Freethought & Rationalism Archive

echidna · 02-19-2003, 07:58 PM

THE MYTHS AND PROPAGANDA OF HANOI:
HOW COMMUNIST VIETNAM CONNED THE WEST
http://www.montagnard-foundation.org/opinion.html

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The ability of Communist Vietnam's policies and (unfortunate) success in deflecting human rights criticism can be divided into two main categories. The first is "by playing on the guilt of the Vietnam War". The second is "by promoting myths and lies through its state controlled propaganda machine". In both these categories the Western media, governments, political organizations and international trade groups are also guilty of much complicity here by ignoring the massive human rights violations facing the citizens of Vietnam and genocide of the indigenous Montagnard hill tribes. Thousands of Vietnamese people and Montagnards were killed by the Vietnamese government and over one million people imprisoned in forced labor camps since 1975. Repression is so widespread in Vietnam today that the communist government has become one of the worst violators of human rights in Asia. (A summary of these atrocities will be documented here.) Over the course of the last few months the communist security forces have enacted martial law throughout the central highlands - torturing and even executing hill tribe people, the security forces have also stepped up intimidation and repression of Buddhists all across the country.

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Notably, the biggest mass murder of civilians during the Vietnam War was not committed by American troops - but by communist troops during the siege of Hue in 1968. The infamous massacre at My Lai is dwarfed in comparison by this communist massacre as approximately 3000 Vietnamese people were executed by communist troops and found in a mass grave after American and South Vietnamese soldiers recaptured the city from the communists.

The murder and harassment of villagers, enslavement of Montagnard hill tribes and brutal use of death threats by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops actually were so widespread that is it estimated thousands of civilians died at the hands of communist troops. The Viet Cong is reported to have assassinated 33, 052 village officials and civilians during the course of the war. Again, Communists in North Vietnam were a minority of the population who controlled the people through terror and intimidation. True, it was also practice under the CIA phoenix program to eliminate communists but it was a policy by communist troops to intimidate and murder "innocent" villagers both Vietnamese and Montagnard. The communists would enslave the Montagnard hill tribe people of the central highlands to work for the Viet Cong and would murder thousands of these unfortunate hill tribe people. In one example as reported by Anthropologist Gerald Hickey, Viet Cong troops used flamethrowers to murder a entire village of Montagnard people. These acts of brutality were so common that it is impossible to quantify them here. By the end of the Vietnam war however, over 250,000 Montagnard hill tribe people died as result of the Vietnam War. This brutality enacted towards the hill tribes however, is one of the main reasons why over 40,000 hill tribe Montagnards had joined with the US Army in the fight against the communists.

I especially recommend the sections :

Genocide of the Montagnards (Degar people) and repression of Buddhists and Vietnamese people
The strategy of Communist Vietnam: "selective guilt" of the Vietnam War

echidna · 02-19-2003, 08:20 PM

In fact, much of the oppression is so recent that it needs to be emphasised just what�s happening even today. It�s frustrating that in our narrow focus of world events, we so easily forget that the former communist countries, while renouncing communist economics, still retain Stalinist political methods.

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Genocide of the Montagnards (Degar people) and repression of Buddhists and Vietnamese people

Since 1975 communist Vietnam has killed and worked to death over 160,000 people and imprisoned over one million of its people in forced labor camps. Some of these camps still operate today in the year 2001.

Since 1975 the communist government of Vietnam has systematically persecuted the indigenous Montagnard hill tribes of the Central Highlands by execution, torture, religious repression, confiscation of ancestral lands, forced and coerced sterilizations and official discrimination. Untold thousands of people were killed by the government.

In February 2001 the communist authorities enacted a military crackdown in the Central Highlands involving tanks, helicopter gunships and over 13 regiments of soldiers to repress Christian Montagnards.

In February 2001 communist security forces sealed off the central highlands from human rights organizations and journalists. They began a renewed terror campaign against the Montagnard hill tribes, resulting in executions, mass torture and repression of Christian Montagnards through intimidation, disappearances and arrests.

In March 2001 the communist authorities offered bounties for the capture of Montagnard refugees who were fleeing torture, arrest and execution by security forces to Cambodia (Reported by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Refugees International and numerous news agencies).

In March 2001 Vietnamese security forces continue repression - The BBC reported the burning of Christian Churches in Gia Lia province. Montagnard Foundation reports executions and hundreds of cases of torture and beatings.

In March 2001 the US State Department calls on Vietnam to allow diplomats and observers to monitor the situation of martial law in the central highlands and the numerous allegations of human rights violations.

In May 2001 Amnesty International issued a Emergency Action Appeal for Christian Montagnards who were forcibly returned to Vietnamese security forces by Cambodian Authorities (bounty hunters).

In May 2001 the United Nations steps up security measures to protect Christian Montagnards in Cambodia refugee camps as Vietnamese security forces are operating inside Cambodia to capture refugees.

In April 2001 the Vietnamese authorities arrested and deported a Norwegian Minister of parliament Mr. Lars Rise for trying to speak to Vietnamese Buddhists who are under surveillance by Vietnamese security forces.

In April 2001 - Vietnamese human rights activists - the Vietnam Committee for Human Rights - condemns Vietnam for persecuting and arresting Buddhists in Vietnam at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

In April 2001 the BBC and AFP report mass poisonings of over 200 Montagnard children. The Montagnard Foundation reports these are carried out by Vietnamese security forces in order to terrorize the Montagnard population.

