Formation of ECV-S

The ECVN-South, founded in 1921 in South Vietnam, was recognized by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 2001. The Central Highlands region in southern Vietnam is home to many indigenous peoples commonly known as “Montagnards” whose languages are distinct from the mainstream, official Vietnamese language spoken throughout much of the rest of the country.  The founding of ECVN-South, whose members in the Central Highlands are primarily Montagnards, predated the takeover of South Vietnam by the communist regime in 1975. In April 2001, the government offered it legal recognition[1] and at the same time launched a brutal crackdown on all Montagnard house churches in the Central Highlands, most of which were affiliated with ECVN-South. By 2004, practically all Montagnard house churches had been destroyed, burned or closed. In February 2001 and April 2004, tens of thousands of Montagnard Christians held peaceful demonstrations to demand religious freedom and return of ancestral lands. They were crushed by the police; reportedly numerous demonstrators were injured and several died, and hundreds arrested, with some still serving prison sentences. This led Vietnam to be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its violations of religious freedom by the U.S. Department of State in 2004-2006.

[1] While the ECVN-South historically included Montagnard churches in the Central Highlands as members, the government’s official recognition in April 2001 did not extend to Montagnard congregations, which continued to be considered illegal. Instead, they must go through an “additional, lengthy, government-supervised, church-by-church process”. Reg Reimer, Vietnam’s Christians: A Century of Growth in Adversity, William Carey Library, Pasadena California, 2011, p. 105

Failure to protect its own members

In exchange for legal recognition, ECVN-South has stopped advocating for its own Montagnard followers. In 2001, the same year it recognized ECVN-South, the government proceeded to crack down on all Montagnard house churches in the Central Highlands. By 2004, practically all Montagnard house churches had been destroyed, burned or closed. Between 2001 and 2004, tens of thousands of Montagnard Christians held peaceful demonstrations to demand religious freedom. They were crushed by the police; reportedly numerous demonstrators were injured or died, and hundreds arrested; some are still serving prison sentences. This led Vietnam to be designated a country of particular concern (CPC) in 2005 and 2006. ECVN-South not only stayed quiet about the brutal crackdown but also abstained from and Starting in 2005 an increasing number of Montagnard Christians left ECVN-South and formed new house churches independent of ECVN-South, such as the Degar Protestant Church and the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands (ECCCH).

To this day, the police continue to coerce members of independent Montagnard house churches to join ECVN-South or other government-recognized churches. Many Montagnard Christians would rather face repression than joining or re-joining ECVN-South because they don’t want to submit themselves to government control and/or because of their past experience with ECVN-South.

ECVN-South maintained a deafening silence – at least publicly – while its Montagnard members became victims of brutal persecution. Families of ECVN-South members may have consoled and/or provided material and/or moral support to the families of those killed or imprisoned, but the organization was silent. In exchange for legal recognition, ECVN-South seemed to have abandoned its Montagnard members and let itself be used by the government as a shield to deflect international criticisms.

Starting in 2005 an increasing number of Montagnard Christians left ECVN-South and formed new house churches independent of ECVN-South, such as the Dega Protestant Church (Hội thánh Tin lành Đề Ga) and the Evangelical Church of Christ of Vietnam (Hội thánh Tin lành Đấng Christ Việt Nam).[1] The government has since worked hand-in-hand with ECVN-South to suppress unaffiliated Montagnard Christian house churches.

[1] The independent house church movement was started in 2000 by Montagnard pastors. A few years later, this movement picked up steam after the government brutally quashed mass protests. Vietnam decried this reactionary “Dega Protestantism” movement (some such churches took the name of Dega Church XX, YY, etc.)

Forced faith conversion

ECVN-South maintained a deafening silence – at least publicly – while its Montagnard members became victims of brutal persecution. Families of ECVN-South members may have consoled and/or provided material and/or moral support to the families of those killed or imprisoned, but the organization was silent. In exchange for legal recognition, ECVN-South seemed to have abandoned its Montagnard members and let itself be used by the government as a shield to deflect international criticisms.

Starting in 2005 an increasing number of Montagnard Christians left ECVN-South and formed new house churches independent of ECVN-South, such as the Dega Protestant Church (Hội thánh Tin lành Đề Ga) and the Evangelical Church of Christ of Vietnam (Hội thánh Tin lành Đấng Christ Việt Nam).[1] The government has since worked hand-in-hand with ECVN-South to suppress unaffiliated Montagnard Christian house churches.

Security Investigation Agency personnel reading the order to prosecute and detain Y Krếc Bya on 8 April 2023.

In the evening of 20 November 2022, Evangelist Y Jŭ Hwing, member of the Degar Protestant house church in Klat C Village, Êa Drông Commune, Buôn Hồ Town, Đắk Lắk Province, received the interrogation request delivered to him by Y Sương Knul, member of the police of Êa Drông Commune. On 21 November, at 8 am, he arrived at the police station to meet Y Philip Niê, Security Police of Buôn Hồ Town. This man and his fellow police officers interrogated Y Jŭ Hwing until noon. Police: “Your group broke the law when observing the International Day of 22 August. The government forbids you from gathering for religious service, staying in touch with MSFJ (MSFJ) or sending them information on government actions for them to report to the UN and other foreign entities. You risk going to prison.” The police threatened him with long-term imprisonment unless he joined ECVN-South.

We have documented and reported 17 incidents between January 2022 and August 2023 where the local authorities have exerted increasing pressure on Montagnard Christians to abandon their independent house churches to join ECVN-South. In a number of instances, government authorities have forced many Montagnard Christians to leave their unregistered house churches without specifying that they must join a particular government-approved church.  See Appendix 2. Recent religious incident reports for Montagnards submitted to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

In 2022 the government refused to consider and even harassed and/or fined several Montagnard evangelists who repeatedly submitted requests to their commune governments asking for clarification and guidance on a provision in the Law on Belief and Religion that appears to authorize independent religious groups to practice their religion without registration with, or approval by their commune governments. The punishment happened soon after they submitted the requests and the fines were ostensibly for “administrative violations” that took place many months earlier.

On 10 June 2022, Cư M’gar District government fined Y Don Niê and Y Čung Niê, for their religious practice “without the prior approval of the People’s Committee of Cư Suê Commune” (i.e., independent of government-controlled religious organizations), and for observing on 22 August 2021 the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief and in December 2021 the International Human Rights Day. On 10 June 2022, this government belatedly fined another observer of these International Days, Y Thinh Niê, for the related offense of forwarding pictures to Y Quynh Bdap (leader of MSFJ) in June – August 2021 for posting on the Facebook page of MSFJ.

On 6 September, 2022, with the support of other mandate holders, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief raised this case in a joint allegation letter to the Vietnamese Government[1]. The Vietnamese Government responded on July 23, 2023:

– Y Cung Niê, Y Thinh Niê, Y Don Niê are individuals with complicated activities related to FURLO organization (an organization that takes advantage of ethnic and religious issues to threaten national security, incite riots, secession, and self-rule in the territory of Viet Nam). In the process of living in the locality, the above 03 individuals have often taken advantage of themselves as ethnic minority people to provide false information, fabricate false accusations against the government and local police force of religious and ethnic oppression; contacted organizations abroad that lack goodwill towards Viet Nam to propagate false information, slandered Viet Nam of human rights violations, and created inaccurate information about the human rights situation in Viet Nam.

– In May 2022, the local police invited Y Cung Niê, Y Thinh Niê, and Y Don Niê to the headquarters to discuss. Sending invitations to citizens is a normal activity of the Vietnamese police force, prescribed in the Criminal Procedure Code, for the purpose of coordinating information collection, clarifying issues related to the process of ensuring local security and order or investigating a criminal case. Inviting citizens to discuss is not an arrest, so according to the law, a lawyer is not required; citizens receiving an invitation have the right to invite lawyers, legal representatives, and relatives to accompany them. Allegations of the above three cases of being arrested and interrogated without a lawyer is incorrect. During the discussion process, the three individuals above admitted to providing false and fabricated information about the activities of local government agencies and the State’s guidelines, policies and laws in the field of religion and ethnicity; transferring information abroad for the purpose of accusing Viet Nam of human rights violations and religious persecution. The meeting was recorded in a minute signed by Y Cung Niê, Y Thinh Niê, and Y Do Niê.

