Declaration: Objection to the Oppression of Catholics at Tam Toa Cathedral by the Vietnamese Communist Regime

DECLARATION Objection to the Oppression of Catholics at Tam Toa Cathedral by the Vietnamese Communist Regime.

Whereas:

Freedom of Religion is one of the basic and inviolable rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which the Vietnamese Communist Regime is a signatory.

Whereas:

Under the despotic Communist Regime, basic human rights, including: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Association have been denied to the Vietnamese people for over 50 years.

Whereas:

On July 20, 2009, the Vietnamese Communist Regime authorized police forces to use pepper spray, stun guns and sticks to assault the Mass attendees at the Tam Toa Cathedral located at Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. These brutal acts by the Vietnamese Communist Regime seriously injured a great number of Catholic followers and several priests, of whom at least three were seriously wounded. The police also detained many parishioners, pillaged the Church, took away the Holy Cross, and illegally seized many other items without any report of seizure. Additionally, the Catholic followers at the Tam Toa Cathedral were terrorized all week long; and by Sunday July 26, 2009, a group of under-cover police disguised as hooligans continued to beat up and prevented other neighboring Parishes' members from attending Mass at the Cathedral.

Therefore:

The Vietnamese American Community of USA, representing over 40 Vietnamese American Communities nation-wide, hereby solemnly declares our resolve:

1. To reaffirm our stance on building a free, democratic and prosperous Vietnam.

2. To continue to struggle hand-in-hand with the Vietnamese people in our homeland, in accordance to their wishes, to remove the yoke of dictatorship imposed upon them by the Vietnamese Communist Regime.

3. To strongly denounce the continued oppression and terrorization of individuals and organizations for their exercise of legitimate rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, including the Freedom of Religion.

4. To demand the Vietnamese Communist authorities to respect the rights and beliefs of all people and to stop all oppressive measures against Religious Freedom.

5. To demand the immediate and unconditional release of all parishioners who are being detained and return of all illegally seized properties to their rightful owners and to the Catholic Parishes.

6. To unite with the Tam Toa Parish in our prayers for peace and justice for Vietnam, and to lend our strong support to the people of the Tam Toa Parish and all religious followers who are being persecuted because of their practice of Religious Freedom.

7. To call on the International Community to condemn the violation of human rights by the Vietnamese Communist Regime, particularly the latest brutal oppression of the Catholic followers by the Quang Binh Communist Authorities.

8. To call on international organizations to utilize diplomatic and economic means to compel the Vietnamese Communist Regime into complying with the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other Charters that it has signed, and to hold the Regime accountable for actions that are contrary to the spirit and letters of these documents.

USA, July 29, 2009

Tanh Van Nguyen Tan Van Nguyen
Chaiman Chairman
Board of Representatives Executive Board


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