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MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION
WELCOMES DOCUMENTARY ON SBS AUSTRALIAN TV ABOUT
VIETNAM "S PERSECUTION OF THE MONTAGNARDS
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MFI is pleased that Australian television SBS has screened the movie "
America 's Forgotten Allies". It is a contribution to the knowledge of the
tragedy suffered by the Montagnards and we really hope and pray that Australian
citizens and institutions will give their support to our cause. We also thank
the Australian Branch of the International Commission of Jurists who has been
sympathetic to our cause. Especially, the Montagnard Foundation appeals to the
Australian Government to place the respect of human rights for all Vietnamese
people and in particular for the Montagnards as an essential condition to
improve commercial and trade relations with Vietnam.
Since the demonstrations of 2001 and 2004 our homelands, the central highlands
of Vietnam have been closed to external monitoring of human rights and hundreds
of our people have been killed, tortured and imprisoned. The United Nations, the
European Parliament and the US Government have all requested Vietnam to open the
region to international monitors. The Montagnard Foundation calls on the
Australian Government to strongly support such a request as part of the
promotion of human rights and democracy in South East Asia .
President of the Montagnard Foundation states: "our people inside Vietnam are
suffering terribly but they will take some comfort in knowing that SBS has shown
this film on television. If anyone would like to help or would like more
information, please feel free to contact us or our advisor and spoke-man in
Australia . We also state firmly that we seek only protection of our human
rights and rights to ancestral lands through a peaceful, non-violent strategy."
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