Religion Bulletin - March 2024: Many Protestants and Buddhists Were Arrested and Imprisoned

Đắk Lắk Arrests Three Followers of the Independent Protestant Church

On March 6, 2024, the authorities of Đắk Lắk and Bình Phước provinces arrested three Ede ethnic believers belonging to the Protestant Church while they were working at a company in Đồng Xoài City, Bình Phước Province. [1]

The arrestees include Y Quí Bdap, Y Nam Bkrông (Bdap's son), and Y Kič Bkrông (Bdap's nephew), all members of the Ede ethnic group that lives in the Central Highlands.

On the night of March 5, 2024, the authorities searched the rooms of these believers and conducted administrative checks. The government has not given any reason for the arrests. According to RFA, all three people participated in many events related to religious freedom and human rights without permission from the government.

In October 2023, the Đắk Lắk provincial government also arrested four independent Protestant believers because they invited the government and Võ Văn Thưởng (the then President of Việt Nam during that time) to participate in religious activities. [2]

Government harassment of independent Protestants occurs frequently in Đắk Lắk Province in particular and the Central Highlands provinces in general.

Đắk Lắk Sentences a Follower of the Evangelical Church of the Central Highlands for a Second Time

On March 28, 2024, the Đắk Lắk provincial government sentenced Y Krếc Byă, a Christian in the Central Highlands, to 13 years in prison and five years of probation for the crime of "sabotaging the policy of people's unity," in accordance with Article 116 of Vietnam's Penal Code. [3]

Y Krếc Byă was previously arrested and prosecuted for this same alleged crime in April 2023 in Ea Bar Commune, Buôn Đôn District. [4]

According to the government, from 2012 to 2023, Y Krếc Byă encouraged several people to join the Evangelical Church of the Central Highlands to sabotage the state's unity policy. This is the second time Dak Lak has imprisoned Y Krếc Byă. In 2004, he was sentenced to 8 years for "undermining the solidarity policy."

In addition to Y Krếc Byă, the Đắk Lắk provincial government prosecuted Pastor Aga for the same crime. The government believes that these two individuals organized many religious-related activities and participated in online meetings about human rights without asking for permission from the local government.

Since the attack on the police and government headquarters of Cu Kuin District, Đắk Lắk Province, in June 2023, the government has frequently accused the Evangelical Church of the Central Highlands of being reactionary and anti-state. Many followers of this church have been repeatedly arrested and tried.

Vĩnh Long Arrests Eight Followers of Khmer Krom Buddhism

Between March 26 and March 28, 2024, the government of Vĩnh Long Province arrested eight Khmer Buddhist followers for "Abusing freedom and democracy rights, infringing on the interests of the state, the rights, legitimate interests of organizations and individuals" under Article 331 and the crime of "Illegal arrest, detention or detention of people." [5] [6]

On March 26, 2024, the government arrested three believers, including Thạch Chanh Đa Ra, abbot of Đại Thọ Pagoda, and Kim Khiêm, for "Abusing freedom, infringing on the interests of the state, and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals,"  Thạch Ve Sanal on the crime of "Illegal arrest, detention or detention of people."

On March 28, 2024, the authorities of Vĩnh Long Province arrested Dương Khải, Thạch Quí Lầy, Kim Sa Rương, Thạch Chóp and Thạch Nha for "Illegal arrest and detention of people."

It is known that the Vĩnh Long provincial government once clashed with Khmer Buddhists, at Đại Thọ Pagoda. Some people threw stones and attacked the temple in the presence of many police. As a result, a monk and two Khmer Krom people were injured in the clash. [7]

But according to the government, when the authorities came to Đại Thọ Pagoda, Abbot Thạch Chanh Đa Ra and his followers assaulted, injured, locked the door, and prevented members from going out. 

Recently, the government has repeatedly arrested and put on trial many followers of Khmer Buddhism.

In February 2024, Sóc Trăng sentenced Danh Minh Quang to 3 years and 6 months in prison for "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state, and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals." According to the government, Quang used his Facebook account to post, share, and livestream content related to human rights and Khmer Buddhism. [8]

In addition, in another locality, Vĩnh Long Province, on March 20, 2024, the government sentenced Thạch Cương and Tô Hoàng Chương ranging from 3 years and 6 months to 4 years in prison for the same crime as above. [9]

Some Khmer people in Vietnam and Cambodia often have protests to reclaim their land as well as fight for the rights of indigenous people. Therefore, the Vietnamese government has specific policies dealing with the Khmer community. Many Khmer Buddhists have crossed the border into Cambodia because they believe they are being oppressed and discriminated against by these policies. [10]

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Prevents Phước Bửu Pagoda from Being Repaired

On March 18, 2024, the government of Phuoc Thuan Commune, Xuyen Moc District, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu​​ Province, prohibited the abbot of Phuoc Buu Pagoda from repairing worship facilities within the temple grounds. [11]

A group of seven officials suddenly inspected the pagoda and asked it to stop the repair work while workers were repainting cracked walls, and replacing broken tiles.

According to the government, the pagoda was renovated without requesting official permission from the Commune People's Committee. However, the abbot affirmed that the temple complied with the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion and the 2020 amended Construction Law on this construction.

In 2023, the commune government forced the temple to make a report because the temple arbitrarily built a firewood warehouse.

It is known that Phước Bửu Pagoda is a religious facility belonging to the Unified Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, an organization independent of the government.

