THE CURRENT SITUATION OF DEGAR PEOPLE

IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

OF VIETNAM

Special Report on current arbitrary arrest and torture

Electric Shock Torture, Rapes, Abductions, and Beatings of Montagnard Christians by Vietnamese Security forces

Situation Report: May 2003

In April 2003 Human Rights Watch reported an “escalation of repression”, facing the indigenous Montagnards of the central highlands and released “secret” Vietnamese government documents ordering further repression of Christians www.hrw.org. This month (May 2003) in its report on Vietnam the US International Commission for Religious Freedom stated, “The increased repression of religious freedom has been reportedly sanctioned at the highest levels of the Vietnamese government.”

The Montagnard Foundation confirms this escalation of repression and reports that Vietnamese Security forces are continuing to arrest, torture, rape, and abduct Degar Montagnard Christians and human rights defenders inside the central highlands. Many of our people remain in prison or have disappeared after arrest as noted in the Amnesty International report published in December 2002 “No Sanctuary: Plight of the Montagnard Minority” ASA 41/011/2002. web.amnesty.org. At the European Parliament Hon. Marco Pannella MEP of the European Parliament and founder of the Transnational Radical Party www.radicalparty.org has asked the European Commission repeatedly in 2002 - 2003 to investigate the continuing persecution of our peoples.


Arrested and Forced at gun-point to denounce MFI

On May 5, 2003 a family of Montagnards - Y-Bion Mlo's parents and his two aunts were taken at gun point by Vietnamese officers and paraded daily in front of Degar villages and forced to say that they were wrong for supporting Ksor Kok of the Montagnard Foundation. They were also denounced for being Christians and helping Degar refugees who have been hiding from police in the jungles. They are all from Buon Ale “A” village district Buonmathuot, Dak Lak province. The government officials forced them to declare in public they have committed a crime against Vietnam government. The names of these four victims are:

1. Y-Nuin Nie, born in 1958,
2. H’Druin Mlo, (date of birth unknown).
3. H’Rebecca Mlo, (date of birth unknown).
4. H’Jona Mlo, (date of birth unknown).

Arrested and Tortured for Preaching Christianity

On May 2, 2003, Ksor To, from the village of Buon Gha, district of Ia Hleo, was arrested and imprisoned because he was spreading the gospel to the Degar community in the Central Highlands. He did not have any affiliation with politics of any sort, but was only a believer of Christ. He was taken to prison, beaten and tortured for his faith.


Electric Shock Torture and Arrest

On April 26, 2003, Y-Tlut Kbuor, from Buon Wing village, district Cu M’gar, Daklak province was arrested and taken to prison facility at Cu M'gar district. Here he was tortured by beatings and electric shock torture because he helped Degars who were hiding in the area from police.


Imprisoned for Running a Christian Church

On March 21, 2003, the Vietnamese police arrested Y-Bling Nie (57 years old) and Y-He Eban (also 57 years old) and imprisoned them at the old radio station prison in Buonmathuot because they were running a church at the village of Buon Kdun, district Buonmathuot, Dak Lac province.


Montagnard Woman Raped by Police Officer named: Nguyen Van Linh

On March 18, 2003, a Vietnamese security officer, Nguyen Van Linh, in search of H’Nui’s husband invaded her house and stationed himself there. While he was waiting for H’Nui’s husband to return home so that he could arrest him, Nguyen Van Linh raped H’Nui with a gun pointed to her head. H’Nui was born in 1962, from the village of Buon Krang, district of Krong Ana, province of Daklak.


Threats and ransacked homes by Security Forces

On March 15, 2003, Y-Luen Nie Kdam, an assistant to province chief of Daklak, went to three Montagnard families whose husbands have been hiding in the jungles for fear of being arrested and tortured by Vietnamese security forces. He threatened H’Loih Eban from Buon Kmrong Prong “B” village (wife of Y-Tlup Adrong), H’Muen Buon Ya from Buon Ea Khit village (wife of Y-Kur Buondap) and H’Rida Eban from Buon Jung village (wife of Y-Don Buonya) that he will take them to prison for not asking their husbands to return home. Y Luen Nie Kdam terrorized the three women shouting "I command that you tell your husbands to return home. Tell them to show up themselves to my government. If your husbands do not show up, I myself will come to arrest and take all of you to prison in the place of your husbands”. Afterwards, Y Luen Nie Kdam and his police ransacked the women's houses searching for telephones or documents containing details of human rights abuses in Vietnam. Y Luen then yelled, "It's because of people like you that Ksor Kok knows about the things that are going on in this country”.


