Indigenous minorities of Viet Nam: letter of the Vietnamese Ambassador in Brussels to the Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Mission of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the European Community Brussels, 2nd May 2002 To: Mr. ELMAR BROK, Chairman and distinguished other members Commission des affaires étrangères, des droits de l'homme, de la sécurité commune et de la politique de defense European Parliament Honourable Members of the European Parliament's Commission for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, In connection with the resolution adopted on 14th April 2002 by the European Parliament on "indigenous minorities of Viet Nam and the closure of refugee camps in Cambodia", I have been instructed by my Government to transmit for your careful consideration the attached Aide Mémoire and its Annex. I wish however to state our Mission's disappointment at not having been afforded any timely opportunity to present our own facts and analysis for the sake of caution and even - handedness on the part of the Commission and of the Parliament with regard to such sensitive issues as human rights and ethnic minorities. Had a dialogue, or at least consultation, been conducted prior to the adoption of the resolution, many factual inaccuracies, ill - conceived notions and outright counterproductive language (1) would have been avoided, although my Government's position is that no resolution at all was in fact called for. (1) For example, the word "Moi", used throughout the text of the resolution to refer to in fact 14 ethnic minorities living in the central Highlands (see annex to the Aide Mémoire), means in Vietnamese "savages". It is a derogatory term which in the past was used by unenlightened Vietnamese of the ethnic majority and adopted as a common vocable by the French colonial settlers. Ii is therefore quite awkward, but not altogether surprising - given the patently superficial and uninformed interest in Viet Natm ethnic minorities of whoever introduced the draft for such language to appear in an official text of the European Parliament. It is my hope that should in the future, any human rights concern relating to Viet Nam draw the attention of the European Parliament and its Commission on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, the Mission of Viet Nam to the European Communities will be consulted and given a say. I take this opportunity to renew to you, Mr. Chairman, and to distinguished other members of your Commission the assurances of my high consideration. TON NU THI NINH Ambassador and Head of Mission of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. AIDE MEMOIRE REPATRIATION FROM CAMBODIA AND RE-INTEGRATION OF VIETNAMESE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ETHNIC MINORITY MEMBERS: The view from the Vietnamese Government 1. The events of February 2000: The protests which took place in the Central Highlands were spurred by land disputes. Ethnic minority people there practice slash-and-burn agriculture, moving elsewhere when the used up soil is no longer fit for crops. Formerly such practices were overlooked because of the overall limited environmental awareness. Once deforestation induced increasingly serious floods however, the government had to pay greater attention to environmental protection and to restrain those practices, causing discontent among the local ethnic minority people. A small number was goaded into violent behavior during the protests and consequently detained. Rumors were intentionally spread from ill-intentioned quarters to the effect that everyone who had taken part in the protests would be arrested and that if they fled to Cambodia they would resettled in to the U.S and each be given 5000 US dollars. 2. Viet Nam's principled and consistent approach to the question of repatriation from Cambodia of Central Highlands ethnic minority members: 2.1: The Vietnamese citizens in the Rattanakiri and Mondolkiri camps are not refugees. 2.2: The Vietnamese government has committed itself to their orderly repatriation in safety and dignity. It does not advocate repatriating anyone against his/her will. It has explicitly declared that no sanctions would be taken against returnees. 2.3: In order to achieve the above-stated objectives Viet Nam co-operated responsibly with the government of Cambodia and UNHCR in the framework of the 21 January 2002 Tripartite Agreement. It is regrettable however that under pressure from third quarters UNHCR subsequently withdrew from the agreement. The Vietnamese Government views repatriation as a humanitarian operation, which should not be politicized from the outside for extraneous purposes. Viet Nam has an earlier well known positive record in terms of responsible cooperation with UNHCR, Eli, first asylum and resettlement countries in the framework of the Comprehensive Plan of Action which allowed the repatriation,, in safety and dignity, of more than 110,000 Vietnamese "boat people" from Hong Kong and a number of Southeast Asian countries. The CPA came to a successful close in 1996 with the returnees satisfactorily re-integrated iii their homeland. UNHCR itself has commended the CPA repatriation operation as a model of cooperation between TJNHCR and a country on repatriation. It is therefore all the more regrettable that such a cooperation could not be achieved this time. Viet Nam however bears no responsibility for this. 3. Viet Nam's treatment of Central Highlands ethnic minorities The Vietnamese Government categorically rejects allegations of "repression", "persecution" and other forms of mistreatment of Central Highlands ethnic minorities, or of any other ethnic minorities in Viet Nam, 3.1 For a thorough reader of Vietnamese history, broad unity and harmony in inter-ethnic relations is one of the governing principles, carefully observed by the actors of Viet Nams national liberation and reunification process, enshrined in Viet Nam's constitution, and one of the distinctive features of Vietnamese society. Today's socio-political stability owes to a significant extent to such cohesion and lack of strife, provided of course that no external interference occurs. 3.2 In the past years notable economic, cultural and social progress has been achieved in the Central Highland provinces, with growth rates around 10% and substantial poverty reduction. Prior to reunification in 1975 illiteracy used to be 90% there, whereas today around 90% of the population are literate, two-thirds have access to electricity and the expanding road network is reaching increasingly to the more remote districts and villages. As in other regions where high proportions of ethnic minorities live, boarding schools exist for the best achieving ethnic students to provide them with actual opportunities for greater human development. Within the ougoing legislature of the National Assembly ethnic minority representatives account for over 17% among the candidates standing for the upcoming (19 May 2002) elections they account for over 18%. Much has already been done to improve the living conditions of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam, including in the Central Highlands. Much of course remains to be done to make sure that the development gap between ethnic minority areas and ethnic majority areas and between ethnic minorities and majority is gradually reduced. This is one of the Vietnamese Government's conscious goals. In the pursuit of this goal it welcomes disinterested responsible assistance and cooperation while rejecting irresponsible or divisive actions or pronouncements from outside. Annex ETHNIC MINORITIES IN VIET NAM'S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 1. Viet Nam's population is composed of 54 ethnic groups - The Viet or Kinh are the ethnic majority, accounting for 87% of the population. - The remaining 13% is made up of 53 ethnic minorities 2. Four provinces make up the Central Highlands: Lam Dong, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dac Lac. 3. The following ethnic minorities inhabit these provinces, together with the Kinh: 3.1. Nùng (Lam Dong, Dac Lac) 3.2. Gia Rai (Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dac Lac) 3.3. Edê (Dac Lac) 3.4. Bana (Kon Tum) 3.5. Xo Dang (Kon Tum) 3.6. K'Ho (Lam Dong) 3.7. Ra-glai (Lam Dong) 3.8. Mnông (Dac Lac, Lâm Dong) 3.9. Stiêng (Lam Dông, Dac Lac) 3.10. Gie-Triêng (Kon Tum) 3.11. Ma (Lam Dong) 3.12. Chu-ru (Lam Dong) 3.13. Brâu (Kon Tum) 3.14. Ro-mãm (Kon Tum) 4. The ethnic profile of each of the four provinces is therefore as follows: 4.1. Lam Dong: Kinh, Nùng, K'Ho, Ra-glai, Mnông, Stiêng, Ma, Churu. 4.2. Dac Lac: Kinh, Nùng, Gia Rai, Edê, Mnông, Stieng. 4.3. Gia Lai : Kinh, Gia Rai. 4.4. Kon Tum: Kinh, Gia Rai, Ba Na, Xo Dang, Gie Trieng, Brâu, Ro Mam.