– On that basis, the People’s Committee of Cư M’gar district issued a decision to sanction administrative violations against Y Cung Niê, Y Thinh Niê, and Y Don Niê according to Article 7 of Decree No. 144/ND-CP dated 31 December 2021. The decision to sanction is based on the violations of the law by these individuals, not related to the fact that the three individuals above submitted an application to the government asking for guidance on registration of religious activities and “International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief”.

In its response, the Vietnamese Government falsely alleged that these three Montagnard Christians are member of FULRO[2], which ceased to exist in 1992; that they fabricated information to tarnish the government in incident reports submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on FORB; and that they admitted to doing so. Moreover, to this day the government has yet to respond to their requests for guidance to register their independent house churches in accordance with the Law on Belief and Religion.

In all, in the past 24 months, 6 Montagnard house churches have written to different levels of government to request guidance on registering their religious activities to no avail.[3] Some of these house churches were recently intensely pressured to join ECVN-South. For example, several households, including that of Y Don Niê, deputy leader of the independent Sut M’dung Village Church, left and joined ECVN – South.

[1] AL VNM 4/2022, available at: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27538

[2] FULRO is the acronym for the French equivalent of United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (disbanded in 1992). Montagnards and a small number of other indigenous fighters used guerilla tactics to oppose what they considered oppressors, i.e., South Vietnam and then Communist Vietnam (after Vietnam was forcibly unified under the Hanoi Communist government in 1975).

[3] Sut M’dung Village, Drai Si Village, Tara Puor Village, Ea Khit Village, Cue Village, and Dhia 2 Village – all in Dak Lak Province.

[1] The independent house church movement was started in 2000 by Montagnard pastors. A few years later, this movement picked up steam after the government brutally quashed mass protests. Vietnam decried this reactionary “Dega Protestantism” movement (some such churches took the name of Dega Church XX, YY, etc.)

Public denunciation

To inflict fear and humiliation, the local authorities have arranged for house church leaders to be publicly denounced and shamed in front of their fellow villagers. The victims are required to be present but not permitted to speak in their own defense.

On 29 July 2020, Evangelist Nay Y Blang – Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands in Pưng B Village, Ea Lâm Commune, Sông Hinh District, Phú Yên Province – was interrogated and forced to sign the police interrogation report which consisted of the minutes of the interrogation, with a “confession” added by the interrogator. He refused to sign it. The police ordered him to sign a pledge to leave his independent house church. He resisted. The police warned him that he must pay an administrative fine and if he did not comply, they would seize his assets. Nay Y Blang refused to pay, saying that it was not right to criminalize him for resisting their pressure to recant his faith. The police angrily said that they would hold a public denunciation of Nay Y Blang in the presence of all the villagers where he would be shamed into confessing to his criminal adherence to the Evangelical Church of Christ and collusion with the international community.

At times, the police escalated their intimidation and humiliation tactic by targeting an entire family and spreading fear among residents of multiple villages.

In the morning of 25 March 2023, about 40 police officers rallied residents from three villages in Krông Năng District, Đắk Lắk Province – Giêr, Wik, and Đê villages – to attend a public denunciation held at Êa Truôr Elementary School of Wik Village. Evangelist Y Ñai Mlô of the Dega Protestant house church of Đê Village, Êa Hồ Commune, Krông Năng District, Đắk Lắk Province and other members of his household had to witness Senior Lieutenant Colonel Y Thu Êban from the Security Branch, Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province verbally attack his absentee son whose name is Y Pher Hdruê – a member of Thailand-based MSFJ.  Y Thu Êban also issued warnings to villagers about the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands.

Churches that tacitly compromise with the government are not spared public humiliation when they deviate from government policies. The Good News Mission Church is one such example. Before mid-2022, although It was not officially recognized, it was allowed to operate to a limited extent by the government. Lately its members are told that their church is illegal. It still has hundreds of followers in the Central Highlands and still avoids speaking up for its Montagnard members.[1]

Public denunciation on 15 November 2020: Victims wereEvangelistsY Sắc Mlô and Y Sơng Mlô, Dhiă Village, Cư Né Commune, Krông Buk District, Dak Lak Province. At that time, they were with the unregistered but mostly tolerated Good News Mission Church (now they and their village church members consider themselves independent house churches).

Around 8 AM, the government staged a public denunciation in Dhiă Village. Approximately 50 police officers participated, along with nearly 200 villagers. The event ended at 11 AM.

Y Ngul Mlô, Police of Krông Buk District, said: No one should follow Y Sắc Mlô who is with the Good News Mission Church because the government has not recognized this church. The government has recognized the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South).  Y Săc Mlô is not qualified enough to preach to his church. Y Ngul Mlô, Police of Krông Buk District, said:  Y Sơng Mlô must remove the Cross which he had attached to his gate because only certified preachers may enroll in religious classes and conduct house church activities. 

The police said: the Good News Mission Church, the Evangelical Church of Christ, and the International Dega Church in the Central Highland have been working to overthrow the Vietnamese government using the guise of religion.

The police showed films about asylum seekers in Thailand and Cambodia. The police said: See? Y Bhăm Ênuôl and Ksor Kok died in exile. No villager shall follow Y Sác Mlô because his group works to undermine the government – due to their lack of education. You villagers must be careful when using Facebook because Facebook contains many reactionary articles which tell lies to undermine the security and order in villages. They plot to overthrow the Vietnamese government. No villager shall listen to those reactionaries in Thailand such as Y Quynh Bdap, Y Pher Hdruê, and Y Arôn Êban who are with MSFJ (MSFJ), or Pastors Y Hin Niê, A Ga and Y Duên Bdap in the US. 

[1] This information was provided by some church members in mid-2022.

Even ECVN-South members are subjected to public denunciation for stepping out of the boundaries set by local government authorities. 

Deacon Y Bhen Mlô, a member of ECVN-South, deviated from government policy by observing the UN International Day of 22 August 2022 to commemorate victims of violence based on religion or beliefs. On 31 August 2022, he was subjected to a public denunciation in Trăp Village, Đắk Lắk Province. At the public denunciation, the vice chairman of the commune said that Y Bhen Mlô and Y Nêp Niê held a sign when observing 22 August 2022, in opposition to the Vietnamese government. Nobody should be enticed by bad people living abroad into observing the UN Day commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. (Source: report submitted to the Special Rapporteur in November 2022).

In many instances, ECVN-South pastors have been found to take part in public denunciations, leading the way for government officials and some villagers hand picked by the police to verbally abuse and humiliate leaders of independent house churches.On 21 October 2022, Evangelist Y Krêc Byă was forced to attend apublic denunciation session at his village. The government convened over 200 villagers for the denunciation against the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands. Ms. H’Kao Knul, member of the Security Police of Buôn Đôn District, falsely accused the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands of being a front for establishing a separate Montagnard State. She then condemned Pastor A Ga, this church’s founder who lives in the United States, to be the instigator. She warned that the government will use the law to punish those who joined this church, and declared that Evangelist Y Krêc Byă was being investigated by the police for this. Pastor Y Čuah Hđơ̆k of ECVN-South accused that the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands was guilty of disobeying God and the Vietnamese government and that its members who refused to join ECVN-South would not be accepted by God in Heaven. He  went on to claim that only ECVN-South is loyal to the Vietnamese government and never collaborates with foreign opponents of the Vietnamese State.

