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THE 4TH
SESSION OF Permanent Forum Indigenous Peoples
May 16 – 27, 2005 at UN Headquarters in New York |
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Statement of Kok Ksor at
the Permanent Forum Indigenous Peoples in New York, United
Nations
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Since 1975, after the communist government of Vietnam expropriated
our lovely homeland the Central Highlands, the Vietnamese government
has never stop arresting, imprisoning, torturing and even killing
the Montagnard or Degar indigenous people, especially after our
peaceful and non-violent demonstrations in February of 2001 and
April of 2004.
In order to justify its policy of ethnic cleansing toward the Degar
people, the Vietnamese Communist government has accused us, the
Montagnard Foundation and our people of being an hostile force. They
have accused MFI and me of being a terrorist organisation, of being
separatists, instigators and wanting to overthrow the government.
All of these allegations are lies and pretexts for them to stop the
international community from supporting our people and to give
Vietnam a reason to justify their policy of genocide toward us.
Last year Hanoi lost that claim at the United Nations and we were
redeemed by the ECOSOC. No, we are not terrorists and we do not seek
independence. However, as indigenous people we do seek the respect
of traditional land rights concerning our ancestral lands and all
civil and political rights..
The demonstrations of April 2004 and February 2001 are the result of
unhappiness in Vietnam .
The more they hurt our people the more our people will resist them,
and the more they kill our people the larger their pile of wrong
doings will grow, thus creating more problems for them from the
international community.
In the year 2005 Montagnard refugees continue to be hunted down by
Vietnamese police who pay bounties to Cambodian police for arresting
them. Upon their return to Vietnam many refugees are subjected to
harsh reprisals, torture and imprisonment.
On 25 th January 2005 , the government of Cambodia , Vietnam and
UNHCR signed a memorandum of Understanding regarding over 700
Montagnards refugees in Cambodia . This current memorandum of
Understanding is flawed and dangerous because it does not contain
any explicit guarantees that Montagnard refugees who are returned to
Vietnam will be effectively protected by the UNHCR.
Any attempt to return Montagnard refugees to Vietnam without
guaranteeing their safety inside Vietnam will fail in the long term
as returned refugees face reprisals.
Thus, the most logical solution is a permanent one, namely to ensure
that the Vietnamese government permits international observers as
NGOs, UNHCR and other UN agencies to have free access to the Central
Highlands where the human rights situation can be monitored and
Montagnard people protected.
On behalf of the Montagnard refugees in Cambodia , I humbly ask that
under no circumstances Montagnard refugees should be returned to
Vietnam , unless international monitors are granted permanent
presence to the region.
The US Government has recently announced that an agreement with
Vietnam on the respect of religious freedom. It is essential that
this agreement will be independently monitored because today all
Montagnards who want to pray outside of the control of the
Government are either threatened, or punished.
Ultimately, the Montagnard issue will not resolved unless the
religious freedom, human rights and land rights of the Montagnard
people are fully and permanently guaranteed.
In conclusion, I would like to urge this Forum to approach the
office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and all competent UN
Agencies to urge the Vietnamese government to allow the
international community to establish permanent monitoring system in
the Central Highlands to protect the Montagnard people.
Thank you |
