Three church leaders and siblings, Hung*, Long*, and Viet*, belonging to the Hmong tribe, were arrested by the local police this week in central Vietnam. According to the authorities, the three believers allegedly stole rice from other families in the village, so they were arrested.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps this was the reason given by the police so they\u2019d have a valid reason to kick out the brothers from the community. It will be very difficult and sensitive to convict them if they say it\u2019s because of religious reasons,\u201d<\/em> said Isaac*, Open Doors local partner.<\/p>\n Although Hung, Long, and Viet were the only ones arrested by the local authorities, believer Phong*, who lives in the same area, has also been experiencing oppression because of his faith since May this year. All of them are the head of their families, which are 16 in total.<\/p>\n Isaac shared that in recent years their area has been a hotspot of persecution for Christians. \u201cAnyone who believes in God is beaten, their houses demolished, and they\u2019re kicked out of the village by the local authorities. The local authorities posted an announcement in their office that they don\u2019t allow villagers to have any religion other than Animism and Buddhism,\u201d<\/em> explains Isaac.<\/p>\n Therefore, when Hung, Long, Viet, Phong and their families became Christians and started worship meetings in their own homes, they started facing intense persecution from the local authorities and the people in their village.<\/p>\n In May, the four believers, who are their families representatives, were taken to the police station and forced to renounce their faith. They were told that if they didn\u2019t obey, their lands and animals would be taken away from them, and they\u2019d be kicked out of the village.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very sad. A few days ago, after these families harvested rice and corn from their farms, the local police and village chief came and confiscated their harvest. They also destroyed their shelters,” <\/em>shares Isaac.<\/p>\n The village chief and villagers didn\u2019t allow these families to buy or sell any of their produce. They announced to the whole village that anyone who met with the four families would be kicked out of the village. Along with confiscating their harvests and destroying their shelters, authorities also took away their livestock animals and didn\u2019t allow their children to return to school until now. All because they believe in God.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve suffered a lot. Previously, they were beaten, and their electricity and water source were cut off. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe village chief and other villagers also confiscated the tractors of the four families that were provided by the local government as an aid for poor farmers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n