1/ HRF expresses deep concern over ThailandтАЩs arrest of approximately 70 Vietnamese indigenous Montagnard refugees, including some under UNHCR protection. HRF urges Thailand to immediately and unconditionally release them & to fully respect the principle of non-refoulement.
2/ In recent years, many Vietnamese indigenous and religious minorities have fled to neighboring Thailand to escape systematic abuses, religious restrictions, and land seizures. However, many have faced arrest, detention, and forced return to Vietnam. (CSW)
3/ Last year, Thailand arrested Vietnamese human rights defender Y Quynh Bdap, who holds UNHCR protection status. A Thai court later ordered his extradition to Vietnam, despite widespread concerns that he would face persecution upon return. (ICJ)
4/ The recent arrest of Vietnamese Montagnard refugees underscores a worrying pattern of transnational repression in Southeast Asia, where regimes cooperate to target activists and individuals fleeing systemic discrimination and human rights abuses.