SECURITY FORCE UNIT 113 TORTURES DEGAR MONTAGNARDS: THREE POLICE IDENTIFIED

BACKGROUND: The indigenous Degar Peoples (known under the French colonial term “Montagnard”) have suffered decades of persecution by the Vietnamese communist government. We have been subject to confiscation of our ancestral lands, Christian religious repression, torture, murder and imprisonment. To date, over 350 Degars remain prisoners in Vietnamese custody for reasons such as: asking for our basic human rights, for spreading Christianity or for fleeing to Cambodia. Montagnard civilians are subjected to torture, including electric shock treatment and beatings by security forces throughout the Central Highlands. Here, three security force members are identified who recently tortured two Degar Montagnard villagers.

 

SECURITY POLICE TORTURE TWO DEGAR MONTAGNARDS

Yum who was born in 1976, is one victim. Yum is from the village of Ploi Broc Hle, commune of A-Dok, district of Dak Doa, province of Gia Lai. On January 24, 2007 at around 9:30 AM, Yum received a summons from, Nguyen Tan Hung, the Security Police (Cong An) unit 113 from the province of Gialai to meet them at the office of the communal committee of A-Dok commune.  When Yum arrived at the communal office of A-Dok, the Security Police names Nguyen Tan Suan, Nguyen Le Cuong, and Nguyen Tan Hung asked Yum questions in a very abrupt and angry manner as follow:

1- What is your reason for wanting to go to Cambodia?

2 - Are you a member of FULRO?

Yum responded that “If I wanted to go to Cambodia why would I bother to come here to see you?  And, why do you ask me if I am a FULRO member?  Have you seen any FULRO units in the jungles and fought with them lately?  Then one of the Security Police, Nguyen Tan Hung, struck Yum on his neck, chin, mouth and ears. The Security police was using forms of martial arts such as Karate and Kung Fu. It seemed as if he was practicing his strikes on a restrained Yum. As blood flowed down from Yum’s mouth, nose and ears, Yum fell down on the floor unconscious.  At 12 noon, they let Yum go back home. By the time he arrived, his face, eyes and lips were all bruised and swollen and he couldn’t eat. As of now, he is still suffering from those severely beatings.

Since the FULRO forces have been long gone (as has been proclaimed by the Vietnamese government in 1992 – which was when the last FULRO group surrendered to the UN Peace Keeping Forces in Cambodia) it is obvious that the Vietnamese security force just fabricated the reason so that they could have a live human being to practice their skills of karate and kung fu on. Montagnards make good targets because our people cannot fight back.

Grun, whose date of birth is unknown, is another victim. He is from the village of Ploi Broc Hle, commune of A-Dok, district of Dak Doa, province of Gialai.  On the same day, of January 24, 2007, at around 9:30 AM, Grun also received a notice to meet the 113 Security Police (Cong An) unit from the province of Gialai, Nguyen Tan Hung, Nguyen Tan Suan and Nguyen Le Cuong, at the communal office of Xa A-Dok. When Grun arrived at the communal office of A-Dok, the Security Police (Cong An), Nguyen Tan Suan, Nguyen Le Cuong, Nguyen Tan Hung, did the same thing to Grun as they had done to Yum. They were using martial arts to beat him mercilessly.

Even though Grun did not talk back to them, they still beat him up severely. At 12 noon, they told Grun to go back home but Grun’s face and eyes were all bruised up and swollen and he could barely walk. He is unable to work now and is suffering from this severe beating in bed at home.

As we can see here, Degar people did not commit any crime at all, nor were they formally accused, but the Vietnamese still tortured them.  We only asked them, the Vietnamese officials, to stop torturing and killing our innocent people they said that we are the criminals.  Where is the justice of the world?  Is there any or none at all?

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION CALLS ON:

• Concerned Embassies and the international community to urgently investigate details of the treatment of these Degar people and strongly encourage Vietnamese authorities to cease human rights violations against the Degar population.


• Concerned Embassies and the international community to pursue a permanent humanitarian presence in the Central Highlands by US, UN and international NGOs.
  


• Concerned Embassies and the international community to urgently demand Vietnam release all 350 Degar Prisoners identified in the Human Rights Watch report of 14 June 2006. See: http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/14/vietna13542.htm