In the Xuyên Mộc District, in July 2022, the district government also requested that the land of Thiên Quang Pagoda be cleared to build a water canal without any compensation. [12]

Unlike the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, established by the government in 1981, the government regularly harasses monks and religious establishments of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

The New Decree Implementing the Law on Belief and Religion Takes Effect in Vietnam

On March 30, 2024, Decree No. 95/2023/ND-CP detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Belief and Religion replaced Decree No. 162/2017/ND-CP and began to take effect.

Decree No. 95 contains several new regulations that allow the government to increase control and repression of religious activities. Specifically: 

Central and provincial governments have the right to suspend all religious activities of religious organizations, affiliated religious organizations, and religious training establishments.

Article 12 of Decree No. 95 empowers provincial-level People’s Committees or the central religious affairs authority to suspend all activities of a religious organization if it commits serious violations of Clause 4 or Clause 5 of Article 5, which outlines prohibited acts under the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion.

For religious training institutions specifically, Article 16 of Decree No. 95 grants only the central religious affairs authority (such as the Government Committee for Religious Affairs) the authority to suspend all operations of such institutions if they seriously violate Clause 4 or Clause 5 of Article 5 of the same law.

However, the scope of these clauses in the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion is overly broad, vague, and lacks clarity.

Decree No. 95 also does not define what is meant by a "serious violation." This can create conditions for the government to arbitrarily interpret things to suppress religious organizations or suspend the operations of religious training facilities.

Online Religious Activities Require Government Approval

According to Article 27 of Decree No. 95, if a religious activity has already been registered or approved by a competent state authority, any transition to online format—or a hybrid of in-person and online—must be reported in writing to the authorities.

For religious activities that have not received prior approval from a competent authority, transitioning to an online or hybrid format requires a formal permit application in accordance with the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion and Decree No. 95.

However, the decree does not specify what information must be included in the notice to authorities when religious activities move online.

This lack of clarity may give local authorities broad discretion to obstruct even purely devotional or non-political religious practices.

Notably, Decree No. 95 introduces a progressive element in Clause 1, Article 4, which affirms that detainees are allowed to possess scriptures and express their religious or spiritual beliefs.

Yet the implementation of these rights is subject to internal regulations issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs—each responsible for overseeing detention facilities under their respective jurisdictions.

To date, the government has not issued specific regulations on administrative penalties for violations in the field of belief and religion, reportedly due to concerns over potential public backlash. [13]

Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng: Vietnam–Vatican Relations Currently Below Nuncio Level but Above Apostolic Delegate

In an article published on the website of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng stated that Vietnam’s current diplomatic relationship with the Holy See is "below the level of Apostolic Nuncio but above that of Apostolic Delegate." [14] He noted that both sides are continuing to make progress by recognizing shared values and respecting differences.

According to the article, Vietnam remains a country with various sensitive issues. As a result, the Vatican has appointed a Special Envoy of the Pope to Vietnam—a position that does not carry official diplomatic status.

Deputy Minister Thắng has previously stated that President Võ Văn Thưởng’s invitation to Pope Francis to visit Vietnam reflects the goodwill of the Vietnamese state, which eagerly anticipates the Pope’s visit. [15]

After 1975, the communist government in Vietnam expelled the Vatican’s Apostolic Delegate from Saigon, effectively ending the Holy See’s representation in the country. It was not until 2011 that the Vietnamese government allowed the Vatican to appoint a non-resident representative—Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli.

In July 2023, President Võ Văn Thưởng met with Pope Francis, and for the first time, the two sides officially signed an Agreement on the Status of the Resident Representative and the Office of the Resident Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam.

Bắc Giang Authorities Claim New Religious Movements Negatively Impact Society

According to a report published by Lao Động newspaper, authorities in Bắc Giang Province have warned that emerging religious movements are having a negative impact on people's religious and spiritual needs, social stability, and national political and public security.

The provincial government also accused some of these new religious groups of exploiting ethnic and religious issues to incite and mobilize ethnic minorities to participate in anti-government activities. The article further notes that as of June 2023, there were approximately 100 new religious phenomena across the country, most of which the government classifies as “heretical.”

However, this stance appears to contradict earlier official views. A training document on religion published in November 2021 cited the Government Committee for Religious Affairs as recognizing five positive aspects of the new religious movement in Vietnam. At the time, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng also publicly stated that Vietnam would welcome all religions, including new ones.

Yet, current government actions suggest a reversal of these earlier commitments. [16]

Thanh Hóa Authorities Accuse “Vietnam Bronze Drum Cosmic Energy” Group of Subversive Activity

A broadcast by Thanh Hóa Provincial Radio and Television alleged that the group known as “Vietnam Bronze Drum Original Energy” or “Cosmic Radiant Energy of the New Era” exhibits signs of being subversive, heretical, and cult-like.

According to the broadcast, the group’s leader interpreted the five-pointed star on Vietnam’s national flag through a yin–yang theory of conflict and disharmony. Based on this belief, he reversed the orientation of the star and incorporated the altered symbol into the group’s logo. [17][18]

The authorities claim that the “Vietnam Bronze Drum Original Energy” group spreads spiritual and mystical content that runs counter to traditional religious and cultural beliefs, showing signs of cult-like practices and superstition. They further assert that the group harbors subversive ideologies.

Founded in 2016 in the United States by Lê Văn Phúc, the group claims its mission is to address issues such as health problems, poverty, and instability in various aspects of life through the practice of what it calls the “five miraculous elements of divine love.”