Minister Murdered by Vietnamese Security Police

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA ANS – An advocacy group for the Degars, the indigenous people of Central Vietnam, says the group is tormented on an ongoing basis by the Vietnamese government and many other Vietnamese people.

Speaking in a news release, the Montagnard Foundation said not only do the Vietnamese authorities publicly beat up and murder Degars, but they abduct them from their villages where they are killed in secret.

That, the group said, is what happened to a Christian minister called Mup.

According to the news release, on Aug. 26, Mup, 47, was found beaten to death 100 meters from the entrance to his village. Mup was a preacher in his village of Ploi Rong Khong, district of Dak Doa in the province of Gia Lai.

According to the Montagnard Foundation, Mup had been ordered by the Vietnamese security police three times to come to their headquarters in order to interrogate him about his religious activities. However, the release stated, because Mup had heard numerous reports of brutality by the Vietnamese officials against Degar Christians, he was afraid and didn’t respond to the summons.

The Montagnard Foundation said that on the day of his murder, Mup left his village to attend the funeral of a relative in the village of Ploi Bla. Upon returning to his village that evening, Mup was approached by Vietnamese officials. Degar villagers observed the officials talking to him. This was the last time anyone saw him alive. His corpse was found in the morning by villagers who carried him back to his home.

Commenting in the news release, the Montagnard Foundation said, “This murder is the result of nothing more than sheer hatred by Vietnamese security police and soldiers towards our people. It seems as if they want revenge against the Degar people because our people sided with the Americans during the Vietnam War.”

The news release added that the Vietnamese authorities also hate Degars because of their Christian faith. During the war, the Vietnamese communists believed that all Degar Christians were secret agents of the United States and the CIA. That perception continues today, and resulted in the death of many people both then and now.

The news release said that the news of Mup’s death is very disturbing to the Degar people and the Montagnard Foundation.

The Foundation stated, “How will our people legally protect themselves when the Vietnamese security forces who utterly hate our people assume the authority of judge, jury, and executioner? Who do we turn to when the people who are supposed to protect us are the ones who are killing us? Mup was not wanted for any criminal charges, but only for his religious convictions. Still, he was murdered by the Vietnamese security officials.”

The Foundation said the activities of those security forces are never questioned, and they continue to serve as security officers. The Foundation said these human rights violations will continue to occur if the United Nations and those who profess to be supporters of human rights continue to ignore our cries for help.

Speaking in the news release a Foundation official said, “Human life should be valued as the most precious of all commodities, and we as a world should fight to preserve it as God has called us to do.”

The Foundation asked for prayer for Mup’s family.