MONITORING VISIT TO ETHNIC MINORITY RETURNEES AND VISAS-93

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 HO CHI MINH CITY 001186

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREF SOCI PREL KIRF PGOV VM
SUBJECT: MONITORING VISIT TO ETHNIC MINORITY RETURNEES AND VISAS-93
BENEFICIARIES IN GIA LAI PROVINCE

REF: HCMC 1185

HO CHI MIN 00001186 001.2 OF 005



1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: During a visit to the Central
Highlands province of Gia Lai from October 10-12, PolOff,
accompanied by the French Polcouns, met with 10 ethnic minority
returnees and the families of two others in their homes. No
government officials participated in our visits with returnees,
although ethnic minority village elders with varying degrees of
proficiency in Vietnamese were present.


2. (SBU) None of the returnees complained of mistreatment,
although three returnees who appeared to be affiliated with the
ethnic minority separatist movement did face additional police
scrutiny. All but one of the returnees said they were
Protestant; those affiliated with the GVN-recognized Southern
Evangelical Church of Vietnam said they were able to gather and
worship freely. Most of the returnees appeared to be economic
migrants. State-owned coffee and rubber plantations have become
a critical source of employment for many ethnic minority
villagers, including some returnees, although there is a strong
undercurrent of resentment that these plantations displaced
ethnic minorities from their traditional slash-and-burn
farmlands. The returnees' lack of education, inability to find
or hold sustainable employment, teenage pregnancy, land
pressures and dependency on government handouts are emblematic
of the challenges in trying to break the cycle of ethnic
minority poverty and alienation in the Central Highlands.


3. (SBU) Separately, HCMC Refugee Resettlement Section (RRS) and
DHS officers visited four VISAS-93 beneficiary families in Gia
Lai who were long term no-shows for interviews in HCMC. This
was the first time that we have made a successful visit to
VISAS-93 beneficiaries in the Central Highlands. In some of
these cases, family members and advocates in the U.S. claimed
that the families were banned from traveling to the HCMC for
interviews, were prevented from receiving written communication
from RRS, and faced serious harassment at home. Although local
officials were present during our meetings, family members
appeared relaxed. We saw no evidence of mistreatment. All the
families had received the bulk of mail sent from RRS HCMC. The
visit highlighted the real difficulties that local government
officials face in attempting to issue accurate civil documents
to illiterate individuals in remote areas of the Central
Highlands. Reftel reports on religious freedom and security
issues in Gia Lai. End Summary and Comment.

Returnee Visits
--------------


4. (SBU) During a visit to Gia Lai Province October 10-12,
provincial officials facilitated ConGen access to ten returnees
and the families of two others in their homes in Duc Co and Chu
Se districts of Gia Lai Province. All were ethnic Jarai
involuntary returnees. Education levels were very low, with
most having no or minimal schooling. The conversations were
conducted in Vietnamese by ConGen staff. At the insistence of
the provincial government, local ethnic minority village elders
were present for the interviews, although in some cases, the
elders did not appear to speak Vietnamese. With the exception
of one family, all the returnee homes had electricity. None
complained of physical abuse or severe harassment following
their return. Most received at least some government assistance
or were sufficiently above the poverty line not to qualify for
assistance.


5. (SBU) In our interviews we focused on:

-- the returnee's living conditions prior to going to Cambodia,
including employment and land ownership (we also sought
information on marital status, family size, education and
religion);

-- the circumstances surrounding the returnee's decision to
travel to Cambodia and the mechanics thereof;

-- the returnee's life in Vietnam since returning, including any
bad or unfair treatment by officials, ostracism by neighbors,
and government assistance to help with reintegration.


6. (SBU) Rolan Pleo (MTN-646),age 21, was the son of one of
the Jarai village elders in Ba village. He returned to Vietnam
in February 2006. His father was a member of the Viet Cong, as
were the other ethnic minority leaders of the village. Rolan
Pleo had no schooling; neither did five of his seven other
siblings. Pleo worked in his father's five acres of corn, rice
and cassava fields. His two marginally educated siblings --
sixth and third grades -- have jobs in the local rubber
plantation, earning from VND 400,000 to 800,000 per month (USD
24 to USD 48),depending on productivity. Pleo indicated that
he fled primarily for economic reasons after being encouraged by
"activists" from neighboring villages.

