ANNUAL REPORT ON THE SYSTEMATIC PERSECUTION OF THE INDIGENOUS MONTAGNARDS (DEGAR PEOPLES) OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF VIETNAM: MARCH 2004

The Montagnards or Degar peoples are the indigenous peoples of South-East Asia who for over 2,000 years inhabited the “Central Highlands” a region geographically located in the western mountains (bordering Cambodia and Laos) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Estimates today indicate the Montagnard population is in the vicinity of around 900,000 persons. Often called ‘Hill Tribes’ these proud peoples are composed of over 30 tribal groups and recognized as indigenous peoples by the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations where the Montagnard Foundation, Inc. (MFI) has participated on behalf of hundreds of thousands of them since 1993. Historically the Montagnard world revolved around village communities where they practiced traditional agriculture methods, hunting and fishing.
In 1946 the French colonial government had granted the Montagnards regional autonomy. However, during the subsequent Indo-China wars involving France, the United States and communist North Vietnam, these lands would be ceded to Vietnamese government control and the Montagnard population decimated. The renowned anthropologist Dr. Gerald Hickey concluded that the Vietnam War foresaw one quarter of the Montagnard population being killed - an estimated 200,000 people and most of their village societies destroyed. Continue Reading….

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