Women monks feel 'unsafe' after 2 Vietnamese Buddhist temples ransacked on same day in SW Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department said it will be ramping up patrols on the southwest side of town after two Vietnamese Buddhist temples were ransacked and burglarized within hours of each other over the weekend. The break-ins raise safety concerns, both in the community and for the female monks who live there.

Nguyen Dat Thich supervises the Huong Nghiem Temple on Synott Road, which is home to five female monks. He said they returned from a funeral at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday to find doors kicked in and their bedrooms ransacked, all while the outside gate was locked and several cars were parking in the driveway.

Thich told ABC13 the intruders climbed through their neighbor's broken gate and stole hundreds of dollars in cash from their property.

"You could see footprints on the doors from them kicking the doors in. They tossed through everything. Beds, tables, clothing. It looked like a war zone," Thich said in Vietnamese. "When the female monks returned, they felt startled. They couldn't even come inside. They were fearful. They cried and screamed. They couldn't even sleep at night. They were so scared. They're worried about what they would do if someone came back and they were by themselves."

Just 3.5 miles away on Pompano Lane, four bedrooms in Cam Lo Temple's secondary building were also hit around the same time in a similar fashion, all while their Sunday worship service was taking place next door.

Thu Nguyen, the only person who lives on-site, said this is the second time they've been targeted in two months. The suspects from the first incident on Nov. 8 stole their surveillance cameras and some cash.

This time, Nguyen said the alleged burglars climbed through the windows and took off with their cash donation boxes.

"For this to happen twice in two months, that makes me feel unsafe. Unsafe for me and unsafe for my neighbors," Nguyen said in Vietnamese. "I don't even dare to leave anymore, because I'll say, 'I'm only leaving for 30 mins.' But this happened."

Members at both temples now also have to foot the bill to fix damaged doors, locks, and windows, before they can think about purchasing surveillance cameras or alarm systems. They don't have immediate funds for repairs, as the monks rely on fundraisers and donations from the community to sustain their operations.

HPD said the similarities in both cases do cause concern for officers and the community. Commander Reece Hardy from the Westside Division told ABC13 that, at this time, they don't have any reason to believe these may be hate crimes. But they'll be increasing patrols in the area to help with safety and security.

"We're always sensitive to those religious institutions. We want to make sure that they feel safe, especially out here in Westside," Hardy said. "We have a small investigative team that works directly here, and they're going to take the lead on this investigation."

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