Using ECVN-South to target independent house churches was not an aberration of the local or district government authorities. On 4 February, 2023, ECVN-South Pastor Nay Sia appeared on the television program of the Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province to accuse leaders of the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands of “taking advantage of religion for political purposes, disturb the lives of citizens, to undermine beliefs… Their goal is to overthrow the government and establish a Dega state.”[1] On 18 June 2023, only a week after a shooting incident in Đắk Lắk Province that caused the death of some local government employees and police officers, this video was posted again, likely to imply that the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands must bear responsibility for the violent act of 11 June 2023.[2]

[1] Vạch bộ mặt phản động của “Hội thánh Tin lành Đấng Christ Tây Nguyên” (Unmasking the reactionary face of the “Church of Evangelical Christs in the Central Highlands”), AN-TT Đắk Lắk, 4 February 2023, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9S8cx7EyA

[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP03Tb9vNtE

ECV-S’ boycotting indpendent house churches

The government has increasingly pressed members of unaffiliated Montagnard house churches to join ECVN-South. At the same time, ECVN-South has launched a campaign to explicitly boycott the Dega Protestant Church, a network of independent house churches. The Vietnamese government has deleted many incriminating articles, videos, and other evidence formerly found online, but we came across a page from a document (date unknown, shown below) on the bylaws of a village branch of ECVN – South.

In the above document, ECVN-South imposed the requirement on all its members to “not acknowledge the so-called ‘Dega Protestantism’,” thus violating Article 22 of ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, Article 18 of International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, and provisions 1-3 of Article 5 of Vietnam’s 2016 Law on Belief and Religion:

Prohibited acts:

1. Discriminating and stigmatizing people for beliefs or religions.

2. Forcing others to follow or not to follow, bribing others into following or not following, or hindering others in following or not following a belief or religion.

3. Profaning a belief or religion.

Furthermore, this regulation undermines the “rule of law” principle and allows local authorities to impose their arbitrary interpretation of the national law. Namely, ECVN-South’s regulation requires its affiliates to “comply with the policies of the Party and State and the regulations of local authorities.” As explained before, the policies of the Party and State are to outlaw and eliminate unaffiliated Montagnard house churches while regulations of local authorities are often arbitrary and at times violate national law.

Policies of the CVP and the State

On 4 February, 2023, the same day the Police Department of Đắk Lăk Province featured ECVN-South Pastor Nay Sia on its television program, the Ministry of Public Security also aired practically the same propaganda piece under a slightly different title: “Unmasking the malicious conspiracy of the reactionary organization ‘Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands’”,[1] which featured the same ECVN-South Pastor Nay Sia attacking the said house church. It carried an almost identical content as the aforementioned television program aired by the Police Department of Đắk Lắk, also on 4 February 2023. The decision to use ECVN-South as a tool to set the stage for an all-out attack on the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands stemmed from State policy and carried out by the Government of Đắk Lắk Province.

The Ministry of Public Security repackaged this propaganda piece for its daily news program, also broadcasted on 4 February, 2023, but with a title that more directly reflected the policy at the highest level of government: to eliminate the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, which is also the conclusion of this and the aforementioned television programs:

“In fact, for a long time in the Central Highlands, the life of religious freedom and pure belief has always been facilitated by the State Party and authorities at all levels. Particularly for Protestantism (in the Central Highlands), the Vietnamese State has only recognized five organizations, including the Evangelical Church of Vietnam – South, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Christian Missionary Church, and the Evangelical Christian Church. And of course, the reactionary organizations disguised as religion under names such as the Evangelical Church of Christ of Vietnam and the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands need to be eliminated, need to be boycotted by the community.”[2]

[1] Vạch mặt âm mưu thâm độc của tổ chức phản động ‘Hội thánh Tin lành đấng Christ Tây Nguyên’ (Unmasking the malicious conspiracy of the reactionary organization ‘Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands’), An Ninh TV,

[2] Cần loại bỏ tổ chức phản động Hội Thánh Tin lành đấng Christ Tây Nguyên (Need to eliminate the reactionary organization Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands), Public Security Television, 4 February, 2023, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Cvo36N0Yk&t=88s

The persecution against Montagnard Christians emanates from policies of the Communist Party and central government through the Central Highlands Steering Committee which set policies for the State to implement in the Central Highlands up until its dissolution by the VCP Central Committee in 2017 and in July 2020, Decision No. 352/QĐ-UBDT on Project on continuing tasks for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas (from the 3 former steering committees – Northwestern, Central Highlands, and Southwestern). [1]  The continuous targeting of independent Montagnard Christians shows that nothing has changed much. Previously, the Ministry of Public Security used its Central Highlands Security Bureau (PA 90) to coordinate the implementation of policies set by the Central Highlands Steering Committee. Now, government websites still carry articles praising PA 90 suppressive operations.[2]

Government websites associated with the Public Security Ministry and Prime Minister’s office discuss very explicitly the need to “eradicate the evil cults” — the official characterization of the various unapproved Montagnard Christian denominations that have been so thoroughly persecuted. In the sections that follow, some Vietnamese government websites are listed, but the links are no longer operational. After BPSOS posted a report proposing the Global Magnitsky sanction against the late Police General Trần Đại Quang, former Minister of Public Security and then President of Vietnam, the government removed several of his articles from government websites and “sanitized” some others, but BPSOS captured the images of several such articles. Appendix 3 includes an original article that was later sanitized to hide the actual repression policy set by the central government, with images captured by BPSOS before it was sanitized. Appendix 3 also traces the origins of the policy to suppress religious freedom in Montagnard communities, regardless of the subsequent removal of incriminating materials from government websites.

Articles such as the one titled “Those who rescue the people from darkness”, dated February 27, 2015, and published on Public Security Minister Quang’s website: “…When I arrived in the Central Highlands, our task of rescuing the people from the evil Hà Mòn cult[3] was accomplished only recently. The Security Team of the Police Force of the Town of Kontum performed deeds that were representative of the indefatigable efforts of security forces throughout the Central Highlands in our fight against reactionary enemy forces disguised as ethnic religious groups…” [4]

Equally explicit material was in another article by the Public Security Ministry:

“Through 10 years of growth and combating the enemy, a more mature Ethnic Communities Security Office (PA90) of Gia Lai Province, in coordination with the local government and the people, has derailed plots by the reactionary FULRO and contributed to the security of the region. From 2004 on, the Office has unmasked and dealt with several FULRO organizations, ‘Dega Evangelical Church’, and established 3 projects to end FULRO elements’ operation out of the forest. The Office captured 12 Hà Mòn Cult adherents, convinced 69 fugitives to give themselves up, made substantial progress in resolving the Hà Mòn Cult issue, and achieved several other unheralded successes.

“With its outstanding results, PA90 has been honored 4 times with the President’s Order of Merit while its employees have been honored with several other awards from the President, the Prime Minister, and other officials.”[5]

In July 2021, the police coordinated simultaneous, pre-dawn raids of a dozen homes belonging to targeted house church leaders and their followers. To terrorize them, police officers put manacles and even leg shackles on the victims’ limbs and kept them at police stations until late evening. Their purpose was to shut down the house churches and direct all to join registered churches such as ECVN – South. This series of violations is in Appendix 1, Recent religious incident reports for Montagnards submitted to the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

[1] For information about how Central Highlands Steering Committee tasks were re-designated after 2017, see: https://luatvietnam.vn/co-cau-to-chuc/quyet-dinh-352-qd-ubdt-2020-de-an-tiep-nhan-nhiem-vu-cong-tac-dan-toc-va-mien-nui-186333-d1.html

[2] https://cand.com.vn/Truyen-thong/Nhung-nguoi-linh-anh-hung-chong-Fulro-i350223/

[3] This sect is a Catholic offshoot of Catholicism. Members worship Mary – the mother of Jesus.

[4] http://trandaiquang.org/nhung-nguoi-cuu-dan-ra-khoi-bong-toi-u-me.html (Vietnam has removed this article; its screenshots were preserved by BPSOS).

