Statement to White House
National Security
The White House National Security Affairs
On September 18, 2007
Reverend Y Hin Nie
The United Montagnard Christian Church
1204 Picard Street, Greensboro, NC 27405
Telephone: 336 621 1040 or 336 253 2092
Email address: Revyhinevangel@juno.com;
web site: www.montagnarducc.org
The Honorable Stephen Hadley
Assistant to The President for
National Security Affairs
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington D.C, 20500
Dear Mr. Hadley,
Special for the past 7 years there have been many reports of human rights abuse in the Central Highland region of Vietnam but sources indicate that things have heated up tremendously since the first of September 2001 until today. The targets of these abuses are groups of people known as Montagnard, or Anak Cu Chiang, the indigenous people of the mountainous Central Highlands and have been for the last 50 years, free to live as they deemed fit. After 1975, under the Hanoi Communist regime, they have been the intense focus of much persecution and harassment. This is tied directly to the fact that a large percentage of the population is Montagnard evangelical and catholic Christian. Their churches are regularly raided and the pastors, elders, deacons and believers arrested and harassed.
Today, I speak on behalf of approximately 700.000 the Montagnard Christians, their voices are filled with grief and they are crying in the Central Highland to all of us in this platform and to the free-world, today.
After 2001 AND ON JUNE 30, 2007, many sources from across the Central Highlands report that all of the pastors and many of the elders, deacons and believers are missing. We have in our possession a list of over 50 pastors are being detained. In probably two-three hundred (200-300) believers, pastors and preachers and more were sentenced from two (2) to twelve (12) years imprisonment. And there are more disturbing facts: This human rights crisis has resulted in an increase of approximately 1 to 2,000 children whose fathers are missing and nearly a thousand wives who have husbands who have disappeared.
In addition, the Hanoi Regime has closed approximately 1000 houses for pray some place was destroyed. If Montagnard practices House worship, the first time that they are caught, they will be fined from 100,000 to 500,000dong or killed them. Our beloved country and our villages are filled with fear, hungry. Hanoi present to allows built church 1 from each Province are: Pleiku church, (Pleiku province), Buon Nie Sah church (Daklak Province) Da-nung church (Lam dong Province) and Bu Dak Church (Daknong Province) In The Church Pulpits, order the church must hung Ho-Chi-Minh pictures. In the Opening services, the Pastor must say: “Thanks to Communist Party for allows having services in this day.” Human rights abuses are everywhere else.
Addition, in 2007, approximately 100 people Communist beaten to death in jail. Some of them the communist after having tortured in jail about to dies, the police take them return home to family then they died are: 1. Y Glen Nie, B.Tah 2 . Y Kuot Enuol, B.Dha Prong. 3 Y Kuo Buonkrong and hundred is similar too. Some of them are alive in suffering today.
The Communist police wear civilian uniform drives a big truck “E-Pha truck” or Motor Cycles to collies Montagnard vehicles. Some of those in consciousness’, the Police officer beaten them to death.
Major Montagnard Christian Student has graduated for Doctor MD degree, Engineering or other high degree. The Hanoi authority does not allow those students have a job because they are Christian.
For this reason, I am honored to have the freedom to share this information and, to give another voice of support to those who suffer in Vietnam. There are not only Montagnard Tribes people; neither not only Christian Religious but accountable including Buddhist, Catholic Priest, Cao-dai, Bahaii religion prior to 1975 in Vietnam. The history of repression and human rights abuses has been well documented by Human Rights Watch. (See their report, Vietnam Repression of Montagnard: Lands Grabbing, Church Destruction and Police Abuses in the Central Highland, April 2007, See their web-site at www.hrw.org) the situation before us now is that we do not have the luxury of ignorance.
Our people are being destroyed. An entire indigenous people are being lost. Our land, our culture, and our Christian faith have been wrenched from our bodies and our hearts. We need your help. We need the world to listen
In the years 2001 and 2004 and in July 2007, several thousands went on the streets in Vietnam to demonstrate against ethnic discrimination and violation of the freedom of religion. The demonstrations were peaceful until the brutal abatement of police, army and civilians at their order. The Hanoi authority are arrested hundreds of Montagnard (members of the mountain peoples) even though, the Montagnard have never participate with the demonstration – mostly Christians – were arrested and later on sentenced to up to 17 years of prison in unfair trials under the exclusion of public. During imprisonment they were tortured and abused. The conditions of detainment do not at all comply with international standards. Some died in prison. Some of send home for dies. Most prisoners are in North Vietnamese camps, which are over 1,000 km away from their families. Therefore the mostly impecunious family members have no chance to visit them or to supply them with food.
