Ca Van Liem
One of the largest mass suicides in modern history, which has been almost entirely forgotten
20th century
The cult of Ca Van Liem had one of the largest mass suicides in modern history. But tragically, they have been almost entirely forgotten. The following is all the information that we have been able to compile about this group:
Ca Van Liem was a blind, self-proclaimed prophet and king of Ta He, a village in Vietnam 300km northwest of Hanoi. He promised his impoverished, illiterate followers a speedy road to paradise if they gave him large cash donations. In October 1990, after receiving about 10,000 dollars, a significant sum for that region, Van Liem convinced 53 followers to kill each other using flintlock guns and other primitive weapons, promising that it would allow them to enter paradise quickly. He might have done this out of fear that he would be discovered to be a fraud. Ca Van Liem has never been caught and is still on the loose (source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4).
Religion: Other Religions
Founder: Ca Van Liem
Ended: October 1993
Size: 53
Location: Te He, Vietnam
Founder: Ca Van Liem
Ca Van Liem declared himself to be a prophet (source)
One book alleges that the mass suicide was actually a hoax to cover up a massacre at the hands of the Vietnamese Army. However, the book provides no source for this claim, no independent source has been found to verify this claim, and the book provides dates that contradict other sources (source p. 50).
53 members committed suicide in the belief that they would enter paradise (source)