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Date Posted: 22:44:30 06/10/04 Thu
Author: Viet-Christian
Subject: Pastor of Mennonite church was arrested in Vietnam today...

Pastor of banned Mennonite church arrested in Ho Chi Minh City
AP - Thursday June 10, 6:55 PM

A pastor of a banned Mennonite church was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City this week for performing "acts against authorities," an official said Thursday.

Nguyen Hong Quang, vice president of the Vietnamese Mennonite Church, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly obstructing officials from carrying out their duties, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said.

He would not elaborate on the charges, saying only that Quang was arrested for his "acts against authorities, completely. Not for any religious reason."

No other details were available.

Quang, a lawyer, has been a vocal advocate for religious freedom and was involved in an incident at the Southeast Asian Games in December in which several followers were detained for passing out Christian fliers. It wasn't immediately clear whether he was also taken into custody.

Vietnam recognizes only a handful of state-sponsored religions and has clashed many times with Buddhist and Christian groups that have refused to merge. The government maintains that no one is persecuted for their beliefs and that freedom of religion is guaranteed to all.

Vietnam's record on religious freedom has been sharply criticized by the U.S. State Department and the European Union, along with international rights groups.

Mennonites, whose members are pacifists and adopt a simple lifestyle, were active in campaigns against the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975 with a Communist victory over the U.S.-supported government of South Vietnam.

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