The public awaits the law to expose the true face of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuc.

(Baonghean.vn) - Father Thuc and several other individuals have seriously violated the provisions of the Constitution and laws on complaints and denunciations; they have failed to fulfill their civic duties.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

Nearly a year after the environmental pollution incident in the coastal areas of several central provinces, thanks to the decisive direction of the Government, central ministries and agencies, the efforts of local Party committees and authorities, and the support of all sectors of the population, the people of the central provinces have been compensated for damages according to Decision 1880/QD-CP dated October 29, 2016, of the Prime Minister. Their lives have stabilized, and fishermen have resumed fishing, contributing to economic development and firmly protecting the sacred sovereignty of the nation's seas and islands.

People in Ha Tinh receive compensation for the Formosa environmental disaster.

In Nghe An, Party committees and authorities at all levels have gone down to each locality, met with each citizen to listen to their thoughts and aspirations, and made recommendations to the National Assembly and the Government to support those indirectly affected by the environmental pollution incident. They have also established mechanisms and policies to encourage people to work and produce with peace of mind, and guided those who suffered losses to petition relevant agencies to protect their legitimate rights in accordance with the law.

The leaders of Nghe An province went to the scene to explain the environmental incident to those who were filing complaints.

Observers have noted that the vast majority of priests, religious leaders, and parishioners in Nghe An province agree with and support the government's and local authorities' handling of the situation. However, a few extremist priests, supported and encouraged by reactionary and anti-government elements both domestically and internationally, are thoroughly exploiting this issue, using religious authority, doctrine, and faith to repeatedly incite parishioners to march and protest, even going to Ky Anh town in Ha Tinh province, causing instability in public order and security, directly affecting the lives, work, and production of the people and parishioners, and the economic and social development of the province.

These actions constituted serious violations of the law, contradicted the positive results and efforts of the Party committee and government, went against the direction and activities of the Catholic Church in Vietnam, and were contrary to the responsibilities and duties of some priests as religious leaders.

The Catholic Church needs to condemn and take appropriate action in accordance with doctrine and canon law, while also coordinating with the authorities to handle the matter according to regulations and ensure strictness and equality before the law. Only then can we prevent a few priests and religious figures from abusing their responsibilities and authority entrusted to them by the Catholic Church, exploiting the religious beliefs of the faithful, deliberately misrepresenting the true nature of events, and extolling the serious wrongdoings of Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc and other reactionary and extremist individuals.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuc led a group of protesters walking in the middle of the car lane on National Highway 1A on February 14, 2017.

Such false narratives not only divide national unity and contradict the Party's principles and the State's policies and laws on religion, but also negatively impact diplomatic relations between the Vietnamese State and the Vatican. The actions of such a priest fail to fulfill his duty to guide parishioners to "live virtuous lives," "respect God and love the country," and "live the Gospel within the nation," thus failing to live up to the trust and expectations of the people and the religious community.

From the events of February 14, 2016, when Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc, parish priest of Song Ngoc, Quynh Luu, with the support and encouragement of reactionary elements both domestically and internationally, incited, coerced, and organized a number of parishioners from Song Ngoc parish to march into Ky Anh town, Ha Tinh province, we can see the objective reality and nature of the issue as follows:

First,Vietnamese law recognizes that all citizens have the right to file complaints and denunciations with competent agencies, organizations, and individuals regarding illegal actions. However, rights are always linked to obligations.

Article 15 of the 2013 Constitution stipulates that "Citizens' rights are inseparable from their duties; citizens must be responsible to the State and society; the exercise of human rights and citizens' rights must not infringe upon national interests, the interests of the nation, or the legitimate rights and interests of others."

Specifically, Clause 7, Article 6 of the Law on Complaints and Denunciations prohibits acts of "inciting, instigating, coercing, enticing, bribing, or luring others to gather to file complaints or disrupt public order and security."

Judging from the way Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incited and organized parishioners to file lawsuits in large numbers, carrying banners and slogans, shouting, and forming groups of three or four people on the national highway, and Father Thuc himself stopping his car in the middle of the road, obstructing and causing traffic congestion on National Highway 1A… it can be affirmed that Father Thuc and some other individuals have seriously violated the provisions of the Constitution and laws on complaints and denunciations; and have failed to fulfill their civic duties.

People protesting caused disorder and obstructed traffic on National Highway 1A in the Dien Hong section (Dien Chau) on February 14, 2017.

