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Persecution of Christians (South-East Asia and China)

I am delighted to open this debate and serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Taylor. It is well known that I am third choice for this debate. The hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) originally secured the debate, but he is sadly either in or just out of hospital—our thoughts are with him. I know that my good friend the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) would also like to have led the debate, but he is busy acting on behalf of us Back Benchers in the main Chamber, so I will let him off on this occasion. I hope also that other Members will drop in, particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Reed). The issue is important: whether we are a Christian or follower of another religion or none, we should never lose sight of what is happening to Christians in other parts of the world. I thank my good friend Dr. Alan Hobson of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, with whom I have worked closely in raising a number of questions and in previous debates. I also pay due regard to John Prince of the Library, who has produced an excellent debate pack. I hope that, if people do not read the speech, they will at least look at the debate pack, which gives a good overview of what is happening in China and other parts of south-east Asia and which supplements what I will say today. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the issue. Hon. Members will be aware that there is a huge amount of persecution of Christians in many parts of the world. Of course, they are not alone in being subjugated, but I should like to concentrate on their plight. This follows on from a debate three years ago, which looked at the violence against Christian communities in Asia. We will look at part of Asia today, but it shows what is happening and what should not be happening. When we examine south-east Asia and China, we can find many examples of what is happening to Christians who bear the brunt of persecution for their views. I hope to show that there is action that we can take, and it is good to see my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade present to answer. Although I will spend most of my time talking about the issues, I hope that there will be actions linked to them. In the previous debate, my good friend the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) made the following observation:"““If a state will not respect the most intimate beliefs of individuals, it is far less likely to respect other personal rights. Religious liberty can be seen as a benchmark for how well human rights in general are flourishing.””—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 17 July 2002; Vol. 389, c. 95WH.]" That remains as true today as it was then, and it is worth reiterating. By standing up for the rights of persecuted religious groups, we also help to tackle other human rights abuses and promote a healthier respect for human rights across the world. South-east Asia and China are both areas of outstanding natural beauty, and they contain a rich and extraordinary history. There is much to commend the region, but unfortunately major human rights abuses are occurring in a number of the countries in it. Many of those human rights abuses deserve full debates in their own right, but it is important to be realistic about how much we can cover in this hour-and-a-half debate. I shall look at specific countries and specific abuses. Human rights abuses in China are widespread, and among the most prominent is the persecution of Christians. It is true that Christians in some parts of China fare better, or less badly, than those in other parts. Christians who belong to the state-controlled Protestant and Catholic Churches are tolerated to a much greater degree than those who follow other Christian religions. To achieve that tolerance, however, they must sacrifice some of their beliefs and activities. For many Christians, that is too high a price to pay. These Christians, of whom the most conservative estimate is that there are tens of millions, have decided that forming and running underground Churches is the best way to practise their faith while remaining true to the fundamentals of that faith. That decision should be their right under international law, but the reality is very different. I hope that the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) will allude to that if called to speak in the debate. Christians in Vietnam and Laos have long suffered systematic persecution at the hands of the Communist Governments there. Those authorities perceive Christianity as a threat partly because they see it as a foreign religion and partly because Christians tend to give their primary allegiance to God rather than the state. At the same time, however, Christians are very loyal members of those communities and good members of those states. A related factor is that those Governments tend to see all religion as a competitor with the communist ideology for the hearts and minds of their peoples. In the eyes of the dictators, politicians and officials who subscribe to that view, there should be only one winner—the state—so there is brutal repression of views that do not necessarily correspond to the mainline view. To be fair, I should point out that the situation in Laos has improved somewhat and the central Government there have a more relaxed attitude to Christianity than they used to have. However, local authorities in some parts of the country are still eager to persecute Christians. There are examples of persecution of Christians in other countries in the region. In Burma, there have been instances of Christians in the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups being forced by State Peace and Development Council troops to destroy their churches and build Buddhist temples instead. There are many causes of the persecution of ethnic minorities by the SPDC, but one subsidiary cause appears to relate to religion. In the Philippines, although religious freedom is widespread and established, Christians occasionally suffer at the hands of Islamist terrorist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. For example, in 2003 the MILF attacked a Christian town in M'lang in North Cotabato, killing five people. Even in Malaysia, which has a long record of religious tolerance, the Iban-language Bible was temporarily banned by the Government in 2003, and four Malays from Kelantan were imprisoned twice, in 1992 and 2000, for renouncing Islam. In Indonesia, more than 8,000 Christians were killed in violence at the hands of Islamists in parts of the country in the period from 1999 to 2003. I am pleased to note that the situation in Indonesia is now much improved. However, three Christian women have just been arrested on charges of Christianisation in west Java. More than 100 Mujaheddin militants have regularly attended the court hearings for their trial, freely shouting death threats in the court. These incidents are, of course, very worrying. Today, however, I shall focus on Vietnam. Official ideological opposition to religion in Vietnam remains systemic. The terminology and tone of Government documents and actions on religion show continued Government suspicion of religion in general and Christianity in particular and an assumption that religious people are unpatriotic. I know this from my own dealings with the regime in Vietnam. I was able, with Lord Chan, to go on a lobby—I think that that is a fair description of it, although some would see it as a bit more robust than that. We were outside the Vietnamese embassy. Representatives of the regime refused to meet us, but we indulged in some correspondence. I have the letter here, which I think it is fair to say roundly denounces us for our association with Christian Solidarity Worldwide and for raising certain issues with them—there was not much of a meeting of minds. Protestant leaders say that the Government plan to eradicate Christianity, frequently stressed by hard-line local officials, continues