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asylum seekers
Vietnam continues to jail the faithful, burn
churches and force conversions, according to
a recent US religious freedom report, with
refugee advocates yesterday pointing the
finger at Cambodia for often failing the scores
of asylum seekers who have fled to safety
across the border.
The report comes in the wake of Cambodias
return of some 25 Montagnards a
predominantly Christian minority in
Vietnams Central Highlands after two years
in limbo.
[S]ome [Montagnards] are prevented from
holding religious ceremonies, many are
summoned to meet with local authorities and
pressured to cease practicing their faith, and
pastors are harassed or punished, according
to the report. [A]uthorities reportedly
harassed followers of Montagnard Pastor
Xiem Ksor, who died on January 14, 2016,
after public security physically assaulted him
on Christmas Eve 2015.
In 2016, USCIRF received a report that in
one incident, authorities arrested at least Xiem Ksor
seven Montagnard Christians from the
Central Highlands after police reportedly
instructed the individuals to stop believing in
God.
Cambodias Refugee Department has since
suggested only three others will be classed as
refugees, out of some 200 asylum seekers.
Its from this hostile environment, argues
Grace Bui of the Montagnard Assistance
Project, that asylum seekers fled, and she said
Cambodias response to their plight was
wanting.
The 25 people that were sent back ... the
Vietnamese government is watching them
We dont encourage those Montagnard
people to come to our country, he said. We
Phil Robertson
let the authority deal with them case by case
and we also respect international law. We Human Rights Watch
keep our relationship with Vietnam.
Vivian Tan, of the UNHCR, stressed that
Cambodia was party to the Refugee
Convention and had taken over the processing
of asylum claims from the UN since 2009.
Refugee status determination is a serious
undertaking and countries that have taken it
on are fully aware of the importance of
assessing asylum claims based on the
individual merit of each case, she said.