Vietnam 2011 -- the killing just goes on and on! :(

From the Jesuits' magazine America.

Monday, May 23, 2011.

"SIGNS OF THE TIMES:

"Vietnam -- Dozens Reported Killed In Hmong Protest"


"Dozens of Christian and animist members of Hmong communities in Vietnam near the border with Laos have been reported killed by Vietnamese police and military.

"Hundreds of people are missing, according to sources inside Vietnam; many escaped into the bush fleeing from attack helicopters.

"A clampdown on Montagnard and Hmong Christians by the government of Vietnam has been accelerating in recent weeks, building up to an outbreak of violence during the first week of May after a rare, large - scale protest for land rights and religious freedom by Hmong..."


Communist spokeswoman blames it all on a sort of Vietnamese tribal version of the old Native American Ghost Dance movement, huh??!!


"A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, Nguyen Phuong Nga, said that conditions in Dien Bien, where apparently thousands of Hmong had gathered in protest, had stabilized.

"She said that Hmong from Muong Nhe district began gathering on May 1 after hearing a rumor that a supernatural force would appear to bring the people to the promised land, where they would find health, happiness and wealth.

"Nga said, Taking advantage of the situation, the sabotage forces stimulated people to call for independent state, causing public disorder in the district.

"But sources close to the Hmong community say the conflict has less to do with the supernatural and more to do with land grabs by Vietnamese officials and growing demands by the Hmong for religious freedom.

"According to osurces inside Vietnam, Hmong demonstrators were broken up on May 3 by forces from both Laos and Vietnam and that elements of the Vietnam People's Army opened fire on demonstrators ..."