In a new report, Human Rights Watch charged that Hanoi is encouraging migration from the crowded north into the areas long inhabited by the Montagnards, who are mostly Christians.
The Montagnards have lost ownership of their land and have suffered from falling prices for a key crop, coffee, Human Rights Watch said.
The report emphasized that Hanoi´s persecution is also due to religious reasons. Many Montagnards describe themselves as «Dega» Protestants, which the authorities view as a separatist movement.
Human Rights Watch said about 1,000 Montagnards had to flee last year from neighboring Cambodia and are now asking for asylum in the United States. The rights group appealed to Hanoi to halt arbitrary detentions, to improve agricultural land legislation and to respect citizens´ rights.
