HANOI, Vietnam – Protests and violence broke out between the Vietnamese government and the Catholic Church in Vietnam regarding religious land disputes in central Hanoi. As many as 3,000 Catholics have gathered from all around Vietnam to hold vigils and protests in Hanoi. Tensions rose last Friday when the Vietnamese government started bulldozing the disputed area. Protesters said they were beaten by batons, and the police shot tear gas canisters into the crowds. The Hanoi Police denied the incident and said it was merely an “unintentional scuffle” that happened between the protesters and the police.

Since last December, protesters have been holding protests to what they believed to be an unjustified taking of lands, which was formerly a Vatican embassy and residence. However, the Vietnamese government claimed that under Vietnam law, land under management and socialist reform policies enacted in 1991 cannot be claimed. This law has generated more than 200 land disputes in Vietnam. The recent protests have been the most publicized.

The Vietnamese government criticized the area’s Thai Ha parishioners for instigating “public dissidence” in Hanoi.  In order to avoid more public outcry, Vietnamese authorities attempted to appease protesters by converting the land into a National Park and a public library for the “interest of the people.” However, many Catholics still view the disputed land as sacred and the protests continue.

For more information, please see:

AP – Vietnam Denies Use of Stun Gun to Break Protests – 29 August 2008

BBC – Vietnam Warns Priests Over Land – 23 September 2008

BBC – Prayers and Protest in Vietnam – 2 September 2008