Refugees 18/04/02 Vietnamese mobs targeting Catholic communities - 'Red Flag' groups attack priests and parishioners who challenge government on environmental

[성기화 요셉]

Vietnamese mobs targeting Catholic communities

'Red Flag' groups attack priests and parishioners who challenge government on environmental issues, rights group claims

This file photo shows a gathering of 'Red Flag' groups on Oct. 29, 2017 in Nghe An Province, Vietnam. (Photo provided by Boat People SOS)

ucanews.com reporter, Hanoi
Vietnam

April 2, 2018

Activist groups that support the Vietnamese government are harassing dissidents and trying to repress Catholic communities who fight against environmental pollution, according to a U.S.-based rights group.

The so-called "Red Flag" groups are attacking priests and parishioners in Vietnam, according to the Boat People SOS (BPSOS). They are believed to be sponsored by the communist state.

These groups are a relatively new phenomenon in the one-party state and are known to commit egregious violations of human rights.

They especially target Catholic communities that challenge the government's handling of a water pollution crisis in 2016 billed as the country's worst ecological disaster, said BPSOS.

Taiwanese-owned Formosa Steel Plant in Ha Tinh Province was found to be illegally discharging toxic waste into the sea in April of that year, killing marine life and sparking protests in at least four affected provinces.

BPSOS released an 18-page report on March 27, stating that the Red Flag groups, which were first reported by state-run media in May 2017 in Nghe An province, "suppress and hamper attempts aimed at filing complaints or protesting against the Formosa Steel Plant."

It said they "sow divisions between non-Catholics and Catholics, and rally non-Catholics to boycott business transactions with targeted Catholic communities."

Wearing bright red T-shirts and hoisting red flags, their members intimidate parishioners by vilifying their priests, attacking lay leaders, and desecrating their churches and homes.

The report said members comprise security forces, government organizations, unemployed adults and thugs.

In one incident, they publicly condemned and threatened to kill Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh Diocese and four priests who support victims of natural disasters.

In the latest case in February, group members attacked Catholics seeking to meet with school administrators who had barred their children from school in Nghe An province.

BPSOS recommended the U.S. State Department request Vietnam investigate the allegations made against the Red Flag Associations and take appropriate actions to protect the victims.

The U.S. should include the topic in the agenda of upcoming U.S.-Vietnam human rights dialogue, it said.

UCAN needs your support to continue our independent journalism

Access to UCAN stories is completely free of charge - however it costs a significant amount of money to provide our unique content. UCAN relies almost entirely on donations from our readers and donor organizations that support our mission. If you are a regular reader and are able to support us financially, please consider making a donation. Click here to donate now.

Related Reports

• Rights report: 2017 worst year for dissidents in Vietnam
• Vietnam rights group condemns attack on Christian Hmong
• Democracy group accuses Vietnam of mounting witch hunt 
•