HO CHI MIN 00001186 002.2 OF 005




7. (SBU) Ksor Nuyen (MTN-638),age 20, told us that he "followed
lots of people" to Cambodia. He is one of nine siblings, none
of whom had any education. He does not follow a religion. He
returned from Cambodia because "he missed his family." He works
on his father's seven-acre cassava and cashew farm. The family
has a motorbike, a television and one cow. Upon his return to
Vietnam in February 2006, he spent one day at the district
police station being questioned about his reasons for leaving
and his stay in Cambodia. He also was "invited" once to meet
with communal officials some months after his return. He was
not/not required to attend any public "self-criticism" session
in his village after his return.


8. (SBU) Rolan Kam (MTN-494),19, married with one child, met us
in her home with her parents and siblings. She told us that she
went to Cambodia with her infant child, her 13-year old sister
and two other family members. One aunt was resettled in the
United States. UNHCR reportedly offered Kam resettlement as
well, but she and her younger sister decided to return and
rejoin her family. (The family did appear to be very close.)
Since their return in July 2005, her sister gave birth to a
child; the father is another boy in the village. Upon return,
she was interviewed for two days by district and local
officials. Her family received salt, gasoline and rice from the
government. Kam works in the local rubber plantation as a latex
collector, earning from VND 500,000 to 700,000 per month (USD 32
to USD 55).


9. (SBU) Kam's father told us that, in the past, a large number
of villagers left for Cambodia, but the flow has ebbed in recent
months. Kam's family and most others in their village -- an
estimated 600 -- are Protestants affiliated with the SECV. They
are able to gather to worship without restriction and do so
three times a week.


10. (SBU) Rolan Hoi (MTN-501) met us in his newly constructed
home with his wife, two children and sister-in-law. Hoi has a
fifth-grade education. His wife and his sister-in-law are
uneducated and do not speak Vietnamese. The entire group left
for Cambodia for economic reasons, he told us. The family paid
VND 700,000 (USD 45) for the crossing. There about 50 persons
in the group. Once in Cambodia, he and his family were told by
UNHCR that they did not qualify for resettlement. Upon return
in July 2005, he spent one day working with police in the
provincial capital of Pleiku and a second day with village
authorities. He was visited twice by border police, who
"encouraged" him to focus on making a living. He sometimes
assists his wife who has a job as a collector at the local
rubber plantation, where they make between VND 400,000 and
500,000 per month (USD 25 to 31). He also owns one acre of
cassava. His sister-in-law is unemployed. Since his return he
has received rice, tin roofing, blankets, mosquito netting,
instant noodles and soap from government authorities. Hoi and
his family belonged to the Southern Evangelical Church of
Vietnam (SECV). He and other villagers were able to gather
freely to worship.


11. (SBU) Rahlan Uoch (MTN-673),21, was the most impoverished
ethnic minority individual we had met in our dozen visits to the
Central Highlands over the past two years. In contrast to the
other villagers, the tiny hut where we met her and her baby girl
had no electricity and was virtually devoid of possessions. She
spoke very little Vietnamese. Uoch apparently married after her
return to Vietnam in April 2006. She worked part time in the
rubber plantation, earning "very little." She was not
interviewed by local authorities upon her return to Vietnam, but
received rice from local authorities. Asked about her state of
destitution, local officials explained that Uoch and her husband
recently moved out of their family homes to establish a new
household. Her husband worked as an itinerant laborer.

Son of a FULRO Activist
--------------


12. (SBU) Rahlan Hung (MTN-651),21, met us at his parents'
relatively prosperous home in Chan village in Duc Co District.
On the verge of tears, Hung told us that his wife divorced him
after he decided to cross to Cambodia against her wishes. Since
his return in February 2006, he had tried but failed to get a
job at the local rubber plantation, as officials told him he
could not qualify with only a fourth-grade education. He tends
his family's 1.3 acre gardens and cassava farm. Hung said UNHCR
offered him third-country resettlement, but he did not want to
leave his family behind.


13. (SBU) Hung told us that his father was a former combatant in
the ethnic minority separatist "FULRO" movement. His father
traveled to another village to participate in the anti-GVN
protests in 2001 and 2004. His father was arrested three times.

