Statement of Concern
for the Safety and Well-Being of Montagnards in Cambodia and Vietnam
June 9, 2001

Background

Hundreds of Montagnards living in the central highlands of Vietnam have fled to northeastern Cambodia since February due to reported burning of house-churches and other widespread human rights abuses and the violation of land rights.

Approximately one hundred Montagnard asylum seekers have been forcibly repatriated by Cambodian authorities and their fate remains unknown. Over two hundred are under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Hundreds of others are reported to be hiding in northeastern Cambodia.

Montagnards are people of diverse Malayo-Polynesian and Mon-Khmer backgrounds, including Ede, Jarai, Mnong, Sedang, Pacoh, Hre, Hroi, Koho, Roglai, and Stieng, with a long history of settlement in the central highlands of Vietnam. As such, they are culturally and linguistically distinct from the majority of Vietnamese.

In February of 2001, thousands of Montagnards protested their treatment under Vietnamese government officials with regard to land rights and their right to live openly as Christians. Many Montagnards claim they are unable to grow enough food to support their families because the Vietnamese government forces them to dedicate half of their land to coffee production. Since February, the Vietnamese government has sent more security police into Montagnard villages, and reports of governmental abuse and intimidation have mounted. Representatives of the Vietnamese government have reportedly harassed Christian worshippers in their churches and homes on numerous occasions. Reports of beatings and extrajudicial detention are rampant.

Montagnard asylum seekers and refugees who have recently fled Vietnam report the extensive presence of secret police, deaths due to beatings and torture, and intensified pressure on those who profess to be Christian. Independent observers continue to be restricted from Montagnard areas.

Montagnards Seeking Asylum in Cambodia

As a result of these repressive measures, hundreds of Montagnards have fled their homes and sought refuge in the provinces of Ratankiri and Mondulkiri in remote areas of northeastern Cambodia. Fifty Montagnard asylum seekers were placed under UNHCR custody in Ratanakiri after a search on or about May 24. In neighboring Mondulkiri, more than 165 Montagnards were escorted out of hiding places by UNHCR staff and temporarily placed in a small tent settlement outside the provincial capital of Sen Monorom. They are currently under UNHCR protection. According to an independent observer who recently visited the area, the Mondulkiri camp consists of a few dozen tents. Although it is adequate for the present, it is not a place were people can be housed for a long period of time. Hundreds of additional asylum-seekers are believed to be hiding elsewhere in northeastern Cambodia.

On May 17, refugee advocates applauded the Cambodian Government, a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, for abiding by the terms of the Convention and agreeing with UNHCR to grant temporary asylum to Montagnard asylum seekers until conditions improve sufficiently in Vietnam. The 1951 Convention prohibits the forcible return of refugees to locations where they would likely be subjected to persecution, and mandates the support of the government for resettlement to third countries if such resettlement is recommended by the United Nations.

The Government of Cambodia admirably upheld its obligations to refugees and asylum seekers by permitting UNHCR to expedite the resettlement of 38 Montagnard refugees to the United States in April of this year. These refugees, most of whom are single men, are now rebuilding their lives with the help of Catholic Charities, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and longer-settled Montagnard Americans in North Carolina.

Despite these laudable actions, the Cambodian Government has recently faltered in its protection of Montagnard asylum seekers. On May 20, Human Rights Watch asserted that 89 Montagnards beyond the reach of UNHCR had been forcibly repatriated to Vietnam. On May 22, UNHCR reported that "more than 100 ... may have been deported from Cambodia over recent months." Under pressure from the international community, the Phnom Penh government has insisted that these deportations were the result of local initiatives. In the porous and relatively isolated border area, Cambodian authorities and their Vietnamese counterparts have a long history of free cross-border movement and close cooperation.

Common Goal

The signatories of this Statement of Concern represent diverse constituencies and political perspectives. Many of our organizations serve and represent resettled refugees who fled Southeast Asia in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of us understand from personal experience the importance of international support for the welfare of refugees - people without a home, property, or access to the most basic assurances of justice.

In light of recent developments,

• We urge the governments of Cambodia, the United States, and Vietnam, as well as international organizations and agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to place a high priority on assuring the well-being and safety of Montagnard asylum seekers in Cambodia.
• We urge all responsible parties to use their influence to protect the human rights of Montagnards within Vietnam and Cambodia, and thereby diminish or end the flow of asylum seekers into Cambodia.

For Further Information, Contact:

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
KaYing Yang or Max Niedzwiecki
(202) 667-4690
max@searac.org
www.searac.org

Montagnard Human Rights Organization (MHRO)
Mike Benge
(Additional press release available)
mbenge@fs.fed.us

Additional Signatories to this Statement of Concern:

• Cambodian Network Council (CNC): Vi Houi, Board Chair
• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC):
  Dr. Tsehaye Teferra, Executive Director
• Hmong American Partnership:
  William Yang, Executive Director
• Hmong National Development (HND):
  Bo Thao, Executive Director
• Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA):
  Shannon Dennett, Director of National Programs
• International Montagnard Bible Church (IMBC):
  Y Hin Nie
• International Rescue Committee:
  Catherine Moller, Manager, Protection Department
• Kurdish Human Rights Watch (KHRW):
  Pary Karadaghi, Ph.D., Executive Director
• Lao American Women's Association of Washington, DC (LAWA):
  Bounheng Inversin
• Laotian American National Alliance (LANA):
  Vilay Chaleunrath and KaYing Yang, Co-Chairs
• Montagnard/Dega Association, Inc. (MDA):
  Louis Y Pen Bing
• National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA):
  Naomi Steinberg
• National LEP Taskforce (NLEPT):
  Kathy Poulos-Minott
• Newcomers Community Service Center (NCSC):
  Vilay Chaleunrath, Executive Director
• Phoenix Associates (PA):
  Diana D. Bui
• Resource and Development Institute (RDI):
  Martin Ha, Executive Director
• Society of Thaidam-American Friendship (SOTAF):
  Dinh Van Lo
• U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR):
  Jana Mason
• United Laotian Community Development, Inc. (ULCD):
  Sary Tatpaporn
• The Vietnam Highlands Assistance Project for Lutheran Family Services (VHAP):
  Kay Reibold
• Vietnamese American Public Affairs Committee:
  Dan Hoang, Vice President