The Bishopric of Xa Doai
Nghi Dien - Nghi Loc- Nghe An
Tel (0383) 861 171
Email tgmvinh@gmail.com
No. 02/13 -TG
Re: Protest Nghe An state media outlets distorting the truth, complicating the matter and causing outrage among the public.
Xa Doai, Sept 7, 2013
To: Nghe An Television and Radio
Nghe An Newspaper and all related Agencies
In recent days, Nghe An state media outlets including Newspaper, Radio, and Television have published or broadcasted articles and reports with false content, distorting the truth, offending the reputation and honour of our Bishop and the entire community of Vinh faithful. The Bishopric of Xa Doai vehemently condemns those wrongful acts and demands the responsible organizations or individuals to correct the information which were already published or broadcasted. We demand the communications personnel to study the event thoroughly and respect the objective truth of that event.
1. We vehemently oppose the state media holding our bishops, priests and faithful of Vinh diocese responsible for many issues relating to land dispute, liturgical organization, and arrangement of parishes or sub-parishes which have been taking place in the diocese of Vinh. We need to recognize each incident would arise from a particular reason, but collectively everyone understood and acknowledged the root cause was due to either the insufficient land law or the illogical policy of ask- and be given mechanism of the government which lead to local authorities' inability to properly recognize basic human rights, especially religious rights, therefore they are unable to response to the legitimate needs of the people at the least.
2. We vehemently oppose the state media distorting and alter the truth about the incident taken place on May 222013 in Trai Gao. Due to failing to search for the cause and nature of the incident but rather inference drawn from falsified conclusion of police part, Nghe An authorities had tracked down and arrested innocent people, in order to cover up for the wrongful conduct of a police unit which behave in a thug like manner, the main cause for thousands of people to be fuming and for inflicting bodily injuries and property damage of others.
3. We vehemently oppose the state media flip flopping manner in order to cover up the authorities' dishonesty and irresponsibility the night of May 22, 2013, when they denied the active cooperation of our Bishop and the delegation of the Bishopric of Xa Doai in deflating the public tension as well as seeking for a way to rescue the victims from pressure coming from both Catholics and non-Catholics alike, immediately following the incident up until now. There is a need to assert with certainty that under our Catholic common direction, the Diocese of Vinh has always been showing willingness to engage in dialogues, actively cooperate to solve problem in peaceful manner, but we cannot just simply jump on the bandwagon to advocate for shady and wrongful actions, for the kind of dialogues that is unwilling, for empty promise with the intention to mislead the public, or business conducted in an authoritative and single-minded manner. The authorities cannot continue the mentality of those who live in the glasshouse and have someone else to throw stones for them when calling for cooperation only if the outcome appears beneficial to them, yet deny responsibility for wrongful actions of their subordinates by arresting and suppressing people arbitrarily, and then call for dialogues in an administrative and authoritative manner.
4. We vehemently oppose the state media abusing the influence and reasoning of ones with power, who looked down on people, showed no regard for honour, dignity, reputation, health, and lives of the people when they spoke and acted in arbitration, without objectivity during the painful incident in the afternoon of Sept 4, 2013 in My Yen parish. That was the result of (the authorities') ignoring people's call for help, when all petitions, letters, reports from Xa Doai Bishopric with purpose of defending citizens and justice were not respected by the authorities. The bishopric's willingness to engage in dialogue was left unanswered due to distorted truth.
As a result, the ripple effect of the incident is getting more convoluted. More people are being assaulted, arrested, holding responsible arbitrarily. Ordinary people are being assaulted so savagely by the force and weapons of their own authorities. The public opinion is right when agreeing with the common view that Vietnam law has become an efficient tool for the authorities to apply when repressing their own people, protecting the interest groups, while the national interest is being downgraded to a level of less priority and the nation's fate in peril.
For the interest of all people and fellow citizens, for the future of our country, for justice and peace of our people, the Bishopric of Xa Doai demands the state media outlets of Nghe An and Central government to take common sense when acting and speaking to everyone. We repeat our demand to have those (media) outlets which published/broadcasted untruthful information correct their own mistake and be responsible for their intentional wrong doings.
Respectfully,
O/B of The Bishopric of Xa Doai
Rev. Petr. Nguyen Van Vinh
Vice Chairperson of the Committee of Priests
Recipients: As above
-The Office of Archbishop Leopoldo Gerelli
- His Excellency Bishop Petr.Nguyen Van Nhon
-State Religious Affairs Bureau
- The People's Committee of Nghe An Province
-The Religious Committee of Nghe An
-The People's Committee of Nghi Loc County
-For Office use