Parishioners write to Bishops’ Conference and to the Justice and Peace Committee asking for help in freeing six Catholics who were arrested last May and are currently held in prison without trial or evidence. They complain that the decision by local authorities to seize their land in violation of the law jeopardises their “lives and the future of their children”.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) – The members of Con Dau Parish, in Da Nang Diocese, along with the relatives of six people detained by the authorities without trial, have addressed an open letter to the leaders of the Catholic Church asking for help in their fight for justice. “We are simple people who have dedicated our entire life to the land and to farming, and every morning, we pray for our beloved country,” they say in the missive. They protest against the seizure of their land, ordered by the authorities, to build an eco-tourist centre. Since the affair began, police have clamped down on dissenting voices and last 4 May, during a funeral, they arrested a number of people and arbitrarily jailed them in violation of the law.

The letter was sent to Mgr Peter Nguyen Van Nhon, president of the Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Cosma Hoang Van Dat, secretary general of the Bishops’ Conference, and Mgr Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, president of the Conference’s Justice and Peace Committee. It was signed by the parish community of Con Dau and the relatives of the six people in prison: Matthew Nguyen Huu Liem, Joseph Tran Thanh Viet, Thadeus Le Thanh Lam, Simon Nguyen Huu Minh, Teresa Nguyen Thi The and Mary Phan Thi Nhan. All six have been held without trial or any specific charges laid against them.

For the members of the parish, “if the authorities in Da Nang seize our lands, we will not be able to survive”. It would jeopardise “our lives and the future of our children”. But more than this, the faithful want Church authorities to understand “the anguish our fathers, husbands and mothers are going through in Da Nang prison” where they are arbitrarily detained.

Still Con Dau parishioners are optimistic after the Justice and Peace Committee was set up, hopeful that it might successfully obtain the release of the prisoners.

“In such a desperate situation, we can only pray God to be by our side and ask that you, Fathers, can provide the necessary help to see justice for our loved ones.”

The issue began on 4 May when police attacked mourners attending the funeral of Maria Tan, an 82-year-old woman, in order to prevent her burial. The clashes lasted more than an hour and led to the arrest of about 70 people.

In a pastoral letter released the day after the incident, Mgr Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri, bishop of Da Nang, slammed the police “for their manhunt” during which they detained people who did not even take part in the funeral.

The authorities eventually arrested six parishioners for “disorderly conduct” and “attacking state security officers”.

So far, no one has been tried or formally charged. However, the authorities did extract confessions from the accused under torture.

The confrontation between local Catholics and government authorities in Con Dau parish broke out at the start of this year, when the latter decided to demolish all the houses in the parish (established 135 years ago) to give way to a tourist resort. The land was seized without proper compensation or offer of relocation.

A particularly coveted area is the cemetery; a 10-hectare area located a kilometre from the parish church. Once listed among the government’s protected sites, its value has recently shot up, wetting the appetite of real estate speculators.

“The decision by Da Nang authorities to seize parish land and sell it to the Sun Investment Corporation to build an eco-tourist centre is a gross violation of the law and infringes upon property rights,” the faithful wrote in their letter.

Article 40 of the 2003 Land Law, pertaining to “Land recovery for use for economic development purposes” stipulates, “The State shall recover land for purposes of economic development in the case of the construction of industrial parks, high-tech zones, economic zones and major investment projects as stipulated by the Government.” Nowhere does it mention eco-tourism.