HO CHI MIN 00001186 003.2 OF 005


Hung refused to tell us whether his father remained active in
the FULRO movement, but noted that local authorities keep a
close eye on his family. Following his father's lead, Hung said
that he "abandoned" Protestantism, but he acknowledged that the
SECV was able to operate freely in the village. Upon his return
to Vietnam, Hung was held for three days and two nights at the
provincial level and another day at the district level, where he
was questioned carefully about his reasons for crossing to
Cambodia and his family's activities. Since his return, police
have visited him seven times, questioning him for approximately
one hour each time. There was no physical violence during any
of his questioning sessions, but police officials "yelled at
him," telling him not to try and flee again.


14. (SBU) Siu Huy (MTN-204),25, told us that he "followed
people" to Cambodia because he heard that economic conditions
were better across the border. A 9th-grade graduate, Huy works
with his wife in the local rubber plantation earning from VND
300,000 to one million (USD 20 to 60) monthly. He tried to get
a job with the local state-owned coffee plantation but was not
hired. Upon his return from Cambodia in July 2005, he was
interviewed in the provincial capital of Pleiku for two days.
Local officials also visited him three times. He received tin
roofing for his home from local authorities. Huy's family is
Protestant. They face no restriction on worship.


15. (SBU) Ksor Gai (MTN-493),42, told us that he crossed to
Cambodia with his sixth-grade daughter after he lost his rice
harvest in a flood. Gai paid VND two million (USD 125) for the
crossing. Gai is Protestant; he and other villagers have not
faced any restrictions on religious practice this year. Upon
his return in July 2005, Gai was interviewed by local border
police who verbally threatened him with physical harm should he
attempt to flee to Cambodia again. Gai also complained that he
did not receive any assistance from government officials. The
local officials explained that Gai's household was relatively
wealthy. Gai acknowledged that he owned nearly two acres of
coffee and cassava as well as nine cows.

Dega Activist
--------------


16. (SBU) Kpuih Hoang (MTN-700),28, self-identified as a member
of the "Dega Protestant Church" since 1999. Hoang complained
that the government "took the traditional village lands" when
they created a new coffee plantation nearby in 1997. He used to
work for the plantation, but quit after some time because the
coffee plantation "did not pay enough and did not acknowledge
all his labor."


17. (SBU) Hoang said that he participated in the anti-GVN
protests in 2001 and 2004 and was detained by police for 20 days
in 2004. He has four young children between the ages of one and
eight. He has a second-grade education; his wife never went to
school. He has three-quarters of an acre of rice, cassava and
pepper and two cows. Upon his return from Cambodia in April
2006, he was held for two days of questioning in the provincial
capital of Pleiku. He also has been visited frequently by local
ethnic Jarai police, who warn that he will be arrested if he
participates in separatist activities or if he attempts to cross
again to Cambodia. He has not received any assistance from the
government since his return. After his return, he refused to
seek work at the local state-owned coffee plantation. Unlike
many other returnees, Hoang said that he did not pay to cross to
Cambodia. He was not offered resettlement by UNHCR.


18. (SBU) Hoang said that 20 families in his village are
affiliated with the Dega Protestant Church. They are not
allowed to gather. He acknowledged that the SECV has a presence
in the village and that SECV members do not face restrictions.



19. (SBU) Siu Gin, 22, told us that he paid VND one million (USD
60) to travel to Cambodia. Gin finished fourth grade. His
uncle, who was earlier resettled in the United States,
encouraged him to cross because "life in the village was
difficult." He was rejected for resettlement by UNHCR and
returned home in April 2006. He was questioned for two days in
Pleiku before being returned home. Since his return, Gin has
married a relatively wealthier woman and now farms her two acres
of rice and pepper. He received rice, gasoline, and canned tuna
from local officials. He has been visited twice by local
officials since his return home.

Where is Siu Nham?
--------------


20. (SBU) ConGenOffs visited the family of Siu Nham (MTN-406),a
returnee who "disappeared" some time after his return from
Cambodia in July 2005. Siu Nham's case was first raised by the

HO CHI MIN 00001186 004.2 OF 005


EU in November 2005, after another returnee suggested to
visiting EU officials that Nham had been beaten. At that time,
officials told the EU representatives that Nham was "working in
the fields."


