Church Meeting Broken Up with Arrests

Le Thi Hong Lien as she was being released from hospital

Only two days after being released from a mental hospital, Le Thi Hong Lien was arrested, together with twelve others, for attending an evening Bible study and prayer meeting in the home of imprisoned pastor Nguyen Hong Quang on Sunday, May 1. Pastor Quang's home in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City also serves as a meeting place of the Vietnam Mennonite Church. According to a May 3 report from Compass Direct, the Mennonites planned to spend time during this meeting thanking God for the release of Lien on April 29.

Before all of the Christians had even arrived for the meeting, approximately thirty police officers pushed their way into the house at approximately 7:45 p.m. They stopped the meeting and ordered all who had gathered to go to the police station for interrogation.  They were held for almost three hours and subjected to threats and verbal abuse before finally being released. One drunken police officer reportedly said that he had orders to harass the Christians until they stopped using Quang's house for worship.

Following the raid, Lien was reportedly exhausted and terrified.  She remained silent throughout the interrogation, despite threats of violence.  Her father, Le Quang Du, was pressured to sign a confession of guilt for an "administrative infraction," which he refused to sign.  The day before his daughter's release, Du had been warned against his daughter attending meetings at the Quang home. At the time, he had resolutely affirmed that his family would continue to worship God and participate in the activities of their church.  Nguyen Thanh Nhan, another evangelist recently released from prison, was threatened with physical torture during the interrogation.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan

For more information on the continued persecution of Christians in Vietnam, click here.  The Voice of the Martyrs recently released a video report on the "Mennonite Six," which includes interviews with Lien's father, Pastor Quang's wife and Nguyen Thanh Nhan.  To view this video report, go to our multimedia website at www.vomcanada.com.