Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Phnom Penh in collusion with Hanoi on Montagnard asylum seekers? Phnong people report presence of Vietnamese agents in Cambodia

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Gov't Has Yet To Grant Asylum to Montagnards

By Douglas Gillison and Thet Sambath
The Cambodia Daily


Despite repeated requests since Aug 28, the Cambodian government has not yet granted permission for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to collect 15 Montagnard asylum seekers hiding in the jungles of Mondolkiri province, UNHCR spokeswoman Deborah Backus said Tuesday. Having received no rice since Sunday, the group, who remain after 12 others were deported back to Vietnam Sept 1, have likely had nothing to eat since then, a Phnong hill tribesman said by telephone Tuesday. "We do not take rice for these people anymore because we know the Cambodian police and the Vietnamese will follow," he said. Long Visalo, Secretary of State at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, declined to discuss the asylum seekers when contacted by telephone.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How can the UNCHR achieve anything if they kept waiting for permission from AH SLAVE HUN SEN and the Vietcong! This is human life we are dealing with! There is an urgency and why wait!