Lesson 3: Late Repentance
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-->>Episode 2: Insider's words
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TAccording to the assessment results of the authorities, the disability rate for the three police officers (Tran Van Nhung, Nguyen Quoc Nhan, Nguyen Van Tien) - who were beaten without reason and illegally detained on the evening of May 22, 2013 - is 20%. As for the family of Mr. Dau Van Son, Commander of the Nghi Phuong Commune Military Command, the total value of property damage caused by the extremist crowd amounted to nearly 100 million VND.
It is worth mentioning that the police officers who were beaten and illegally detained, and Mr. Dau Van Son - the person who was surrounded and had his property destroyed, had no conflict, and were no strangers to the two subjects Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai. According to Khoi, "I used to work for a few years in the Religious Committee, and I also drank with Mr. Nhung." As for Mr. Dau Van Son, his neighbor, Nguyen Van Hai, said, "My wife and children often go to Mr. Son's house to get medicine. Because Mr. Son is a pharmacist"...
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| Ngo Van Khoi (left) and Nguyen Van Hai |
In their conversation with us, Khoi and Hai always expressed their remorse and clearly recognized their illegal behavior. Ngo Van Khoi confided: "I am very sorry for my wrongdoings", and later when meeting Mr. Nhung, he would "ask you to forgive me for my wrongdoings". He also learned a lesson that "In the lives of people in the countryside who lack knowledge of the law, they often make mistakes. This is a lesson for myself as well as for my children and grandchildren, the consequences are very serious and I am very regretful". At the same time, he expressed his wish: "If the State grants me leniency, then I promise and consider it a warning to my relatives, neighbors and society that everyone must obey the laws of the State. Do not do anything that affects social order".
Finally, Ngo Van Khoi "told his wife and children not to do anything wrong in words or actions that violates the law". Not until now, but right after being arrested, Khoi also admitted to the investigation agency that his slogans "Break it, break it" had incited people to assault police officers and soldiers, and this subject also wrote in his self-confession: "What I did was against the law. If the law enforcement agency and the investigation agency allow me to be released on bail. I will comply with the law...", "I would like to tell my wife and children not to cause trouble. Do not put pressure on the government, do not listen to incitement"...
Nguyen Van Hai also admitted: “I saw that the act of shouting “Beat him to death” was wrong. Because I was the one who shouted and incited the people. Before, I did not think carefully, but now, I see that my prosecution and temporary detention for disturbing public order was completely correct. I hope the law will reduce the sentence and show me leniency.”
In a conversation with us, Nguyen Van Hai also affirmed: “I was prosecuted by the investigation agency for disturbing public order”, “I was right to be arrested”, “I see that my actions were very wrong”. Hai also expressed remorse for his illegal actions, especially with his neighbor Dau Van Son, who had lived in harmony for many years “when the lights went out, we helped each other”. Hai regretfully said: “I have asked my wife to apologize to Mr. Son’s family, we are all villagers, we should forgive each other…”. He also said: “I advised my family and relatives not to follow them and do the same, which would affect the law. Try to see both right and wrong. I wrote a note to advise my family twice”; and promised “I will change, never participate in such a foolish thing again”.
If only Khoi and Hai had realized this from the beginning, followed the good words and the right principles in the doctrine, and lived a good life, then all the unfortunate things like today would not have happened. The neighborly love, the solidarity of the people, the tradition of solidarity between the people of both religions and non-Christians would not have been cracked or damaged because of that. Their actions went against the principles, purposes, directions and teachings that the founder of Christianity had set forth, and moreover, they were serious violations of the law. Now they, and no one else, must take responsibility for their actions.
If you witness the Supreme People's Court's appeal trial of 8/14 defendants in the case of Ho Duc Hoa and his accomplices for the crime of overthrowing the people's government on May 23, 2013 in Vinh City, you will see how remorseful and regretful the defendants are. The tears of repentance, the sorrowful regret of the impulsive young people have forced many people to question the events that took place at Trai Gao shrine: Is praying to "cry out injustice" for the criminals just an excuse!? The words of repentance, tears of goodwill, and belated words of repentance of Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai will be a lesson for those who are ignorant, gullible, listen to the incitement and instigation of those with bad intentions, give themselves the right to stand outside the law, disregard discipline and the law of the country, and go against the interests of the nation and people. One thing must be clearly understood, no matter what religion one is a follower of, each person must remember that they are living in Vietnam, as a Vietnamese citizen, they must obviously obey Vietnamese law - that is something that does not need to be discussed or debated.
With full evidence, victim's statements, crime scene investigation records, witness confirmations, confessions, expressions of remorse and requests for leniency from the defendants, ... it can be affirmed that the entire proceedings from prosecution, investigation, temporary detention of Khoi and Hai by the Investigation Police Agency of Nghe An Province Police are in full compliance with the provisions of criminal procedure law. The two subjects Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai were prosecuted and the authorities will try them for the crime of "disturbing public order" on the evening of May 22, 2013, in accordance with the provisions of the law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
What is worth mentioning here is that like Khoi and Hai, the majority of My Yen parishioners are honest and gentle farmers, whose faith was exploited by those with bad intentions to divide the great national unity bloc. When they blindly followed the incitement and manipulation, they besieged, caused disturbances, destroyed citizens' property, beat and detained people illegally, attacked law enforcement officers... They forgot the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI: "A good Catholic must first of all be a good citizen" and the spirit of the 1980 General Letter of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council: "Efforts to build Catholic families in the spirit of the Gospel must simultaneously develop in you and your children the virtues of good citizens, especially the awareness of truth and justice, and the spirit of readiness to serve the interests of the Fatherland. Through such presence and active activities in life, you will glorify God and contribute effectively to the building of the country". They also forget that “religion is not separate from life”, no matter what religion, when operating in Vietnam, must be in accordance with Vietnamese customs and culture in the spirit of respect for the law. Religion itself or more correctly, religious doctrine always teaches each person to strive for truth, goodness and beauty, to strive for noble humanity, to guide people to cultivate their mind and accumulate virtue so that society becomes better and better, and people live with more love and kindness to each other.
The repentance of Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai, though late, is nonetheless an awakening of conscience. Because in the end, they realized that only by sincerely repenting, correcting their mistakes, and living in accordance with the Catholic Church's "good life and good religion" is the right path to meet "God in the hearts of the nation". Because as Archbishop Nguyen Van Binh once wrote: "Faith that does not contribute to building the world is dead faith".
The lesson learned from the belated repentance of Nguyen Van Hai and Ngo Van Khoi is that each citizen needs to equip himself with legal knowledge, believe in the guidelines, policies and strategies of the Party and State, and respect the government. Be alert and vigilant against provocative and enticing arguments aimed at dividing the solidarity between religions and non-religious people by those with bad intentions. To avoid causing unnecessary consequences and to never have to say the word “if only”…
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