From An Truyen, Hue May 6, 2001

His excellence, the Speaker of Ho use
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
Chairperson, Congressional Human Rights Committee

On January 10th, 2001, Sir Elliots Abrams, the International committee on Freedom of Religion Chairperson had invited me to be a witness on religious freedom in Vietnam and ask for my input on the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement. Such invitation was not forwarded to me until February 12th, 2001. Despite that fact, on February 13th, 2001, I sent my 8-page testimony to the International Committee on Freedom of Religion and such testimony was published worldwide.

Today, I'm honored to be invited to testily on US House of Representative on the repressive policy on the Catholic Church by the Vietnamese Government. My testimony is as follows:

I. Evidence of repression of religion on the Catholic Church by the Vietnamese Communist Government.

Just like the other religions practiced in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Communist Government has plot to destroy, to repress the Catholic Faith just as described on the Joint Proclamation cosigned on April 30th, 2001 by the Committee on the Interfaith Union in Vietnam and Overseas.

· Since 1980, the Vietnamese Council of Bishop holds annual meeting in the summer. Beforehand, the council has to report the meeting agenda, list of attendants to the Division of Religion and ask for permission. During the meeting, the attendants have to present themselves not only to the Division, but also even to the President, the Prime Minister, and the Communist Party Secretary General. Upon meetting them, one has to praise the party, to express gratitude. It is so disgusting because we have to say thanks to a gang whose is suffocating our faith. Should the council come up with a joint letter or petition to the congregation, even petition to demand the rights of the congregation, such document has to be censored and authorized by the government to be published. So, the government has to grant you authorization for you to ask for your rights. The "right to demand" that the Communist says the citizens have is so deceitful You can petition all you want, the government could not careless regardless of the rnillions believer in your congregation. You can only wait and wait.
When Vatican wishes to appoint a Bishop in Vietnam, such person has to be approved by the government. No one can be a Bishop without the VC's approval. Look at the case of Bishop Pham Van Du: he was appointed Bishop by Vatican in 1960 but did not get approval till 1979 after he and the people evacuated off of the war zone near the border with China. Also, it's been 8 years since Vatican wanted to appoint a bishop for each of the three dioceses
Hung Hoa, Hai Phong, and Bui Chu but the Vietnamese Communist government has not approved.

