Delivered by Mr. Kok Ksor, President of the Montagnard Foundation

On behalf of the Montagnard Degar peoples – of the Central Highlands of Vietnam I stand here today to convey this message to the United States Government, as the Vietnamese Prime Minister visits our President George Bush and our country, for the first time in 30 years.

30 years have passed since the end of the war: but the end of the war did not bring peace to the Vietnamese and Degar people. It brought 30 years of dictatorship, fear and suffering.

Over forty thousand Montagnards served with the American army during the war trying to stop the triumph of Communism and tyranny, and over two hundred thousand of them died during the war.

President Bush and the US Government should remember our people today, not only for what happened in the past, but for the daily atrocities and humiliations that the Montagnard continue to suffer. President Bush should urge Vietnam to respect the basic human, civil and political rights of all the Vietnamese citizens and of the indigenous people of Vietnam , namely Montagnard Degar peoples, the Khmer Krom, the Hmong and Tai Dam peoples.

Although all Vietnamese citizens have greatly suffered for the lack of freedom and democracy and the unjust social policies, widespread corruption and discrimination, the indigenous peoples have been reserved a brutal and systematic repression by the Vietnamese regime.

A regime, that has exploited our different ethnicity, culture, customs, and languages to dispossess our peoples of our lands, foster ethnic hatred and racism, and keep us uneducated and in extreme poverty.

Today many of our villages are under martial law where Vietnamese security forces conduct rampant human rights abuses and a policy of Christian religious persecution.

Every week we receive reports direct from Vietnam where our people describe forced renunciations of Christ, beatings, electric shock torture, arrests, and even murders conducted by Vietnamese authorities.

The US State Department also confirmed that the killings of our Christian people during the 2004 Easter Massacre was in “double digits” figures.

Since the United States has put the promotion of Human Rights and Democracy at the top of its foreign policy, the Montagnard Foundation requests that President Bush and the United States Government apply this principle in its relations with Vietnam .

We ask that President Bush send a clear message to the Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, that America will not tolerate the Vietnamese government getting away with persecuting Christians and persecuting their former allies.

The most critical rights concerning the life of our people are that the right to our ancestral lands, the right to religious freedom and the right to liberty to control our own life without fear of persecution.

We note that Vietnam has signed an agreement of religious freedom with the United States .

We also note that Vietnam is seeking US approval to gain entry into the World Trade Organization.

For these reasons the Montagnard Foundation demands that President Bush and the US Government not reward Vietnam with entry into the World Trade Organization until Vietnam concretely respects all the human rights of our people.

We therefore ask that President Bush and the US Government seek to establish a international monitor system to prevent human rights abuses in Vietnam , especially in the Central Highlands.

We ask that President Bush and the US Government ensure our refugees in Cambodia are not forcibly repatriated until such an international monitor system has been established to protect them.

We ask that President Bush and the US Government ensure Vietnam releases all of the 200 Montagnard religious and political prisoners especially those who have been arrested after our peaceful non-violent demonstration in February 2001 and April 2004.

We ask that President Bush and the US Government ensure Vietnam re-opens all Christian churches in Vietnam , especially in the Central Highlands.

Since Vietnam is seeking to establish friendly and lucrative trade relations with the United States we believe that it would be a mistake for the US to support Vietnam to join the World Trade Organization if it does not stop the persecution of the Christian Degar people.

All we want is that we not be forgotten and that Vietnam treat our people the Montagnard Degar people as its respectful citizen so that we can co-exist with ethnic Vietnamese people in peace, with freedom and liberty and dignity.

Thank you