Police in Vietnam have reportedly been intimidating women and children in the parish of Lap Thach.

On Monday, police interrogated children in the parish, whilst one woman cleaning the parish cemetery was arrested, according to AsiaNews.

Around 40 police officers went to suppress a rally at the parish, staged to mark Women’s Day. Following the incident, priests and parishioners have protested against the actions of the authorities.

Police have recently begun interrogating members of the 2,500 strong parish, especially women, who have reportedly been issued letters of summons in a bid to scare them. So far none of the women have answered the summons of the police.

As a result police are regularly going to Nghi Thach Junior High School and are asking professors to interrogate the children.

One student said, "I don't know anything about this business with the adults… but the police and the school haven't stopped their interrogations. They continue to seek information from the children. Nguyen, who teaches at the school and is the head of the Young People's Union, has told the Catholic students that they cannot go to school if they do not answer the questions of the police," reports AsiaNews.

The children are reported to be in a state of fear, whilst some Catholic children have been prevented from going to school due to the police investigations.

Priests in the parish of Lap Thach have written a petition to government offices defending the rights of Christians, especially the rights and dignity of women and children.