Recently the Vietnamese government has sent more soldiers and security police into the Central Highlands in order to harass and restrict the villagers' movement with the intention to halt upcoming Christmas celebrations.

The Vietnamese government has also offered a bounty of 400,000 (Vietnamese dong) to any Vietnamese or Montagnard paramilitary police who can arrest Degar Christians leaders. Subsequently we have received the following report where three paramilitary district police joined with three military police from the communal village of Ia Ko who voluntarily accepted the mission to arrest Degar Christians in the area. The details of the Vietnamese military police are as follows:

a.. 2 Vietnamese paramilitary police from the district of Cu Se (names and rank unknown). b.. Ksor Lom, 32 years old, from the village of Plei O Grong, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He is a military policeman of the district of Cu Se. c.. Siu Han 24 years old, from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He is a military policeman of the communal village. d.. Siu Thon, 43 years old, from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He is a military policeman of the communal village. e.. Siu Alup, DOB unknown, from the village of Plei Tai, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He is a military policeman of the communal village. These two Vietnamese and four Montagnard paramilitary police cited above conducted the arrest and torture of our Christian brothers listed below:

1 - Siu Tan, 50 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church at Plei Hra and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking.

2 - Kpuih Plen, 30 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Go and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking.

3 - Kpuih Cur, 31 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Go and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beatings and kicking.

4 - Kpuih Phe, 41 years old from the village of Plei Hra, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a deacon of a house church in the area of Cu Se and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se where they severely tortured him by beating and kicking until he passed out. Blood coming out of his ears, nose and mouth and then they hung him upside down by his feet and used a bundle of grass to burn his body. Kpuih Phe is currently imprisoned at the prison facility of T-20 in Pleiku.

5 - Kpuih Kre, 43 years old from the village of Plei Sur-A, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church Plei Sur-A, and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility T-20 in Pleiku. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured by beating and kicking.

6 - Rmah Anen, 29 years old from the village of Plei Per, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a Christian Youth leader of a house church in the district, and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being tortured and beaten. His parents and relatives were not allowed to visit him or bring food to him.

7 - Rmah amot, 32 years old from the village of Plei Per, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church at Plei Per and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being severely tortured by beatings and kicking. His parents and relatives are not allowed to visit him or bring food to him.

8 - Nuai, (DOB unknown) from the village of Plei Sur, commune of Ia Ko, district of Cu Se, province of Gialai. He was arrested on October 14, 2004, because he is a layman of a house church at Plei Sur and he refused to join the "government approved" Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN). He was taken to the police headquarters in the district of Cu Se for torturing and now he is imprisoned at the prison facility in the district of Cu Se. Our contact reported to us that his body was visibly bruised and swollen from being severely tortured.

9 - On October 20, 2004 at around 5:10 PM, the Vietnamese paramilitary police abducted two of our Christian brothers on their way back to their village from work. Hlu and Tam are both age 24 and they are from the village of Plei Dup, commune of Ha Bau, district of Dak Doa, province of Gialai. While they were returning to their village after work on a motorcycle Honda-67, the Vietnamese paramilitary police stopped them between Plei Ia Mut and Plei Dup villages and arrested them. It is unknown what the police have done to them and their parents and relatives are worried about their well being or that they might have been murdered.

Without the presence of the international community, the safety of the Degar people is at stake.

Our Christian brothers and sisters in the Central Highlands have been arrested all over the Central Highlands, not only in the province of Gialai but in the other three provinces. The Vietnamese authorities have however, sealed the region off from journalists and restricted contact with our people and it is thus difficult to get a full account of the repression. This year however, the Degar Christians will not be able to celebrate Christmas.

THE MONTAGNARD FOUNDATION CALLS ON:

a) Christians around the world to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

b) The International community and United Nations Organization takes immediate action to investigate these specific crimes and to insist the Vietnamese government release our Montagnard people held in prison for peaceful political activity, for practicing Christianity, demanding fair treatment by the Government or for trying to flee to Cambodia as refugees.

c) The International community and United Nations Organization takes immediate action in getting human rights monitors access to the central highlands as recommended by the UN Human Rights Committee of which Vietnam has continued to ignore. (July 2002 75th session Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations on Vietnam. UN doc: CCPR/C/SR.2031).

d) That international donors and foreign governments seriously review how aid monies are used in Vietnam in order to ensure Vietnam ceases human rights violations and religious repression in Vietnam. (as reported by the Human Rights Watch report of 2 December 2003 entitled "Vietnam: Donors Must Insist On Human Rights Progress").

UNLESS URGENT INTERNATIONAL ACTION IS TAKEN MANY MORE MONTAGNARDS WILL SUFFER AND DIE