Abductions by Police

On March 12, 2003, Y-Nai Nie and Y-Sik Buon Krong were abducted and have not been heard of since. They both were from the village of Buon Kwang, Kron Buk district, Dak Lac province.


Mother and five year old child beaten by Vietnamese Security Police

On March 5, 2003, two Montagnard patients were kidnapped from their sick beds at the
main hospital in Buonmathuot. The mother, H’Loih Eban (born in 1945) and her five year old daughter H’Juel were brutally beaten until their faces and bodies were swollen. The police officers who beat the mother and child were enacting revenge on them because the husband and father of these victims - Y Tlup Adrong, was hiding in the jungles in fear of being arrested.


Arrests

On December 19, 2002 Vietnamese police officers arrested Y-Kuo Buon Ya and Y-David Mlo for their past relationship with the FULRO organization. Y-Kuo Buon Ya was born in 1958, from the village of Buon Ko Mleo and Y-David Mlo was born in 1982, from the village of Buon Ale “A”, both of Buonmathuot, Province Daklak. Both are now imprisoned at the prison facility in the old radio station in Buonmathuot, Daklak Province.


Refugees arrested, beaten and electric shocked

On December 19, 2002, Eight Montagnard Degar Christians who tried fleeing across the border to Cambodia were arrested and taken back to the prison facility at the old radio station in Buonmathuot. Here they were tortured by severe beatings and electric shock torture. Because of this brutality, the victims all have some sort of illness, inoperative limbs, or are either now crippled, blind, or joint problems. The eight victims and their released dates are:

1. Y-Thuan Enuol, was released on February 13, 2003.
2. Y-Then Hwing, was released on February 13, 2003.
3. H’Wien Nie, was released on February 13, 2003.
4. H’Bhuat Eban, was released on February 13, 2003.
5. H’Biun Hwing, was released on February 13, 2003.
6. Y-Soi Nie, was released on April 14, 2003.
7. Y-Ngong Nie, was released on April 16, 2003.
8. H’Bac Nie, was released on April 16, 2003.

Abducted and presumed dead

On September 15, 2002, the Vietnamese security forces at Krong Buk district, province of Daklak, abducted Y-Blia Ayun from Buon Gram “A” village. Until now, there are no signs of his whereabouts or imprisonment and he is presumed to be dead.


Arrested, Tortured and crippled

On February 27, 2002, the Vietnamese security force arrested Y-Bien Ya (date of birth unknown), Y-Kieng Ya (born in 1966) and Y-Tok Nie (born in 1966). All of them were from the village of Buon Tong Ju, district Krong Ana, Dak Lak province. They were taken to the prison facility at old radio station in Buonmathuot and tortured. When they were released from prison on March 19, 2003, they all were crippled because of the severe beatings and electric shock torture by the Vietnamese authorities.

The Montagnard Foundation pleads for the international community to:

	Ensure the Vietnamese government stops ignoring the 2002 Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee regarding the “serious violations” confronting our people ((UN doc: CCPR/C/SR.2031) and allow human rights monitors into the central highlands.
	Ensure refugee camps in Cambodia are kept open and that Vietnam and Cambodia abide by the UN refugee Convention and stop persecuting fleeing Montagnard refugees.
	Urge international Donors, the United States, European Union, the United Nations bodies to reconsider granting of aid to Vietnam and Cambodia until they stop persecuting indigenous Montagnards as “aid without conditions” will only encourage these governments to continue with its human rights violations against the indigenous Montagnard Degar people and Christian followers.
	Encourage the passage of the Vietnam Human Rights Act HR 1587 in the US Congress. See: www.gb4hr.net