Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05HOCHIMINHCITY524
2005-05-20 06:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Cable title:  

(SBU) HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH MISLEADING ON CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

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 ------------------F22999 200547Z /38 
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1490
INFO AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 
ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000524 

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PREL KIRF ECON PGOV VM RELFREE HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: (SBU) HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH MISLEADING ON CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

REF: A) HCMC 307 and previous; B) HCMC 248 and previous; C) HCMC
324; D) HCMC 364

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000524

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PREL KIRF ECON PGOV VM RELFREE HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: (SBU) HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH MISLEADING ON CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

REF: A) HCMC 307 and previous; B) HCMC 248 and previous; C) HCMC
324; D) HCMC 364


1. (SBU) Summary: Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a briefing
paper in May 2005 entitled "Persecution of the Montagnards
Continues: Dega Christians targeted in latest crackdown." We
have reached out to our contacts in the Protestant and Catholic
communities in the Central Highlands. They can confirm only a few
of the allegations raised in the May report. Other allegations
exaggerate and/or shade actual events in a way that conceals the
possible involvement of ethnic minority individuals in anti-GVN,
secessionist activities. From our perspective, some Montagnard
activists in the United States appear to be encouraging
provocations that mix religious overtones with separatist
activities. The degree of witting involvement in these
provocations by the individuals in the Central Highlands who end
up as victims is not always clear. Unfortunately, security
officials in the Highlands are still far to prone to crack down
first and ask questions later, making the results of such
provocations as predictable as Lucy with the football. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a briefing paper in May
2005 entitled "Persecution of the Montagnards Continues: Dega
Christians targeted in latest crackdown." This is the latest in a
series of HRW reports discussing the plight of the Central
Highland's ethnic minority population. We have discussed these
allegations with a number of trusted contacts in the Protestant
and Catholic communities in the Central Highlands, as well as with
HCMC-based house church organizers active in the Central
Highlands. Vetting every HRW allegation ourselves is virtually
impossible. Logistical issues and oversight by local officials
often make travel to the sites of alleged abuses and open
discussion between ConGen officers and locals impractical. We
nonetheless will seek to travel to some of the areas mentioned in

the HRW report during our next visit to the Central Highlands.

Arrests and Detentions
--------------


3. (SBU) Of the 10 incidents of arrests and detention of ethnic
minorities alleged in the HRW report, a reliable contact in the
Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) operating in the
Central Highlands can confirm three incidents involving 9
individuals. In the first incident, seven relatives of a
prominent SECV pastor in Dak Lak were detained last month and
accused of being members of FULRO as HRW reported. (Note: FULRO
was an ethnic minority secessionist organization that conducted an
armed rebellion in the Central Highlands from 1975 to 1992.)
According to our contact, the pastor is the head of the SECV in
Dak Lak. Five of the individuals arrested were released. The
pastor's son and nephew remain in police custody, according to our
contact. The son was accused of acting as a liaison between "anti-
GVN forces" based in North Carolina and the pro-secessionist,
"Dega" movement in the province. The pastor himself was held for
two or three days. The police accused him of sheltering his son
and not preventing his apparent anti-GVN activities. According to
our contact, the pastor's son previously was a member of FULRO.


4. (SBU) Our contact also confirmed an incident in which,
according to HRW, "police detained and beat a man," and,
"confiscated his cell phone." Our contact says that HRW report
omits that the person was arrested upon his return to Gia Lai from
HCMC and Dalat, where he had purchased cell phones to distribute
to members of the ethnic minority community to contact the
Montagnard Foundation in North Carolina. Our contact added that
the HRW report colors another incident. On April 3 Gia Lai police
reportedly beat a member of the ethnic minority community and
"told him to stop believing in Jesus." The person involved, had
been detained for suspicion of being involved in separatist
activity and falsely claimed to be a member of the SECV. He was
not beaten, although police did "urge" the individual not to
participate further in the Dega movement, including severing his
affiliation with the "Dega Church."

Mistreatment of Returnees from Cambodia
--------------


5. (SBU) Our contact said that over the past month he has met
several of the ethnic minority returnees from Cambodia. All had
local police interviews upon return. He heard that several of the
individuals were slapped during interrogation, although the
persons he spoke with were not. He could not confirm the HRW
allegation that one returnee had his fingers lacerated during an
interrogation. (He commented that this allegation sounded
suspiciously similar to an actual incident involving one of his
SECV followers in 2002.) He has heard that some of the returnees
from Cambodia are restricted via administrative order from
traveling outside their villages and fields without police
permission. He added that "Dega" activists continue to attempt to
convince members of the Central Highlands' ethnic minority
community to cross to Cambodia so that they can "get their land

back."

