VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST POLICE ATTEMPTED TO MURDER MINISTER NGUYEN HONG QUANG IN SAIGON, VIETNAM

Minister Nguyen Hong Quang, Vice President of Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Saigon, Vietnam and Minister Pham Dinh Nhan, President of Association of Vietnamese Christian Communication visited Mrs. JEAN M. GERAN, member of the United States Consulate-General in Saigon, Vietnam (Department of Labor Relations and Human Rights for foreigners in Asia) to discuss issues of religious freedom in Vietnam.

At 21:00PM when Minister Nguyen Hong Quang left Minister Tran Mai's residence at 28 Ho Tung Mau, First District, Saigon , so many Vietnamese plain-clothes police and security officers attempted to murder him. One plain clothes police wearing blue shirt riding on his very big powerful mmotorcycle ran straight over Minister Quang's small motorcycle at inter section of Ho Tung Mau and Ham Nghi streets in First District, Saigon .

Then, many other police armed with rifles, pistols and electric rods fiercely attacked him. Police attacked and subdued Minister Assistant Pham Ngoc Thach, who was transporting Minister Quang on his small motorcycle. Police used electric rods and pistols to strike right on Minister Assistant Pham Ngoc Thach's head. Minister Quang successfully escaped the police's surrounded circle and ran on his feet to Minister Tran Mai's residence, which are about 300 meters away from police attacking zone, to hide himself.

Minister Quang made urgent phone calls to other Ministers of the Association of Christian Communication to urgently inform the attempted murder on him. Minister Assistant Pham Ngoc Thach was taken by police into police custody at Nguyen Thai Binh Precinct, First District for interrogation. He was reportedly badly tortured by the police.

Minister Nguyen Hong Quang, 16 Minister Assistants and staff o f the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Saigon have been being under their hunger strikes and prayer sessions at Nguyen Thai Binh Police Station in Saigon to protest the arrest of Minister Assistant Pham Ngoc Thach. Minister Assistant Truong Tri Hien also has started his hunger strike since 23:30PM on December 9, 2003 .

Minister Tran Mai and Minister Le Quang Son have been missing after the police attack. We do not know their current whereabouts under police custody. Our Churches have been extremely concerned and been praying hard for our Religious Leaders' safe returns.