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Warnings: Illegal activities of Duong Van Minh faith’s organization(Part I)

2/5/17

Superstitious birth

As a responsible member of the United Nations and many human rights organizations under the UN, the Party and State of Vietnam always respect people’s rights of speech, express, religious freedom. Last year, Vietnam issued the Law on Belief and Religion to promote the religious freedom rights. Unfortunately, some hostile elements have abused these rights to undermine the national security and the ruling of the State. The Dương Văn Mình (Duong Van Minh) faith or belief, it self-claims as a religion, is one of this such kinds.

Who is Duong Van Minh? Duong Van Minh, an Hmong, was born in 1961 in Cao Bang and initially lived in Cao Bang. Later, he moved to Ngoi Sen Hamlet, Yen Lam Village, Ham Yen District, Tuyen Quang Province. In 1989, Duong Van Minh suddenly told his wife that he was God's youngest son and God had sent him to instruct mankind for 3 months. God told him that the Hmong worship of spirits had come to an end and shamans were no longer needed. In 1990, Minh had a gate erected and a signpost showing a cross and stars. Later, he had a building erected, with a cross on the roof, and invited Hmong people to join him in prayers to God. Many Hmongs who advocate for the Duong Van Minh faith in Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang said that they do not know if the Duong Van Minh faith is a religion or not. However, according to the law, the Duong Van Minh faith is not eligible for registration and for conducting religious activities. Therefore, Duong Van Minh organization is not recognized as a legitimate religious organization. And, because it lacks official permission, in any countries this is obviously viewed as "illegal".

For his philosophy, Duong Van Minh is actually a follower of the Vàng Chứ faith which is an Hmong variant of the Evangelical religions. To know more about Vàng Chứ, the article will provide you history and background of Hmong’s religious life. Aside from ancestor worship, the Hmong believe in several gods and spirits, e.g., the local god of the soil, the god protecting each village, the spirits of trees and stones, etc. In the late 1980s, after they listened to evangelical programs broadcast from abroad, numerous Hmongs converting to Protestants, a religion that the United States has used to boost a goal of a peaceful evolution aiming to overthrow of the Communist government in Vietnam. At that time, the Hmong's Vàng Chứ (the King appears) faith was born as a movement for the re-establishment of an independent Hmong State by the Hmong minority, which would include those living in China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

Vàng Chứ is practised illegally. The practitioners do not follow the dogma and rules of Evangelism and do not observe the baptismal rituals and do not have pastors. The areas of their operation are not approved by the local government. During their operation, "Vàng Chứ" stir splits among ethnic groups and encourage ethnic minorities not to fulfil their citizen's obligations. They have upheld the use of force to establish another fatherland. They also use some superstitions to frighten and deceive the ethnic minorities whose educational standard remains very low. It has become highly a politicized reactionary organization.

According to them, if you follow America you get help, the Soviet Union has collapsed, socialism is about finished – follow the Party and the Revolution and you will always be poor. Only by following the Lord can you escape your poverty. The highland peoples need their own land and need to establish their own country and resist the invasion of the Vietnamese, and so on. They even spread superstition, and scare people with stories about the end of the world, use force and threats to coerce people to follow these religions. Because of this, the development of these religions in the minority areas seems exploitative and takes on the appearance of political opposition and is fraught with the danger of causing social unrest, dividing the peoples, and alienating them far from our regime. The minority peoples, for a whole variety of reasons, have followed these religions and don’t understand the poisonous plot of the evil gang./. (to be continued)

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