MONTAGNARD DEGAR CHRISTIANS TORTURED IN VIETNAM OVER CHRISTMAS

This information is a continuation report of the Christmas Persecution report released by Montagnard Foundation on 7 December 2005

 

BACKGROUND:The Vietnamese communist government has continued torturing Degar Montagnard Christians over Christmas 2005. It is noted the indigenous Montagnards Degar Peoples have suffered decades of persecution by the communist government of Vietnam, namely; confiscation of their ancestral lands, torture, killings, imprisonment and religious repression. In fact in December 2005 the US State Department has continued to maintain Vietnam on the “Countries of Particular Concern Watch List” of nations that are the worst violators of religious freedom. The Vietnamese government security forces have terrorized Degar Christians with arrest, torture and imprisonment for their refusal to renounce Christianity or join the government recognized church as described below.
 

METHODS OF TORTURE: When the Vietnamese communist authorities torture Degar Montagnard prisoners, sometimes the victims later die or become permanently crippled after their release. The police deliberately look for some way to damage the organs inside the body by boxing them on their body, stomach and chest so hard that they will die later from internal injuries. The police can later say they know nothing about how the Montagnard died. It is reported that police often inject the prisoners with some kind of lethal drug which will kill them later after they are released. It is common practice to slap the prisoners' ears so hard and repeatedly until blood comes out from their ears, like victim no. 26 in this report. Many Montagnards report to us that they have had their toe nails and finger nails pulled out, been burned with cigarette lighters, electric shocked and so on.

A dying Degar man from VN Police beating

 

BEATEN, HANDCUFFED AND IMPRISONED:

On December 8, 2005 at approximately 4 am Vietnamese security forces entered the villages of Plei Kho Krua, Plei Ken San, Plei Lop, Plei Ia Sam and Plei Tung Mo and arrested the following Degar Montagnard Christians. They were handcuffed then brutally boxed, kicked and beaten with batons until they passed out unconscious. The police then threw them on a truck. One Honda motorcycle belonging to Rmah Klum worth of 5,000,000 VND was confiscated by the police. All of them remain imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se.

1. Siu Lel , (male) age 23 from the village of Plei Kho Krua , commune of Ia Hru, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


2. Kpa Jing , (male) age 30 from the village of Plei Kho Krua , commune of Ia Hru, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


3. Kpa Gon , (male) age 17 from the village of Plei Kho Krua , commune of Ia Hru, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


4. Siu U , (male) age 22 from the village of Plei Ken San , commune of Ia Hru, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


5. Rmah Klum , (male) age 41 from the village of Plei Lop , commune of Ia Ale, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


6. Kpa H'Gling , (female) age 49 from the village of Plei Ia Sam , commune of Ia Hru, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai
   


7. Kpuih Hlon , (male) age 62 from the village of Plei Tung Mo , commune of Ia Greng, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai

 

TORTURED

8. Rahlan Peu , (male) age 23 from the village of Plei Tao Ko, commune Ia Hru, district Cu Se, province Gialai. He was arrested and taken to the prison facility at Cu Se district on December 13, 2005 because he refused to renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation in our peaceful struggle for the right of our people to co-exist with the Vietnamese people. The police handcuffed him and then tortured him along the way to the district prison by boxing, kicking and beating with batons. He is now imprisoned at Cu Se district.
   


9. Rmah Hreo, (male) age 29 from the village of Plei Tao Ko, commune Ia Hru, district Cu Se, province Gialai. He was arrested and taken to the prison facility at Cu Se district on December 13, 2005 because he did not renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation in our peaceful struggle for the right of our people to co-exist with the Vietnamese people. The police handcuffed him and then tortured him along the way to the district prison by boxing, kicking and beating with batons. He is now imprisoned at Cu Se district.
   


10. Kpa Kin , (male) age 33 from the village of Plei Or, commune Ia Hru, district Cu Se, province Gialai. He was arrested and taken to the prison facility at Cu Se district on December 13, 2005 because he did not renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation in our peaceful struggle for the right of our people to co-exist with the Vietnamese people. The police handcuffed him and then tortured him along the way to the district prison by boxing, kicking and beating with batons. He is now imprisoned at Cu Se district.
    


11. Siu Glim , (male) age 35 from the village of Plei Or, commune Ia Hru, district Cu Se, province Gialai. He was arrested and taken to the prison facility at Cu Se district on December 13, 2005 because he did not renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation in our peaceful struggle for the right of our people to co-exist with the Vietnamese people. The police handcuffed him and then tortured him along the way to the district prison by boxing, kicking and beating with batons. He is now imprisoned at Cu Se district.
    


12. Siu Bleh , (male) age 32 from the village of Plei Kho, commune Ia Hru, district Cu Se, province Gialai. He was arrested and taken to the prison facility at Cu Se district on December 13, 2005 because he did not renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation in our peaceful struggle for the right of our people to co-exist with the Vietnamese people. The police handcuffed him and then tortured him along the way to the district prison by boxing, kicking and beating with batons. He is now imprisoned at Cu Se district.
    


13. Dieu Bron (male) age 42 from the village of Bu Jrah , district of Dak Rlap, province of Dak Nong was arrested and imprisoned at the prison facility in Dak Nong province on December 2, 2005, simply because he is a Christian and refused to join the church that is sponsored by the government.
    
    


14. Dieu Chong (male) age 44 from the village of Buon Bal Pei , district of Bua Dang, province of Binh Phuoc was arrested and imprisoned at the prison facility in Binh Phuoc province on December 6, 2005, simply because he is a Christian and refused to join the church that is sponsored by the government.
    



