My Response to [Vietnamese propaganda]
"Open Letter to Kok Ksor"
Degar Man, Carolina, USA
Dear MFI staff and supporters,
My name is Y-B.. Eban
(name altered for security reason)
from Rade tribe. I was born in the era of the BAJARAKA movement. During my childhood
years my family lived in different regions of Central Highland. I finished my high school in
Saigon and was studying in one of the universities in Saigon when I left Vietnam 2 days before the
fall of South Vietnam. I had many Vietnamese friends and many of them are still my friends.
I, like many other Indochinese refugees, came to this country in summer of 1975, am a
supporter of Montagnard Foundation, Inc. simply because of its ideal of non violence. Lately
I have seen many articles about Degar last demonstration during the Easter Holiday, and especially
after reading the ridiculously written in Vietnamese propaganda article "Open Letter to Kok
Ksor", my conscience compels me to write this letter to all supporters of MFI and Kok
Ksor with the intention of encouraging and expressing my support to the MFI movement.
Since I grew up during a period of time in which Degar people endured many
hardships, I had experienced first hand of how Degar people were oppressed by the Vietnamese
authorities. My mother told me during the crushed down the BAJARAKA movement in 1958, Pleiku, I was
taken from my crib and put on the concrete floor while the cong an ( VN security forces) ransacked
my parents' house. My father was taken away and put in jail without trial for many years. My father
was reunited with us few months before Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown. Again in 1965 my father was
arrested and accused of instigated the uprising and involvement with the FULRO (my father was never
directly involved). In 1976 my father was killed by the "liberation army" of Vietnamese
communist. Many of my relatives were killed by Vietnamese - Vietminh, Vietcong, and Viet-South.
Although my father spent many years in Vietnamese prison, my times I spent with my father after he
was released from prison were very precious to me. I learned many things from him during these
times.
In spite of all the propaganda from Vietnamese authorities, anyone who reads the
reports from Human rights Watch, Amnesty International, Christian Organizations, and many other
trust worthy news organizations knows the true facts about Vietnam of how deceitful they are.
Vietnamese authorities have used all wicked ways to portray Kok Ksor. In 2001
They have accused Kok Ksor as a terrorist works for CIA. Isn't it the CIA who is
spearheaded in anti terrorist around the world? As a desperation, Vietnamese authorities dragged a
"virtual" elder man to say what is pleased to them.
I don't believe Mr. Kok Ksor has enough power and resource to "dupe" Degar
people go to demonstrations. With the power of multitude of soldiers, tanks, helicopters,
etc... Vietnamese authorities tried to force the Degar people to submit to their authority, yet
they failed miserably. Instead Degar people came, in multitude, and plea to Kok Ksor to relay
their cries for help to the world. Nevertheless, Vietnam is so humiliated by this, and have worked
aggressively to find ways to defame Kok Ksor with their malicious acts by fabricating countless
deceitful stories and rumors.
To say Degar people were "duped" by Kok Ksor and Montagnard Foundation to
go to latest demonstration is an insult to the intelligence of world communities. Kok Ksor is ten
of thousand kilometers from Vietnam. As Vietnamese authorities have said Kok Ksor is very little
known in Central Highland, very low educated, etc.... Meanwhile the Vietnamese authorities have all
the advantages to oppress Degar people. Vietnamese authorities has used armies, tanks, helicopters,
intimidation, tortures, you name it they use it all. But they are unable to subdued the will of
Degar's people. Yet Kok Ksor, who left his home land over 30 years ago, is able to tell the Degar
people what to do? To say the least, Mr. Kok Ksor is just relay the Degar people cries for help to
out side world. They hate Kok Ksor so much is because as we all know that since the BAJARAKA
movement until recently no one in world communities truly acknowledged what really happened to the
Degar people. And now because of what Mr. Kok Ksor and MFI have done that every one in the world
now knows what Vietnamese authorities have done to Degar people; of course, it's up to the
individuals choose to believe or not to believe, or free trade at the expend of Degar people, such
as those who worship the shrine-of trade or The Everlasting God. The Degar people who went to
these demonstrations knew ahead of the danger they would face because they could no longer bared
the oppression by the Vietnamese authorities. Additionally, Vietnamese authorities used the
hooligan-Kinh and their police forces in civilian cloths
out to beat and kill the Degar people on 10-11 April demonstration backfire on them and
will further the hatred and mistrust between Degar and Kinh people.
