10 July 2003

For anyone who is interested:

Mr. Than Van Truong asked us to spread the story of his imprisonment across the world to request people to pray for him and his family. A VOM-Australia representative recently met the family of Br. Truong and gave them some help.

DISABLED VIETNAMESE EVANGELIST ARRESTED MAY 27, 2003

This is an account about an evangelist in Vietnam. His name is Than Van Truong, who was born in 1949 .Mr. Than Van Truong lives in Duong Duong hamlet, Suoi Tre village, Long Khanh district, Dong Nai province.

He was one of Uncle Ho’s army officers in Ha Bac province, North Vietnam, for 17 years. Br. Truong retired with 61% disability, unable to carry out normal work and duties, with the meagre pension of 170,000 VN/dong (about $US12).

He married Nguyen Thi Kim, who was born in 1955. In October 1973 she marched on the journey through the Truong Son (Long Mountain) Ranges to South Vietnam with the North Vietnamese Army Regiment 529, Division 559. On April 30, 1975 Kim entered Saigon with the North Vietnamese conquering army. In August 1976, Kim retired from the army with 41% disability due to jungle malaria during her active military service. She received neither compensation nor pension. She married Br. Truong in 1977.

Seventeen years after they married they could not survive. Even though they worked hard, they did not earn enough money to support their family. In 1994 this couple decided to move to Long Khanh district, Dong Nai province, South Vietnam.

They tried to do many jobs, but their life did not improve. In despair Truong came to the Lord and was baptised in June 1995. After that, he passionately read the Bible like a traveller in the desert finding an oasis. Soon, Kim also accepted the Lord.

This disabled couple began to pay dearly for their faith in Jesus.

Truong proclaims the Gospel anywhere he can.

From 9 am to 1.30 pm on 30th October 2001, Truong was interviewed by PA 38, the special religious department police of Dong Nai province. Three persons interrogated him. Thieu Minh Duc a police captain, who graduated from a university, one police major and one lieutenant-colonel of the police. With polite answers, slowly he explained what he believes and the motivation why he should proclaim the Gospel. They released him after that.

On 18 December 2001, the chief of Suoi Tre village police, whose name is Phi Manh Pho called him and interrogated him all day.

Truong has continued to learn and share the Gospel. This is to help him to live a meaningful life. He wrote many valuable testimonies about the way of salvation which he sent to the Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party, Prime Minister and many persons of high position in the Vietnam Government.

At 8.20 am of 27th May 2003 about 10 police and special officers entered his house. There were two Dong Nai province police, named Thanh and Ly, and Mr Pho who is the chief of the village police. Some of them took photos and made video recordings. After a few hours of searching, they took everything Truong has written, and took him to Dong Nai police prison in handcuffs.

Until now, many times his wife Kim has come to the prison, asking them to allow her to see Truong, but the police said this is not the right time for you to see him.

Please pray for Truong during his time in prison, that he will be faithful to the Lord. Pray for Kim so she can handle her family, with two girls who are students.

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