Montagnard Stand For Justice

05/08/2025

MONTAGNARD STAND FOR JUSTICE (MSFJ)
LETTER OF GRATITUDE

Montagnard Stand for Justice (MSFJ) would like to sincerely express our deepest gratitude to the CAP Office and human rights organizations for their continued support and legal assistance to our members currently detained at the IDC center.

In recent times, several brothers and members of MSFJ have been released from detention. This outcome is the result of persistent advocacy and the spirit of solidarity among human rights activists, organizations, and the Montagnard diaspora.

We especially acknowledge and extend our heartfelt thanks to the Montagnard community in North Carolina. Under the tireless guidance and advocacy of Pastor Gene Lathan, they have generously contributed financially to bail out detainees. This noble act is a powerful testament to the love and profound sense of community responsibility.

The freedom of each individual marks a step forward for an entire people yearning for justice and human rights.

Respectfully,
Montagnard Stand for Justice (MSFJ)

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September 12, 2024 - Montagnards Stand for Justice MSFJ

07/12/2024

Amnesty International Thailand issued a statement on Thursday urging the Thai government not to extradite an Indigenous Vietnamese activist back to Vietnam because he faces "severe risk of torture".
The full statement can be found below:
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Thailand: Montagnard Indigenous activist must not be extradited to face torture in Viet Nam
Thai authorities must not forcibly return a Montagnard and Ede Indigenous human rights activist to Viet Nam where he would be at severe risk of torture, Amnesty International said ahead of his extradition hearing next week.

Y Quynh Bdap, a UN-recognized refugee who has been in Thailand since 2018, was arrested by Thai authorities for “overstaying” his visa in Bangkok on 11 June 2024 following a request for his extradition by the Vietnamese authorities.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly said the request was because a Vietnamese court had sentenced Bdap to 10 years’ imprisonment on terrorism charges in January 2024.

“The Vietnamese authorities have a long history of violent and racist persecution against Montagnard Indigenous peoples. Thailand would be in breach of its non-refoulement obligations if it were to accept this farcical extradition request,” said Amnesty International’s Thailand Researcher Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong.

“Viet Nam’s courts are not independent. Bdap was tried and found guilty of terrorism charges in absentia in a clear violation of his right to a fair trial.”

Y Quynh Bdap belongs to the Ede ethnic group, one of the Montagnard groups of the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. As the co-founder of Montagnards Stand for Justice, he has been playing an important role as a human rights defender advocating for Montagnard people’s rights through speaking out against religious persecution faced by his community.

He is one of six Montagnard Indigenous people who Vietnamese authorities charged with terrorism under Article 299 of Viet Nam’s Penal Code for an attack on a government office in June 2023 in Dak Lak province in Viet Nam.

State-run news in Viet Nam reported that he is wanted for his alleged involvement in the attack that resulted in the death of nine people, including Commune police officers. Bdap, who is currently being held at Bangkok Remand Prison in Thailand, denies the accusations against him. His extradition hearing begins on 15 July 2024.

“The Vietnamese authorities have a clear pattern of targeting ethnic and religious minorities such as the Montagnards in a way that amounts to persecution,” Tatiyakaroonwong said.

“Should Bdap be returned to Viet Nam it is highly likely he will be tortured and subjected to misused anti-terrorism laws. Thailand cannot send him back to Viet Nam knowing this will be his fate.”

Montagnards’ long fight for justice
Vietnamese authorities have systematically repressed ethnic and religious minority groups exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly, particularly members of independent religious groups not officially recognized by the government.

Amnesty International spoke with a number of Montagnards who had left the Dak Lak region or were still there after the June 2023 attack. Some described fleeing the country after arbitrary arrest and torture by police officers, often having to cross borders irregularly, at night and through the forest. Others described a total lockdown across the province that was applied for months against the Montagnard Indigenous people.

In 2023, a Montagnard refugee told Amnesty International that he was arrested by the police and dragged into a dark room where he was injected with unknown substance and detained in the room for two days. During these two days, police entered the room to question him about the attack and hit him on his legs, shoulder, hands and head with a rubber baton.