[5] Heroes in the battle against FULRO, Văn Nghệ Công An, 13 May 2015, available at: http://vnca.cand.com.vn/Truyen-thong/Nhung-nguoi-linh-anh-hung-chong-Fulro-350266/

Escalation of repressive policies

Since July 2022, the central government’s Decree No. 144/2021/NĐ-CP on administrative violation penalties has been used more and more by the local government in an escalation of the repression of independent Montagnard Christian house churches.[1]

On April 8, 2023 the police of Đắk Lắk Province arrested Evangelist Y Krêc Byă as he was hosting an Easter vigil service at his home. All fellow church members were ordered to leave except eight male members were taken into temporary police custody, where they were forced to denounce Y Krêc Byă on video before being released. On the same day, the Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province announced criminal prosecution against Y Krêc Byă for “sabotaging the State’s national unity policy” under Article 116 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which may carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. The Government appears to have interpreted his steadfast refusal to join ECVN-South as an act of disunity with this state-sanctioned church.

On the same day that the Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province initiated criminal prosecution against Y Krêc Byă, it also announced criminal prosecution against Pastor A Ga, in  absentia under the same charge of “sabotaging the State’s national unity policy.” Pastor A Ga is the founder of the Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands and a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina. According to Freedom House’s 2022 report on transnational repression, he has been a target of MPS.

“A Ga, a Vietnamese pastor who resettled as a refugee in the United States, told Freedom House that he received threatening messages on Facebook from suspected Vietnamese officials. One message said, “If we wanted to kidnap you, we could have—remember the case in Berlin,” in an apparent reference to the brazen 2017 state-sponsored kidnapping of a Vietnamese asylum seeker in broad daylight.”[2]

After the two shooting incidents in Ea Ktur and Ea Tieu communes, Chu Quynh District, Đắk Lắk Province that left 9 government officials and citizens dead, the government mounted a mass crackdown against Montagnards that involved arbitrary beatings, arrest, and detention. The government encouraged or condoned Vietnamese civilians to play vigilante against Montagnards. Local authorities took advantage of the situation to aggressively force members of independent house churches to join ECVN-South or they would be accused of taking part in terrorism, and arrested and imprisoned.

 For example, Y Dương Bkrông from Phơng Village, Êa Tul Commune, Čư̆ M’gar District, Đắk Lắk Province:[3]

On June 20th, he and his family members rode in his truck to Čư̆ Dliê Mnông, 6 km from home to find fallen timber to make a fire with. He was wearing fatigues because many Montagnard farmers wear these durable garments when doing heavy farm work.

Around 1 pm, five dozen riot police officers arrested him, beat his wife who tried to stop them, and carried him away in a transport truck. Later, he realized that they had brought him to the station of the Police of Buôn Ma Thuột City because the shooting incidents in Čư̆ Kuin District had taken place only 30 km from his home. The police beat him cruelly, thinking he was involved with the terrorists who killed government personnel on 11 June 2023.

Police: We know what you did. Y Sôl Niê, the terrorist leader, was in touch with you, and so were Y Quynh Bdap and Y Arôn Êban who live in Thailand.

Reply: I haven’t talked to these people because I don’t have their phone numbers.

Police: Did you participate in the shooting incidents in the communes of Êa Tiêu and Êa Ktur?

They beat him brutally when he denied.

Police interrogators punched and used batons to brutally beat him to force him to admit that he had supplied weapons to those who shot dead several victims. He wept and begged them to stop. The more he wept, the harder they beat him. They injected a drug in his back, then continued to question him. He said in desperation and pain: even if you imprisoned me and let me die in prison, or if you killed me now, the truth is I have nothing to do with those terrorists.”

On 20 August, 2023, he shared his experience with the UN Special Rapporteur on FORB at an event hosted by BPSOS to mark the International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

The table below is a partial list of independent house churches whose members have been forced to join ECVN-South following the shooting incidents.

 House Church (number of members in 2022)Affiliation, Name of LeaderMembership Status
1Pưng B Village, Êa Lâm Commune, Sông Hinh District, Phú Yên Province (15)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Nay Y BlangLeader detained.  Fewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
2Cuôr Knia 2 Village, Êa Bar Commune, Buôn Đôn District, Đắk Lắk Province (24)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Krếc ByăLeader detained. Fewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
3Tara Puôr Village, Hoà Thắng Commune, Buôn Ma Thuột City (10)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Lui ÊbanFewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
4Ko Dung A Village, Êa Ñuôl Commune, Buôn Đôn District, Đắk Lắk Province (15)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Nguyệt BkrôngFewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
5Dhu Village, Êa Drông Commune, Buôn Hồ Town, Đắk Lắk Province (12)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Glen KbuôrFewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
6Kít Village, Sông Hinh Commune, Sông Hinh District, Đắk Lắk Province (10)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Bhem ByăFewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others
7Dhu Village, Êa Drông Commune, Buôn Hồ Town, Đắk Lắk Province (12)Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands, Y Wôl NiêFewer than half remained; they chose to pray at home without attending Sunday service with others

The leaders of the first two ECCCH house churches were arrested prior to the 11 June shootings for defying orders to cease religious activities. The leader of the house church in Sông Hinh District, Phú Yên Province, Evangelist Nay Y Blang, was arrested on 18 May. After his arrest, members of his house church continued to convene and practice their faith. However, following the 11 June shootings, more than half reluctantly joined ECVS under threat of imprisonment. On 26 January, 2024, Nay Y Blang was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison under Article 337 of the Penal Code – “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, lawful rights, and interests of organizations and/or citizen”. Security Television, MPS’s official organ, was more explicit – it explained that Mr. Nay Y Blang was sent to prison for “organizing illegal meetings and prayers; providing false information about freedom of religious belief in Song Hinh district, Phu Yen province; slandering, distorting religious policies, violating the interests of the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”[4]

Similarly, Evangelist Y Krếc Byă, leader of the ECCCH house church in Buôn Đôn District, Đắk Lắk Province, was arrested in April 2023 under Article 116 of Vietnam’s Penal Code – undermining the policy of national unity.[5] His trial was scheduled for April 2024. After the 11 June shootings, more than half of his house church’s members reluctantly joined ECVS.

ECCCH Evangelist Y Būm Byă in Kŏ Tam Village, Êa Tu Commune, Buôn Ma Thuột City, Đắk Lắk Province fared even worse. At 4pm on 8 December 2023, he was rounded by the public security police as he tended to his crops. They beat him and then took him to the police station of Buôn Ma Thuột City for further beatings because he refused to leave his house church. After 4 hours of brutal beating, he was released at 8 pm and told to get ready for a public denunciation in his village the following day. Before releasing him, the police took away his mobile phone. On 9 December, Y Būm Byă was publicly denounced in front of villagers and had to say what the police ordered him to say.[6] Still, he refused to leave his house church. Early in the morning of 8 March 2024, he and his wife were tilling the land when the police told them to be present at home for the return of the confiscated mobile phone. When they arrived home, Y Būm Byă was told to meet the police at the cemetery 500m away from his home. He left for the cemetery by himself at around 7:30am. Hours later, passersby found his dead body hanging from a tree in the cemetery. His neighbors brought his corpse home to his wife. At 3:30pm the police arrived, cordoned off the entire area, and told his wife to say that Y Būm Byă had committed suicide, which is prohibited by his Christian faith. His burial, to be held on 11 March, would be officiated by ECVS instead of ECCCH.

[1] Clause 4.c, Article 7, Decree No. 144/2021/NĐ-CP dated 31 December 2021 for penalties for administrative violations related to public security, social order, social security, social vices, fire prevention and fire fighting, primary responders, and preventing and combating domestic violence

[2] Defending Democracy in Exile, Freedom House, June 2022, available at: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/Complete_TransnationalRepressionReport2022_NEW_0.pdf

[3] Report submitted to Special Rapporteur FoRB on 18 July 2023

[4] “Tuyên án đối tượng phá hoại khối đại đoàn kết dân tộc (Prison sentence for sabotaging national unity)” ANTV, January 26, 2024, available at: https://antv.gov.vn/phap-luat-3/phu-yen-tuyen-an-doi-tuong-chong-doi-pha-hoai-khoi-dai-doan-ket-dan-toc-506399510.html

[5] “Vietnam’s Three-Pronged Crackdown on Religious Activists in the Central Highlands,” The Vietnamese, July 21, 2023, available at: https://www.thevietnamese.org/2023/07/vietnams-three-pronged-approach-to-persecute-religious-freedom-activists-in-the-central-highlands/

[6] “Kiểm điểm 1 người ở Buôn Kô Tam nghe theo “Hội thánh tin lành đấng Christ Tây Nguyên” phản động (Public review of an individual in Kô Tam Village for following the reactionary “Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands”),” An Ninh Trật Tự Đắk Lăk, 21 December, 2023, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytx-8fq–oM. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Public-condemnation-of-Y-Bun-Buon-Ya-21-12-2023.pdf

Targeting Montagnards outside of Vietnam

Using the pretext of responding to the 11 June shootings in Đắk Lắk Province, MPS has increasingly targeted Many Hmong and Montagnard Christians who fled to Thailand to seek the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), particularly members of the Evangelical Church of Christ in the Central Highlands (ECCCH), Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ), and Hmong Human Rights Coalition (HHRC).

