Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05HOCHIMINHCITY248
2005-03-11 10:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON ETHNIC MINORITY AND RELIGIOUS

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000248 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON EINV PREF SOCI PREL PGOV KIRF VM RELFREE HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON ETHNIC MINORITY AND RELIGIOUS
ISSUES IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS VISIT

REF: A) HCMC 210; B) 04 HCMC 1491; C) 04 HCMC 1590 and previous

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000248

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON EINV PREF SOCI PREL PGOV KIRF VM RELFREE HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON ETHNIC MINORITY AND RELIGIOUS
ISSUES IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS VISIT

REF: A) HCMC 210; B) 04 HCMC 1491; C) 04 HCMC 1590 and previous


1. (SBU) Summary: Officials in the Central Highlands provinces of
Lam Dong and Dak Lak told the Ambassador that they are
implementing Hanoi's policies to expand religious freedom and to
improve the lives of ethnic minorities, but said they would not
tolerate "Dega Protestants" using religion for purposes that "go
against the country." The Ambassador commended the Government's
push to improve conditions for ethnic minorities in the region,
but emphasized that authorities would need to be more open and
transparent about these issues. Provincial officials voiced
suspicions about UNHCR's bona fides, although they said they would
implement the tripartite agreement with UNHCR and Cambodia on
Montagnard refugees. While officials in Dak Lak remain the most
hardest-line in the Central Highlands, they are talking more
positively on religion -- a marked improvement from our November
2004 visit (reftel). Whether their rhetoric will be matched by
action remains to be seen. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 28 and March 1, the Ambassador made official
calls on the provincial leadership of the Central Highlands
provinces of Lam Dong and Dak Lak. He met with the People's
Committees of both provinces, the Deputy Director of the GVN's
Central Highlands Steering Committee, the heads of the Committees
for Minority and Religious Affairs and the Bishop of the Dak Lak
Diocese. Economic development, ethnic minority issues and
religious freedom were core focus areas of the visit.

Economic and Social Development
--------------


3. (SBU) Provincial officials in Lam Dong and Dak Lak detailed
educational, cultural and economic initiatives to resolve
longstanding issues in the Central Highlands, including the bans

on in-migration by ethnic Kinh Vietnamese and land sales between
Montagnards and ethnic Kinh Vietnamese. They claimed that these
efforts have improved living conditions for ethnic minorities and
reduced tensions in the region.


4. (SBU) The provincial officials claimed that, with the exception
of "remote areas," all ethnic minority villages are electrified
and that residents have access to schools and health care. They
acknowledged that efforts to provide ethnic minorities with
expanded land grants and housing benefits have lagged. They said
that by the end of 2006 all Montagnards in the two provinces would
have adequate housing and land. To prevent deforestation, the Lam
Dong government is considering giving cash subsidies to ethnic
minorities residing there to care for the forest in lieu of
acreage. According to Lam Dong People's Committee Chairman Huynh
Duc Hoa, the province devotes 100 billion dong (USD six million)
of a 700 billion dong (USD 44 million) budget for ethnic minority
assistance programs.


5. (SBU) Brief stops at two ethnic minority villages in Lam Dong
Province suggested that at least some progress is being made; the
Montagnards the Ambassador visited are at least as prosperous as
their neighboring ethnic Vietnamese. However, it is still unclear
how representative these two villages are of the overall situation
in Lam Dong, let alone the more economically backward and
politically hard-line Dak Lak Province. The two villages were on
the main road between Dalat and Buon Ma Thuot, while many
Montagnards still live in more remote areas of the Central
Highlands.

Religious Freedom
--------------


6. (SBU) Lam Dong People's Committee Chairman Hoa claimed the
Catholics and Protestants are "satisfied" with conditions in the
province. He acknowledged that some ethnic minority Protestant
communities still face some difficulties "due to historical
conditions." Lam Dong Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA)
Chairman Tran Dinh Nhung told the Ambassador that Lam Dong has
recognized 11 Protestant churches and that four more
"recognitions" are in process. He acknowledged that Lam Dong has
180 house churches yet to be recognized, but claimed that some of
these are already registered at the communal level and thus are
allowed to operate. He said that church difficulties in
developing formal governing structures are part of the reason why
the recognition process is lagging.


7. (SBU) Dak Lak People's Committee Vice Chairman Duong Thanh
Tuong said the number of Protestants in Dak Lak has risen from
20,000 to 108,340 in the past 30 years. He noted that the
Protestant community has 40 pastors, four lay pastors and four
recognized churches. He cited the rapid increase in the number of
Protestants as an example of religious freedom, adding that Dak
Lak has been implementing the Prime Minister's Order on
Protestantism since last Christmas and that every believer is
allowed to celebrate at home. Tuong did not address reports (ref
B) that provincial officials suppressed Protestant religious
practice outside the province's four recognized churches during
and after Christmas.


8. (SBU) Dak Lak Diocese Bishop Nguyen Tich Duc complained in
front of provincial officials accompanying the Ambassador that his
80 priests are insufficient to minister to the over 300,000
parishioners in the diocese. The Bishop said that he has 12
deacons ready to be ordained but is awaiting issuance of
implementing guidelines for the Ordinance on Religion before
moving ahead. While avoiding direct criticism of Dak Lak
officials, Bishop Duc indicated that without implementation
guidelines he has not been able to implement any of the more
liberal provisions in the Ordinance on Religion, such as the
easing of restrictions on the transfer of priests. The Church is
also actively engaged in social work in Dak Lak. Bishop Duc said
that, although funding and staffing are issues, the diocese has
programs for leprosy and disadvantaged people, including orphans.
It runs a school for 100 disabled children, a smaller facility for
street children, and 3 boarding schools, one of which is for
ethnic minorities. The Bishop said that the quality of education
at these schools is higher and more comprehensive than what is
available in villages.