gradually but steadily. All villages and hamlets have a constant military and/or police presence, which is often used specifically against Christians. The following quote helps to show that. Rev. Tran Mai, general director of the Inter-Evangelistic Movement of Vietnam, says:"““I recommend those who travel to Vietnam and those who serve as diplomats should go to remote villages to see the sport of ‘eradicating religion' being played by the Communist Party of Vietnam. They could then see the security police and soldiers playing their special role of living among the citizens who believe in God, sleeping in the house of Christian citizens, spying on citizens who believe in God—how completely strange! In a country that is at peace already the army is still scattered through hamlets and villages. Why? Because of the [Christian] faith, because of Jesus Christ, that's why—because the government wants to obstruct and eliminate the [Christian] faith.””" There are many other reports that I could mention. In Vietnam, there are some awful cases of the most direct action against Christians. For example, bulldozers, tractors with ploughs, and saws and hammers have been used to destroy plantations that are owned by Christians. The Government prevent Christians in many parts of Vietnam from receiving international foreign aid for poverty alleviation and for disaster relief. There are examples of children being expelled from school because they are Christians. Anyone who is a Christian believer who buys land, or a house, or tries to cultivate a field, will have a hard time getting local officials to sign the papers. There are also regular and systematic attacks on house churches in Vietnam, as a result of which people are often denied personal ID cards and family residence papers, which means that they are very likely to suffer attack. The security police work constantly against those who profess the faith. There are many examples of house church leaders being put at significant risk because of what they have said and done. In the central highlands, from September 2002 to date, Government campaigns have forcibly disbanded many hundreds of local churches and have sought to force Christians to renounce their faith. Nearly 300 Christian leaders are known to have been arrested and incarcerated. At least 60 Protestant leaders, including eight regular pastors of local churches, languish in the infamous Ba Sao prison in Nam Ha province; all have been given long prison sentences. In Dak Lak, a province where travel is restricted for residents and visitors alike, the state recognises only four Christian groups, which meet in the homes of certain pastors. Christian leaders report that there are 439 meeting places in the province, but four out of 439 is less than 1 per cent. The pastors of the four groups supposedly recognised by the state are not even free to visit their own parishioners without getting official permission. Christian leaders in the province say that the vast majority of the approximately 150,000 Protestant Christians must now practise their faith underground. Worship, teaching, baptisms and the observance of holy communion must be done out of sight of the authorities. That situation is replicated in many other areas. In Dien Bien province, which is well known because of the 1962 battle that took place there, in which the French were roundly defeated, Pastor Thao Chu Gia reports that in December 2005, the local chief of police, the chairman of the commune and over a dozen police officers"““arrested us and tried to make us deny our faith and build a spirit altar, worship the spirits and drink liquor. We refused.””" He continued:"““After that the police summoned one family at a time and tried to make us deny our faith, and because we would not comply they swore at us and beat us many times. Because of the severe beatings five families agreed to deny Christianity, build a spirit altar and worship spirits.””" Police officers and district and provincial Government officials are spreading the word in Dien Bien province that they will completely eradicate Christianity from Vietnam. That situation is matched in Lai Chau province and Hai Phong city. I shall finish this point and then make some more general points about how Christians are treated in south-east Asia. I have asked a number of parliamentary questions about the subjugation of the Vietnamese Mennonite Church. The incidents have included summoning individual Mennonites to police stations where they are interrogated and attempts are made to force them to renounce their Christianity. A prominent Mennonite pastor, Pastor Quang, was arrested in June 2004 and the state-controlled media began a campaign of vilification against him. Le Thi Hong Lien was arrested with him; the torture and abuse that she suffered in prison led to her complete physical and mental breakdown and even then she was still beaten by police. Another Mennonite pastor, Nguyen Van Phuong, completed his one-year sentence on 3 March and was duly released from prison. He, too, issued a report about the abusive treatment he received in prison, detailing severe beatings, threats during interrogation and forced labour. All the reports say the same thing: that they are subject to enormous mistreatment because of their faith. We ask the Minister to talk to the authorities in Vietnam about the unacceptable treatment, and I hope he will respond to that request. Vietnam is party to the international covenant on civil and political rights—the ICCPR. Article 18, which closely mirrors the same article of the universal declaration on human rights, is especially relevant. It states:"““Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.””" We ask the Minister to raise the issue directly with the Vietnamese authorities to make it clear that there is documented evidence of mistreatment of people in their community trying to practise their religion, which the Vietnamese have signed up to, and of those who have been arrested as a result of their religion. We should be taking up such cases and telling the Vietnamese authorities that we know what is going on and that they must desist. In November 2004 Vietnam changed the ordinance regarding religious beliefs and religious organisations, which brought additional fears because the state is institutionalising some of the actions that it can take against Christians. We wish the Minister to take up with Vietnam the implications of that ordinance and the instructions based upon it. That is a concrete action that he can take. I have used Vietnam as a touchstone, an exemplar of what is happening to Christians in that part of the world. Other hon. Members will allude to Christians in other countries where there are serious problems. This is not just about people's ability and right to profess their faith, and in community with others to demonstrate that faith but also about human rights, the right that they should have to know that what they want to do they should be able to do, with support from the state but also with the knowledge that they will receive protection from those who clearly wish to try to eradicate their views. They should certainly not have to fear being attacked by the state. I am making these points not just because of my religious faith, which is important to me, but also because of my interest in human rights. This issue concerns human rights abuses and it should be as important as the abuses in Burma and Tibet. Those of us who are members of the two groups that campaign on these issues rightly take up what is happening with the authorities involved. When the Chinese or Burmese authorities make statements that try to justify what they are doing, we argue against them and say what is really going on. I should like the Minister to take up a vigorous stance now on behalf of the Government and consider in particular cases such as that of Pastor Quang, who was arrested and suffers daily subjugation in prison. We should see Vietnam for what it is. Our duty in this place is to make representations and try to get the regime to reform; it is desperately in need of that.