News of the expulsion came amid fresh reports that a Degar-Montagnard man was tortured for two days by Vietnamese authorities after speaking with representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) investigating the circumstances of people fleeing the Central Highlands.
The Montagnard Foundation Incorporated (MFI), which has close contacts with the predominantly Christian Degar-Montagnards, told BosNewsLife in a statement that "hundreds" of people have been expelled since July 23 from the Ha Mong commune area.
"On July 23 approximately 212 Vietnamese soldiers and security police armed with weapons and electrical stun guns conducted a large scale sweeping operation in the area of the Ha Mong commune searching for [Montagnard] Degar villagers," MFI said.
FAMILIES DETAINED
Two days later security forces returned and "detained by force most of the [Montagnard] Degar families remaining in the area and brought them to one place. Here they burned all of their huts, personal belongings and food stocks of wild potatoes and roots. The villagers had nothing left except their clothes," MFI said.
Government officials allegedly tried distributing rice to the villagers "but they refused fearing the rice had been poisoned," MFI claimed, citing sources in the area. Officials responded by "threatening harsh punishment on those who refuse" the rice and
soldiers and police "pointed their rifles and shook electrical stun guns at the villagers," MFI added.
On July 27 soldiers and security police "continued sweeping operations in the area" locating several Montagnard-Degar families, MFI investigators claimed. The Y-Phun family who was living in a small hut was allegedly surrounded by soldiers who forced the three family members outside before burning the hut to the ground with all its contents.
A family living in another hut belonging to a man identified as Y-Trut "fled in fear as security police knocked Y-Trut to the ground while he was shielding his two month old baby in his arms," MFI claimed.
HUTS BURNED
The families "stood in fear as their huts burned before their eyes and their children screamed," the group added. The villagers refused to leave the area "as they have been living for generations there and also because of their Catholic faith," MFI added. Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary revealed herself in a vision in the area in November last year. Evangelicals have questioned these kinds of occurrences, saying God reveals Himself directly through Christ to anyone seeking Him.
News of the violence came amid mounting concern surrounding the fate of Y Phuoc Buon Krong who several human rights investigators said was beaten and tortured for two days by Vietnamese authorities after speaking to UNHCR officials in June, despite government threats. MFI said it has "re-confirmed from various sources that Vietnamese security forces had gone into the village of Buon Cuor Knia prior to the UNHCR officials arriving there…[They] threatened the villagers beforehand that if they say anything negative to foreigners…they will be arrested, tortured and imprisoned."
The UNHCR on June 26, entered the village of Buon Cuor Knia in Dak Lak to conduct interviews of three mothers of Degar- Montagnard men who had previously fled to neighboring Cambodia. The entire village was reportedly frightened when UNHCR officials arrived in company of security forces, who later prevented UNHCR from meetings the villagers.
UN officials declined to comment on the alleged incident, but Human Rights Watch Refugee Policy Director Bill Frelick reportedly said his organization now took the torture as fact after its own separate investigation. He said his group was "extremely concerned about continuing reports of threats, harassment, and even detention and beatings of Montagnards visited by international delegations."
GOVERNMENT DENIAL
Vietnamese officials have denied allegations of torture and accused the MFI of spreading "propaganda."
The crackdown on Degar-Montagnards has been linked to concern within the Communist Party about the spread of Christianity and plans by Communist officials to nationalize land.
MFI said that in 2005 the Vietnamese government already summoned all villagers from Ha Mong commune to leave as authorities planned to build a power plant in the area.
However many refused. Before the latest operation there were "still approximately 725 villagers there who have been living in the open forest and who now have little food and surviving by gathering wild potatoes and tree roots. Their existence is very difficult as they have little food and security forces are continually hunting for them," MFI added. (With reporting from Vietnam and BosNewsLife Research).