“I lost my consciousness, I felt dizzy and had no way of getting back to normal, until the day they released me. I was confused about everything that was happening,” the Montagnard refugee said.

In an interview with Amnesty International in November 2023, Y Quynh Bdap said that he was taken to a police station and tortured in 2010.

Torture and ill-treatment in Viet Nam’s prisons
Despite ratifying the UN Convention against Torture in 2015, the Vietnamese government has taken almost no steps towards implementing changes and continues to torture its prisoners. In the 2016 report Prisons within Prisons: Torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of conscience in Viet Nam, Amnesty International documented torture and ill-treatment systematically committed by authorities in Vietnamese prisons against activists and prisoners of conscience, including members of ethnic and Indigenous minorities.

Dar (Pseudonym), a former Montagnard prisoner who was arrested in 2008, was held in solitary confinement in a very small cell for the first 10 months of his detention. He also reported being hit with sticks and rubber tubes, punched, kicked and electrocuted, and said his legs were burnt with lit paper. Sometimes, he said he was hung by the arms while the police beat him until he lost consciousness.

In March 2021, Amnesty International further received reports that Nguyễn Văn Đức Độ, an activist currently serving 11 years in prison, was kept in solitary confinement for more than 300 days – amounting to torture under international law. During the initial phase of his solitary confinement, he said prison authorities chained both of his legs for 10 consecutive days and gave him dirty water and food mixed with human excrement.

Thailand must abide by international law
Thailand has an obligation to respect international law and standards including the non-refoulment principles and the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Treatment. As a party to the Convention, Thailand must not return a person to another state where there are substantial grounds that they would be subjected to torture.

This principle is also reflected in Thailand’s Act on Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance, which came into effect in February 2023. Section 13 of the Act states that, “no government organizations or public officials shall expel, deport, or extradite a person to another country where there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be in danger of torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, or enforced disappearance.”

“The case of Y Quynh Bdap clearly illustrates the Vietnamese authorities’ efforts to exercise its long-arm repression against human rights defenders beyond its own border,” Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong said.

“Thailand must uphold its international and domestic obligations to prevent refoulement of those seeking refuge in Thailand from forcible return to places where they are at risk of grave human rights violations.

“Thai authorities must immediately release Bdap, stop his extradition process and ensure the protection of Bdap and other Indigenous and religious minorities who have fled persecution from Viet Nam to Thailand.”
(Photo by Amnesty International Thailand.)

