vietnam," he explained.
DETAINED AND INTERROGATED
Chinh's whereabouts were not immediately clear Monday, July 20. The pastor, who was reportedly detained and interrogated as recently as May 14-26 because of his church work, said earlier that a dozen police guard his house around the clock and that they set up a nearby checkpoint after his release from Gia Lai jail on May 26.
Chinh has told reporters that since 2003 he has been under pressure to dissolve his and other growing Mennonite churches he supervises, and that regional officials banned his preaching activities in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
"They don’t want religion to develop among ethnic [minority] communities" in the Central Highlands region," he told U.S. funded Radio Free Asia (RFA)recently. "I am a [minister] preaching the Gospel and the chairman of Vietnamese People’s Christian Evangelical Fellowship," which represents Mennonite and related evangelical churches and groups.
In recent years, security forces also repeatedly raided and attacked his home and church, the pastor said, while Gia Lai and Kontum provincial authorities allegedly also confiscated his motorcycle and mobile phone.
Chinh's escape from his besieged home Friday, July 17, came shortly after his wife was allegedly earlier beaten by police June 6. She was shouting about the disappearance of laundry hung outside to dry when police arrived and assaulted her, he told RFA in a recent telephone interview. Police struck him too, Chinh said, and later stopped him from taking his wife to the hospital.
WIFE "CANNOT EAT"
"My wife stood in front of the house and shouted, 'Who stole my stuff?'" Chinh recalled."She said police were here 24/7, so who could come and steal our stuff? Then some police from the PA-38 unit [for political and religious affairs], who stand guard outside my house, jumped in and beat my wife until she was hurt," he said.
"When I tried to intervene they beat me up too. Then another seven or eight police from the checkpoint joined them and beat my wife, kicked her, until she fainted. She’s confined to bed now, she cannot eat, she has vomited blood, and she is having difficulty breathing."
Police have denied wrongdoing. "Nobody hit her—he made that up…Nobody set up a checkpoint at her house," said a police officer at Hoa Lu commune, Phan Ngoc Doan, contacted by telephone. However, "I can’t talk about this now," he told RFA.
There has been mounting international concern about the pastor's situation, which is viewed by rights groups
as part of a wider crackdown on Christian groups in the Communist Asian nation. United States Representative Ed Royce reportedly raised Chinh’s case June 6 in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and a Vietnamese community group in California.(With sources in and outside Vietnam).
Copyright 2009 Worthy News. All rights reserved.
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Increase
Decrease
Heavenly Father, I don’t understand why there aren’t enough people in high authority around the world coming to the rescue of these hurting people. Nothing justifies the police hurting the wife and threatening to harm and torment those innocent young children. I know this is not your will, Lord. I know that you work all things together for good for those that serve you, Heavenly Father. I just wish it would all end NOW! I lift up this man, his wife, and toddler children to you in the name of Jesus, as well as all others that are suffering for your namesake. Please give them peace and strength to hold on to you, Heavenly Father. I pray for enough peopleto keep them all lifted up in prayer. Your will be done. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I humbly admit that I have forgotten how good we have it over here in the United States of America. I have fallen into the habit of complaining too much, all the while taking for granted our religious freedoms we still have over here. A ;ot of our brothers and sisters in Christ in foreign countries are under constant attack just for their faith and allegiance to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Their oppressors are more shameless in attacking ANYONE anymore, even women and children. Let’s never forget to keep them all up in prayer.
This story simply re-iterates yet again the reason why God send Jesus Christ into the world, to convict the world of sin and the need of a Saviour. God has done all that He can possibly do to bring a change to the heart of man but the heart of man still prefers to believe in its own wisdom and strength.
I too will be praying for this family,and in particular I will be taking authority over the powers and principalities in the heavenly places that rule over the hearts of secular authorities and whose actions worldwide demonstrate they are under Satan’s dominion.
Heavenly Father I lift up this family in Jesus name, And ask that your will be done regarding this situation and that you might supply this family with help, food, medicine, money to survive on and hospitalization for his wife, and every need that they have, maybe even relocating this family to a safer area Lord. I pray for the wife’s condition too. It sounds like she has internal injuries, please help her and the small children to get to safety Lord, and keep her husband safe while he is out looking for help. Lord You are able to do above and beyond what we could ask of think, I pray Lord that your mighty angels would surround this family and protect them from any and all harm that may come to them. I also pray Lord that you would open all of our eyes to the suffering and persecution of all of your children in many Countries against Christianity I just found out last year that people all over are still being persecuted and killed for You all over the World, I trust in You Lord and I know that prayer works so I give this family to You Lord to protect and provide for in a miraculous way Amen
Father God,
Please place a hedge of protection around Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh and his family. Father please help Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh get the help his family needs. Please heal his wife so she may be able to care for their children. Father please let the United States take action to help these people have the freedom they are entitled to in The UN Article 18 that the country of Vietnam is a member of. Lord God you know what this family needs, please care for the children. Help this family put their full trust and faith in you. May they be reflections of you and that those who are enemies would see the love of Christ in this family and that the enemies fall down and ask you forgiveness of their sins. In Jesus Name we Pray Amen.
{{{… “Nobody hit her—he made that up…Nobody set up a checkpoint at her house,” said a police officer …}}}
Nobody
“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.”
Proverbs 14:31
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Deuteronomy 32:39
In Their Own Righteousness
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Isaiah 64:6
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Isaiah 1:18
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Revelation 3:18
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John 3:35-36
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Love, Joe