C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000175
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR PRM AND EAP/MLS, BANGKOK FOR REFCOORD, GENEVA FOR RMA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/25/2027
TAGS: PREF, PHUM, PREL, KIRF, SOCI, VM
SUBJECT: PRM A/S SAUERBREY MEETS ETHNIC MINORITY PASTOR
HO CHI MIN 00000175 001.2 OF 002
CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth Chern, Deputy Principal Officer, EXEC,
ConGen Ho Chi Minh City, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) Summary: On February 1, PRM Assistant Secretary Ellen
Sauerbrey during a visit to Gia Lai Province called on Southern
Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV) Pastor Siu Y Kim at his
house church in Pleiku and later had a private conversation with
the pastor. The pastor named FULRO as the source of the
protests in the Central Highlands in 2001 and 2004 and also the
reason behind much, but not all, of the subsequent border
crossing into Cambodia. Recent border crossing had more to do
with aspirations for a better life or evading criminal problems
than fear of political persecution. Pastor Kim stated that
returnees were monitored and had less access to government
services and assistance than other ethnic minority members, but
that they did not face mistreatment or detention. Pastor Kim
noted that it is difficult for ethnic minorities to adapt to
changing conditions and fit into the modern world. They do not
have many successful role models and tend to become frustrated
rather than think about how they could improve their lives. End
Summary.
2. (SBU) Local officials were willing to allow Pastor Kim to
speak in private with the Assistant Secretary, but suggested
that it would be better if the conversation happened at the
Assistant Secretary's hotel. Otherwise, neighbors might be
suspicious of the pastor for meeting in private with foreigners.
Consequently, the Assistant Secretary agreed to meet with
Pastor Kim at his house church first, with local officials
present, and then have a private conversation with him at her
hotel. The visit to the pastor's home took place in the
presence of a number of local officials who listed to the
meeting with varying levels of concentration. The pastor
presented the Assistant Secretary with a Jarai-Vietnamese New
Testament that had just been officially published. He asked
that she take a copy to Ambassador John Hanford. The pastor
apologized for the appearance of his yard, crowded with boxes
containing wheelchairs to be donated through his church to the
needy. The pastor was also drying cinnamon bark in the yard, a
reminder that much of his livelihood is from agriculture. He
showed the Assistant Secretary his church upstairs above his
residence. With three or four hundred members in his
congregation, services had to be held in four different groups
because there was not room for everyone to come at once. He
said the church had not changed much since government
recognition, except that before they had worshipped quietly
behind closed doors and now they had a sound system.
3. (C) After meeting up again at the hotel, the Assistant
Secretary asked Pastor Kim why Central Highlands ethnic minority
SIPDIS
members had been going to Cambodia. Pastor Kim said that
problems in the Central Highlands began when ethnic Vietnamese
(Kinh) began moving there. Ethnic minorities soon perceived
that the Kinh were cheating them out of their land, treating
them unequally, and looking down on them. The ethnic minorities
saw that their daily life was becoming more difficult,
particularly when they saw that the lives of the Kinh were
improving. The Kinh did not resolve this problem after the
division of Vietnam in 1954. Later in the 1950's some ethnic
minorities established an "independent government" (FULRO).
Pastor Kim said that FULRO partnered with "northern troops"
until 1975, but that the northerners violated their agreement
with FULRO in 1975 so the Central Highlanders went into the
jungle and Cambodia to continue their struggle for independence.
Eventually they got tired of fighting and went to the United
States. The Montagnard Foundation's aim, according to Pastor
Kim, is to establish a FULRO government in the Central
Highlands. They began activities in 1998 and 1999 and
instigated the demonstrations that took place in the Central
Highlands in early 2001 and again in 2004. After the
demonstrations, some crossed the border to go to the United
States. Others were arrested and are still in prison. Those
remaining either want to go to the U.S. or to continue their
struggle in Vietnam.
4. (C) In response to the Assistant Secretary's question about
what those going to Cambodia now fear, Pastor Kim replied that
the motivation of border crossers has changed. Between 75 and
80 percent of those crossing recently have no fear of
persecution; they just want a better life. A smaller number
have violated the law or have fathers who committed crimes or
are debtors. He stressed that they broke criminal laws, not
political laws. As an example, an individual named Lan Lem, who
had been a government "security agent," borrowed a lot of money
and fled with his family to Cambodia. He subsequently resettled
in Finland. Another border crosser was an illegal logger who
HO CHI MIN 00000175 002.2 OF 002
did not know how to bribe police like his Kinh partners did.
Another illegal logger had been arrested and informed on his
Kinh partners who then threatened him. None of these people
were involved in the Dega movement or in the protests. Pastor
Kim said that as far as he could tell, the ethnic minority
returnees were fine although some of them wanted to try crossing
the border again and going overseas. Those who cross the border
now are often frustrated with the government. However, the GVN
is now paying more attention to ethnic minority problems so many
people are happier.
5. (C) The Assistant Secretary asked for more information on how
returnees are treated. Pastor Kim said that treatment varies,
but that almost all are "black-listed." The government monitors
them more than most people, but they do not fear arrest or
detention. They tend to receive less assistance from the
government and to face a certain level of discrimination. For
instance, they might have a harder time getting papers
certified. Pastor Kim compared it to how religious people were
treated in the past. He also said that there could be a glass
ceiling. One border crosser was a teacher who had resumed
teaching after returning; in a school meeting the principal had
singled out this person as someone who could not be promoted
past a certain level because of non-membership in the Communist
Party. (Note: It is not clear whether the glass ceiling Pastor
Kim referred to was for border crossers or for non-Party
members. The benefits of Party membership to advancement in
government positions are well-known. There are probably very
few border crossers who would advance far enough in society to
encounter a glass ceiling. End note.)
6. (C) Fitting into the modern world is often difficult for
ethnic minorities, Pastor Kim observed. Few ethnic minority
members have land title documents and obtaining them is a very
slow process for Kinh and ethnic minorities alike. Many ethnic
minority members do not have basic civil documents such as
household registrations. Some would like to go back to how
things were thirty or forty years ago. They do not know how to
farm without using slash-and-burn methods. Most ethnic
minorities need models of how to farm. The best model farmers
would be other ethnic minorities because they find it difficult
to learn from the Kinh.
7. (C) Commenting further on the ethnic minority community in
response to the Assistant Secretary's questions, Pastor Kim said
that while there were ethnic minority government officials, they
tended to be passive and were not very successful in comparison
to their Kinh counterparts. Within the ethnic minority
community, he said that almost all of the border crossers were
Jarai, since they are the largest ethnic group. Therefore they
tend to lead the other groups and have a stronger identity.
8. (C) Finally, the Assistant Secretary asked Pastor Kim about
religious freedom issues in the Central Highlands. Pastor Kim
noted that the situation had improved considerably aver the past
several years. One of the most important issues facing
religious groups now was the return of church property and
obtaining new property so that they could build or rebuild
churches to serve growing congregations.
WINNICK