07/12/2024

Decision 1334: Increase opportunities to punish communist officials, officials and undercover subordinates
• On the international playing field, we have the upper hand
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang
July 9, 2024
https://machsongmedia.org/.../2185-quyet-dinh-1334-tang...
On June 30, while present in Orange County, California, I attended a seminar on the topic "Invalidating Decision 1334 of the Vietnamese Communist government" and had the following comments.
The State of Vietnam sets out a specific action program for each period to implement Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW of the Communist Party, which we often refer to as Resolution 36. During Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung's time, there was Resolution No. 27/NQ-CP to implement Resolution 36. During Mr. Nguyen Xuan P**c's time, there was Decision No. 1797/QD-TTg. During Mr. Pham Minh Chinh's time, there was Decision No. 1334/QD-TTg issued on November 10, 2023.
After 20 years of implementing Resolution 36, the communist regime in Vietnam has encroached quite deeply into the backyard of the overseas Vietnamese community. The following are 3 typical cases.
Figure 1 – Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, General Director and Chairman of BPSOS, at the seminar on June 30, 2024 (photo Phan Nhu Nghia)
Business associations
In 2009, the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese (BAOOV) was established by decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. The Chairman is Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong, and members of the Executive Committee are present in over 20 countries, including Mr. David Duong, known as the "garbage king", in the United States. On the day BAOOV launched in Washington DC, Mr. Nguyen Xuan P**c participated as Minister and Chairman of the Prime Minister's Office.
In 2011, BAOOV member David Duong founded the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA), headquartered in Oakland, California. The ongoing criminal investigation of Mr. David Duong, Andy Duong's son, and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao shows that VABA's goal is to influence politicians from the state to the US federal government to mobilize investment in the United States. Vietnam.
In 2020, BAOOV division in the United States established the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Network in the United States of America, VENUSA, headquartered in Irvine, California.
Disguised religious organizations
In 1997, the state set up a pseudo-religious organization to equate with the Cao Dai Church, which had been wiped out before. In 2010, this organization, which I dubbed Chi Phai 1997, began to pe*****te the overseas Vietnamese community with two orders to establish operations in Boston, Massachussetts, and Salt Lake City, Utah. They publicly stated:
“These two Orders are considered an outstanding success of the Church in particular, and the policy of the Vietnamese government in general. That is, overseas believers have begun to automatically return to obey the Church, while the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, through the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, can be considered to have successfully implemented Resolution 36.
“In short, this is a very important event in the history of Cao Dai Holy See of Tay Ninh. The Order mentioned here is the first step of the Church expanding its arms abroad..." See: https://caodai.com.vn/.../hoi-thanh-cong-nhan-chuc-viec...
In 2011, this branch opened an official representative office in Orange County, the capital of Vietnamese refugees in the United States. That office is currently located on W. Harzard Street, Santa Ana.
To date, they have developed 16 official facilities operating in many places in the United States and some countries such as Canada, Belgium, France, Australia, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia... List of these facilities: https: //dvov.org/.../Co-co-cua-Chi-Phai-1997-o-two...
At the same time, they developed a human resources network of hundreds of people, of which BPSOS has identified 59 core personnel: https://dvov.org/.../Danh-sach-nhan-su-o-hai-ngoai -crab...
Just by tracking down where these personnel live, you will immediately know that the Cao Dai holy houses have been infiltrated and controlled but have not yet appeared.
A spy disguises a reporter
In 2016, Vietnam Television (Vietnam Television, VTV) established a limited liability company VTV-Los Angeles as a bridge for "reporters" operating in New York, Washington DC, Houston, Southern California and Northern California. .
The head of VTV-Los Angeles, Mr. Le Tri Minh, never studied media. He graduated from the diplomatic academy in 1999 and joined VTV in 2012, then was assigned to the United States.
He and the VTV "reporters" operating in the United States all use media visas, allowing them to move freely. This is the formula for spying in Russia and China.
The US government in 2018 stripped the media visas of Russian "reporters"; The following year they did the same with Chinese "reporters" because they disguised themselves as reporters to monitor and infiltrate exile refugee communities. The US government forces them to register as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and are strictly controlled by the US government.
After being sued by BPSOS and asking the US State Department to impose an entry ban, Mr. Le Tri Minh brought his wife and children back to the country last September.
Figure 2 – VTV4 network
Solutions
Decision 1334 is a double-edged sword. It is a means for the communist regime in Vietnam to control

07/10/2024

"The Global Civil Society Coalition (CIVICUS) adds Thailand to the list of countries suffering a severe decline in civic space following repression of domestic dissent and house arrests. Vietnamese activities Y Quynh Bdap at the request of Hanoi.

On July 10, a human rights organization based in Johannesburg (South Africa) published the July Monitoring List, expressing concern that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's Government targeted activists, critics and opposition, as well as engaging in transnational repression. [...]

[Mr. Josef Benedict, civil space advocacy expert in the Asia-Pacific region of CIVICUS] also recalled the case of Od Sayavong, a leading Lao democracy and human rights activist living in Bangkok, has been missing since August 2019.

He said these actions violate provisions prohibiting the return of refugees to a country where they are at risk of persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, a particular social group or political belief." political point" in international human rights treaties ratified by Thailand.

Thai authorities also violated the Act for the Prevention of Torture and Enforced Disappearances, which took effect last February."

CIVICUS bổ sung Thái Lan vào danh sách các quốc gia đang bị suy giảm nghiêm trọng về không gian dân sự

07/09/2024

17th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

At 10:30 a.m., July 8, 2024 in Geneva, Mr. Volker Turk, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered the opening speech to the 17th session of the Expert Mechanism on Human Rights. Local person. The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP).

