VIETNAM’S
MISREPRESENTATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS & SLANDEROUS CONTEMPT FOR THE
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVITIES OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY
MFI
Press Release 15-08-2002 During
the 54th session of the Geneva Sub-Commission on Human Rights, the
delegation of Hanoi stated its conviction that the United Nations
“should not be abused to disseminate slanderous and irresponsible
fabrications such as the statement made by the NGO – Transnational
Radical Party” as it does not “reflect objectively what is going on in
Vietnam”.
The Montagnard Foundation rejects Vietnam’s lies and offers full
Support to the TRP
The Montagnard Foundation who represents the Indigenous Montagnard (Degar)
peoples of Vietnam’s Central Highlands (and who has regular contact
throughout the indigenous community inside Vietnam) hereby rejects the
Vietnamese delegation’s comments and offers its full support to the
Transnational Radical Party for its humanitarian efforts in assisting
our people who currently suffer under the Hanoi regime.
The
Montagnard Foundation hereby declares: · The Vietnamese delegation has
blatantly lied and misrepresented its repressive policies and
practices towards our indigenous peoples to the 54th Geneva
Sub-Commission on Human Rights. · Further the Vietnamese government
has slandered the humanitarian efforts of the Transnational Radical
Party in a manner that amounts to extraordinary efforts to suppress
the truth concerning the systematic persecution of our people inside
the central highlands of Vietnam. · In 2002 the Vietnamese Government
is continuing the persecution of our peoples in the central highlands
by maintaining martial law which began in February 2001 by occupying
our villages with security forces who routinely arrest and torture our
Christian peoples and human rights defenders. · The Vietnamese
government has reinforced the Cambodian border with thousands of
soldiers preventing our Christian refugees from escaping the security
forces who brutalize our population. · In its July 2002 session, the
UN Human Rights Committee in its final observations, issued a long
list of concerns and complaints that clearly identify the lack of
human rights and non-compliance with international standards in the
domain of civil and political rights in Vietnam. Further “the
Committee remains concerned at the abundance of information regarding
the treatment of the Degar (Montagnard) indicating serious violations
of article 7 and 27 of the Covenant. The Committee is concerned at the
lack of specific information concerning indigenous peoples, especially
the Degar (Montagnard), and about measures taken to ensure that their
rights under article 27 to enjoy their cultural traditions, including
their religion and language, as well as their agricultural activities,
are respected”. · In the year 2002 our people continually suffer
having had their ancestral lands confiscated and having been forced
from our ancestral villages. Condemned to poverty our children suffer
the worst rates of malnutrition in Vietnam. · The Vietnamese
government has targeted our Christian pastors and tribal leaders by
putting them in prison for terms of up to 12 years. · The Vietnamese
government has tortured hundreds of our people with beatings and
electric shock torture. Many of our people have disappeared after
being arrested, never to be seen again. · The Vietnamese government
has burned Churches, confiscated hymn books and bibles and forced
Montagnard Christians to renounce their Christian beliefs. · The
Vietnamese government has offered bounties to Cambodian authorities
for the capture of our refugees who flee Vietnam.
The Montagnard Foundation takes special note of the
April 2002 report by Human Rights Watch, tilted “Repression of
Montagnards. In the opening Press release of 23 April 2002 Human
Rights Watch stated:
“The
Montagnards have been repressed for decades. This has got to stop.”
Further
the Montagnard Foundation takes note of the recent recommendations by
the UN Human Rights Committee, which urged the Government of Vietnam
to “take immediate measures to ensure that the rights of members of
indigenous communities are respected. Non-governmental organizations
and other human rights monitors should be granted access to the
central highlands”.
Given the
fact the Central Highlands remains under restricted control of the
Vietnamese military and security forces, it becomes clear that Vietnam
is doing everything necessary to hide its human rights violations from
the international community, including - lying to the Human Rights
Committee and prohibiting international monitors from access to the
central highlands region.
As
President of the Montagnard Foundation and a devout Christian I
testify to the continuing repression of my people and the sincerity of
the Transnational Radical Party. But not without great pain. For last
year in May 2001, Vietnamese security forces tortured my 80 year old
mother and broke her ribs. In April 2002 my niece was raped trying to
flee Vietnam.
For all of my people – everyday single day - my heart
cries out to them.
Montagnard Foundation: August 2002 |
