New York-based Human Rights Watch is urging Cambodia to reopen its camps for refugees fleeing persecution in neighboring Vietnam. The call comes in response to reports that the Vietnamese government has intensified the repression of indigenous tribes in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, specifically targeting evangelical Christians known as the Degar people, or in French, Montagnards. The camps have been closed since March 2002, when Cambodia announced it would not continue to accept Montagnard asylum seekers, and since then hundreds of refugees have been turned away at Cambodian borders. Many refugees that were still in Cambodia were moved to Phnom Penh and are now moving to the United States. Cambodian officials are concerned about illegal Vietnamese immigrants, but are under fire for ignoring international obligations and refusing refugees at least temporary asylum. Human Rights Watch also urged Vietnam to release Montagnards imprisoned for peaceful expression of their political and religious views, or for seeking political asylum abroad. The Vietnamese government’s crackdown against Montagnards has been harsh, and the recent arrests in December 2002 detained dozens of people and banned Christmas church services. Hanoi has also demanded that the Montagnards be repatriated.