The meeting lasts from July 8 to 12, 2024, interested people can watch via UN Web TV

17th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - EMRIP provides the Human Rights Council with expertise and advice on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It assists Member States in achieving the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

06/16/2024

Montagnard Rights Defender Y Quynh Bdap made a video plea for help from the international community shortly before his June 11 arrest in Bangkok. If Thailand sends him back to Vietnam, he faces torture and imprisonment. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/d3i4CG8Bg6HnHYFc/?

06/06/2024

Urgent 🚨: Protestant Pastor Arrested in Dak Lak by local police without warrant or notice.

(MSFJ, 06/05/2024 - Urgent) A disturbing development occurred early this morning in Dak Lak province when police forces arrested Protestant pastor Y Lok Buondap, a 42-year-old ethnic minority resident of Buon Krang village in Krong Ana district.

Initial reports indicate the arrest is related to Buondap's church participating in international human rights events such as the International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on August 22 and International Human Rights Day on December 10 each year. Shockingly, authorities made no attempt to summon Buondap or provide any reasons for investigation before carrying out the arrest.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the local Protestant and ethnic minority communities, especially among those monitoring religious freedom and human rights in Vietnam. Condemnations of the arrest have poured in, accusing authorities of violating the legitimate rights to religious freedom, assembly and expression.

"This appears to be a clear case of religious persecution by the Vietnamese government," said Anna Roberts, Southeast Asia Researcher at Amnesty International. "Pastor Buondap committed no crime by participating in internationally recognized human rights events. He must be released immediately."

We will continue to closely monitor this developing situation. Stay tuned for further updates.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Montagnard Stands for Justice

05/26/2024

Vietnamese police track down Montagnards in Thailand
2024.03.15
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Vietnamese police track down Montagnards in Thailand
Maj. Gen. Rah Lan Lam, director of the Gia Lai Provincial Police (holding a mobile phone) and Police Lt. Col. Y Luong Nie (at right in white shirt) speak with Montagnards in Bang Len district, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, March 14, 2023.
Y Quynh Bdap
Police from Vietnam’s Dak Lak province made unexpected visits to two areas in Thailand where ethnic minorities are seeking refugee status on grounds that they have been persecuted, they told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.

Members of the Montagnard community said they panicked when the agents visited their homes on Thursday to persuade and threaten them to return to Vietnam. The term “Montagnard” was coined by French colonialists to describe tribes who live in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, many of whom are Christians, but Vietnam has rejected use of the term.

Police also searched for those wanted the June 2023 armed attacks on two People’s Commune headquarters in Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands that left nine people dead, the refugees said.

The area where the attacks took place is home to about 30 indigenous tribes who have a long history of conflict with the Vietnamese majority and who claim they have been discriminated against.

In January, 100 individuals were tried in the case, and 10 sentenced to life in prison on terrorism charges. The remainder were handed sentences ranging from 3½ to 20 years, mostly on terrorism-related charges. Vietnamese lawyers criticized it as a hasty show trial.

Montagnards living in Bang Len district Nakhon Pathom province, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Thai capital Bangkok, said Thai police brought the Vietnamese police officers to their homes.

Thai police officers asked the Montagnards to gather in a front yard where two of eight Vietnamese officers dressed in plainclothes questioned them, one of the refugees told RFA on Friday.

Not convinced

The two officers gave their names and said they were from the homeland security force in Dak Lak province and from the Gia Lai provincial police, while the other officers took photos and videos with smartphones and camcorders, the refugee said.

They tried to persuade the refugees to return to Vietnam, saying they would take care of their transportation, food and accommodation expenses, he said.

“Once you return to Vietnam, we’ll take care of everything,” the refugee said, recounting the officers’ words.

But he was skeptical.

“If we returned to Vietnam, we would die,” he said “We would never be safe. What the Vietnamese [authorities] want is to imprison us.”

Dinh Ngan, an ethnic Bana refugee, said the director of the Gia Lai provincial police said he would be their “guardian” if they wanted to return. Otherwise, the director said the police would arrest them or they would face difficulties.

Another refugee, Nay Phot, said the director told Montagnards to return to Vietnam and that the government would be lenient toward them and provide them with land and vehicles.

