Degar Montagnard escapes to Cambodia and repatriated to Vietnam to face death threats

Vietnamese Christian escapes to Cambodia, repatriated to death threats

09/05/2008
AsiaNews.it

Y Hning, an ethnic Degar or Montagnard, sought safety in a UN refugee camp; now he is under house arrest and cannot even go to work in his fields.

Spartanburg (AsiaNews) – Persecuted on ethnic and religious grounds, Y Hning (see photo) fled Vietnam for a UN refugee camp in Cambodia but was eventually shipped home. Back in Vietnam police forced his family to pay 100,000 dongs for his release and forced him to give up his Christian faith. Now he is under house arrest and in fear for his life.

Hning, 36, is an ethnic Degar, a minority living in Vietnam central highlands. The US-based Montagnard Foundation is appealing on his behalf to embassies and international agencies to spread the news so that he and his family can be spared further persecution.

In the Foundation’s appeal Y Hning is described as an ethnic Degar and a Christian from Ploi Todrah village, Bar Mah commune, in Gia Lai province, who has experienced persecution because of his ethnic affiliation, which is why he tried to flee the country.

After crossing the border with Cambodia he reached a refugee camp run by the UNHCR on 3 November 2008. Cambodian authorities repatriated him without allowing him to enjoy the protection of the UN agency.

Upon his repatriation the authorities detained him and forced his family to pay 100,000 dongs (only seven or eight dollars but a lot of money for Vietnamese farmers) for his release. Even though they raised the money and paid the fine, he was still placed under house arrest.

On 3 August the family was further required to “donate” a pig, the only animal it had left valued at 1.5 million dongs, for a party by local police.

On 8 August Hning was forced to sign a statement in which he formally renounced Christianity and pledged to stop attending the Degar church.

Under house arrest he cannot work in his family’s fields and received further threats if he dared to flee again.

Net help for persecuted tribes of Laos and Vietnam

The Internet has become an effective tool of communication. It is through the web that the indigenous people in the forests of Laos and Vietnam are letting the world know about their persecution by their respective governments.

14 April 2008, Monday
By Bhumika Ghimire
MeriNews - Power to People

ALERTNET BLOGGER, Amy Hutt, who has reported on human rights issues in Southeast Asia, Australia and South America, writes about how the Hmong and the Montagnards are reaching out to the world, through technology.

Hmong, who live in the forests of Laos, claim that the government is persecuting them and treating them like enemies for their supposed relation with the rebels, who fought against the communist regime 40 years back.

A video has now surfaced on the YouTube, which shows a 10-year-old Hmong boy, whose stomach is cut open and the internal organs are exposed. He was attacked by the government forces while searching for food. He died two days after the attack, without getting any medical care.

The report also talks about a video posted by the ’Montagnard Foundation’, which shows the Montagnard people being tortured and beaten up by the Vietnamese forces. Although they have given up violence and disbanded their separatist campaign, the Montagnards are still facing serious government actions. The report estimates that 350 are in prison. The majority of the prisoners are accused of seeking asylum into the neighboring country of Cambodia or being active in the religious activities.

The Hmong

According to the data provided by the Wikipedia, China has the largest Hmong population in the world at three million. In Laos, there are 3,20,000 Hmongs and in Vietnam there are 7,90,000. It is said that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited Hmong men in Laos to fight the ’US Secret War’ in the country, in the early 1960s.

After the war ended, the Hmong were targeted by thecommunist regime and faced retaliation. Many fled to Thailand and other countries seeking refuge.

The Montagnards

According to the ’Save the Montagnard people’ website, the Montagnards are now facing political, economic as well as cultural retaliation from the Vietnamese government. Their language cannot be taught in the schools, and all the books written in their tribal languages were burnt after 1975.

Montagnard farmers are not allowed to use the public irrigation system, which affects their crop production and income level. They are also denied medical care and other facilities that other villagers receive from the government.

They are also facing religious persecution, many of their churches were forcibly closed down, and some were even vandalised. The government even arrested preachers and forced them to worship only in ’approved’ churches.

UNHCR saves 15 Montagnard out of the forest

29 June 2007
By Ratha Visal
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A UN Official indicated that a group of people was saved from the forest located in the east of Cambodia. The group claimed that they fled from Vietnam to look for refuge in a third country.

Chuong Ravuth, a UNHCR official, said that the 15 Montagnard people from Vietnam were saved on Thursday after they hid in the forest of O’Yadaw district, Ratanakiri province in the past one month while waiting for help to get out.

Chuong ravuth said: “Based on the information, we had to cooperate with the authority and several departments to get help. When we arrived at their (hiding) location, they all came about according to the number we were told: 15 of them.”

The group of Montagnard people is believed to be part of a group of 27 people whom the UNHCR learnt that they fled from their villages in Vietnam last May.

The 15 Montagnard people will be sent to the UNHCR headquarters in Phnom Penh next week.