UN delays Vietnamese hilltribe repatriation

 
PHNOM PENH, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday it had delayed the first repatriation of ethnic minority people who fled unrest in Vietnam to Cambodia following strong criticism of the plan by the United States.

The repatriation of 109 ethnic minority asylum seekers was to have occurred this weekend, but was put on hold after Washington said it was organised without proper protection for returnees.

The repatriation would have been the first batch of 1,084 hilltribe people who fled to refugee camps in Cambodia after a crackdown by Hanoi on ethnic-minority protests in the Central Highlands last February.

Hilltribe communities in the Central Highlands have long been viewed with suspicion by Hanoi because of their Christian faith and allegiance to U.S. forces during the Vietnam War.

The anti-government protests over land rights and religious freedom for hilltribe peoples last year rattled Hanoi, which cut access to the region and sent in police and soldiers to curb new unrest.

The United States subsequently resettled 38 of those who fled, angering Hanoi.

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Kent Wiedemann on Friday said his government contacted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva and Phnom Penh to express concern that the plan was proceeding without a proper agreement with Hanoi on follow-up monitoring for the returnees.

"We did explain our strong concern that this plan was precipitous," Wiedemann told Reuters by telephone. "We felt there should be more adequate investigation and counselling for the returnees."

A UNHCR team visited hilltribe villages and homes in the Central Highlands this week before arriving in Cambodia on Thursday to meet the 109 would-be returnees.

But observers following the asylum seekers' plight questioned whether the four-member team was able to property assess the situation in the Central Highlands in just four days.

Nikola Mihajlovic, head of liaison for the UNHCR's Cambodia office, said more time would be given to pre-return counselling following the concerns expressed by the United States and human rights groups.

"This will give the people additional time to reflect on their decision to return," Mihajlovic said, adding that no new date had been set for the repatriation.

00:53 02-15-02

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