“They threatened that if we didn’t come back, the police would have to arrest us, and then the government would no longer forgive us,” he said.

In a statement posted nine days ago, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security branded Montagnard Stands for Justice and the Montagnard Support Group as terrorist organizations linked to 2023 Dak Lak attacks.

Asking about others

The refugee, who requested anonymity for fear of his safety, said the two officers asked him and others about the whereabouts of Y Quynh Bdap and other wanted Montagnards, showing them their images and warrants for their arrest on their cellphones.

Y Quynh Bdap, co-founder of Montagnard Stands for Justice, was accused of being associated with Dak Lak attacks and later sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison on a terrorism charge during a January trial in Vietnam. He has denied participating in the attack.

Police Col. Adisak Kamnerd of the Bang Len police told RFA that he had not received any requests from any agency to allow Vietnamese officers to go there.

Another security official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, told BenarNews that this was the first known incident whereby Vietnamese police questioned Vietnamese refugees in Thailand, violating their basic privacy rights. He also called the action “undiplomatic.”

“I believe they are coming after the suspects in the Dak Lak attacks,” he said.

The incident occurred one day after the Public Security Online Newspaper reported that Minister of Public Security To Lam met with Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Nikorndej Balankura. During the meeting, Lam proposed that the two sides sign an agreement on extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

RFA did not receive a response to an email sent to the U.N. refugee agency in Bangkok.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to an emailed request for information.

They tried to persuade them to return to Vietnam, saying they would be safe, but asylum-seekers were skeptical.

05/01/2024

Indigenous Rights under International Law

Indigenous peoples around the world have long faced marginalization, discrimination, and violations of their fundamental human rights. However, the international community has recognized the importance of protecting the rights and interests of indigenous communities, leading to the development of various legal instruments and mechanisms.

1. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, the UNDRIP is a comprehensive international instrument that outlines the rights of indigenous peoples. Some key provisions include:

- Article 3: Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination and freely determine their political status.
- Article 8: Indigenous peoples have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.
- Article 26: Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop, and control their lands, territories, and resources.

2. International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169:
Adopted in 1989, the ILO Convention No. 169 is a legally binding international treaty that addresses the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. It recognizes their aspirations to exercise control over their institutions, ways of life, economic development, and upholds their right to participate in decision-making processes.

3. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
Article 27 of the ICCPR, adopted in 1966, states that "persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language."

4. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR):
The ICESCR, also adopted in 1966, recognizes the right to self-determination of all peoples, including indigenous peoples. It also emphasizes the right to an adequate standard of living, education, and the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

5. Regional Human Rights Instruments:
Various regional human rights instruments, such as the American Convention on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights, have provisions that address the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.

While these international legal instruments have contributed to the recognition and protection of indigenous rights, their implementation and enforcement remains a significant challenge. It's worth noting that Vietnam does not officially recognize the existence of indigenous peoples within its borders, including the Montagnard communities. The Montagnards, also known as the Degar, are an ethnic minority group in the Central Highlands of Vietnam who have faced discrimination and human rights violations, despite the protections afforded by international law.

Ongoing efforts are needed to ensure that indigenous peoples, including the Montagnards in Vietnam, can effectively exercise their rights, maintain their cultural traditions, and participate fully in decision-making processes that affect their lives and territories.

04/25/2024

En avril 2023, Y Krec Bya et d’autres membres de son Église ont été arrêtés arbitrairement en raison de leurs activités religieuses. Il vient d’être lourdement condamné à 13 ans d’emprisonnement.

04/25/2024

Tổ chức CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) hưởng ứng lời kêu gọi điều tra cái chết của thầy truyền đạo Y Bum Byă.

Ông Mervyn Thomas, Chủ tịch Sáng lập CSW, kêu gọi nhà nước Việt Nam phải điều tra minh bạch về cái chết này, và cộng đồng quốc tế phải buộc Việt Nam chịu trách nhiệm cho việc đàn áp các nhóm tôn giáo thiểu số.

CSW is a human rights organisation specialising in freedom of religion or belief, and as Christians we stand with all those facing injustice because of their religion or belief.