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Cambodian Officials Charge and Threaten Montagnard Degar Villagers
in Rattanakiri Province with Human Trafficking: This Proves that Cambodia
Violates the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the UNHCR continues to
ignore this reality.
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Cambodian Police Threatens Villagers: On 1 September
2005 Chea Bun Thoeun, deputy provincial police chief of Rattanakiri province
in O'Yadaw district announced that anyone caught assisting Montagnard
asylum-seekers in Cambodia will be charged with human trafficking and
treated as criminals. This is no idle threat as on 20 July 2005 approximately
100 Montagnard Degar asylum seekers in Phnom Penh were forcibly returned
to Vietnam by Cambodian soldiers. It is also common knowledge by NGO's
and relative governments that Vietnamese authorities have long been paying
cash bounties to Cambodian police for the arrest and forced return of
Montagnard asylum seekers. The situation is getting worse and the UNHCR
appears unable and unwilling to protect Montagnards.
President of the Montagnard Foundation appeals to the international
community to urgently protect these refugees. Mr.
Kok Ksor states:
These threats by Cambodian police is itself in breach of Cambodia's
obligations to the refugee convention and both the Cambodian
and Vietnamese governments are working together to use illegal means
to stop refugees from fleeing the persecution in Vietnam. Both Cambodia
and Vietnam are in the list of countries where human trafficking of
women and children is rampant and these allegations against Montagnard
villagers must be flatly rejected by Democratic Governments that continue
to support them politically and financially. In the past, the UNHCR
has also been accused by Vietnam of human trafficking of Montagnard
refugees and its silence today in front of these incredible allegations
show that the UNHCR in Cambodia and Vietnam is intimidated and not able
to carry out its mandate – which
is first to fall the protection of refugees – effectively.
The Montagnard Foundation which represents hundreds of thousands
of the indigenous Montagnard Degar people of Vietnam
plead for the international community to do something to protect our
people who have been fleeing persecution in Vietnam.
I ask the international community for how long can both Vietnam and
Cambodia be allowed to disregard human rights so blatantly?
I also ask why the UNHCR is unable to protect or freely
locate refugees in Rattanakiri and Mondolkiri provinces?
By now it is common knowledge that Vietnamese authorities have paid
cash bounties to Cambodian police for arresting our people. Our people
are suffering and dying and Cambodia and Vietnam continually get away
with persecuting us and get rewarded with increased financial assistance
by international institutions and democratic governments.
AS MOST OF OUR PEOPLE ARE CHRISTIANS WE ASK THAT OTHER CHRISTIAN
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BROTHERS
AND SISTERS:
WE, THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION ALSO CALL ON:
- The US Government and European Commission to act vigorously
and without hesitation to ensure that Montagnard
asylum seekers in Cambodia and Vietnam are
fully protected from human rights abuses by both the Cambodia
and Vietnamese governments.
- The US Government and European Commission
investigate to what extent Vietnam and
Cambodia are involved in this human trafficking
of Montagnards asylum seekers, especially in view of the long
reported confirmation of payment of cash rewards to Cambodian
police by Vietnamese authorities.
- The US Government and European Commission investigate why
the UNHCR is not able to freely fulfill
its mission to protect asylum seekers in Cambodia.
- The UN High
Commissioner for Refugees Mr. António
Guterres, urgently review the overall
situation of Montagnard refugees in
Cambodia and demand the complete co-operation
of the Cambodian Government for the respect of the
1951 Refugees Convention, and urge the Government
of Vietnam to allow an unfettered and effective presence
of its office in the Central highlands of Vietnam,
together with other international and foreign agencies
and NGOs.
