For the last 3 years the Vietnamese government has maintained the imposition of martial law and repressive paramilitary operations against Montagnard Degar people who reside in large parts of Vietnam’s central highlands. MFI also refers to the 18 December 2003 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report that “the situation remained poor or worsened for many ethnic minority Protestants in the Central Highlands and Northwest Highlands”. Further it is noted that Vietnam continues to ignore the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s recommendations (UN doc: CCPR/C/SR.2031) that called for Vietnam to allow human rights monitors access into the central highlands. Kok Ksor, President of the Montagnard Foundation states;

“The Montagnard Degar people are pleading for international protection and monitoring presence in the central highlands of Vietnam to protect the Montagnard Christians and common villagers who are suffering terribly by the abuses of security forces.”

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION RESPECTFULLY ASKS:

- The International community and United Nations Organization takes immediate action to secure protection of these victims and to insist the Vietnamese government release “Hir” and the other Montagnard people held in prison for peaceful political activity, for practicing Christianity, for demanding fair treatment by the Government or for trying to flee to Cambodia as refugees.

- The International community and United Nations Organization takes immediate action in getting human rights monitors access to the central highlands as recommended by the UN Human Rights Committee of which Vietnam has continued to ignore. (July 2002 75th session Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations on Vietnam. UN doc: CCPR/C/SR.2031).

- That religious organization around the world seriously scrutinize the Vietnamese government over its continued religious repression of our people as well as persecuted Vietnamese Buddhists, Catholics, Hoa Hao Buddhists, Hmong peoples, Muslim Chams, and other political dissidents in Vietnam.

Spokesman and advisor for the Montagnard Foundation, Scott Johnson states, “I have personally interviewed this little boy and his family and to hear how the Vietnamese police beat his father in front of him and then dumped him into the jungle only demonstrates the disgraceful attitude of inhumanity the Vietnamese government has for Montagnards and Christians in the central highlands.

Kok Ksor states, “that the Montagnard Foundation will continue to speak and act in a non-violent and peaceful way for our persecuted brothers and sisters inside Vietnam until the Vietnamese government ceases interference in our religious affairs and stops persecuting our people and recognizes our rights as indigenous people.” Kok Ksor further states, “We have no hatred for the Vietnamese people - as it is the Hanoi government that is persecuting us. Our only desire is that we may live in peace as indigenous people on our ancestral lands without fear of persecution.”

This appeal is supported by Members of the European Parliament and members of the Transnational Radical Party, the Hon. Marco Pannella, Maurizo Turco, Marco Cappatto, Gianfranco Dell’alba, Benedetto Della Vedova, Emma Bonino and Olivier Dupuis.

[1] Human Rights Watch, Vietnam: Donor Must Insist on Human Rights Progress, December 2, 2003.

[2] Vietnam Supra note 3 at section 1. b.

Source: Montagnard Foundation, Inc
Web Site: http://www.montagnard-foundation.org