US embassy cable - 02HANOI791

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP A/S KELLY FROM AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2012 
TAGS: PREF, PREL, CB, VN, ETMIN, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: VISIT TO MONTAGNARD RETURNEES: THE OLD 
PROBLEMS REMAIN - LAND AND RELIGION 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR RAYMOND F. BURGHARDT; 
REASON 1.5(D) 
 
1. (C)  DURING A VISIT TO THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
MARCH 30 - APRIL 3, I MET WITH MANY WHO HAD 
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RETURNED FROM REFUGEE CAMPS IN CAMBODIA, BOTH UNDER 
UNHCR AUSPICES AND "SPONTANEOUSLY." AT THE TWO 
VILLAGES IN GIA LAI AND KONTUM PROVINCES WHICH CG 
YAMAUCHI AND I VISITED, WE ALSO TALKED WITH FAMILY 
MEMBERS OF PEOPLE STILL IN CAMBODIA.  ALTHOUGH GVN 
MINDERS WERE PRESENT DURING MOST OF THESE 
CONVERSATIONS, PEOPLE SPOKE WITH REMARKABLE 
FRANKNESS OF THE GRIEVANCES WHICH HAD DRIVEN THEM 
TO EXILE AND WHICH PERSIST AFTER THEIR RETURN. 
THEIR GRIEVANCES ALWAYS INVOLVED TWO ISSUES:  LAND 
AND RELIGION.  NO ONE GAVE US THE GVN LINE:  THAT 
THEY HAD BEEN INCITED TO LEAVE BY "BAD PEOPLE." 
 
2. (C)  THE RETURNEES, OFTEN SUPPORTED BY FRIENDS 
SEATED NEARBY, TOLD US ABOUT COMMUNAL LAND FARMED 
BY THEIR FOREBEARS WHICH HAD BEEN LOST TO A LARGE 
DAM PROJECT IN GIA LAI PROVINCE, TO A "NEW ECONOMIC 
ZONE" IN KONTUM, OR TO THE IMMENSE NEW COFFEE 
PLANTATIONS BEING DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT THIS REGION. 
SOME SAID THEY HAD RECEIVED NO COMPENSATION; OTHERS 
TOLD OF GETTING STEEP, ROCKY LAND TO REPLACE GOOD 
FIELDS.  AT ONE POINT IN KONTUM, SEATED ON THE 
FLOOR OF THE VILLAGE COMMUNAL HOUSE IN IA SIA WITH 
SOME OF THE 15 WHOM THE UNHCR HAD REPATRIATED, AN 
ETHNIC VIETNAMESE COMMUNE LEADER TRIED TO DISPUTE 
ONE RETURNEE'S ACCOUNT OF HOW HIS FAMILY HAD LOST 
ITS LAND.  THE RETURNEE, THE MOST ARTICULATE AND 
IMPASSIONED WHOM WE MET, ANGRILY RETORTED, "STOP 
TELLING LIES!  WE DON'T HAVE ANY LAND!" 
 
3. (C)  THE RELIGIOUS PROBLEM IS MORE COMPLICATED 
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BUT STILL REAL.  IN GIA LAI WE WERE ABLE TO MEET 
PRIVATELY WITH A WOMAN WHO TEARFULLY TOLD US THAT 
HER HUSBAND WAS A PROTESTANT "PREACHER" WHO HAD 
BEEN ARRESTED FOR A WEEK AND BEATEN.  HE RAN AWAY 
TO CAMBODIA LAST FALL, JUST AFTER HE WAS RELEASED. 
WITH VIETNAMESE REPORTERS OUTSIDE SCREAMING AT GVN 
OFFICIALS TO "BREAK DOWN THE DOOR AND GET IN 
THERE," THE WOMAN SAID, IN RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION, 
THAT IT WAS NOT SAFE FOR HER HUSBAND TO RETURN. 
OTHERS GAVE VAGUER ACCOUNTS OF PERSECUTION.  IN 
BOTH VILLAGES WE VISITED, PEOPLE TOLD US THAT 
ALTHOUGH EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE WAS "PROTESTANT" 
(MEANING PROTESTANT BUT NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE 
GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED CHURCH ORGANIZATION), THERE 
WAS NO CHURCH AND PEOPLE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GATHER 
TO WORSHIP.  THE VILLAGERS IN KONTUM KNEW THAT THE 
DAY OF OUR VISIT WAS EASTER SUNDAY, BUT SAID THERE 
WOULD BE NO SERVICE THERE.  NEITHER VILLAGE HAD ANY 
CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR.  THEY SAID THE 
LAST CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION HAD BEEN "MANY YEARS 
AGO."  PEOPLE DID SAY THEY COULD WORSHIP IN THEIR 
HOMES.  WE NOTED THAT THESE PROBLEMS DO NOT APPLY 
TO MONTAGNARD CATHOLICS.  AT LEAST 5,000 WERE AT 
THE EASTER MASS WE ATTENDED AT THE CATHEDRAL IN 
KONTUM. 
 