21. (SBU) Siu Nham's wife and father maintained that they had
not seen Siu Nham since he "fled" roughly around September 2005.
However, they did not appear at all concerned about his
absence. Moreover, Nham's wife had a three-month old child that
she and her father-in-law adamantly maintained was Siu Nham's.
During our visit, the local ethnic Jarai village elder made a
speech clearly directed at the family "saying were Siu Nham to
return, his safety would be guaranteed." Separately, the Chu Se
District People's Committee Chairman told us that he had
recently delivered a letter to Siu Nham and his family
personally guaranteeing that Nham would face no repercussions
for his absence should he voluntarily return. Referring to
Nham's "disappearance," the Chairman told us that officials know
where ethnic minority individuals go "to hide," but refrain from
approaching them so as to minimize tensions as much as possible.
Siu Nham's family told us that they had been practicing "Dega
Protestantism," but had been told to stop by local officials.
(Comment: Whatever the reasons for Siu Nham's flight, it
appears an open secret in the district that he is alive and
reasonably well. End Comment.)

VISAS-93 Visits
--------------


22. (SBU) Separately, RRS Chief and CIS Chief visited four
Visas-93 beneficiary families that had been identified for
follow-up in the field. In one case, RRS had been waiting for
over a year for the family to obtain passports. Three other
families were among the seven long-term "no show for interview"
(NSI) cases. The ethnic Bahnar beneficiary in Ho Luk village,
Ko Dang commune, Dak Doa district told us that she had received
earlier invitations for interviews from RRS, but had not
traveled to HCMC because she had "no money." However, she would
attend her interview scheduled for 18 October. She already was
issued a passport.


23. (SBU) An ongoing family dispute explains why the
beneficiaries of a case in Dak Ioh village, Dok So Me commune,
Dak Doa District had not responded to RRS interview invitations
for over a year. The principal applicant told us that several
months ago her husband in the United States had informed her
that he only wanted their two middle sons to get a job. He said
he could not support the entire family in the United States
because his wife is illiterate and unable to work. As the
primary beneficiary wanted to keep the family together, she had
suspended processing. We found her explanation and demeanor
credible, but will follow-up with the anchor. The anchor has
sent money that the family has used to improve their house,
which was larger and more prosperous looking than those of most
neighbors.


24. (SBU) A CIS adjudicator had approved the case of a family
living in Lang Mor village, Dok To Ver commune, Dak Doa District
for resettlement to the United States over a year ago, but the
family had not yet received its passports. RRS received reports
that unspecified local officials had told the family that they
would not get their passports unless they paid a bribe of USD
3,000.


25. (SBU) The principal applicant is illiterate and does not
speak Vietnamese, so a village elder translated. According to
the principal applicant, there were discrepancies and gaps in
their birth certificates and family register records. Sorting
out the differences had taken a great deal of time.
Accompanying officials told us that the family's passports had
been approved and that the family would get them the following
day. The family's house was larger and better furnished than
those of most neighbors. The family plans for the now-married
eldest son to stay in Vietnam.


26. (SBU) A family of seven beneficiaries in the remote Plei
Plor village, Ia Lau commune, Chu Prong District, live in a
single-room tin roofed wooden home. The family has a two or
three hectare cashew farm. The anchor in this case has
repeatedly expressed concern that his family was being prevented
from leaving the village, that letters and telexes from RRS had
not been delivered, and that one of his daughters (said to be
eleven years old) had been imprisoned for two months and
poisoned.


27. (SBU) We began our interview by attempting to identify the
family members: the anchor's wife, three older daughters, and
two younger sons. It became apparent that the precise
birthdates supplied on the beneficiaries' respective I-730
application forms were conjectural. None of the beneficiaries

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appeared to know their birthdates or even their ages. For
example, the principal applicant said her youngest son was about
eighteen, but he appeared to be nine or ten. All three
daughters are married, although listed as single on the I-730
form prepared by the anchor in the United States. One of the
daughters was the young woman who reportedly was imprisoned and
poisoned. She appeared healthy, in her late teens, and was
nursing a baby. None of the family members made any claims of
harassment, although there were a large number of officials
present during our meeting. For example, the principal
applicant said that she traveled to Pleiku whenever her husband
sent money, most recently in July, when she received USD 200.
She stated that she had received three messages from RRS (out of
five sent),but that she had not come for a prescreening
appointment because "she could not afford to do so." (A return
trip bus ticket from the area to HCMC reportedly costs VND
300,000, or USD 20.)


28. (SBU) The family and local officials told us that they are
still attempting to sort out discrepancies in names and dates of
birth so that the beneficiaries can receive birth certificates.
The principal applicant kept in touch with her husband in the
U.S. via cell phone. The phone showed a number of overseas
calls, the most recent from earlier in the day of our visit.
WINNICK