According to a news release from the Montagnard Foundation, the murder of Y-Cung Nie occurred on April 14 after his involvement in a demonstration protesting the arrest of three Christians who had been arrested a few days previously.

The Degar (or Montagnards) are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

The mission of the Montagnard Foundation is to protect the lives and culture of the Montagnard people.

Following the demonstration, Y-Cung Nie returned to his village and went home. According to the news release, shortly after that, Vietnamese law enforcement stormed Y-Cung Nie’s house, arrested him, and took him to a nearby wooded area where they tortured and killed him.

The Montagnard Foundation said that following the murder, police told Y-Cung Nie’s family about the death. They said his family needed to retrieve and bury the body. Then police reportedly told the family not to tell anyone (especially Degards living in the United States) about Y-Cung Nie’s death, saying if they did that they would be killed.

According to the Montagnard Foundation, when Y-Cung Nie’s family went to pick up his body, they were horrified to see that it had been beaten beyond recognition.

Prior to the burial, the family cleaned and dressed the corpse. The Montagnard Foundation said Vietnamese security police stayed there during the entire process, fearful that the family would take photos or report the incident to outsiders. Police stayed with the family until April 16 when Y-Cung Nie was buried.

Y-Cung Nie was born in 1982, and came from the village of Buon Cuor Hdang, district of Cu Mgar in the province of Daklak.

The Montagnard Foundation commented in the news release, “The Vietnamese soldiers seem to have been given a mission to shoot to kill (anyone they want) in the Central Highlands, just as it was when Vietnam was at war with America many years ago.”

The Foundation reported on another, more recent, killing. According to the release, on Aug. 9, a Christian man called Y-Phit Kbuor, along with his two sons, went fishing at the river of Ea Kin about 20 kilometers from the village of Buon Tri.

Returning home, they encountered a group of Vietnamese soldiers who reportedly told them to stop and put their hands in the air. While obeying the instruction, the Vietnamese soldiers opened fire.

The Montagnard Foundation said that Y-Phit Kbuor died right there, but his two children escaped the massacre. They returned home to their village, and told their mother and other residents what had happened to their father.

A number of villagers went with Y-Phit Kbuor’s family and relatives to retrieve his corpse. When they arrived at the scene of the murder, the Vietnamese soldiers were still there.

According to the news release the soldiers apologized to the family, and said they had made a mistake. They also paid the family ... for the coffin and the cost of the funeral.

The Montagnard Foundation said actions like those reported in this story make it evident that Vietnamese laws only protect people of distinct Vietnamese ethnicity.

The Foundation commented, “The indigenous Degar people are a distinct ethic group, with different ancestry and a completely different culture and language from the Vietnamese. This is why Vietnam finds it so easy to annihilate our people.”

The Foundation said it is very sad that the world’s governments, “who profess to be moral and civilized, not only sit idly by ignoring the evil and inhuman (actions) of the Vietnamese government, but actually aid them with financial support because of their business investments in Vietnam.”

For more information, go to www.montagnard-foundation.org