In 1969 fewer than 2000 of FULRO people "surrendered" to South Vietnam
Thieu-Ky regime. Many of those greedy for power pledged to join South Vietnam armies to fight
against Vietnamese Communist. Many joined South Vietnam because of promised of rank in
officer with their army. YaDuck is one of those who will do anything for his own personal
gain.
He will say and repeats anything the Vietnamese tell him.
One of my uncle who was Y-Bham enuol's security guard until he was send back to
Central Highland to join other FULRO fighters in early year of 1975 told to me that people like
YaDuk will say anything to "save his butt". Ja Duk is just another opportunist.
Of course the Vietnamese authorities love this kind of people.
Nevertheless, Degar movements from BAJARAKA to FULRO were against the South Vietnam
regimes of Ngo Dinh Diem and the military government afterward. During these times many of Degar
people were duped by Hanoi bogus promises. It is no surprised to many Degar people that even in US
there are few Degar people who were sent by the Vietnamese authorities to be among Degar people in
US with a mission to disrupt unity among Degar people. These people are grumblers, self-centered,
and faultfinders; they follow their own wicked desires; they boast about themselves and flatter
others for their own advantage. Needless to say, their missions to create division among
Degar people have failed miserably. In Rade we have the saying "Y-Luar, loves football
(soccer), and he loves to be in the winning team; when the ball gets close to the east goal he
cheers for west team. When the ball gets close to the west team, he cheers for the east
team"
In any movement (even in Vietnamese movements in the past) there are always few
opportunistic individuals that would do anything to benefit themselves, and they have betrayed
their own people for their personal gain.
In desperation, Vietnamese authorities coerce an elderly Degar man to say deceitful
accusations to defame Kok Ksor. Their wicked way does not stop there as the world know what they
did to Kok Ksor's 83 year olds mother. [
Read MFI Press Release
]
Linh Nga (a Vietnamese name or a vietnamized name?). Is she a Degar woman? Can't
they find anyone with a real Degar name? -- You cannot use gong, ding buot, ding nam, trung,
etc…(Degar's musical instruments) and play yuan (Vietnamese) tune, it'll sound
dreadful! It is impossible to play Vietnamese tune with Degar instrument and expect to
produce a beautiful sound.
I have never heard of "Dega Protestantism." Quite frankly, I believe this
is one of Hanoi's propaganda. I believe Christians worship God not Protestantism.
Vietnam is the only communist country in the world still uses ancient and outdated
tactic of manipulation its people, coercing the people to say things so ridiculous even to themselves.
After the French left Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem regime (1st Republic of Vietnam)
brought hundreds of thousand of Vietnamese from North Vietnam into Degar land to occupy
our territories and to begin its assimilative program (Vietnamese use word assimilation only to
soften the language but in reality and accordingly to their action, they were using the
genocidal-program). As a result BAJARAKA movement were founded, and in September 1958 there
were large scale of demonstrations by Degar people . Diem crushed the BAJARAKA movement with army
and tank, many Degar people were killed and leaders such as Y-Bham Enuol, Y-Thih Eban, Y-Ju
Eban, Nay Luet, Pul Nur and many others were arrested and put in jail without trial. At that time,
no world communities knew what was going on between Degar and the Vietnamese; therefore,
Vietnamese authorities continued to destroy our lands, our villages, our culture, and our
traditional way of life. Take advantage of the opportunity, Hanoi regime offered Degar people with
a bogus promise that would let Degar people gained back their ancestors' lands and their autonomy
if Degar people allied with Hanoi. Many Degar people who were being hunted by police forces of Ngo
Dinh Diem were easy prey to these false promises of Hanoi. Nevertheless, since 1975 the Hanoi
regime has been carried out more or less the same genocidal program, and the exploitation of
atrocious acts by Vietnamese authorities toward Degar people has been increased tenfold. They
have stolen all that the Degar people have left – even their rights as human.