4. (C)  THE RETURNEES CAME BACK BECAUSE THEY WERE 
ILL, FOUND CONDITIONS IN THE CAMPS DIFFICULT, OR 
MISSED THEIR FAMILIES.  THEY DID NOT SEEM HAPPY TO 
BE BACK.  SOME TOLD US OF DISCRIMINATION BY VILLAGE 
LEADERS.  NO ONE HAD RECEIVED ANY ASSISTANCE FROM 
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THE GOVERNMENT.  EVEN SOME WHO WERE ILL HAD NOT 
BEEN SEEN BY A NURSE OR DOCTOR.  WHEN CONSUL 
GENERAL YAMAUCHI VISITED SOME OF THE KONTUM 
RETURNEES A MONTH EARLIER, THEY HAD SEEMED MORE 
CONTENT, CERTAINLY MORE RESTRAINED IN FRONT OF 
OFFICIALS.  NOW WE FOUND BITTERNESS IN BOTH 
VILLAGES.  WE CONCLUDED THAT THE WARMTH OF RETURN 
HAD WORN OFF AND NOW THESE PEOPLE WERE CONFRONTING 
THE FACT THAT THE ORIGINAL CONDITIONS WHICH DROVE 
THEM TO EXILE HAD NOT CHANGED.  THEY HAD LOST THEIR 
FEAR TO TALK.  ONE RETURNEE TOLD US THAT HE DID NOT 
EXPECT HIS SON TO RETURN.  SEVERAL SAID THAT THEY 
DID NOT EXPECT MANY MORE PEOPLE TO COME BACK.  NO 
ONE SAID THOSE STILL IN CAMBODIA SHOULD RETURN. 
 
5. (C)  AS WE WERE LEAVING THE VILLAGE IN KONTUM, 
TWO MEN, ONE A UNHCR AND THE OTHER A "SPONTANEOUS" 
RETURNEE, PRIVATELY URGED ME TO ENCOURAGE THE UNHCR 
TO VISIT THE VILLAGE "SOON AND OFTEN."  EACH GAVE 
ME LETTERS ADDRESSED TO THE UNHCR WHICH DESCRIBED 
IN GENERAL TERMS THE RETURNEES' SENSE OF 
"INSECURITY" AND STRESSED THE NEED FOR CONTINUED 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4542 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  00791  02 OF 02  031025Z 
ACTION EAP-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00 
      FBIE-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    VCE-00   M-00 
      NSAE-00  OIC-02   SSO-00   SS-00    ECA-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00 
      NFAT-00  SAS-00     /002W 
                  ------------------7E4919  031026Z /38 
O 030950Z APR 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6062 
INFO AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 000791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP A/S KELLY FROM AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2012 
UNHCR MONITORING.  I WILL GIVE THE LETTERS TO UNHCR 
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSADI IN BANGKOK THIS 
FRIDAY. 
 
6. (C)  THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN AND VICE 
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CHAIRMEN IN GIA LAI, KONTUM, AND DAKLAK HAD THEIR 
EXPLANATIONS TO DISMISS MOST OF THE MONTAGNARDS' 
GRIEVANCES.  THE KONTUM VICE CHAIRMAN, A 
REFRESHINGLY EARNEST FELLOW, ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED 
THAT THE IA SIA VILLAGERS HAD NOT YET BEEN 
COMPENSATED FOR THE LAND LOST TWO YEARS EARLIER TO 
THE GIA LY DAM, A DELAY WHICH HE CLEARLY FELT WAS 
REGRETTABLE AND INEXCUSABLE.  THIS CANDOR WAS 
UNIQUE.  OTHERS FLATLY DENIED ANY MONTAGNARDS HAD 
LOST LAND TO DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS; SAID THE 
MONTAGNARDS WERE LAZY, IGNORANT, AND TENDED TO 
WHINE; OR POINTED OUT (PROBABLY CORRECTLY) THAT 
THINGS ALWAYS LOOKED GRIM IN THE SPRING, WITH THE 
LAST HARVEST EATEN AND THE NEXT ONE ABOUT TO BE 
PLANTED. 
 
