Persecutions in Vietnam Continue

The persecution of Christian Montagnards living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam has been reported to have continued unabated.

Over recent years, many Montagnards tribes have fled to Cambodia in order to avoid Vietnamese repression. However, Cambodian authorities have been reported as violating United Nation's Convention on political refugees, as they have responded by repatriating Montagnards.

A few days ago, Vietnamese and Cambodian representatives signed an agreement to "strengthen information exchange in order to improve bilateral cooperation and maintain security and public order in border regions."

The agreement spoke about "hostile forces that tend to sabotage the friendship between the two countries."

Earlier this year, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees intervened and proposed to Montagnards to leave for a different third country. However, this option was used only by 35 out of 700 refugees.

Several trials have taken place connected to Montagnards issue. On April 6, a court in the Gia Lai province tried Rolan Hloe, 37, and Kpui Chonh, 47 for helping several Motagnards emigrate. The court sentenced them to 7 years respectively.

Two Montagnards in the Dak Nong province were sentenced to five and two years "for threatening national unity." According to the law, leaving the country illegally means to threaten national unity.

On April 12, Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and his aide Pham Ngoc Thach, both Mennonite leaders whose Church was not recognised officially, were found guilty of "actions against local authorities".

Rev. Quang was involved in defending religious freedoma and human rights, and both of them had openly protested against the illegal arrest of other Mennonites.

Repression towards Christians has also allegedly involved killings, as security guards were reported to have killed ten Montagnards involved in a peaceful protest in Daklak province.