BACKGROUND: Last Easter 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 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”. Now, prior to Christmas the Vietnamese government intensifies repression to prevent Christmas celebrations.

 

Recently the Vietnamese government has sent more soldiers and security police into the Central Highlands in order to harass and restrict the villagers’ movement with the intention to halt upcoming Christmas celebrations.

The Vietnamese government has also offered a bounty of 400,000 (Vietnamese dong) to any Vietnamese or Montagnard paramilitary police who can arrest Degar Christians leaders. Subsequently we have received the following report where three paramilitary district police joined with three military police from the communal village of Ia Ko who voluntarily accepted the mission to arrest Degar Christians in the area. The details of the Vietnamese military police are as follows:

These two Vietnamese and four Montagnard paramilitary police cited above conducted the arrest and torture of our Christian brothers listed below:

1. Siu Tan, 50 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church at Plei Hra and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking

2. Kpuih Plen, 30 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Go and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking.

3. Kpuih Cur, 31 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Go and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking.

4. Kpuih Phe, 41 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Se and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se where they severely tortured him by beating and kicking until he passed out. Blood coming out of his ears, nose and mouth and then they hung him upside down by his feet and used a bundle of grass to burn his body. Kpuih Phe is currently imprisoned at the prison facility of T-20 in Pleiku.

5. Kpuih Kre, 43 years old from the village of Plei Sur-A, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church Plei Sur-A, and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beating and kicking.

6. Rmah Anen, 29 years old from the village of Plei Per, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a Christian Youth leader of a house church in the district, and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured and beaten. His parents and relatives were not allowed to visit him or bring food to him.

7. Rmah Amot, 32 years old from the village of Plei Per, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church at Plei Per and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being severely tortured by beatings and kicking. His parents and relatives are not allowed to visit him or bring food to him.

8. Nuai, (DOB unknown) from the village of Plei Sur, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church at Plei Sur and he refused to join the “government approved” Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being severely tortured.

9. On October 20, 2004 at around 5:10 PM, the Vietnamese paramilitary police abducted two of our Christian brothers on their way back to their village from work. Hlu and Tam are both age 24 and they are from the village of Plei Dup, commune of Ha Bau, district of Dak Doa, province of Gialai. While they were returning to their village after work on a motorcycle Honda-67, the Vietnamese paramilitary police stopped them between Plei Ia Mut and Plei Dup villages and arrested them. It is unknown what the police have done to them and their parents and relatives are worried about their well being or that they might have been murdered.

Without the presence of the international community, the safety of the Degar people is at stake.

Our Christian brothers and sisters in the Central Highlands have been arrested all over the Central Highlands, not only in the province of Gialai but in the other three provinces. The Vietnamese authorities have however, sealed the region off from journalists and restricted contact with our people and it is thus difficult to get a full account of the repression. This year however, the Degar Christians will not be able to celebrate Christmas.

 

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION CALLS ON:

 

UNLESS URGENT INTERNATIONAL ACTION IS TAKEN MANY MORE MONTAGNARDS WILL SUFFER AND DIE