The ISHR has a list of 180 Montagnard prisoners. Other sources speak of 300 to 350 prisoners.
We possess a host of testimonies of human rights abuses and will be happy to present an accounting of them and deliver them upon their requests. The question we are faced with is how we can continue to hear them and respond with indifference. We cannot remain silent and this testimony is just one of the many attempts we are making to seek protection and intervention for our people.
The question before all of us, today, is what we will do with the matter now that we have been confronted with it? Each of us possesses a proportion of power and influence. Some of us have more authority than others and can wield a great deal of influence. Those in Washington and in New York United Nation have the greatest share of the Burden because they possess the power to put these atrocities to end with just a most basic diplomatic and legislative pressure.
The United Nation of High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United States the power and can provide the proper motivation to convince
Hanoi of the need to respect human rights. Will the world tolerate such state-sponsored terrorism? Will we allow yet another ethnic cleansing to be perpetrate against innocent peoples
We urge the United Nation Secretary General and the World leaders to revisit the foreign policy questions relating to Vietnam and ask that they consider the hypocrisy displayed by our indifference, our silence. Will we only take leadership when trouble looms on our doorstep or will we come to the aid of those, who are our friends and allies, in their moments of terror?
We urge the following actions to be taken immediately:
1. Send a message to Hanoi that the killing must be stopped immediately. We desire that an accounting be made of these atrocities and an effort made to identify the victims.
2. Demand that those pastors be release immediately unharmed and also to permit their churches to gather and worship freely.
3.Demand to publish and distribute religious materials such as Christian, bible, etc… to be able to have such materials is their possession without fear persecution or retaliation from government or any of it agencies.
4. Demand to build places of worship without fear persecution and to own such places of worship.
5. Demand to allow training and appointed religious leaders in and out of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. To invite religious leaders from other parts of the free world to Vietnam.
6. Demand to return immediately all Christian churches and lands, including artifacts belonging to the Montagnard churches.
7. Demand to release immediately from prison, re-education camp, etc., all the peoples that has been imprisoned or confined because of Christian beliefs.
8. Demand to allow the Montagnard people freely assemble for worship of their choice without persecution.
9. Seek to convince Hanoi that they must address the human rights abuses honestly if they expect us to deal with them in trade and commerce. We must not deal with them without strings attached.
10. Demand that they stop the human rights abuses against the Montagnard immediately and open the Central Highlands to United States, Free-world and United Nations observers as a gesture of good faith that the commitment to human rights protection in sincere.
11. The last and most important demand that we request is that a delegation of United States or UN observers be allowed to move into the Central Highlands area to oversee the process of peaceful transition of Living and Worship. That the delegation be allowed to remain until this process is completed and remain until stability is fully restored. Furthermore, that a party of observers be allowed to live and have free access until the Hanoi government give complete respect and allow the free practice of belief to all citizens in Vietnam.
Today, there is more than enough evidence. Recent facts reported by the Hanoi based Vietnam News Agency has established that the Hanoi regime has implemented a plan to train 21,181 religious propaganda workers from the present to 2010. We respectfully urge the Bush to re-designate Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) because of its Religious persecution which has intensified in the last year.
We believe President Bush and all Free-World leaders must have a road map for Peace, Freedom and inform Democracy to Vietnam. We must not allow the yoke of persecution for these Christians to continue. We must stand with one voice, one heart, one task-working together to save the Montagnard and Vietnamese Citizens in Vietnam.
Thank you for the privilege and honor to speak freely. Thank you for remembering the Montagnard people and taking a stand for our survival. May God bless you and the United States of World Leaders of democracy and freedom.
Respectfully Yours
Reverend Y Hin Nie, Pastor
The United Montagnard Christian Church
Today, there is more than enough evidence. Recent facts reported by the 
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