  1. Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ)

MSFJ, founded in Thailand in 2018 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in Virginia, USA in 2023, serves as a liaison to the international community for Montagnard communities at risk of political and religious persecution inside Vietnam. The organization also facilitates the training of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam about identifying and reporting human rights violations. MSFJ members have attended many international forums to highlight the persecution faced by Montagnards in Vietnam, including the annual Ministerial on International Religious Freedom hosted by International Religious Freedom and Belief Alliance (IRFBA), the annual Southeast Asia Freedom of Religion or Belief (SEAFORB) Conferences co-hosted by BPSOS and its civil society partners, and the annual International Religious Freedom Summit hosted by a coalition of some 80 civil society organizations (CSOs).

MSFJ has supported BPSOS by providing timely reports on religious persecution for submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (UNSR/FORB), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the US Department of State’s International Religious Freedom (IRF) Office, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The US Department of State’s 2023 International Religious Freedom Report acknowledged that BPSOS reported 92 human rights violations targeting Montagnards in Vietnam’s Central Highlands in 2022; the vast majority of these violations were documented by MSFJ.

Since 2021, MSFJ has worked with BPSOS to identify Montagnards trafficked to Saudi Arabia and Cambodia. Scores of them have been rescued and successfully repatriated. The UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children has initiated multiple joint allegation letters to the Government of Vietnam regarding cases documented by MSFJ. In 2022, the US Department of State ranked Vietnam in Tier 3 for trafficking in persons, in part thanks to MSFJ’s contributions.

Over the past four years, MPS has falsely condemned MSFJ for “anti-state” activities with the aim to establish an independent Montagnard (“Dega”) nation in the Central Highlands. The danger to MSFJ members in Thailand has increased considerably in the aftermath of the two shootings in Dak Lak Province as the government falsely accused MSFJ of being behind these shootings.[1] In fact, MSFJ strongly condemned those violent acts[2].

To shore up its accusation, on 21 December, 2023 An Ninh TV (Security Television), MPS’ official television channel, broadcasted a show titled “The real identity of Y Quynh Bdap: leader of the group ‘Montagnards Stand for Justice’,” accusing Y Quynh Bdap, MSFJ’s founder, of being a FULRO member and displaying a photo of him holding a submachine gun.[3]

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Screenshot of ANTV’s broadcast on 21 December, 2023

MSFJ quickly pointed out that the submachine gun in the photo was actually a carnival game BB gun and the photo was taken at a local fairground that  Y Quynh Bdap and a few friends visited on 28 October, 2022. Other photos taken at the fairground prove the falsity of the evidence used by the MPS to implicate Y Quynh Bdap and MSFJ in the shooting incidents.

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Y Quynh BDap at fairground with friends on 28 October, 2022

The television broadcast also displayed the photo of 13 MSFJ members in Thailand, all crossed out with a large, bold red X, meaning being marked for punishment.

The 13 individuals marked by MPS in the photo include:

(First row, from left)

1. Y Bhiông Hdrue, awaiting RSD interview

2. Y Chuân Mlô, awaiting result of RSD interview

3. Y Pher Hdrue, awaiting RSD interview, co-founder of MSFJ

4. Y Phais Kbuôr, UNHCR-recognized refugee

5. Y Arôn Êban, awaigint RSD interview, co-founder of MSFJ

6. Y Blui Kbuôr, UNHCR-recognized refugee; wife and children awaiting RSD interview

(Second row, from left)

1. Y Jon Ayun, UNHCR-recognized refugee

2. Y Liă Ecăm, awaiting RSD interview

3. Y Quynh Bdap, UNHCR-recognized refugee, founder of MSFJ

4. Y Thanh Êban, awaiting RSD result

5. Y Phươk Niê, UNHCR-recognized refugee

6. Y Truyên Mlô, awaiting RSD interview

7. Y Misin Knul, awaiting RSD interview

The television broadcast’s description referred to six wanted subjects:

“Among the 6 specially wanted subjects related to the terrorist incident that caused particularly serious consequences in Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province last June was Y Quynh Bdăp, the leader of the exiled FULRO group called “Montagnards Stand for Justice” abbreviated as MSFJ, which operates in Thailand. This is a subject with a history of opposing the government. Even though he was sent to re-education, Y Quynh still did not wake up but sank deeper and deeper into mistakes. What are the true reactionary faces of Y Quynh Bdăp and MSFJ? What was his role in the early morning terrorist attack on June 11 in Cu Kuin district that led the Security Investigation Agency of Dak Lak Province to issue a special arrest warrant?”

Coincidentally or not, the program displayed the portraits of six individuals with Y Quynh Bdap on top.  The other five individuals targeted are (from left): Y Pher Hdrue, Y Phic Hdok, Y Aron Eban, H’biap Krong and H’Tlun Bdap. They were all crossed out with a large bold red “X”. While the other five are members of MSFJ, H’biap Krong is not. A refugee herself, she works as a BPSOS fellow to support MSFJ and other human rights groups with capacity building.

Immediately after the 11 June shootings, MPS initiated a campaign to tie MSFJ to these acts of violence. On 19 June, the website “ASEAN Publication” of the Central Government of Vietnam published an article titled “The real face of the group MSFJ” which specifically named Y Quynh Bdap, Y Pher Drue and Y Phic Hdok, accusing them of following instructions from FULRO expatriates to “spread propaganda to expand the group’s membership in the country” and entice and incite “residents of Cư Kuin District and Krông Ana District to participate in protests and an insurrection to demand the establishment of ‘Dega Protestantism’ and a ‘Dega State’.” These two districts were locations where the 11 June shootings occurred. The article also implicated the ECCCH, which has members in Thailand.[4] 

On 21 June, the Public Security Department of Chư Se District, Dak Lak Province explicitly blamed MSFJ for the 11 June violent incidents, via an article titled “’Montagnards Stand for Justice – MSFJ’ – the reactionary organization that deceives ethnic minority people, causing instability in the Central Highlands” and published on its official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/conganhuyenchuse/posts/pfbid02WDM8SpKc5nQaPWhdnv64doG YGg3cE9zNVGZAcajPLeo2hkGXWfngdxS6FjAyan5el. The article specifically named Y Quynh Bdap and Y Phic Hdok, a co-founder of MSFJ and a resident in the United States, and displayed the photo of Y Pher Hdrue crossed out with a large, bold red X. They were falsely accused of being affiliated with the FULRO movement, which ceased to exist in 1992.[5]

On 28 June, the Central Indoctrination Agency of the Vietnamese Communist Party falsely accused BPSOS of being “the reactionary organization based in Virginia, US, that is behind the Dak Lak attacks.” The article also named MSFJ and ECCCH of conspiring with BPSOS “to train people with dissent thinking so as to form illegal religious associations and groups as the tool to build up forces for their sabotage plots against Vietnam.”[6]

On the same day, the official website of the Bình Phước Provincial Government repeated the allegations against Y Quynh Bdap and Y Phic Hdok, two key co-founders of MSFJ, already posted on the ASEAN Publication website:

“According to information from competent agencies in Đắk Lắk Province, the 2 subjects Y Phic Hdok and Y Quynh Bdap, who were born and grew up in Đắk Lắk Province, had joined the terrorist organization FULRO at an early age, regularly followed instructions from FULRO expatriates to expand the group’s membership in the country; enticed and incited residents of Cư Kuin District and Krông Ana District to participate in protests and an insurrection to demand the establishment of ‘Dega Protestantism’ and a ‘Dega State’.”[7]

The FULRO movement ceased to exist more than three decades ago, the same year Y Quynh Bdap was born and many years before Y Phic Hdok’s birth. These two did not know each other until they met in Thailand at BPSOS’s training classes.

