Vietnam authorities use force with church

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Police and other officials used overwhelming force to address an alleged building permit violation by the Vietnam Mennonite Church. An estimated 50 public security police and other security forces and officials from Binh Khanh Ward in District 2 converged on the Mennonite church, office and residence of Nguyen Hong Quang May 22. Beating construction workers and others, authorities arrested 11 people, including Quang, who had been released from prison last August after serving 15 months of his three-year sentence for “interfering” with police officers. Quang was the last to be released May 23. He had received a building permit to repair the damage authorities had previously done to the Mennonite building. His peers believe that authorities resorted to the use of force in a civil matter in order to set a trap for him, hoping to provoke him.