Secondly,The protests by Father Thuc and his parishioners are part of a conspiracy by hostile forces and reactionary elements, especially the Viet Tan terrorist organization, to undermine the Party and the State, sow discord among the people, and create complications for security and order in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces.

This is not the first time a priest in the Vinh Diocese has incited parishioners to march to Ky Anh town in Ha Tinh province to file a complaint. Previously, at the end of September 2016, under the direction of Father Dang Huu Nam, parish priest of Phu Yen, Quynh Luu district, a number of parishioners marched to Ky Anh town to file a complaint against Formosa Ha Tinh Hung Nghiep Steel Company Limited.

The People's Court of Ky Anh town guided the lawsuit filing procedures in accordance with the law and returned the application because it did not meet the legal requirements stipulated in Articles 189 and 192 of the 2015 Civil Procedure Code.

Through the case of Father Nam, Father Thuc understood that organizing large-scale protests was not in accordance with the law. However, the real reason was not for the legitimate rights of the parishioners, but to carry out a conspiracy to disrupt public order and security, and to gain material benefits from reactionary organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally.

Therefore, during the process of organizing the parishioners to march into Ky Anh town, reactionary and anti-government elements appeared, filming, taking photos, and disseminating them on the Internet and reactionary websites to distort and misrepresent the situation, falsely accuse and defame the government and functional forces, and call for intervention and support from hostile and reactionary forces from outside.

Third,Despite the efforts of the Party Committee, government, functional agencies, and religious leaders and priests in the Vinh diocese to actively propagate, mobilize, and create conditions for Father Thuc to comply with the law on complaints and denunciations, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of parishioners, Father Thuc and some reactionary and extremist elements proactively provoked, created pretexts for clashes, and used bricks and stones to attack law enforcement officers on duty, injuring many police officers and causing significant damage to property.

"How do police in different countries suppress violent protesters?"

Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc himself was unable to protect himself during the clashes that occurred when extremists attacked law enforcement officers, and he could not ensure the safety of his own parishioners.

In all countries around the world, to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and to uphold the rule of law, law enforcement agencies must take measures to suppress and disperse crowds, and arrest extremist individuals who infiltrate the congregation to incite unrest and disrupt public order.

Without the timely and decisive intervention of law enforcement agencies responsible for maintaining public order and preventing the extremist behavior of certain individuals, the consequences would have been unimaginable, the number of casualties would have been much higher, and the victims would have been none other than the naive and gullible citizens caught in the chaotic crowd.

The actions of those involved in the incident—obstructing public order, causing traffic congestion, and attacking law enforcement officers—have all the elements constituting the crimes of "Disrupting public order" and "Resisting public officials" as stipulated in Articles 245 and 257 of the 1999 Penal Code, and must be investigated and dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

Authorities, in coordination with religious leaders and officials, explained the situation to the people participating in the protest on February 14, 2017.

Fourth,In this incident, the media promptly reported the news in the most truthful, objective, and comprehensive manner possible, ensuring compliance with the Press Law. Many members of the public and parishioners who directly witnessed the event truthfully recorded the offensive images of parish priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc and the serious violations of the law by the extremists.

Through mass media and social networks, we see that the vast majority of people in general, and religious leaders, officials, and parishioners in particular, desire a peaceful and secure life, with guaranteed law and order, and agree with the need for strict punishment of those who violate the law.

Fifthly,Throughout the course of the incident, the Party Committee, government, agencies, departments, and mass organizations were ready to listen, acknowledge, and promptly address the legitimate needs and aspirations of the people. They directly propagated and encouraged people to appoint representatives to submit complaints in accordance with Article 60 of the Law on Complaints and Denunciations; they were ready to mobilize transportation to bring parishioners back to their localities and bring the representatives to submit the lawsuits at the People's Reception Board of the People's Committee for forwarding to the competent agencies and functions for consideration and resolution.

In particular, the Provincial Party Secretary, leaders of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and functional agencies at all levels directly engaged in dialogue at the scene of the incident, recorded the suggestions and addressed the legitimate needs and aspirations of the participating parishioners, and propagated and encouraged the parishioners to return to their localities and comply with the law.

Public opinion is awaiting strict legal action to deter those who lead, instigate, and incite unrest, thereby thwarting the hostile forces' plot to divide national unity.

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