Cambodia has eased restrictions imposed on refugees fleeing persecution in Vietnam and has allowed the UN to set up two offices along the Vietnam/Cambodia border to process refugee claims. This is a significant change from the policies Cambodia has been following in recent months, when Cambodian officials would arrest those fleeing for their lives and turn them over to Vietnamese authorities. Following a peaceful demonstration at Easter, where at least ten people were killed, as many as 160 Montagnards fled to Cambodia, only to be returned to face the wrath of the Vietnamese authorities (for more details, click here).
The Montagnard people from the highlands of Vietnam have faced persecution from the Vietnamese authorities for years. While some of the discrimination is ethnic as well as retaliatory (the Montagnards were American allies in the Vietnam war), many Montagnards are also Christians and have faced severe opposition from the Communist authorities for their Christian faith.
Under the new agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations, Montagnard refugees will be issued identification cards and relocated to non-hostile countries.
Pray that the UN will be able to process the refugee claims without interference from either government. Pray for the hundreds of Christians living in fear for their lives in Vietnam.
For more information on persecution of Christians in Vietnam, click here.
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