On 30 June, 2023, the English-language organ of the Vietnamese Government, Vietnam News, not only reiterated the accusation of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s Indoctrination Agency but went further – it accused that BPSOS and MSFJ train people in Vietnam to build up forces for sabotage plots against Vietnam:

“In particular, a series of sabotage incidents taking advantage of Central Highlanders’ beliefs and religions were directed by exiled reactionary organisations like BPSOS. Over the past years,

“BPSOS has connived with other reactionary groups like Montagnard Stands for Justice and the Evangelical Church of Christ in the Central Highlands to train people with dissent thinking so as to form illegal religious associations and groups as the tool to build up forces for their sabotage plots against Việt Nam.

“At a high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies held by the United Nations in New York from June 19 to 22, Maj. Gen. Phạm Ngọc Việt, Director of the Ministry of Public Security’s Homeland Security Department, said one of the external terrorism risks that may harm Việt Nam’s national security is that exiled reactionary Vietnamese organisations and extremists based in some countries have taken advantage of ethnic and religious affairs,

set up bases and affiliates, provided training for some persons in Việt Nam, and sent their members to enter Việt Nam to direct the implementation of terrorist acts in the country.”[8]

As the first step to prosecute Y Quynh Bdap in absentia, on 4 July, at 11:30am MPS officers came to the residence of his parents, forcing them to identify their son from a line-up of six individuals. His father was then made to sign a form acknowledging that he had positively identified Y Quynh Bdap.

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Police’s line-up from which Y Quynh Bdap’s parents must identify him

On 7 July, MPS made further false accusations against MSFJ, BPSOS and ECCCH, publishing on its official website the article titled “BPSOS blatantly slandered and misrepresented facts after the terrorist attacks in Dak Lak”, wherein the MPS attacked BPSOS and identified MSFJ and ECCCH as two organizations “led by expatriates living in Thailand” that are in the MPS’ crosshairs. The article reported that on 20 June Deputy Public Security Minister Nguyễn Văn Long met with the Department of Prisons Director of Thailand’s Ministry of Justice to “effectively implement the ‘Agreement on Transfer of Convicts and Cooperation in Criminal Judgment Execution’” signed by Vietnam and Thailand in 2010. This meeting may signal heightened risks for Montagnard and other Vietnamese refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand, and explain Vietnam’s motive to sentence Y Quynh Bdap in absentia – to eventually have him handed over by the Thai police.[9]

On 2 August, the Provincial Government of Long An Province published on its official website the article titled “‘Boat People SOS’ and information they made up to oppose and attack [the Government of Vietnam]”, which accused BPSOS of using “satellite” organizations, including refugee groups in Thailand, to engage in “the most frequent acts of misrepresentation and sabotage.”[10]

On 29 November, the Facebook fanpage “Krông Pắc Quê Tôi” (Krong Pak My Hometown) announced that the Public Security Department of Dak Lak Province had issued an arrest warrant against[11] Y Quynh Bdap on 14 August, 2023. [12] This Facebook fanpage, apparently belonging to the government of Krong Pak District, routinely targets MSFJ and its members.

On 10 December, 2023, the same Facebook fanpage posted an article titled “Terrorist organization advocating for human rights!!!”, falsely accusing MSFJ and Y Quynh Bdap of instigating the June 11 shootings:

“The organization “Montagnards Stand for Justice” is a reactionary organization claiming to protect ethnic minorities, but in fact it intends to disrupt the peaceful life of the people. It is known that this organization was founded by Y Quynh Bdap who masterminded and instigated the attacks on the government centers of the Communes of Ea Tiêu and Ea KTur, causing the deaths of government personnel and citizens.

“It’s ironic that a terrorist organization that kills people barbarically and treats human lives like trash now demands that others respect human rights.” [13]

On 16 December, 2023, the Vietnamese police visited Y Quynh Bdap’s parents’ house in Vietnam. The police requested his parents to persuade him to return to Vietnam and turn himself in to the police in return for being treated with mercy. Apparently, MPS wanted Y Quynh Bdap to appear at the upcoming trial.

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MPS officer talking to Y Quynh Bdap’s father at his house in Vietnam, 16 December, 2023

On 16-19 January, 2024, the People’s Court of Đắk Lắk Province held a “mobile court” trial of the 100 individuals accused of being involved in the 11 June shootings.[14]  As the trial got started, the website of Lak District, Dak Lak Province ran an article titled “Y Quynh Bap – a criminal of the Central Highlands villages” falsely accusing MSFJ of fostering the 11 June shootings:

“Y Quynh Bdap had played a major role in the terrorist attack on June 11, 2023 in Cư Kuin District – FULRO Province. He was the person who directed the culprits living in the country to carry out the barbaric and inhumane acts of shooting and killing people, causing serious consequences including nine deaths and two injured victims, also affecting public order and security in the locality.

“Therefore, on 11 August 2023, the Security Investigation Agency of the Police Department of FULRO Province issued a decision to charge him. On 14 August 2023, a special arrest warrant was issued for Y Quynh Bdăp, the leader of the group of FULRO expatriates called “Montagnards Stand for justice – MSFJ”.[15]

At the trial’s conclusion, ten defendants were sentenced to life, five to 20 years, two to 19 years, and the rest to between 9 months and 18 years, all on charges of terrorism. Y Quynh Bdap was sentenced in absentia to ten years of imprisonment. [16]

On 25 January, 2024, the Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province used circular reasoning to justify the ten-years sentence for Y Quynh Bdap in the article titled “Deception and Misrepresentation by FULRO Expatriates of the 11 June Terrorist Attacks” published on its official website:

“It is undisputed that Y Quynh Bdap and the organization ‘Montagnards for Justice’ are behind the terrorist attack, as shown by the fact that on 14 August 2023, the authorities issued a special arrest warrant, especially for Y Quynh Bdap. If the government had made false accusations, then why, after arresting 94 people involved in the terrorist incident, did the authorities only issue a wanted notice for those who escaped, but not Y Quynh? It was not until 14 August 2023 (more than 2 months after the terrorist incidents) that the authorities issued a special arrest warrant for Y Quynh Bdap.”[17]

There are indications that MPS targeted specific MSFJ members possibly with the ultimate goal of having them forcibly repatriated. On 3 January, 2024, the Information page of Public Security of Đăk Lăk Province ran an article titled “The fallacious rhetoric and deceptive nature of Y Quynh Bdap and the organization ‘Montagnards Stand for Justice’” to denounce Y Quynh Bdap and MSFJ:

“The organization “Montagnards Stand for Justice” is a reactionary organization founded by Y Quynh Bdap to gather ethnic minority groups in Thailand with anti-Vietnamese State ideology. Under the guise of advocating for justice for the Montagnards in the Central Highlands, they have been misrepresenting facts and falsely accusing Vietnam of violating religious freedom, democracy, and human rights; inciting narrow-minded nationalist ideology, and demanding secession and autonomy. In addition, they are also affiliated with and receive support from the reactionary organization “Boat People SOS – BPSOS” led by Nguyễn Đình Thắng in the US. They regularly propagandize, incite sabotage, and link up with those who handle the business of guiding ethnic minority individuals to escape abroad. Specifically, regarding the terrorist incident on June 11 that occurred in Cư Kuin district, Y Quynh Bdap contacted and directed in-country individuals to participate in extremely barbaric and dehumanizing acts. causing public outrage. On 14 August 2023, Y Quynh Bdap and other involved individuals were put on a special wanted list.