· When the Bishop wishes to appoint a priest, the Bishop has to do the following:
a) For a diocese that already has a so-called Patriotic Catholic United Committee (a disguise unit of the Communist government), the Bishop goes to this Committee and requests it to secretly arrange the approval.
b) For diocese that not yet has such Committee, the Bishop has to negotiate with the police, which really is more like a counter espionage unit of the central government. The only reason for this is because the government always looks at the priest as spy. They observe very carefully. Only with the government approval that the Bishop can sign the official paper assigning a priest to a certain position. In reality, it is the appointment by the government; they just borrow the signature of the Bishop.
I was nominated by Father Nguyen Nhu The, the Archbishop of Hue, to be in charged of An Truyen for the last 3 years but the government did not approve. It was not until I started the demand for freedom of religion more decisively last November with a slogan "freedom of religion or die" that they approved my appointment to An Truyen.
c) Seminary to train priest cannot operate without authorization. Before 1975, there were 25 small ones and 9 large ones. There are only 6 nowadays. The Church has applied for the 7th one to be opened in Xuan Loc but has yet to receive approval. The board of directors and instructors are to be approved by the government. Program has to include socialism philosophy and that of Marx and Lenin. Seminary student can only be selected every 2 years, and the number to be selected is very limited by diocese. Student has to absolutely have no relation, either through blood or marriage, to the previous regime. Student has to be resident of the diocese that nominate him. Student has to meet with the police often. His background is very closely investigated, and normally, he is given the responsibility to work for the police at the seminary during training. He who accepts the job would almost be 'guaranteed' of acceptance to the seminary. I want to give the example of Xuan Loc diocese. There are over 300 seminary students ready to join, but annually, only 5 or 10 get accepted.
Once graduated, in order to be bestowed priesthood, the Bishop has to apply with the government and normally, family has to bribe government officials with either money or gold. At Hue diocese, from 1976-1994, no priest was approved during 18 years and the seminary ended up being closed. From 1994 to 2000, there were only 12 new priests, while there were 25 who passed away. Over 70% of the 60 priests in Hue are over 60 years of age. This is a sure way for the government to gradually eliminate the Catholic Church. The religion cannot develop, thus it has to die. A priest can only serve the diocese he resides at. For example, in Lang Son Diocese, there are I Bishop and 1 priest over 90 years old. There is no monastery in the area. Priests from other regions cannot come and serve the Diocese in Lang Son.
d) To lead a religious life, to become a monk, one has to live 'illegally' as a criminal One has to be listed as 'temporary not available' at home due to illnesses or schooling. One is not allowed to be a monk. The crime a monk is charged with is to dare be Jesus follower and not Marx-Lenin-Hochiminh follower.
e) Christians are being considered as second-class citizens (except Ho's fervent followers). They are not eligible to join the Communist Party, or the police, and not to be trusted in
government agencies. All their paperwork’s are noted Christian/Catholic as faith. They are looked upon as having wrong belief and are anti-science. In remote areas, they are not allowed to build church, and they are allowed to hold mass only 2 times a year. In Quang Binh Province, currently there are about 500 Catholics left. All churches have been destroyed, church land have been confiscated. The only priest in the province passed away in 1962. That was it.
800 Catholics of Nam Dong district and 500 Catholics of A Luoi district in Hue have petition to bill a church but have yet to receive approval.
f) After 1975, the government confiscated and took over numerous schools, colleges,
hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, and other properties of the church. They even took
over seminaries, convents and churches. There are no provinces that did not have
properties confiscated. For example:
· Pope Paul X Institute in Dalat were taken away by force in 1976
· La Vang's St Mary lost 2/3 of its land
· In Hue diocese, the police took a seminary away in December 1979
· Binh Linh school, which was "on loan" to the government for 5 years since 811511975. To date, the government refuses to return it to the Church
· St Joseph school, Monastery Thanh Tam were taken away by force in 1976
· Monastery Thien An was taken away by force on 12/2411999 and has been turned into a recreation center
In Nguyet Bieu village alone, the government took away over 60,000 square feet of land since 1975. In November 2000, the Catholics population here in Nguyet Bieu decided to take back about 5000 square feet of land the government took away by force in 1977. Because of that, the government sent in 500 policemen and agents in to crush people brutally: they were beat up, strangled, imprisoned. The government would not return the church land and people are still currently fighting for it.
g) After 1975, all media of the Catholic Church ceased to exist. No more broadcasting system, printing shop, newspapers, periodicals. The government controls and monopolizes all forms of information broadcasting. Only 2 publications "Cong Giao va Dan Toc" (Christianity and the People) and "Nguoi Cong Giao Viet Nam" (Vietnamese Christian) are run and published by the government. "Hiep Thong" newsletter published by the Vietnamese Bishop Council was killed after 3 issues. The newsletter resumed publishing issue #4 last December. There is no freedom of speech in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Communist Government does not respect article 19 of the UN Proclamation on Human Rights that it had promised.
h) Since 1975, the Vietnamese Catholic Congregation is not allowed to form any association, should not even dream of having an opposition party to the Communist Party. Only the Communist Party has the absolute power to run the country as indicated in article 4 of the Constitution. Anyone dare to talk about multi party, opposition to the CP would immediately be arrested, or at least be put under surveillance, all phone or email access cut off, all access with the public cut off. The people don't know of their rights and the government would not want them to.
i) The other religious figures such as the Most Venerable Huyen Quang, Venerable Quang Do, Mr. Le Quang Liem, Father Phan Van Loi, Father Nguyen Huu Giai are all currently under severe surveillance. In my case, on the side road leading to An Truyen church, there's a sign that says, in English and Vietnamese: Restricted Area-No Trespassing. Not
only I'm not allowed to leave the territory, but anyone walking by would be questioned, examined, investigated, or even arrested. It is even worse for foreigner. On the eve of April 9, 2001, Congressman Lars Rise of Norway stopped by to visit me and was arrested. He was later deported. They took away all the notes he took, all the negatives.

II. A meticulous and dangerous method to repress religion: Applying dishonesty and deceit in all Systems.

Everyone in Vietnam currently, young or old, would have to know how to lie, to deceive to survive. Children are taught to lie in since tender age in school. Children in rural areas are certified to have finished 9th grade when they actually never been to school. Jobs are offered to those who lie best about its background and qualifications. The government has expertise in deceiving its people. Witnesses are hired, documents are faked, and the government stops at nothing to deceive its people and the world. Government propaganda is played on loud speakers all day long. Some places, speakers are turned toward the church or temple, and are played real loud during mass. This is what is happening at my church in An Truyen right now.
All forms of election, from the local to national are fraudulent. The citizens are forced to go to the poll though the government already chooses the winner(s). Those who dare to refuse to go would run into lots of problems. The late cardinal Joseph Maria Trinh Nhu Khue, Archbishop of Hanoi from 1954-1975 had refused to go to the poll. He was put m severe surveillance and was not allowed to go to Vatican till August 1975.

50 years under the rule of the communist, I would be the first to scratch out the words "independence, liberty, happiness" and replace them with "lack of independence, no liberty, and unhappiness" on all stationery. Some students follow my action and not write those meaningless words in their book. They probably would be expelled from school or they would not be allowed to graduate.

I remember a poem about the communist in 1953 when I was only 6 years old. It is so true in Vietnam right now:

The Communist lies
They are all liars
They lie to everyone and about everything
They lie from Europe to Asia
They lie through all seasons
They would never stop lying

Thank you for listening.

(This translation is received from Rev. Kieu Tuan Nam, San Jose, California) - ICRFV

An Truyen, Vietnam May 7th, 2001

Proxy

To: His Excellence Mr. Speaker of the House

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I am deeply honored and grateful to be invited to testify about the religious repression in Vietnam on May 16, 2001 on the House of Representatives.

Since the Vietnamese Communist government would not allow me to go to the US, I am hereby giving the proxy to Father Kieu Tuan Nam from San Jose, California to read this testimony on my behalf.

Sincerely,

Signed Father Nguyen Van Ly
An Truyen Diocese
Prisoner of Conscience