MEDIA RELEASE: MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION INC.  - 13 NOVEMBER 2002

www.montagnard-foundation.org

 

VIETNAMESE SECURITY FORCES EXECUTE MONTAGNARD CHRISTIANS BY LETHAL INJECTION

 

On October 29, 2002 the Vietnamese Security Forces (CONG AN) executed by lethal injection in their prison cells 3 Montagnard Christians named:

 

1.       Y-Suon Mlo, from Buon Kuang village in Daklak province.

2.     Y-Het Nie Kdam, from Buon Ea Tieo in Daklak province.

3.     Y-Wan Ayun, Buon Gram village in Daklak province.

 

FACTS SURROUNDING THE LETHAL INJECTION

 

These 3 Montagnards Christians were executed for taking part in peaceful demonstrations last February 2001 and being members of the Christian religion.  Held in prison the Vietnamese (Cong An) security police tried to force a Vietnamese nurse to conduct the injections. The nurse refused however, so the Cong An police pushed her aside and took the drugs and then injected the three Montagnards with an unknown drug. They died in convulsing spasms within minutes. The date was 20 October 2002.

 

This is an example of the brutal persecution the indigenous Montagnards have suffered ever since the communists took over south Vietnam. In April 2002 Human Rights Watch stated “The Montagnards have been repressed for Decades”. This repression ands persecution inside the Central Highlands continues today and martial law is enforced by thousands of soldiers who patrol the region, particularly the Cambodian border were our refugees have tried to flee. Over 900 refugees were recently granted asylum in the United States. Vietnam however, has killed many of these refugees and is doing everything possible to prevent further refugees from escaping and exposing the extent of human rights violations occurring inside Vietnam. Hundreds of our indigenous people have been tortured, beaten and an unknown number of Christians executed. The Montagnard Foundation asks:

 

·         the international community to immediately push to allow human rights monitors into the central highlands and end the martial law by the Vietnamese government.

·         the Hanoi government to stop the killings, religious persecution, torture, coercive sterilizations and confiscation of the Montagnard’s ancestral lands?

·         that International Donors, the European Union, the United States, the United Nations to reconsider granting of aid to Vietnam as this will only encourage Vietnam to continue with its human rights violations.

 

For more info see: www.montagnard-foundation.org or Human Rights Watch Report on http://store.yahoo.com/hrwpubs/vietrepofmon.html