June 15, 2011
During a convention in North Carolina Montagnard youth expressed their solidarity with Montagnard Christians who have been imprisoned in Vietnam for advocating their human and religious rights.
Below is a press release published by the Montagnard Foundation:
Hundreds of Montagnard people from different cities across North Carolina attended the Montagnard Foundation convention on June 4th 2011 at a local Greensboro church. The convention was in remembrance of the Montagnard Christians imprisoned in Vietnam for advocating religious freedom and human rights. The convention began with an opening prayer for the Montagnard prisoners and their families. International human rights organizations have estimated the current number of Montagnard prisoners as being over 350. A large number of the convention attendees had relatives currently in prison and some were former prisoners themselves having served five or more years in communist prisons. Since the post-Vietnam war period, religious persecution and other human rights violations have continued unabated against the Degar Montagnard people.
The Montagnard youth, many of whom are now U.S born citizens, enjoyed the presentations from several guest speakers. Australia-based lawyer and human rights activist Scott Johnson gave a presentation of the historical struggles of the Montagnards and the current situation of the Montagnards living in Central Highlands. The Montagnard Foundation founder Mr. Kok Ksor highlighted the advocacy works and non-violent means of bringing forth issues of human rights violations in Central Highlands to the national and international forums. The majority of the youth who attended, from ages twelve and above, arrived in the United States with the scope of having previously experienced religious persecution themselves. This event brought familiarity of the horrible conditions the Communist government has imposed against the Montagnard people who are still repressed for being Christians and worshiping independently from the state controlled churches.
Montagnards young and old expressed hope in pro-democracy communities such as the United States. As one ethnic Jarai girl, stated “Here we have the right to voice concerns, to speak for our brothers and sisters back home as it is difficult for them to do so in Central Highlands because the Vietnamese government restrict their way to speech and their right to worship as according to their beliefs”. Another Montagnard declared “by raising awareness, we are educating people and in effect, it can bring changes.” Other guest speakers, included Elaine Tymchak, of International Christian Concern and Joe Rimer, former US Special Forces Vietnam War veteran, offered words of hope and perseverance that the Montagnards are not “alone” in their struggles in the pillar of human rights.
After the convention concluded, the Montagnard Youth Group drafted a petition of appeal to the United States government urging the US to exert influence with Vietnam to release the Montagnard prisoners and honor freedom of religion as enshrined in Vietnam’s Constitution and international laws which Vietnam has become signatories to.
To read the press release in full, please click here.
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