“… Recently, on 24 November 2023, the Royal Thai Police inspected and rounded up eleven individuals (from ethnic minorities) illegally residing in Bang Yai District, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand.”[18]

In the morning of 24 November, eleven Montagnard refugees and asylum seekers were arrested by the Thai police.  Police officers were accompanied by individuals whose uniforms indicated that they were from the Thai military and intelligence agencies, as well as by a Vietnamese man who appeared to be acting as an interpreter but whose demeanor and apparent central role in the raid suggest that he might also be connected to Vietnamese government security forces.  The Vietnamese government maintains a robust security presence in Bangkok and has been intensely interested in the activities of refugees and asylum seekers there, particularly Montagnards and Hmong.

Four of the eleven men who were arrested are members of MSFJ: Y Khương Êban, Y Nget Niê, Y Misin Knul and Y Jon Ayul, who is also a Pastor with ECCCH. Prior to his arrest by Thai police, Y Khương Eban was threatened and accused by government agents in Vietnam of being a terrorist in comments to his Facebook posts that were critical of the Vietnamese government.  One of the threats came from a Vietnamese Army officer who threatened to harm Mr. Eban’s family members in Vietnam.

Another detainee, Lemo Y Sing (aka Le Mo Y Sin), had recently posted a series of Facebook articles criticizing an organization called the Vietnam Student Association (VSA) in Thailand, which has close ties to the Vietnamese Embassy and which had been making visits to the Montagnard refugee community in Bangkok in what Mr. Lemo said were attempts to gather intelligence and/or propagandize on behalf of the Vietnamese government. MSFJ leaders reported that the Embassy-linked VSA was particularly upset by Mr. Lemo’s posts and may have requested his arrest. BPSOS was made aware that the personal information of several Montagnards had been leaked by a provider of translation / interpreting services to the UNHCR. This provider was the Chair of VSA and is known to have close ties with the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok and appears to be the same one exposed by Mr. Lemo.

Several factors strongly suggest that the raid may not have been a routine immigration enforcement exercise but may indeed have been targeted at particular Montagnard men who are of interest to the Vietnamese government.  First, it is highly unusual for local police to be accompanied by Army officers and intelligence agents on a routine raid to arrest illegal immigrants.  Second, when those arrested are UNHCR-recognized refugees, UNHCR protection officers call the police and are almost always successful in persuading them to release the arrestees.  In this case UNHCR did call but was told there would be no release. 

Third, in this case the police officers found dozens of men, women, and children who had no legal status in Thailand, but they arrested only the men. Initially they directed the men to go downstairs so that they could take pictures of their UNHCR registration cards, but after taking the pictures they arrested only the men. 

Fourth, on the day after the arrests, 25 November, the police came to arrest Y Aron Eban and Y Pher Hdrue, both co-founders of MSFJ. The police even tried to pry open the window of Mr. Drue’s apartment. Fortunately, neither man was at home at the time, so neither was arrested and both stayed in hiding.  However, the Vietnamese interpreter who accompanied the Thai police officers – once again taking a central and forceful role in the attempted arrest – told Mr. Hdrue’s wife that they had come to arrest Mr. Hdrue and that they would be back. After a few days in hiding, both men relocated their families to a different neighborhood to evade surveillance and arrest by the Thai police.

A wire on a screen Description automatically generatedWindow frame of Mr. Hdrue’s apartment pried open by the police, 25 November, 2023A window with a white curtain Description automatically generated

During their visit to the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) in Suan Phlu, Bangkok on 19 December, 2023, BPSOS’ Chief Operating Officer was informed by Mr. Lu A Da, a Hmong human rights defender being detained at IDC, that a Thai police officer had visited his cell a few days before and showed a picture of Y Quynh Bdap, asking if detainees in the cell knew the person in the picture. Montagnard detainees were then asked to disclose their relationship with Mr. Bdap. All detainees denied any relationship with him or knowledge of his whereabouts. This police officer was escorted by a person fluent in Vietnamese. Some detainees believed he was from the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok.

On 6 March, 2024, MPS officially declared MSFJ a terrorist organization.[19] It MPS officially declared MSFJ (and another Montagnard-run organization) a terrorist organization. MPS’ real motive apparently was to stop its rights violations from being reported. Since its inception, MSFJ has facilitated the participation of hundreds of members of Montagnard Christian house churches in training courses offered by regional and international organizations, including BPSOS, on UN human rights conventions, Vietnam’s domestic laws, identifying and documenting rights violations, and international advocacy. MPS threatens to criminally prosecute anyone attending training courses through MSFJ’s facilitation:

“Therefore, anyone who engaged in, propagated, enticed, incited others to participate, sponsor, or receive sponsorship, or participated in training courses organised by the two terrorist organisations; or followed the direction of the two terrorist organisations, would be charged with ‘terrorism’ or ‘terrorist financing’ and would be handled according to the provisions of the law.”[20]

MPS’ motive becomes apparent when it listed Ms. H’biap Krong, a well-connected Montagnard human rights defender, as MSFJ member. She works for BPSOS and has never been a member of MSFJ. To further add pressure on her, MPS also listed her younger sister H’Sarina Krong as MSFJ member even though the latter has not done any advocacy work.

  • Evangelical Church of Christ of the Central Highlands (ECCCH)

ECCCH, formerly Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ (MECC), was founded in 2012 by Montagnard Christians who refused to join the government-controlled ECVS. ECCCH was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021 by its founder, Pastor A Ga, a former refugee in Thailand who resettleed to the U.S. in September 2018.  Since the 11 June, 2023 shooting incidents in Dak Lak Province, the Vietnamese government has increasingly targeted Pastor A Ga in the U.S. and his followers in Thailand.

The threats to ECCCH members in Thailand are very real as Pastor A Ga himself had faced imminent risk of being forcibly repatriated. On 12 January, 2017, MPS issued an arrest warrant and later confirmed that it also issued an Interpol “red notice” against him. At the time he had been recognized a refugee by the UNHCR office in Thailand. In early 2018, the Thai police arrested him and arranged for him to be interviewed about repatriation with a Vietnamese diplomat based in Bangkok. Thanks to the strong intervention by the U.S. Department of State, the Thai government allowed the UNHCR to quietly relocate Pastor A Ga and family to the Philippines. In September 2018, Pastor A Ga, his wife, and their young son arrived in the U.S. for refugee resettlement. On 21 July, 2019, the U.S. Department of State invited him to share his personal story at its second International Religious Freedom Ministerial; as part of this event, he took part in a delegation of former victims of religious persecution to meet with the U.S. President at the White House. On 8 April, 2023, MPS’ Public Security Department of Đắk Lắk Province announced criminal prosecution against him, in absentia. On 3 November, 2023, this department re-issued its arrest warrant against Pastor A Ga.[21]

Pastor A Đảo, who took over as Head Pastor of ECCCH after Pastor A Ga fled to Thailand, was arrested and sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment in 2016. He was tortured during investigation, at trial and in prison. U.S. Congressman Glenn Grothman (Wisconsin) adopted him as a prisoner of conscience as part of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos  Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedom Project. The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also adopted him as a religious prisoner of  conscience. Thanks to strong international intervention, he was released on September 18, 2020.[22]

Like MSFJ, ECCCH has provided BPSOS timely reports on religious persecution for submission to the UNSR/FORB, OHCHR, the U.S. Department of State and USCIRF.

In April 2017, ECV-S sent pastors to Bangkok, Thailand in an attempt to recruit Montagnard Christians seeking asylum to join ECV-S. Pastor A Ga strongly objected to that maneuver, seeing this infiltration attempt as a risk factor for Montagnard refugees and asylum seekers. Soon afterwards, he was arrested by the Thai police per the request of the Vietnamese MPS. Thanks to U.S. Department of State’s and UNHCR’s effective intervention, Pastor A Ga was moved from Thai Immigration Detention Center to the Philippines. In September 2017, he and family members resettled to the United States.

The MPS continues to threaten Pastor A Ga, issuing threats against him. On 3 November 2023, the MPS re-issued the arrest and search warrant against him. On ___, Vietnam’s procuracy convicted him of _______________.

