Protestant pastors shot and threatened in Vietnam
62-year-old pastor Y Hung Ayun, who leads a house church in Tara Puor village, said that two masked men on a motorbike had stopped near him and shot him in the leg with rubber bullets.
Pastor Ayun recalls details of the incident: “They attacked me to warn that I should withdraw from the independent house church and return to the government-approved Evangelical Church of Vietnam.”
The Vietnamese government demands that all churches must be registered and approved before operating. Pastors and churches who do not comply will be prosecuted and their lands seized.
Pastor Ayun belongs to the Ede ethnic minority group. They are one of the branches of the Montagnard community, which comprises 30 indigenous tribes that live in Vietnam’s central highlands. This minority group faces constant persecution, including harassment and even murder. Nine people were killed in a 2023 uprising.
Another pastor, 57-year-old Y Pho Eban, who leads an independent house church in Cue village, was shot in the leg whilst cutting grass in his field. Three masked men approached and shot him, resulting in a bleeding wound, a deep hole in his leg, and a chipped bone. Despite getting treatment, pastor Eban could no longer walk.
He voiced his disappointment: “They hate me because I worship at a house church, which they forbid. They said we were not allowed to gather. Whenever they summon me to the commune headquarters, they threaten to ‘handle’ me and my family. That’s what they always say.”
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide founder President Mervyn Thomas: “CSW is highly concerned at this attack on Pastor Y Hung Ayun which appears to have been intended to pressure him to abandon his house church and return to the government-sanctioned Evangelical Church of Vietnam. We call for a swift investigation into this incident, ensuring that Pastor Ayun’s assailants are brought to justice. We also reiterate to the Vietnamese government that it must revise regulations and legislation pertaining to religion to ensure that they align with international standards on the right to freedom of religion or belief, and that all Vietnamese citizens are afforded the full enjoyment of this right in law and practice.”
Source: https://premierchristian.news
