National Assembly
Ref: SC04/019
10th June, 2004

Urgent request to Ambassadors of United States, Canada, UK, and Germany

RE: Plight of the Montagnard Asylum Seekers

Your Excellencies,

This is an urgent request for Your Excellencies to intervene in helping to protect the Montagnard asylum seekers which are currently hiding in the jungle of Ratanakiri province (see the article "Montagnards Stuck in Jungle Beg for Help" in the Cambodia Daily on June 8, 2004).

Since your respective embassies have taken initiative to demand the Royal Government of Cambodia to comply with the 1951 UN convention on Refugees, through the recent meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Sar Kheng. It would be appropriate now that, your embassies should take this initiative into actions by warning the Cambodian government not to repeat their crime against these refugees, and also by visiting the sites where the refugees are hiding, as it will help to provide some kind of direct protection to these unfortunate people.

You may aware that, as soon as the government officials discover where about the refugees' hide-out then they will be quickly move to arrest and deport them back to Vietnam, and if this to happen, then you will be seen of not being sincere with your pledge, without fully implementing your moral obligation to protect these indigenous people.

So it is time for Your Excellencies to demonstrate that, you can move on time in needs, which is bound by the same ethical constraints as Good Nations. Given that no progressive Nation would today tolerate the persecution of indigenous minorities then nor should Cambodia tolerate what is happening, on her very soil, to the Montagnard People by collaborating with repressive nations like Vietnam.

Please accept Your Excellencies the assurance of my highest consideration.

Son Chhay, MP