CHSC: Oversight of Reform
--------------


9. (SBU) The Central Highlands Steering Committee (CHSC),also
known as the Central Highlands Development Authority, was created
by the GVN in 2000 to coordinate development in the area.
However, it only formally inaugurated its operations in late 2004.
According to CHSC Deputy Director Nguyen Vy Ha -- who previously
served as the People's Committee Chairman of Gia Lai Province --
the CHSC has a GVN mandate to work with provincial governments to
implement GVN directives, including on ethnic minority issues. Ha
reports to Executive Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who
heads the CHSC. Ha explained that the Committee is composed of
leaders from the Central Highlands provinces and ministries
"related" to the Central Highlands. It does not have its own
budget.


10. (SBU) Deputy Director Ha claimed progress has been made in the
lives of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. He
explained that differences in education levels between ethnic
minorities and ethnic Kinh Vietnamese pose a significant
challenge; the education and economic gap between the ethnic
minority and majority has grown as the region's economic
development has accelerated. Ha said that Dak Nong and Kon Tum
provinces face the greatest difficulties in dealing with
development and ethnic minority issues.


11. (SBU) According to Ha, the Prime Minister's Decree on
Protestantism and the Ordinance on Religion will be implemented
fully in the Central Highlands. He would like to see more
churches recognized in the region as soon as possible. He added
that when churches fail to meet the conditions for GVN
recognition, they have the right to register with the local
authorities to regularize their status. He emphasized that it is
the responsibility of local authorities to help Protestants to
have a place to worship and to assist clergy to receive proper
instruction.

UNHCR, the Tripartite Agreement and Visas 93
--------------


12. (SBU) The Ambassador emphasized to his hosts that that the USG
does not support the flight of Montagnards to Cambodia and that
the way forward requires both sides to work together to find
durable economic and social solutions to the area's problems. Dak
Lak People's Committee Vice Chairman Tuong asserted that
authorities are committed to following the Tripartite Agreement to
accept those Montagnard refugees who wish to return to Vietnam.
He cautioned that Vietnamese authorities still have to verify
exactly who left and why before implementing the agreement. The
Ambassador gave Tuong a list of 15 Montagnard families from Dak
Lak seeking family reunification under the Visas 93 program who
thus far have not been able to get their passports issued. Tuong
said he would try to assist. The Ambassador also inquired about
the welfare of 13 Montagnards who self-repatriated back to Vietnam
in the fall of 2004 and said he would like to meet them on a
future visit.


13. (SBU) CHSC Deputy Director Ha repeated Vietnamese claims that
UNHCR is not to be trusted because it allegedly has incited
Montagnards to flee to Cambodia. He claimed he experienced this
phenomenon first-hand when he was in Gia Lai. Nonetheless, he
said the GVN will honor the Tripartite Agreement, but asked that
the United States use its influence with the UNHCR to "prevent
future incidents." The Ambassador said that he believes the GVN's
information about UNHCR activities is incorrect. He stressed that
there are good opportunities now to renew faith and trust, and
pledged that he would work to see the agreement carried out by all
parties.
MIAs, Investment Dispute
--------------


14. (SBU) The Ambassador told Ha that in the last several years
the United States has not been able to conduct MIA recoveries in
the Central Highlands. He said that whenever this issue is raised
with local authorities, we are referred back to the Central
Government, and vice versa. The Ambassador asked the CHSC to
press local authorities to restart recovery operations. Ha
responded that the problem with recovery operations is that
information regarding possible recovery sites is often incorrect
due to the aging population. The Ambassador noted that this is
all the more reason to move with greater speed. In Dak Lak, the
Ambassador also pressed local authorities to finally resolve an
ongoing investment dispute involving a local coffee company and a
U.S. firm. Krong Ana, owned by the Dak Lak People's Committee,
has agreed to buy out its U.S. joint venture partner, McCullagh
International Inc., but has yet to pay the agreed-upon price.

Comment
--------------


15. (SBU) Of the two provinces, officials in Dak Lak were clearly
more "security conscious." The local "minders" shadowed the
Ambassador throughout his stay there, and officials were present
at every meeting, including his discussion with Bishop Duc. A
meeting at Central Highlands University was carefully controlled
and the Ambassador was not given access to students. Just prior
to the Ambassador's visit, the university, on the orders of
provincial leaders, turned down an offer to host a visiting U.S.
speaker, the second time this had occurred in less than three
months.


16. (SBU) Nonetheless, the tone and content of the Ambassador's
discussions with Dak Lak provincial officials and CHSC Deputy
Chairman Ha were more positive than in our previous visits
(reftels),particularly on religious issues. For example, in
November, officials in Dak Lak told us that they recognized only
3,000 Protestants in the province and refused to acknowledge the
existence of any house churches whatsoever. Their acknowledgement
that they need to implement new Hanoi directives on religion and
ethnic minority economic development at least give us the opening
to press for concrete change. It will be an uphill task in Dak
Lak: our contacts in the Protestant community continue to report
no real let-up in the pressure on unregistered house churches.
End Comment.

WINNICK