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URGENT APPEAL:
MONTAGNARD DEGAR REFUGEES BEING FORCIBLY DEPORTED BY UNHCR ON 9 SEPTEMBER 2005
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Background: Hundreds of
Montagnard Degar refugees remain in Cambodia after fleeing religious
and ethnic persecution in Vietnam. On 20 July 2005 Cambodian authorities
forcibly deported 100 Montagnards back to Vietnam while UNHCR stood
by. White House Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli stated on 20 July 2005, "We have raised U.S. objections to this involuntary repatriation with both the governments of Cambodia and Vietnam. We are disappointed that these individuals were repatriated before an internationally-staffed monitoring program was in place in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and before other solutions could be considered for these individuals."
The Montagnard Foundation has just received urgent information that the UNHCR is going to forcibly deport another 6 Montagnard Degar people who do not want to return to Vietnam. These 6 refugees have fled religious and ethnic persecution in Vietnam and while they desperately want to return to their families in Vietnam, they however, are afraid to do so because of retaliation by Vietnamese authorities as depicted below (in the “Nhan Dan” Vietnamese
newspaper article).
Four receive jail terms for organising illegal
migrations
These Montagnard refugees are trapped and the UNHCR is now attempting
to force them to sign documents stating they willingly
want to return to Vietnam.
The names of the Montagnard Degar refugees who face deportation
are:
- Rcom Gliu age 27, from the village of Plei
Del, commune of Ia To, district of Ia Grai, province
of Gialai
- Siu Ban age 29, from the village
of Plei Mnu, commune of Ia Nang, district of
Duc Co, province of Gialai
- Rahlan Hin age 36,
from the village of Plei Can, commune of Ia Po, district
of Duc Co, province of Gialai
- Hyao Ka age 26,
from the village of Plei Ke, city of Phu Thien,
district of Ayun Pa, province of Gialai
- Hyao Peng
age 47, from the village of Plei Ke, city of Phu
Thien, district of Ayun Pa, province of Gialai
-
Siu Su age 30, from the village of Plei Mlan, commune
of Ia Ke, district of Ayun Pa, province of Gialai
President of the Montagnard Foundation states:
“These refugees are trapped. They don't want to leave their
families in Vietnam and they also fear being tortured,
imprisoned or even killed when they return to Vietnam . It is common
knowledge that over 200 Montagnards remain in Vietnamese prisons and
over the last few years thousands of our people have been arrested
and tortured.”
The Montagnard Foundation received information from Cambodia
that these refugees stated they would return to Vietnam
if international monitors could guarantee for their safety
once they were back in Vietnam.
The Montagnard Foundation calls on:
- All
concerned persons and Christian groups to pray
and take urgent action to prevent the UNHCR from deporting
these 6 Montagnard Degar Christians back to Vietnam.
- The
US government, European Union and the United Nations
High Commission on Human Rights to urgently push
for Vietnam to open the Central Highlands to international
monitoring so they can protect these deportees and
prevent further human rights abuses in Vietnam's Central
Highlands.
- 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.
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