Vietnam

June 2005 | Risk Summary

Vietnam has jailed three hill-tribesmen for up to eight years for stirring unrest in the Central Highlands area, underlining the simmering tension in the region. The men were accused of contacting an exiled pro-independence group of Montagnards, as the hill-tribes are known, and inciting local people to engage in 'illegal activities'. The trial comes shortly after a report from Human Rights Watch alleged that Vietnamese security forces are continuing to mistreat and arbitrarily detain the indigenous hill people. With many tribes being Christian, there have been accusations of religious persecution, but with officials now identifying religion as a separatist movement,

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