Impact of the new legal framework on religion
--------------


6. (SBU) HRW's statement that Vietnam's new legal framework on
religion "effectively eliminates Montagnard house churches in the
Central Highlands as well as any religious Protestant organization
that seeks to operate independently of the ECVN (note: SECV)" is
both incorrect and misleading. The report misinterprets
provisions of GVN law covering registration and recognition of
churches. A house church can apply for "registration" under
Vietnam's Implementing Decree for the Ordinance of Religion. Such
groups can hold religious services. Registered organizations of
longer legal standing in Vietnam can apply for "recognition,"
which brings with it additional rights. To date, house churches
in the Central Highlands have not applied for registration,
although we understand that at least one Baptist house church
organization is preparing to register. The SECV also is working
at the provincial level in Gia Lai and with the central-level
Committee for Religious Affairs to register its churches in the
Central Highlands.

Allegations of Forced Renunciation and Dega Christianity
-------------- --------------


7. (SBU) The HRW report indicates that "Dega Christianity" is a
religious faith no different from other Protestant religious
practice in Vietnam. Our religious community contacts familiar
with the Central Highlands disagree with this premise. They say
that "Dega Christianity" mixes politics and talk of secession with
religion. "Dega Church" pastors are not formally trained, and are
ordained telephonically from the United States. Two contacts, one
a house church leader, another a Gia Lai SECV contact separately
told us that "Dega Church" services and doctrine were tailored to
advocate for the creation of a separate Dega state. The SECV
contact said he attended a handful of "Dega Church" services in
which Kok Ksor -- President of the North Carolina-based Montagnard
Foundation -- was proclaimed a new Moses sent by God to rescue
ethnic minority people from Vietnamese domination. The services
also praised "Montagnard fighters" and included prayers for the
Montagnard people to get their land back from the Vietnamese.


8. (SBU) Our SECV contact in Gia Lai said that as far as the local
authorities and police are concerned there is no difference
between the "Dega Church" and FULRO. Consequently, police
routinely hold village meetings urging ethnic minorities to
abandon any affiliation with the "Dega Church" and to seek
alternatives. According to a house church organizer based in
HCMC, in addition to the SECV there are another 14 Protestant
organizations operating in the Central Highlands (see appendix A).
Our contacts do not report forced renunciation efforts or
significant harassment affecting these house church organizations
in Gia Lai province, since the GVN adopted its new legal framework
on religion. However, in neighboring Dak Lak, all Protestant
groups remain under intense pressure from local authorities.


9. (SBU) Comment: Our frequent visits to the Central Highlands
have confirmed that more needs to be done to resolve the legacy of
land tenure disputes and discrimination and prejudice against the
region's ethnic minorities. Local authorities do themselves no
favors by restricting access to the Central Highlands and reacting
with Pavlovian toughness against any ethnic minority -- "Dega" --
activists they believe are enemies of the state.


10. (SBU) However, as we have reported (reftels),there are new
GVN efforts to implement economic and social reforms in the
Central Highlands. The latest HRW report heightens our concern
that that the organization is basing its reporting on biased
sources and dubious assumptions. This most recent report
highlights alleged abuses in Gia Lai province, the one area in the
Central Highlands where we have seen the most progress,
particularly on religious issues. The HRW report also maligns the
GVN-recognized Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV),
which has worked to overcome intense local government opposition
to sustain its operations in the Central Highlands. The report
further discounts GVN fears of a resurgence of ethnic minority
separatism and the possible role of the "Dega Church" in that
process. It does not address indications that actors outside
Vietnam -- including in the United States -- may be promoting
ethnic minority flight and calls for an independent Dega state.
In our view, a more balanced HRW product would do far more to
stimulate dialogue with the GVN to address many of the real and
pressing challenges facing the ethnic minority community in the
Central Highlands.

Appendix A
--------------

List of Protestant Churches operating in the Central Highlands
(all protect)


1. Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Tin lanh Vietnam Mien
Nam)


2. United World Mission Church of Pastor Nguyen Toi (Hoi Truyen
Giao Co Doc VN)


3. Vietnam Baptist Fellowship of Pastor Nguyen Ngoc Hien (Lien Huu
Baptit Vietnam)


4. United Gospel Outreach Church of Pastor Pham Dinh Nhan (Tin
Lanh Lien Hiep Truyen Giao)


5. Inter-Evangelistic Movement of Pastor Tran Mai (Lien Doan
Truyen Giao Phuc Am)


6. Vietnam Methodist Church of Pastor Lam Huu Duc (Tin Lanh Giam
Ly VN)


7. Vietnam Baptist Convention of Pastor Nguyen Thong (Baptit
Vietnam)


8. Vietnamese Mennonite Church of Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang
(Mennonite Vietnam)

9. Vietnam Southern Baptist Convention of Pastor Le Quoc Chanh
(Baptit Nam Phuong Vietnam)


10. Vietnam Christian Fellowship Church of Pastor Dinh Thien Tu
(Lien Huu Co Doc)


11. Full Gospel Church of Pastor Vo Van Lac (Phuc Am Toan Ven)


12. The Grace Presbyterian Church of Pastor Ho Tan Khoa (Truong
Lao An Dien Vietnam)


13. Community Gospel Church of VN of Pastor Pham Linh (Phuc Am
Cong Dong VN)


14. Baptist General Conference of Pastor Pham Toan Ai (Baptit Lien
Hiep VN)


15. Seventh Day Adventist Church (Co Doc Phuc Lam)

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