15. Thi Hot (female) age 44 from the village of Bu Dap , district of Dak Rlap, province of Dak Nong was arrested and imprisoned at the prison facility in Dak Nong province on December 7, 2005, simply because she is a Christian who refused to join the church that is sponsored by the government.
    


16. Dieu Sem (male) age 35 from the village of Buon Dak Ncang, commune Dong Nai, district Bu Dang, province Binh Phuoc. He was arrested and imprisoned at Bu Dang district on December 9, 2005 simply because he is a Christian and refused to join the church that is sponsored by the government.
    



17. Dieu Sak (male) age 66 from the village of Buon Pal Pei, commune Son Tho, district Bu Dang, province Binh Phuoc. He was arrested and imprisoned at Bu Dang district on December 9, 2005 because he had been leading congregation to worship and pray in his village.
    
    



18. Dieu Noih (male) age 36 from the village of Buon Dak Ncang, commune Dong Nai, district Bu Dang, province Binh Phuoc. He was arrested and imprisoned at Bu Dang district on December 9, 2005 because he had been leading congregation to worship and pray in his village.
    



19. Dieu Mpyu (male) age 35 from the village of Buon Nera , commune Dak The, district Dak Rlap, province Dak Nong. He was arrested and imprisoned at Dak Rlap district on December 8, 2005 because he had been leading congregation to worship and pray in his village.
    




 

BEATEN, TORTURED FOR FOLLOWING AMERICAN RELIGION

On November 3, 2005 the security forces from the district of Sa Thai went to the village of Plei Grak and arrested six Degar Montagnards (named below) and accused them of being pro American because they follow the religion of America . They were later released from custody after being tortured.

20. A-Bum was taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beaten with batons, so severely until he was unconscious and body covered with bruises and blood.
    


21. A-Bo was taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beaten with batons, so severely until unconscious and his body was covered with bruises and blood.
    


22. A-Kui was taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beating with batons, so severely until unconscious and his body was covered with bruises and blood.
    


23. A-Ku was taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beaten with batons, so severely until unconscious and his body covered with bruises and blood.
    


24. Hnhich was taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beaten with batons, so severely until unconscious and his body covered with bruises and blood.
    


25. A-Kuoch - was arrested and taken to the district office and tortured by boxing, kicking, beaten with batons, so severely until unconscious and his body covered with bruises and blood. Kuoch become crazy and walked around after being released without knowing where he was going and could not recognize his parents or his brothers and sisters. He appears to have suffered permanent brain damage and anyone who came close to him he would lash out trying to bite or fight them.

 

BLOOD CAME FROM HIS EARS: BEATEN CLOSE TO DEATH

26. Huien (male) age 17 is from the village of Plei Grak , commune of Ia Sier, district Sa Thai, province Gialai. On November 11, 2005 at around 6 am the security forces arrested him at his village of Plei Grak, and took him to the police station in the district for interrogation about a conversation he had with his father who lives in the United States. His father stated they only spoke about their family but police took Huien to the police station for torture because of telephoning his father in the United States. The police used both hands to slap his ears until blood came out from his ears. They stomped on his chest with military boots and kicked and beat him with their batons until he passed out unconscious. He was thrown in a prison cell but after a few days the police saw he could not get up to eat or drink, and became afraid he might die in prison so they took him back to his village on November 16, 2005. Now, Huien is at his home suffering medical problems from the brutality of the beating and dares not go to the hospital for fear of being injected with some lethal drug.

 

BEATEN CLOSE TO DEATH

27. A-Muk from the village of Plei Grak , commune of Ia Sier, district Sa Thai, province Gialai. On November 12, 2005 the security forces from the district of Sa Thai went to the village of Plei Grak and arrested A-Muk, our Christian Brother and took him to the police station for torturing. The reason was that he did not renounce Christ and stop supporting the Montagnard Foundation to struggle for our people's right to co-exist with the Vietnamese people equally. The police tortured him by boxing, kicking, beating with batons until he passed out unconscious then they dragged him out of their office and left him there half dead . In a few hours, A-Muk woke up and crawled away and was later carried home by another Degar who took him back to his village. He is now suffering medical injuries from the inhuman torture by the Vietnamese police and does not dare to go to the hospital for fear of being injected by lethal drug.

 

The Vietnamese Communists authorities continue to persecute Montagnard Degar Christians because they follow the religion that came from the United States of America . It is obvious that many hard core elements of the Vietnamese Communist regime have a hatred of American values and despise religious freedom as granted under other democratic governments. The Hanoi government does not dare to punish the Americans so they punish Degar people instead. This was similar to how the Vietnamese Communists treated Degar people during the Vietnam War. They killed thousands of unarmed Degar villagers because they could not get to the American soldiers. The Vietnamese communists demonstrate racist policies that who desire to exploit the Central Highlands and our people are only destined to be annihilated if the communist regime continues in this manner.  

During the French colonialism of the Central Highlands, the Degar population was estimated in several millions but now our population is much less. The Degar Montagnards however, only want to co-exist with Vietnamese people and live in peace on their ancestral lands. Before the French left Indochina in 1954, they asked our leaders if we would like to stay alone or stay with Vietnamese and our leaders chose to stay with the Vietnamese. We always show that we want to live with them peacefully but on the contrary they show their hatred toward our people and want to destroy our race completely. Hanoi government does not recognize our people as its citizen and not even recognize us as its indigenous people. Thus, we ask is there anyone in this world who would want to live with someone who is chasing to kill him.  

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION humbly appeals to the, the government of the United States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights, the European Commission for Human Rights and all the democratic countries in the world to please help our people to co-exist with Vietnam on a equal basis, peacefully and democratically by ensuring international monitors have access to the Central Highlands of Vietnam.