Dong Hoi, Vietnam, Jul 29, 2009 / 23:51 pm
Anti-Catholic violence and police raids at several Catholics’ homes in the Vietnamese coastal city of Dong Hoi have prompted many parishioners to flee for their own safety. Local government officials reportedly wants to create a “No Catholic Zone.”
Police and gangs on the city streets have stopped anyone who wears any Catholic religious symbol in order to beat them savagely.
Those arrested include Nguyen Cong Ly, whose house was used by parishioners of Tam Toa for worship services. During the police search at Ly’s home, a gang of thugs surrounded his house and yelled anti-Catholic slogans suggesting his death, Fr. J.B. An Dang tells CNA.
Tam Toa is the only church in Dong Hoi, a city of 103,000 in the Quang Binh province. Its origins can be traced back to 1631.