Catholics in new protests in southern Vietnam

By Adrian Edwards
HANOI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - New protests involving hundreds of Catholics have been taking place in southern Vietnam's Dong Nai province, but a veil of official silence descended over the area on Thursday. Residents and others told Reuters that renewed protests had erupted earlier this week when protesters blocked an area of Vietnam's main north-south highway for the second time this month.

The number of protesters involved was not clear, nor was the precise cause of the new demonstrations. But the incident follows clashes in the area two weeks ago between thousands of Catholic protesters and riot police in some of the worst known unrest in southern Vietnam in years.

Several people were said to have been seriously injured and homes of local officials burnt down amid anger over the sale of church land by state authorities.

Hospital, police, local government and other officials declined all comment by phone on Thursday, but most indications were that the worst of the protests had passed.

Vietnam's government has maintained near silence over the protests. A bald foreign ministry statement issued on November 12 in response to queries by foreign journalists said simply that the troubles were linked to land and not religious issues.

It did not, however, explain why the local authorities asked a senior Catholic bishop to issue a statement earlier this month calling for calm.

Rural unrest has seldom been reported in Vietnam, in part because of restrictions on the flow of information, plus tight state controls over what the domestic media is allowed to report.

But this year has seen several serious incidents. Protests over corruption in northern Thai Binh province have been continuing for months.

Police in the area told Reuters earlier this week that more than 20 officers were taken captive by villagers in mid November, and were held for five days before being released.

Diplomats in Hanoi say the issue is a major concern for Vietnam's communist government whose traditional power base is the 80 percent of the 77 population which make up the rural peasantry.

Politburo members Pham The Duyet and Le Minh Huong have been despatched to some of the areas to assess the situation for themselves.

A permanent member of Hanoi's powerful Fatherland Front, Nguyen Tuc, is reported to have been sent recently to cool tempers in Dong Nai. The Fatherland Front is a social and political organisation which encompasses the ruling communist party.

Hanoi has responded to the problems by announcing policy steps aimed at improving rural livelihoods and increasing financial transparency in local government.

Communist Party Secretary General Do Muoi referred to the problem in comments to foreign reporters last week on the sidelines of the current National Assembly session, and said popular concern over corruption was to blame.

``I think the things that happened were normal,'' he said. ``Even between lovers sometimes there are quarrels. In a family brothers also have quarrels. So if such things happen in society it's normal.

``Even within ourselves we have conflicts. Do you have any problems with yourself?'' he said.