» 12/29/2011 10:37 VIETNAM Young Vinh Catholic kidnapped by police on Christmas Eve Pierre Nguyên Dinh Cuong was taken by men in plain clothes, without an arrest warrant. The sixteenth since end of July to undergo such treatment. People involved in groups like the John Paul II Center for the defence of life or as the Movement of Catholic entrepreneurs and intellectuals on the rise in northern Vietnam. For weeks, the families left with no knowledge of their whereabouts.
Hanoi (AsiaNews) - The campaign of arrests of young Catholics continues in the north of Vietnam, a campaign carried out with kidnapping techniques, without any charges and leaving families without any news for weeks. Since the end of July, sixteen young people have suffered this fate.
The most recent case concerns Pierre Nguyên Dinh Cuong,, a young man of a parish of Vinh, who on Christmas Eve, December 24, was abducted on his way home from the home of a doctor, his friend. As reported by Eglises d'Asie, three men in plain clothes handcuffed him and loaded into a taxi that drove away.
The next day, one of the brothers of the victim recognized the cab and its occupants, chased them and forced them on a moped to stop. He wanted news about what had happened to his brother, but the three grabbed him by the throat, refused to respond and fled. Other friends of Pierre Cuong, however, succeeded in following the taxi and saw him enter the Provincial Public Security headquarters.
No doubt, among the friends of the young man kidnapped, who charge that the Public security officials are using these abduction methods. The arrest, in fact, took place without a warrant, nor have Pierre’s relatives been informed of the place where the young man is being detained.
In the opinion of friends and neighbours, the kidnapping is linked to the young man’s commitment in the ecclesial movements and charitable and social activities, in particular with John Paul II Center for the defence of life.
The case of Pierre Cuong is similar to that of another 15 kidnapped, nine of whom from the diocese of Vinh, as told by Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop. The last was Paul Tran Minh Nhat, who studied at the faculty of foreign languages and computer science in Hanoi. He too is a native of the diocese and weeks have passed before his family could find out something about him.
Several of those arrested belonged to John Paul II Center for the defense of life or the Movement of Catholic entrepreneurs and intellectuals, both of which are flourishing in northern Vietnam. Some had spoken out in support of Cu Huy Ha Vu, the 53 year old lawyer, the son of one of the leaders of the revolution, committed to human rights.
On December 22, another four young Catholics were arrested, Nguyên Xuân Anh, Nguyên Oai, Nguyên Duyêt and Thai Van Dung, interned in B14 they were allowed receive a representative of their families. While the physical conditions of the four are not of concern, the moral seems to leave something to be desired, but one wonders why only four prisoners were allowed to receive visits.