In April 2023, Pastor A Ga joined a lawsuit against Vietnam Television (VTV) and submitted a petition for application of the

[1] “Hơn 90 người bị khởi tố trong vụ nổ súng ở Đắk Lắk” (Over 90 individuals are porsecuted in the shootings in Dak Lak), RFA, 19 October, 2023, https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/minister-of-public-securities-92-prosecuted-for-involving-in-dak-lak-mass-shootings-10192023091930.html

[2] Press release, MSFJ, 11 June, 2023, avaialble at:  https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MSFJ-press-release-11-June-2023.pdf

[3] “Chân tướng của Y Quynh Bdap: Kẻ cầm đầu nhóm “Người Thượng đứng lên vì công lý”, ANTV, 21 December, 2023, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFl5fwSAaF8. English translation by BPSOS available at:  https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-real-identity-of-Y-Quynh-Bdap-21-12-2013.pdf

[4] “Bộ mặt thật của nhóm ‘Người Thượng vì công lý (MSFJ)’ (The real face of the group Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ)),” Tạp Chí Đông Nam Á, 19-06-2023, available at: https://tapchidongnama.vn/bo-mat-that-cua-nhom-nguoi-thuong-vi-cong-ly-msfj/, English translation:  https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-real-face-of-MSFJ-19-06-2023.pdf

[5]  “’Người Thượng vì công lý – MSFJ’ – Tổ chức phản động lừa phỉnh đồng bào DTTS, gây bất ổn vùng đất Tây Nguyên (“Montagnards Stand for Justice – MSFJ” – the reactionary organization that deceives ethnic minority people, causing instability in the Central Highlands),” Công An Chư Se, 21-06-2023, available at:

https://www.facebook.com/conganhuyenchuse/posts/pfbid02WDM8SpKc5nQaPWhdnv64doGYGg3cE9zNVGZAcajPLeo2hkGXWfngdxS6FjAyan5el. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MSFJ-reactionary-organization-that-tricks-ethnic-minorities-21-06-2023.pdf

[6] “Làm thất bại âm mưu lợi dụng tôn giáo phá hoại khối

đại đoàn kết dân tộc (Defeating the plot to use religion to sabotage great

national unity),” Ban Tuyên Giáo Trung Ương, 28 June, 2023, available at: https://tuyengiao.vn/bao-ve-nen-tang-tu-tuong-cua-dang/lam-that-bai-am-muu-loidung-

ton-giao-pha-hoai-khoi-dai-doan-ket-dan-toc-145282. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Defeating-the-plot-to-use-religion-to-sabotage-great-national-unity-28-06-2023.pdf

[7] “Có tật giật mình! (A culprit is easily startled!), Bình Phước Online, 28-06-2023, available at: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/0/145849/co-tat-giat-minh. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/A-culprit-is-easily-startled-28-06-2023.pdf

[8] “Sabotage plots abusing religious affairs unable to erode national solidarity,” Vietnam News, 30-06-2023, available at: https://vietnamnews.vn/opinion/op-ed/1550519/sabotage-plots-abusing-religiousaffairs-

unable-to-erode-national-solidarity.html

[9] “Tổ chức BPSOS lại trắng trợn vu cáo, xuyên tạc sau vụ khủng bố ở Đắk Lắk (BPSOS blatantly slandered and misrepresented facts after the terrorist attacks in Dak Lak),” Công An Nhân Dân, 07 July, 2023, available at: https://cand.com.vn/Chong-dien-bien-hoa-binh/to-chuc-bpsos-lai-trang-tron-vu-cao-xuyen-tac-sau-vu-khung-bo-o-dak-lak-i699575/.  English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BPSOS-blatantly-slandered-and-misrepresented-facts-after-the-terrorist-attacks-in-Dak-Lak-07-07-2023.pdf

[10] “’Ủy ban cứu người vượt biển’ và những thông tin bịa đặt chống phá (‘Boat People SOS’ and information they made up to oppose and attack),” Long An Online, 02 August, 2023, available at: https://baolongan.vn/uy-ban-cuu-nguoi-vuot-bien-va-nhung-thong-tin-bia-dat-chong-pha-a160258.html.English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Boat-Peoople-SOS-and-information-they-made-up-02-08-2023.pdf

[11] Arrest warrants against Y Quynh Bdap and Pastor A Ga: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Arrest-Warrants-against-Y-Quynh-Bdap-Pastor-A-Ga.pdf

[12] “Đến lúc cái ác phải bị trừng phạt (It is time for evil to be punished),” Krong Pak Quê Tôi, 29 November, 2023, available at: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid07u5fACZzfhYA3gmuippLCBsVCv8k3iHZ4aPkwJA9tGpcfuux3UCPYbN4CQzDECszl&id=100068469252991&mibextid=Nif5oz.

[13] Tổ chức khủng bố đòi hỏi nhân quyền!!! (Terrorist organization advocating for human rights!!!),” Krong Pak Quê Tôi, 10 December, 2023, available at:  https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=665468125745490&id=100068469252991&mibextid=qi2Omg. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Terrorist-organization-advocating-for-human-rights-10-12-2023.pdf

[14] “Vietnam Sentences 100 People in Terrorism Trial, VnExpress Says,” Bloomberg, 20 January, 2024, available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-20/vietnam-sentences-100-people-in-terrorism-trial-vnexpress-says

[15] “Y Quynh BDap – tội đồ của buôn làng Tây Nguyên,” Media Centre for Culture and Sports of LĂK District, 17 January, 2024, available at: https://ttthlak.gov.vn/tin-tuc/an-ninh-quoc-phong/y-quynh-bdap-toi-do-cua-buon-lang-tay-nguyen. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Y-Quynh-Bdap-–-a-criminal-of-the-Central-Highlands-villages-17-01-2024.pdf  

[16] “​Xét xử vụ khủng bố tại Đắk Lắk: Tòa tuyên phạt 10 án chung thân (Trial of terrorism case in Dak Lak: Court sentenced ten to life),” Tuổi Trẻ (Youth Newspaper), 20 January, 2024, available at: https://tuoitre.vn/xet-xu-vu-khung-bo-tai-dak-lak-toa-tuyen-phat-10-an-chung-than-20240120140941022.htm

[17] “SỰ TRÁO TRỞ XUYÊN TẠC KHỦNG BỐ 11/6 CỦA ĐỐI TƯỢNG FULRO LƯU VONG,” Electronic information page of the Police Department of Đắk Lắk Province, 25 January, 2024, available at:

 https://congan.daklak.gov.vn/-/su-trao-tro-xuyen-tac-vu-khung-bo-11-6-cua-so-oi-tuong-fulro-luu-vong. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deception-and-misrepresentation-by-FULRO-expatriates-25-01-2024.pdf  

[18] “Luận điệu dối trá, bản chất lừa phỉnh của đối tượng Y Quynh Bdap và tổ chức “Người Thượng đứng lên vì công lý (The fallacious rhetoric and deceptive nature of Y Quynh Bdap and the organization ‘Montagnards Stand for Justice’),”Công An Tỉnh Đắk Lăk, 3 January, 2024, available at:

 https://congan.daklak.gov.vn/-/luan-ieu-doi-tra-ban-chat-lua-phinh-cua-oi-tuong-y-quynh-bdap-va-to-chuc-nguoi-thuong-ung-len-vi-cong-ly-. English translation: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-fallacious-rhetoric-and-deceptive-nature-of-Y-Quynh-Bdap-and-the-organization-‘Montagnards-Stand-for-Justice-03-01-2024.pdf   

[19] Ministry of Public Security announces two foreign-based terrorist organisations,” Vietnam News, 6 March, 2024, available at: https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/1651481/ministry-of-public-security-announces-two-foreign-based-terrorist-organisations.html

[20] Ibid.

[21] Arrest warrants against Y Quynh Bdap and Pastor A Ga: https://dvov.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Arrest-Warrants-against-Y-Quynh-Bdap-Pastor-A-Ga.pdf

[22] “USCIRF Welcomes Release of Pastor A Dao in Vietnam,” USCIRF, September 18, 2020, available at: https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-welcomes-release-pastor-dao-vietnam