MORE THAN 300 MONTAGNARD REFUGEES IN
CAMBODIA APPEAL TO UNHCR TO RETURN TO VIETNAM UNDER THE PROTECTION
OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
|
The refugees ask
also for a formal involvement of the Montagnard Foundation and the Transnational
Radical Party, in the formal discussions about their status that are taking
place in Cambodia
On 16 November 2004, 354 Montagnard refugees currently stationed in Phnom Pen,
Cambodia, who fled the Central Highlands of Vietnam following the crackdown of
the Vietnamese Government after the peaceful demonstration of April 11, 2004,
wrote a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Ruud Lubbers
calling upon the UNHCR High Commissioner to involve the Montagnard Foundation
and the Transnational Radical Party in the discussions that are held between
UNHCR, the Cambodian Government and the Vietnamese Government about their
future.
The refugees, in the letter, wrote to the High Commissioner “Are we going to be
forced to go to the third countries or to be forced to go back to Vietnam
without conditions? Our wish is to be able to go back to our beloved central
highlands with the full protection of the international community, starting with
the UN, to protect not only our fundamental indigenous rights and religious
freedom, but also the rights of all the Degar people who are persecuted and
discriminated by the Vietnamese Government.”
There is a growing concern for the safety of the refugees who might be willing
to go back to Vietnam, because the Vietnamese Government continues to oppose any
form of permanent and independent monitoring of their living conditions in the
Central Highlands of Vietnam.
The refugees who wrote the letter represent only a part of the refugees
currently under protection by the UNHCR in Phnom Penh and have signed the letter
in their personal capacity. Their request, which is in line with the request of
various international bodies to the Vietnamese Government to allow the
monitoring of the living conditions of the Montagnard people to international
institutions, clearly contradicts some of the allegations that have been
circulated by the Vietnamese Government namely that Vietnam has claimed the
Montagnard people who crossed the border with Cambodia after the repression of
last Easter, were only illegal immigrants willing to go to live to the United
States.
Below is the full text of the letter.
To the kind attention of:
Mr. Ruud Lubbers,
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
AN APPEAL
Phnom Penh, November 16, 2004
We the Degar refugees in Cambodia undersigned here appeal to the UNHCR to
include TRP and MFI in the meeting of preparing the resolution of what to do
with us the refugees who have been taken a refuge in Cambodia. Are we going to
be forced to go to the third countries or to be forced to go back to Vietnam
without conditions? Our will is to be able to go back to our beloved central
highlands with the full protection of the international community, starting with
the UN, to protect not only our fundamental indigenous rights and religious
freedom, but also the rights of all the Degar people who are persecuted and
discriminated by the Vietnamese Government.
As we are aware of that, there are three delegations from UNHCR, Cambodia and
Vietnam who have been working on the resolution but no one from TRP and MFI,
whom we have entrusted to be our voice, has been excluded. According to our
judgment, it is not fair that you only include UNHCR, Cambodia and Vietnam but
leave out TRP and MFI.
Since TRP and MFI is the voice of Degar people to the UN and the international
community, we appeal to you to include TRP and MFI in order to work on the
resolution fairly. There is no other organization that we can trust to represent
and speak for us and the Degar people except TRP and MFI.
Therefore, with all of our heart, we appeal to the UNHCR to include TRP and MFI
in discussing for the best resolution for us the Degar refugees in Cambodia.
Thank you in advance and we are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Related Story:
Montagnards Reject Int'l Resettlement
Click here for
the
original copy of the letter and the list of signatories
