Six Montagnards from Vietnam’s central highlands seeking refuge in Cambodia were arrested and returned to
Vietnam for a cash bounty of approximately $335US in early February. Since 2001,
thousands of asylum seekers have been imprisoned and tortured, according to a
Human Rights watch briefing paper, released this January. Montagnard refugees
are fleeing religious persecution and land confiscation in Vietnam.
Cambodia is in violation of the Convention Against Torture, according to Human
Rights Watch, which states that no state can extradite a person to “another
State where there are substantial grounds for believing that (s)he would be
in danger of being subjected to torture." The Montagnard Foundation calls
for the international community to protect Montagnard refugees from arrest
and forced deportation.
