BACKGROUND:
On April 10, 2004 tens of thousands of Christian Montagnards conducted peaceful
demonstrations inside Vietnam’s Central Highlands calling for an end to years
of persecution by the communist government. Vietnamese government security forces
brutally attacked the demonstrators and Human Rights Watch reported on 28 May
2004, that “Hundreds of demonstrators were wounded and many were killed on April
10 and 11 on key bridges and roadways leading into Buon Ma Thuot, the provincial
capital of Dak Lak, and in commune centers in Gia Lai and Lam Dong provinces.”
Vietnamese
authorities stage propaganda film
Sources
from inside Vietnam reported to us on July 9, 2004, the Vietnamese communist
government forced Montagnard Degar villagers of Buon Tul, district of Buon Don,
province of Daklak to come out of their houses so that they can make a movie
portraying the demonstration last April in order to show to the United Nations
and other members of the international community. During the filming on July
7, 2004, they forced the villagers to carry machetes, knives, spears, clubs
and many other crude weapons and then forced them to walk and shout like they
are demonstrating with violence against the government of Vietnam.
- They threatened to
kill anyone who refuses their order.
The government
used soldiers and police to force the villagers to pretend that they demonstrated
against the government in violent way in five districts of Cu Mgar, Buon Ho,
Buon Don and Dak Nong.
Montagnard
Degar people who have been arrested in July and June 2004
Beaten
and tortured: At around 5 AM on July 5, 2004 the Vietnamese paramilitary
police of Ia Grai district went to arrested Jol (30 years of age) and commenced
beating him from his own house in Ciom village, Ia To commune, Ia Grai district,
province of Gia Lai. The paramilitary police took Jol away and at this time
we do not know if he is still detained or has been killed.
Beaten
and Tortured: On July 5, 2004 at around 8 PM, the Vietnamese paramilitary
police of Ia Grai district arrested Wit (42 years of age) from his own house
in Ciom village, Ia To commune, district of Ia Grai, Gia Lai province. Wit was
severely beaten by the police until blood came from his ears and mouth. It is
unknown whether Wit is being detained or has been killed.
Beaten
and Tortured: At around 8 PM on July 4, 2004, the Vietnamese paramilitary
police of Ia Grai district arrested Hlit (44 years of age) also from his own
house in Hluh village, Ia To commune, district of Ia Grai, Gia Lai province.
Hlit was severely beaten and reported bleeding from his ears, nose and his mouth.
It is unknown whether he is still being detained or has been killed.
- At around 5 AM on July
2, 2004 the Vietnamese soldiers and paramilitary police surrounded, tortured
and arrested five of our Christian brothers who have been hiding in the
area of Ia Grai district. Their names are as follows:
- Num, (age 23 male
TRP# 59) from the village of Plei Tuoh Klah, commune of Go-Lar, district
of Dak Doa, province of Gia Lai.
- Yic, (age 42 male)
fro the village of Plei De Luk, commune of K’dang, district of Dak Doa,
province of Gia Lai.
- Ksor Hit, (age
unknown male) from the village of Plei K’te, commune of Ia To, district
of Ia Grai, province of Gia Lai.
- Unknown (name)
Montagnard: soldiers and police tortured him by beating, kicking and
electric shock until he passed out with blood coming from his mouth,
ears and noses. At the present time we don’t know if he is dead or alive
- Unknown (name)
Montagnard: soldiers and police tortured him by beating, kicking and
electric shock until he passed out with blood coming from his mouth,
ears and noses. At the present time we don’t know if he is dead or alive.
Arrested
and tortured: On July 10, 2004 the police chief Tran Huu Duc with other
two police went to arrest our Christian brother R’mah San (age 35 male TRP#
109) at his village of Buon Som “B”, district of Ia Hliao, province of Daklak.
They took him to the prison in the district of Ia Hliao and tortured him. At
the present time, his condition is unknown.
Beaten
and tortured: At around 7 PM on July 1, 2004 the Vietnamese paramilitary
police of Ia Grai district arrested Hiu (29 years of age) from his own house
in Hluh village, Ia To commune, district of Ia Grai, Gia Lai province. Hiu was
also severely beaten bleeding from his ears, nose and his mouth. It is unknown
whether Hiu is being detained or has been killed.
Two
Montagnards beaten and arrested: On July 1, 2004, two Montagnard villagers
Blin (25 years old) and Suom (27 years old)) from Nglom Thung village, commune
of Ia Pet, district of Dak Doa, province of Gia Lai. They were arrested in Del
village in Sui’s house by the district paramilitary police as they were traveling
to visit their cousins and families. They were severely beaten bleeding from
their mouth, ears, and nose. Then the three men (Blin, Suom, and Sui) were taken
away. His condition and his whereabouts are unknown.
Arrested:
On July 1, 2004, Ksor Tul, who was from Plei Breng I, the commune Ia Der, Gia
Lai province, was arrested in his own house by the district paramilitary police
and taken away. His whereabouts is unknown.
15
Montagnard Degar refugees arrested: On June 24, 2004, the Vietnamese
soldiers captured fifteen (15) Montagnard villagers in Tria village. The Montagnard
villagers were heading for Cambodia coming from Pleiku. Their names are:
- Puih Duok, from Khop
village, Ia To commune, Ia Grai district, province of Gia Lai.
- Gin, from Mit village,
B12 commune, Ia Grai district, province of Gia Lai.
- Hyit, from Krung village,
Ia To commune, Ia Gia district, province of Gia Lai.
- The names of the other
twelve (12) villagers are unknown. The location of all fifteen (15) of these
Montagnard villagers and whether they have been detained or killed is also
unknown.
THE
MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION CALLS ON:
- The United Nations
Organization and the Countries members of UN sub-committee of NGOs should
reject the allegations raised by the Vietnamese government, against Mr.
Kok Ksor, the Montagnard Foundation and the Transnational Radical Party
(an NGO with Consultative Status to the UN who allowed Mr. Kok Ksor to speak
on its behalf at the Commission on Human Rights); the Vietnamese Government
in fact, without any serious evidence accuses the Montagnard Foundation
of being a terrorist group, and for this reason would like to have the TRP
banned from attending the works of the UN. Special notice should be undertaken
to review how freedom of expression will be seriously undermined in the
UN if such grave allegations would prevail without any serious scrutiny
according to international standards of fair trial and the right to defence.
- The International community
and United Nations Organization takes immediate action to investigate these
specific crimes and to insist the Vietnamese government release our Montagnard
people held in prison for peaceful political activity, for practicing Christianity,
demanding fair treatment by the Government or for trying to flee to Cambodia
as refugees.
- The International community
and United Nations Organization takes immediate action in getting human
rights monitors access to the central highlands as recommended by the UN
Human Rights Committee of which Vietnam has continued to ignore. (July 2002
75th session Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations on Vietnam.
UN doc: CCPR/C/SR.2031).
- The International community
and United Nations Organization takes immediate action to ensure the UNHCR
is permitted to operate freely in Cambodia, that both Cambodia and Vietnam
abide by the Refugee Convention, (as recently identified by UN Special Envoy
Hon. Peter Leupretch) and that the bounties paid by Hanoi for our fleeing
refugees are immediately stopped.
- That international
donors and foreign governments seriously review how aid monies are used
in Vietnam in order to ensure Vietnam ceases human rights violations and
religious repression in Vietnam. (as reported by the Human Rights Watch
report of 2 December 2003 entitled “Vietnam: Donors Must Insist On Human
Rights Progress”).
UNLESS
URGENT INTERNATIONAL ACTION IS TAKEN MANY MORE MONTAGNARDS WILL SUFFER AND DIE
