Ho Chi Min City (AsiaNews/ANS) – Anti-Christian persecution in Vietnam continues unabated. In late July 2005, authorities in Son Tinh district (Quang Nai province) destroyed the homes of ten evangelical Christian families belonging to the Hre ethnic group after they refused to deny their faith on the grounds that the "Christian religion is America's religion and is not allowed", this according to Assist News Service, that spoke to the victims of this incident of religious persecution.

On 21 August, authorities in Son Ha District incited a mob to burn the home of Evangelist Dinh Van Hoang because he would not sign a paper denying his Christian faith. Local public security police Chief Dinh Van Hoanh had told Mr Dinh that Christian believers were not allowed to live there.

It was the third time for Dinh Van Hoang to have his home burnt down. Since 1999 he was subject to repeated persecutory acts, including public "people's trial" where he was mocked and beaten before fellow villagers. He was also imprisoned without trial, beaten along with his wife and children when his home was invaded, forced to abandon his home and move his family, and forced along with his wife to participate in pagan practices.

"On Oct. 18, 2001 two soldiers of the Son Tay District unit, forcefully invaded my house at 6:00 pm. Two of my children were knocked unconscious, one left with an eye protruding," Mr Hoang said.

On May 16, 2002, he and his wife were summoned before the village, and beaten for refusing to deny their faith until there was blood flowing."

"On July 6, 2002 the entire people's committees of two hamlets met in front of my house [. . .] Then Mr Cao Trong Tin, secretary of Son Tay District . . .  ordered my house be burnt. It was burnt clean to the ground—not a thing left," he said. "Then two officials, Dinh Van Cung and Dinh Van Vo, again asked my wife and me if we were now ready to abandon our faith."

After they refused, the family was forced out of the village, ending up in Son Thuong, where Mr Hoang's wife was born. However, local municipal authorities refused to grant them a resident permit and the right to build a house.

Government sources have called the accusations "a complete fabrication by forces hostile to Vietnam" but have not denied them. They content that the attacks were justified on the grounds that "Hoang was not a good citizen and was kicked out of the community several times."

He is also accused of leading members of local ethnic minorities in illegal prayers and inciting them not to work, which "tested the patience of the community forcing them to burn his house three times".

Local Christians have denied such allegations.

Among the 110,000, mostly Animist ethnic Hre, the number of Christians has risen from 500 in 1991 to about 6,000 in 2005, especially in Quang Ngai province.

Experts have pointed out that anti-Christian actions have also increased, especially in the districts of Son Tinh, Son Ha, Minh Long and Ba To, suggesting that both the Vietnamese government and Communist Party have agreed to them despite the fact that Vietnam has recently adopted a law guaranteeing religious freedom and banning forced conversions and abjurations. (PB)