In May 2001 the International Commission of Religious Freedom in the United States condemned Vietnams repression of Religious Freedom and called for aid restrictions by enacted against Vietnam.

In June 2001 UNICEF reports that Vietnam's ethnic minority children are suffering disproportionate levels of poverty.

In June 2001 Mr. Olivier Dupius member of European parliament was arrested and deported from Vietnam for trying to speak to Buddhist Monks.

In July 2001 the European Parliament issued a Resolution condemning Religious Persecution in Vietnam with specific reference to the repression of Montagnards in Vietnam.

In July 2001 US Congressmen Introduced the Vietnam Human Rights Bill and concurrent Resolution 178 concerning the repression of human rights in Vietnam and systematic persecution of the Montagnard hill tribes.

In July 2001 the International Commission of Jurists issued a report concluding the Vietnamese government has committed systematic human rights violations against the Montagnard people since 1975 namely; executions, torture, confiscation of ancestral lands and religious persecution.

In July 2001 Human Rights Watch Reported issued a urgent report condemning Vietnam's persecution of Montagnards and the human rights violations they face if returned to Vietnam from refugee camps in Cambodia.

In August 2001 the Vietnam Committee for Human Rights condemned Vietnam's record of persecution before the UN Committee for Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva.

In August 2001 the Montagnard Foundation asked the United Nations sub-commission of Human Rights to take emergency action regarding Vietnam's persecution of Montagnard Hill tribes and end the military crackdown and torture.

In September 2001 the Vietnamese security forces continue arresting and persecuting Montagnard Christians and Vietnamese Buddhists.

In September 2001 Human Rights Watch called for international donors to suspend aid to Vietnam over increased persecution of Buddhists and increased human rights violations in Vietnam.

Loren Pechtel · 02-19-2003, 09:58 PM

A tidbit I thought interesting: Reality show: The Amazing Race. This time it went through Vietnam. Normal race route markers are orange and yellow--they've been using the same pattern since the first race (this was the third race). They changed the route markers in Vietnam because the government objected. The only similarity to thier flag was the colors, the pattern wasn't one bit the same. That's being touchy over nothing!

David M. Payne · 02-19-2003, 11:02 PM

Nice post echidna. I wonder how our Marxist apologists will respond. Don't tell me let me guess, what ever may have occurred, America was worse in its actions in- take your pick.

David

Me and Me · 02-19-2003, 11:29 PM

We will respond the same way capitalist apologists do.

Echidna did you post this to imply that this sort of action is wrong?

echidna · 02-19-2003, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Me and Me
Echidna did you post this to imply that this sort of action is wrong?

Um, I didn't post it to imply that this was wrong. Maybe that was clumsy of me. I was actually assuming that it could be taken as a given, that it was wrong. Sorry for not clarifying to those with other viewpoints.

My thoughts were more that I am disappointed that the first I heard of the Montagnards was only last week on the radio, despite their being actively persecuted in Vietnam for almost 3 decades, & to the order of thousands upon thousands of deaths.

I was disappointed that I had forgotten the Hue Massacre, despite being very aware of the My Lai Massacre only 3 months later in March 68.

I was disappointed that our media focus is often so restricted by information restrictions & the near impossibility of investigating atrocities conducted behind a genuinely authoritarian information barrier. Indeed the majority of our media focus seems to be investigating regimes which are relatively easy to penetrate. Vitally important yes, but often the regimes which are the most worrying are those which we know least about.

More than anything I am saddened that these people have died in silence, thats all.

Me and Me · 02-19-2003, 11:53 PM

And what are the excuses of the viatnamese govt for doing this?

Me and Me · 02-19-2003, 11:55 PM

You also mentioned the media, are you trying to say that the media should focus more on attrocities around the world in general?

geddit? · 02-20-2003, 12:18 PM

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Originally posted by Me and Me
And what are the excuses of the viatnamese govt for doing this?

Perhaps we could ask the thriving and diverse thinking vietnamese free press?

geddit? · 02-20-2003, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Me and Me
You also mentioned the media, are you trying to say that the media should focus more on attrocities around the world in general?

Are you trying to say that he should be saying that the media should be focusing on nasty shit done by people you don't like?

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02-19-2003, 09:58 PM	#3
Loren Pechtel Obsessed Contributor Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Not Mayaned Posts: 96,752	A tidbit I thought interesting: Reality show: The Amazing Race. This time it went through Vietnam. Normal race route markers are orange and yellow--they've been using the same pattern since the first race (this was the third race). They changed the route markers in Vietnam because the government objected. The only similarity to thier flag was the colors, the pattern wasn't one bit the same. That's being touchy over nothing!

02-19-2003, 11:02 PM	#4
David M. Payne Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The land of chain smoking, bible thumping, holy ro Posts: 1,248	Nice post echidna. I wonder how our Marxist apologists will respond. Don't tell me let me guess, what ever may have occurred, America was worse in its actions in- take your pick. David

02-19-2003, 11:29 PM	#5
Me and Me Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: California Posts: 600	We will respond the same way capitalist apologists do. Echidna did you post this to imply that this sort of action is wrong?

02-19-2003, 11:53 PM	#7
Me and Me Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: California Posts: 600	And what are the excuses of the viatnamese govt for doing this?

02-19-2003, 11:55 PM	#8
Me and Me Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: California Posts: 600	You also mentioned the media, are you trying to say that the media should focus more on attrocities around the world in general?

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