US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY510

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000510 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF, PRM, CA/OCS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREF, PREL, SCUL, SOCI, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, ETMIN, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: PROTESTANTS CRITICIZE MFI ROLE IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
DEMONSTRATIONS 
 
REF:  A) HCMC 0401  B) HCMC 0507  C) HANOI 1113 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Despite continued assertions from Human Rights 
Watch, the Transnational Radical Party, Montagnard Foundation, 
Inc. (MFI) and various other groups that police and military units 
brutally beat, raped, killed and arrested ethnic minority 
demonstrators in the Central Highlands during Easter protests, 
ConGen HCMC has yet to hear any first-hand reports of excessive 
force by the GVN.  However, while Protestant leaders expressed 
anger over MFI's role in the demonstrations, they also gave 
credence to reports of police brutality.  As post has previously 
reported from extensive interviews with local contacts in HCMC 
(ref A), the reality at this point appears to lie somewhat closer 
to GVN claims of relatively small demonstrations and limited 
casualties (refs B and C).  Mission officers plan to travel to the 
region April 26-28, but even so it may be difficult to verify the 
details for some time.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) A well-known third-country source shared with ConGenoff 
reports he had received last week, which included claims of at 
least two dead and injuries in the tens.  While the numbers match 
those provided by the GVN (reftels), his sources attributed the 
two deaths to gunshots fired by government forces.  They reported 
approximately 15,000 protesters each in Dak Lak and Gia Lai 
provinces, but said the demonstrators were peaceful.  Many carried 
similar banners decrying land confiscations and interference in 
ethnic minority affairs.  The banners apparently did not specify 
whether they were directed at the GVN or ethnic majority Kinh. 
 
3. (SBU) Two other sources, Protestant pastors from the Central 
Highlands well known to ConGen and generally considered reliable, 
provided him with charts detailing the location of demonstrations. 
Their hand-drawn maps showed 13 flashpoints in Dak Lak, and 
another 17 in Gia Lai.  These include the districts of Cu M'Gar, 
Krong Ana, and Krong Pak in Dak Lak; and Dak Doa, Chu Se, and 
Ayunpa in Gia Lai.  The number of protesters at most of these 
locations were said to have ranged between one and several 
thousand.  A written narrative that accompanied the Dak Lak map 
gave no precise casualty figures, but intimated a number of 
deaths, injuries, and arrests.  The two pastors were allegedly 
reluctant to meet with ConGenoffs during their weekend visit to 
HCMC, given the increased surveillance they believed was in place. 
As a result, ConGenoffs were unable to determine whether or not 
these two sources had actually witnessed any of the actions they 
described. 
 
4. (SBU) According to ConGen's third-country contact, these two 
pastors decried the involvement of Kok Ksor and MFI in organizing 
the protests.  They accused MFI of intentionally staging the 
demonstrations over Easter weekend to attract the greatest 
possible international attention, and were said to be "terribly 
angry" with MFI for the harm that had befallen so many "innocent" 
people in the Central Highlands.  They were certain that the 
protests had almost nothing to do with religion, estimating that 
fewer than ten percent of the protesters were Christian.  They 
said the demonstrators had been duped by promises of resettlement 
in the U.S.  Contrary to GVN claims, however, the two pastors were 
also said to have reported a harsh response by security forces 
armed with spiked clubs, chains, and other weapons.  They 
contradicted GVN statements that the demonstrations had ended on 
April 11, noting that the last of the fighting had not ended until 
the following Saturday, April 17.  However, they had been able to 
hold Easter services without interference and normal Sunday 
services the following week. 
 
5. (SBU) Aid project workers living in or near Buon Ma Thuot City 
in Dak Lak told a German diplomat the demonstrators there had been 
quite violent, but the police had mostly exercised restraint, at 
least initially.  While it was unclear how much these individuals 
had seen for themselves, they were certain that ethnic minority 
protesters had actually occupied the provincial People's Committee 
in the town for at least one night.  They also said the 
demonstrators indicated they were waiting to be taken to the U.S. 
Their estimates of the size of the demonstrations were closer to 
those of the pastors than MFI, but they had no sense of overall 
casualty figures, although they said they thought the number of 
deaths was nearer to two than twenty. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment:  ConGen and Embassy are now scheduled to travel 
to Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces April 26-28.  While we are 
unlikely to have unfettered access to individuals who witnessed or 
participated in the demonstrations, we hope to get a clearer 
picture of what really happened.  Based on responsible sources 
that have reported both good and bad news about their situations 
vis a vis the GVN, we continue to believe that some organizations 
are making exaggerated claims about the size and extent of the 
demonstrations and the nature of the GVN's response.  Still, we do 
hear credible reports of police force resulting in limited deaths 
and injuries.  The latest reports from Human Rights Watch are 
slightly more measured than their earlier statements, and appear 
to be based almost entirely on our third-country contact (who has 
written for them in the past).  While at least some of his sources 
are good, we don't know how much of their information was based on 
first-hand observation. 
WHITE