State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2010 - Vietnam

Political analysts and human rights organizations accused Vietnam of backtracking on freedom of expression, particularly religious freedom during 2009. The Wall Street Journal reported that as Vietnam was preparing to join the World Trade Organization in 2007, the government allowed greater freedom for religious groups. But in 2009 it changed tack, cracking down on religious leaders, human rights activists, journalists and bloggers. Some analysts saw this as an attempt by the government to stifle dissent and maintain Communist Party control in the wake of a bout of high inflation in 2008 and the global economic crisis in 2009. They expected repression to continue in the run-up to the 2011 party congress, which often heightens tensions between reformers and conservatives within the party, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In Vietnam: Sharp Backsliding on Religious Freedom, HRW focused on violent attacks on followers of Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the world's leading Buddhist monks and peace activists. At the Bat Nha monastery on 27 September 2009, the report recorded that, 'more than 100 thugs and undercover police officers armed with sticks and hammers broke down the doors and forcefully evicted 150 monks ... beating some of the monks in the process'. The following day, more than 200 nuns fled the monastery to the nearby Phuoc Hue pagoda in Lam Dong province after being threatened. The Guardian newspaper reported in mid-December that a mob of about 100 people, who were allegedly led by undercover police and party officials, attacked the pagoda and assaulted some occupants. The authorities gave the occupants until 30 December to leave that pagoda and many have since gone underground to escape persecution, while others have asked for asylum in France, according to the Guardian. Observers such as HRW linked the attacks to proposals made by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2007 urging the government to ease restrictions on religion.

While a 2004 Ordinance on Beliefs and Religions allows for religious freedom, Vietnam's government requires all religious groups to be authorized and overseen by management committees. The government recognizes six religions and 29 'religious organizations'. Members of groups which are not recognized face persecution. The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), for example, is banned and its members are routinely threatened, detained and imprisoned and harassed. In a July 2009 incident, police prevented UBCV monks in pagodas in south and central Vietnam from leaving to attend a memorial ceremony for their patriarch, according to HRW.

Christians and followers of other religions faced similar persecution by the authorities during 2009. About 200,000 Catholics protested in July 2009 after police destroyed a temporary church and arrested 19 people. During the attack, police beat parishioners with electric batons and used tear gas, according to HRW. On 27 March, an appeals court upheld the sentences of eight Catholics who were convicted in December 2008 of destroying public property and disturbing public order. They had been protesting against what they said was government expropriation of church property. About 5,000 Catholics marched to the appeals court but were stopped by a reported 1,000 police officers in riot gear, according to a story by Viet Catholic News that was posted on the Vietnam Human Rights Network website.

Other Christians who were not members of churches registered with the government-sanctioned Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECV) were also victims of the crackdown on religious freedom. At least 40 Montagnards – persons belonging to the indigenous communities of the Central Highlands, many of whom are Christian – were arrested in Gai Lai province in 2009, according to HRW. In one incident, police raided a prayer meeting of Montagnards on 14 August and beat eight people so badly that one had to be hospitalized. In February, police arrested 11 Montagnards and beat them and shocked them with electric batons in an attempt to force them to join the ECV. At least 300 Montagnard Christians are imprisoned in Vietnam, according to HRW.

The Vietnam Human Rights Network released a statement accusing police of beating to death Thach Thanh No, a deacon of the Khmer Religious Alliance Church, on 4 April 2009. The incident allegedly took place in Tra Vinh province, in the Mekong Delta. The region is home to many Khmer Krom, who share their ethnicity with the majority population in neighbouring Cambodia, but are a minority in Vietnam. The Khmer Krom have accused the government of expropriating their farmland and implementing policies aimed at assimilating them. For example, almost all schooling, even in areas where they are the majority, is conducted in Vietnamese rather than in Khmer. In January 2009, HRW released a report highlighting abuses committed against the Khmer Krom. HRW obtained internal memos written by government officials, 'outlining their concerns about unrest among the Khmer Krom in the Mekong Delta and strategies to monitor, infiltrate and silence Khmer Krom activists'. In December 2009, a group of 24 Khmer Krom arrived in Cambodia and asked for asylum, according to reports in the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. One member of the group, Choa Sokha, said he was arrested and tortured after leading protests calling for religious freedom in 2007. He initially fled to Cambodia but crossed into Thailand after facing harsh treatment by Cambodian authorities. In December, Thailand sent them back to Cambodia, as it did in June with another group of 54 Khmer Krom. Under Cambodian law, Khmer Krom have the right to citizenship and therefore could not apply for asylum as refugees. At the end of 2009, however, the group of 24 remained in political limbo, living in a pagoda and surviving on donations of food, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

Vietnam's ethnic minorities also faced barriers to health care, education and other services. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that the poverty rate among ethnic minorities was 69 per cent, compared to a rate of 23 per cent for the majority Kinh (80 per cent of the population) and Han Chinese ethnic groups. In Cao Bang province, where ethnic minorities make up 98 per cent of the population, maternal mortality rates are more than ten times those in Bin Duong province, near Ho Chi Minh City, according to UNICEF. A World Bank report, released on 3 June 2009, identified six factors for higher poverty rates among ethnic minorities: lower education levels, cultural prejudice, less mobility, lack of access to fertile land, lower market access and lack of access to financial services. The report recommended improving education levels among ethnic minorities as the key to addressing poverty.