VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TORTURES RELATIVE OF DEGAR MONTAGNARD REFUGEE: RETALIATION FOR SEEKING ASYLUM

BACKGROUND: The indigenous Degar Peoples (known under the French colonial term “Montagnard”) have suffered decades of persecution by the Vietnamese communist government, namely; confiscation of their ancestral lands, Christian religious repression, torture, killings and imprisonment. To date over 350 Degar prisoners remain in Vietnamese prisons for standing up for their human rights, for spreading Christianity or for fleeing to Cambodia. These prisoners continue to suffer abuses including torture, electric shock treatment, beatings, being forced to eat rice mixed with salt, sand and broken glass and being denied medical care. Degar prisoners are also subjected to specifically severe beatings in order to deliberately cause internal organ damage resulting in a slow death. A number of prisoners have already died and authorities have attempted to keep their deaths secret. Security forces continue to harass and persecute the civilian population.

POLICE BEAT AND THREATEN DEGAR WOMAN BECAUSE HER SISTER IS A REFUGEE AND HER HUSBAND IS A CURRENT POLITICAL PRISONER:

On 22 January 2007 at approximately 11am four Security Police (Cong An) arrived in a jeep at the village of Buon Le Da, district Ea H’Leo, Dak Lak province. The four police then went to the house of H’Hlung Nie (female aged 33) where they threatened, interrogated and beat her for reasons relating to her sister H’Blung Nie who had previously escaped to Cambodia as a refugee and also that her husband is a current political prisoner. The four Security Police are identified as:

1. Viet, (Vietnamese), a Security Police officer from Dak Lak province police

2. Y-Sao Nie, (Degar), a Security Police officer from the district of Ea H’Leo

3. H’Kum Nie, (Degar), a Security Police officer from the district of Ea H’Leo

4. A Vietnamese driver whose name is unknown

The Security Police (Cong An) first questioned H’Hlung Nie “Why you did not inform us when your sister H’Blung Nie fled to Cambodia?” H’Hlung Nie replied,”Why do you ask me, how would I know that they fled to Cambodia?” The Security Police then repeatedly beat H’Hlung Nie’s right arm very hard until her arm was severely bruised and battered. She was rendered unable to use her arm later for her household chores due to the beating she received. The Security police also threatened her with more beatings and made comments about her husband Y’Phiar Adrong, who is a current political prisoner presently imprisoned at the prison camp Xuan Phuoc in the province of Phu Yen (details below).

VICTIM’S HUSBAND SUFFERS FROM TORTURE IN PRISON:

The husband of H’Hlung Nie (the victim above) is named Y-Phiar Adrong and he was born in 1972 from the village of Buon Le Da, town of Ea Drang, district of Ea H’Leo, Dak Lak province. The Security Police arrested him at his house on October 26, 2005 for participating in the Degar peaceful demonstrations of February 2001 and Easter 2004. On October 30 of 2005, Y’Phiar Adrong was transferred to the prison facility in the city of Buonmathuot. In June of 2006 he was tried in the court of Daklak province and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Currently Y’Phiar Adrong has very bad internal health problems due to repeatedly torture that he has suffered whilst in prison. His family is extremely worried about his health and fear he will not live long.

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION CALLS ON:

• Concerned governments and international organizations that have financially invested in Vietnam and/or provided developmental aid to Vietnam to use their influence to convince the Vietnamese government to cease persecution of the Degar people and find a peaceful solution to the problems facing the indigenous Degar people.


• Concerned Embassies and international community to pursue a permanent humanitarian presence in the Central Highlands.
  


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