CHRAC unsatisfied with Montagnard repatriation agreement
Published on 1 March 2002; Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 local human rights NGOs, wishes to express its dissatisfaction with the tripartite agreement reached on 21 January 2002 between the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Government of the Socialist Republics of Vietnam on the repatriation of ethnic minority Montagnards who have fled from Vietnam to Cambodia. The agreement has failed to specify clearly the voluntary nature of the return of those asylum seekers, the UNHCR's role, and standards of the repatriation of returnees to adequately ensure their protection and the exercise of their rights while back in their homelands.
CHRAC also deplores the obstruction of visits by UNHCR officials to areas of origin of those refugees in Vietnam in preparation for their return.
CHRAC is opposed to the apparent agreement between the Cambodian and the Vietnamese government to set a deadline of 30 April 2002 for the completion of the repatriation of all those refugees thereby derogating from the voluntary nature of return in general and the tripartite agreement in particular.
CHRAC urges the Cambodia and the Vietnamese governments to respect the voluntary nature of return, to faithfully implement the tripartite agreement, and to lend their full support and cooperation to the UNHCR and give it all latitude within its mandate to repatriate and resettle those Montagnards who choose to return to their homelands.
CHRAC urges the Cambodian government to comply with its obligations under the 1951 Convention on Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, especially to respect in full the principle of non-refoulement when dealing with asylum seekers. The signing of the tripartite agreement, and the beginning of voluntary repatriation, in no way should deprive new Montagnard asylum seekers arriving in Cambodia of their fundamental right to seek asylum.
CHRAC urges the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to end its persecution of Montagnards, and to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of people of all races and creeds living in Vietnam.
For more information, please contact:
▪ Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, Chairperson of CHRAC , Executive Director of the Cambodian Defenders Project Mobile Phone: 855 12 90 11 99
▪ Mr. Thun Saray, President of Adhoc Mobile Phone: 016 880 509
▪ Dr. Lao Mong Hay, Executive Director of KID Mobile Phone: 012 959 454