7. (C)  THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE GOT WEAKER WHEN WE 
TURNED TO RELIGION.  THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM 
(CPV) ADDRESSES THE SUBJECT WITH PERFECT CIRCULAR 
REASONING WHICH MAKES ANY DISCUSSION LARGELY 
POINTLESS:  RELIGIONS HAVE TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE 
FATHERLAND FRONT; IF A PREACHER IS NOT RECOGNIZED 
BY ONE OF THE OFFICIALLY-RECOGNIZED CHURCHES, THEN 
HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO PREACH; IF AN UNAUTHORIZED 
PREACHER PREACHES AT A HOUSE CHURCH MEETING, THE 
MEETING IS ILLEGAL, ETC., ETC.  ANY QUESTION WE 
HAVE NEVER GETS OUT OF THIS SELF-CONTAINED SYSTEM 
OF LENINIST LOGICAL. AS I COMMENTED TO THE CHAIRMAN 
OF DAKLAK, "IT SOUNDS AS IF THE PROBLEM WILL 
CONTINUE." 
 
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8. (C)  THE CONCLUSIONS I DRAW FROM THIS BRIEF TRIP 
ARE: 
 
-- THERE ARE REAL PROBLEMS IN THE HIGHLANDS RELATED 
TO LAND AND RELIGION.  THESE PEOPLE ARE VERY 
POOR -- EDUCATION LEVELS, HEALTH CONDITIONS, ETC., 
ARE LOW.  THE OFFICIALS ARE UNDOUBTEDLY CORRECT 
THAT CONDITIONS ARE MUCH BETTER NOW THAN THEY WERE 
TWENTY YEARS AGO -- ELECTRIFICATION, SOME 
EDUCATION, EVEN ADVANCED EDUCATION FOR THE LUCKY 
FEW, SOME HEALTH CARE, ETC.  SOME OFFICIALS SEEMED 
GENUINELY TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT EQUITY FOR THE 
MONTAGNARDS.  BUT EVERYONE KNOWS -- EVEN GVN 
OFFICIALS -- THAT PEOPLE BEGIN TO EXPRESS 
DISCONTENT WHEN THEY RISE ABOVE THE LOWEST LEVEL OF 
SUBSISTENCE.  THOSE WHO PROTESTED TO US THE MOST 
ARTICULATELY WERE PREDICTABLY THOSE WITH THE MOST 
YEARS OF SCHOOLING. 
 
-- THERE PROBABLY WILL BE NEW INCIDENTS OF 
MONTAGNARDS TRYING TO FLEE TO CAMBODIA.  WHETHER 
THEY GET ACROSS THE BORDER WILL DEPEND ON THE 
VIGILANCE OF VIETNAMESE AND CAMBODIAN BORDER 
GUARDS. 
 
-- THE UNHCR MUST VISIT THE RETURNEES, AS THE TWO 
MEN TOLD ME, "SOON AND OFTEN."  THEY SHOULD VISIT 
THE "SPONTANEOUS" RETURNEES AS WELL AS THE 15 WHO 
CAME BACK UNDER UNHCR AUSPICES AS WELL AS ANY 
REPATRIATED IN THE FUTURE.  NEGOTIATING UNHCR 
ACCESS TO THE "SPONTANEOUS" RETURNEES WILL BE 
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DIFFICULT. 
 
-- WE CAN LEARN THINGS FROM OUR OWN VISITS TO THE 
AREA, DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF GVN MINDERS.  VISITING 
RETURNEES ACTUALLY PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT EXCUSE FOR 
A DEGREE OF ACCESS WHICH OTHERWISE MIGHT BE 
IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
-- U.S. OFFICIAL AND NGO AID ACTIVITIES IN THE 
HIGHLANDS WOULD BE WELCOMED, MIGHT ALLEVIATE SOME 
OF THE MONTAGNARDS MARGINALIZATION, AND WOULD WIN 
THE GOODWILL NEEDED FOR CONTINUED ACCESS. 
-- THE PEOPLE WE MET COMMUNICATED A GREAT DEAL 
WHICH CANNOT BE TRANSCRIBED.  THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO 
HAVE EXCEPTIONAL SKILL AT NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. 
THEY TALK WITH THEIR EYES.  THEY WERE DEEPLY 
GRATEFUL THAT WE HAD VISITED. 
 
BURGHARDT 
 
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