CANCELLATION OF CHRISTMAS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF VIETNAM - DUE TO RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

Message to the persons of faith

Since February 2001 martial law has reigned in the central highlands of Vietnam where the indigenous (hill tribe) Degar Montagnards reside. Thousands of Degar Montagnards continue to suffer as the communist Vietnamese government tries to repress their faith: Christianity. This month - December 2002 - the Vietnamese government has mobilized more soldiers in the region to harass, to arrest and to prevent Montagnard Degar Christians from celebrating Christmas. Communist security forces have surrounded Degar villages forcing villagers from entering or leaving their villages as the Hanoi government demands we follow outdated communist ideology by rejecting Christian beliefs.

Fines, threats of execution

The communist authorities have publicly declared they will enforce fines of 100,000 VND (equivalent to $10 US dollars) dong to each Degar Montagnard if they are caught celebrating Christmas. Officials have threatened Degar with arrest, imprisonment and even execution. The Vietnamese Army has trained their machine guns towards Degar villages and broadcasted threats by megaphones that they will open fire if villagers dare celebrate Christmas in the open. Montagnards report artillery weapons being pointed at their villages in the Buonmathuot area. The Montagnard Foundation denounces the escalation of religious persecution in Vietnam.

On Wednesday 16 December on the occasion of: the coming Christmas festivities the Montagnard Foundation received a letter signed by by 7 Members of the European Parliament and prominent members of the Transnational Radical Party, containing a “fraternal request” not to provide “those who oppress and negate Degar human rights, with the opportunity to carry out new serious acts of violence, causing death and sufferance to your people, just like it happened on the occasion of the celebration of last year’s Christmas, when hundreds of Degar were arrested and forced to denounce (renege) in public their Christian faith, and to swallow pig and goat’s blood”.

The Montagnard Foundation wishes to thank the MEPs  that care about the faith and fate of the Degar people as well as the Transnational Radical Party for its action to bring freedom and democracy in Vietnam. After having taken into serious consideration that request, the Montagnard Foundation publicly announces the cancellation of Christmas Celebrations in the Central Highlands, where approximately 300,000 of Degar Protestant and Catholic believers will not celebrate our Lord Jesus’ Birthday in public this year.

World Wide Prayer for world freedom of religion

The Montagnard Foundation calls on people of goodwill to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in the Central Highlands so that our Almighty God will protect, comfort and strengthen their faith. We also pray that God will change the hatred in the hearts of the Vietnamese government officials into – having hearts of tolerance, love and kindness. We pray they will understand about the sufferings of our indigenous people who suffer under their inhuman treatment and policies of persecution. The Montagnard Foundation and its President Mr. Kok Ksor also call on the international community to urge the Regime of Hanoi to cease its religious persecution against all faiths.
 

For more information, see http://hrw.org/reports/2002/vietnam/