US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY391

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF, CA/OCS, S/ES-O 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, PGOV, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, ETMIN 
SUBJECT: REPORTS OF ETHNIC UNREST IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
 
REF:  HANOI 962 
 
1. (SBU) The Consulate General has received credible reports of 
ethnic unrest in the Central Highlands Province of Dak Lak. 
According to several reliable second-hand sources, groups of 
ethnic Ede began moving into the provincial capital of Buon Me 
Thuot early on the morning of Saturday, April 10.  Some sources 
reported that these ethnic minority persons were armed with guns 
and targeting government facilities.  Other sources stated that 
they were carrying only rocks and stoning policemen and government 
vehicles.  A ConGen FSN returning to Ho Chi Minh City from a trip 
to Buon Me Thuot Saturday morning confirmed that police and 
soldiers had established roadblocks at points along the main road 
connecting Dak Lak with HCMC.  While he was not prevented from 
traveling in the direction of HCMC, he noted that all vehicles 
traveling in the other direction were being stopped.  ConGen FSN 
also observed large numbers of ethnic minority persons gathered 
along the roadside.  A contact with sources in Buon Me Thuot City 
said that police were stopping all ethnic minority persons from 
entering the city. 
 
2. (SBU) Late on April 9, the U.S.-based Montagnard Foundation 
released a press statement indicating that "nonviolent 
demonstrations" were scheduled to begin on April 10 "all across" 
the Central Highlands in protest of GVN restrictions on "freedom 
to worship Christ."  ConGen and Embassy officers had been 
scheduled to travel to the region April 10-14 to observe Easter 
services and hold official meetings (reftel).  The HCMC External 
Relations Office (the southern branch office of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs) contacted ConGenoff on the morning of April 10, 
informing him that "the Central Highlands are closed to all 
foreigners" and that all scheduled official meetings in the 
provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum -- which had been 
confirmed the evening before -- were now canceled for "security 
reasons."  ConGen FSN contacted telephone centers in the towns of 
Pleiku, in Gia Lai province, and Kon Tum, in Kon Tum province, 
where operators indicated there were no current disturbances. 
 
3. (SBU) Mission has released a warden message advising Amcits to 
defer travel to the province of Dak Lak.  Mission officers have 
alerted the Operations Center, and continue to monitor the 
situation.  Poloffs will attempt to travel overland to Dak Lak to 
assess the situation first-hand. 
O'BRIEN