When many of FULRO stayed back in Cambodian did not joint the South Vietnam, some of
Vietnamese officials at that time talked about sending their agents to Cambodia and assassinate Mr.
Y-Bham Enuol. They (the VN) believed that if they able to kill the leader , the rest of FULRO
would surrender to them. I never forget one of Degar leader at that time said:" Even if
they kill the leader of Fulro, they will never kill the Degar dream. The movement is not in
Mr. Y-Bham or any other leaders. The movement is in every Degar heart. When one leader die another
one will step in to lead the movement."
We Degar people know very well how ridiculous Vietnamese authorities propaganda are.
Most Degar people no longer trust the Vietnamese. Latest event in which they release their
hooligans like wild herd enough to prove how much they hate us. Degar people will always support
MFI with leadership of Kok Ksor, and continue our fight for freedom to our people who are still
under the oppression of Vietnamese authorities.
As we have already known, the struggles and the cries of Degar people have reached
far beyond Central Highland. Montagnard Foundation has been working non stop, through many
obstacles, tears and sweats to bring Degar's plight to world communities. Granted, Vietnamese
authorities have done many bad things to Degar people, we should have known that they do what
Vietnamese do. How about you? have you done anything for Degar people what you ought to do? Let us
remind ourselves that behind Vietnam's wall of propaganda the genocidal persecution of Degar
people continues.
MFI's voice is being the voice of Degar
people who are sinking in the dungeon of despair
and unable to speak for themselves.
Rade man from Virginia, USA
The government of Vietnam is seems to be very paranoid about the demonstration by Degar
people. The propaganda from Vietnam have been bombarded the news media relentlessly. In a way I
believe the whole situation of Vietnam make up stories to paint Mr. Kok Ksor as a bad man have
help Degar's greatly. More the Vietnamese trash Degar people more people around the world
understand how bad the Vietnamese government treat Degar people. Recently I read an article
(www.montagnard-foundation.org/news-04-0621.htm)
that one Vietnamese priest answered the questions the media asked him why Vietnam persecutes
the Montagnard and another article from BBC by a young student from Hochiminhcity
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/forum/story/2004/04/040421_montagnardsupdate.shtml. Even their Vietnamese people see the truth about what is going on in Central Highland.
Newly arrived
Charlotte, NC USA
After two demonstrations by Degar people, Vietnam is rushed to build university in Tay nguyen. Wow!
Why don't they let those college students to trash Kok Ksor that way they don't have to waste their time?
Y-Nai Nie
Virginia, USA
There is nothing new to see anyone like Ja Duk , Linh Nga and many others behave the way they do.
There are people like them in any movement; even during French Indochina War, Vietcong-US war...
we'd seen many people, because of their political beliefs... will fight against their own people.
However, people like JaDuck has one great difference is that he does it for his own personal
gain. He has no political motives. He allows himself to be used by the Hanoi regime with their
false promises and wicked ways so they can oppress our people. In the pass Vietnamese had used
people like
Y Ngong Nie Kdam, Y Nue Buon Krong, Nay Phin , Y Kso Ni, and many other to do their
dirty works. And now they have no use for them. What have these people done to Degar people? What
are their reward for helping Hanoi?
Many of us Degar people don't care how much people say they care about us until we see how much
they care. May be not many people know who Kok Ksor is as VN's propaganda letter "
Middle-aged people such as myself are not familiar with your name.
" Nevertheless, Kok Ksor must have done something right that is why Vietnamese government
is so paranoid about the Degar people and their brave demonstrations to tell the world how bad the
Vietnamese have been treated them.
Many of us Degar people know that because of what Kok Ksor has done that the world now know
what really going on in Central Highland. How ridiculous it must have been, yet Vietnamese
authorities still use their old and outdated tactics to paint Kok Ksor and the whole situation in
Central Highland with the intention to miss lead the world communities. Just read one of many
stories such as "
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1143012.htm
" enough to know how desperate they are.
I know even their Vietnamese Communists are no longer believe in Communist
ideology because they themselves have betrayed, and Hanoi regime cannot survive without western
countries and their capitalist systems. One thing I know VN of 2000s is the Poland of 80s. Very
soon their bamboo curtain will fall.
