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CHRISTMAS CRACKDOWN IN VIETNAM - 2002:
POLICE ARREST MONTAGNARD CHRISTIANS
01
January,2003:
The Vietnamese government continues repression in the Central
Highlands against the Montagnard Degar people. Christians are
routinely rounded up and tortured - therefore this year’s Christmas
celebrations were cancelled by the Montagnard Foundation as Vietnam
authorities have threatened to arrest, fine, and kill Montagnard
Christians who celebrate Christmas. The Montagnard Foundation further
confirms:
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The article written in the New York Times “Vietnam
Jails 8 From Hill Tribe Group- Had Tried to Reach Cambodia” on
December 28, 2002 by Seth Mydams is true and that hundreds of
Christian Montagnards have been jailed, tortured with electric prods
and some Montagnards executed by lethal injection.
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The report
written by Amnesty International on 18 December 2002 titled “The
Vietnamese Montagnard Minority in Urgent Need of Protection”
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/ ASA410112002
(AI-index: ASA 41/012/2002) is true and that the Cambodian Border
has been cordoned off by regiments of soldiers to prevent refugees
from fleeing to UNHCR camps where they can tell the world of the
brutality inside Vietnam.
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The Montagnard
Foundation also advises that Vietnamese security forces, police and
military have increased repressive tactics against Montagnard
Christians and are now specifically hunting down Montagnards with
mobile phones to prevent word of atrocities getting out. If found
with mobile phones – our people are arrested, beaten and hauled away
to prison.
We have confirmed however, the following
arrests which occurred in the middle of the night against Montagnard
Christians who conducted private prayer vigils during the night. On
23 December 2002 Vietnamese “Cong An” security forces entered the
village of Buan Mblot, district Krong Ana in Dak Lac Province. At
approximately 3 am they arrested four Montagnard Christians below and
haulded them away in handcuffs for the crime of praying and
celebrating Christmas.
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Y-Nol Adrong,
born in 1958.
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Y-Dhiam Buon Krong, born in 1934.
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H’Liem Nie,
born in 1960.
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Y-Tin Hdok,
born in 1960.
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Y-Klar Mlo,
born in 1958.
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Y-Krong Hdok,
born in 1964.
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Y-Blao Brong,
born in 1968.
We ask the international community to please help these people and
all of our race inside Vietnam’s central highlands who are suffering
under a regime of martial law and systematic persecution. We ask the
international community to please reconsider the granting of
unconditional aid to Vietnam. Unless Vietnam is held to account for
human rights abuses, the current Vietnamese government will not
respect human rights or international law.
For
more information, see
http://hrw.org/reports/2002/vietnam/
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