On October 24, border security at Tan Son Nhat International Airport stopped Catholic priest Truong Hoang Vu, a member of the Redemptorist Order of Can Gio (Saigon Archdiocese) from leaving the country when he was on his way to the United States.
Father Truong Hoang Vu planned to take the Saigon-Manila flight at 8:45 am when he was detained by security “for reasons of social order and safety” specified in Article 36 of the Immigration Law 2019.
The priest told a Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporter by phone:
“I went to the United States for work, and my exit was suspended. The reason is social order and safety according to the provisions of Article 36 of Law cođe 49/2019/QH on cases of temporary suspension of exit.”
In the minutes made by Tan Son Nhat border gate security on the same day, the priest was asked to contact the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department to resolve all issues related to his travel ban.
However, the 45-year-old priest said he did not intend to work with the police because it was “a waste of time.”
Father Truong Hoang Vu has been in charge of the program “Gratifying war invalids of the Republic of Vietnam Army” of Can Gio Redemptorist Church since this church received and implemented this program from the Ky Dong Redemptorist Church also in HCM City four years ago.
He said that every year from December to March next year, the program gives spring gifts to about 6,000 war invalids of the Republic of Vietnam Army from Quang Tri to Ca Mau. The main purpose of his trip to the United States was to find funding for the program, he told RFA.
According to Father Le Ngoc Thanh of the Redemptorist Order of Long Xuyen, the temporary suspension of departure for Father Truong Hoang Vu may be related to the election of the Council of the Redemptorist Churches in this week’s session.
He told RFA on Monday:
“The main problem is that they try their to influence the 2022 Redemptorist meeting that starts tomorrow. During this session, a new Council will be elected for the term from 2023.
They do this so that the delegates can see that it is necessary to choose a leader who has a harmonious and gentle attitude towards the exalted policies of the state.”
According to priest Le Ngoc Thanh, Father Truong Hoang Vu does not hold any position in the Council, but the police still cause difficulties “to scare” others.
Father Truong Hoang Vu is one of six priests banned from leaving the country in recent years. The others are priest Le Xuan Loc and priest Nguyen Ngoc Nam Phong of Ky Dong Church, priest Dinh Huu Thoai of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Diocese, priest Le Ngoc Thanh of Long Xuyen Diocese, and priest Pham Trung Thanh, former head of the Redemptorist Order.
The reason for not allowing them to leave the country, given by the Vietnamese security side, is because of national security or social order and safety.
Particularly, priest Le Ngoc Thanh had his passport confiscated by the Ho Chi Minh City police in 2015 and he has not yet been given his passport back.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
