III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 229 

Recognizing the contributions of the Montagnard indigenous tribespeople of 

the Central Highlands of Vietnam to the United States Armed Forces 

during the Vietnam War, and condemning the ongoing violation of human 

rights by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24, 2017 

Mr. BURR (for himself and Mr. TILLIS) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the contributions of the Montagnard indigenous 

tribespeople of the Central Highlands of Vietnam to the 

United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, 

and condemning the ongoing violation of human rights 

by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 

Whereas the Montagnards are an indigenous tribespeople living in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region; 

Whereas the Montagnards were driven into the mountains by 

invading Vietnamese and Cambodians in the 9th century; 

Whereas French Roman Catholic missionaries converted 

many of the Montagnards in the 19th century and American Protestant missionaries subsequently converted 

many to various Protestant sects; 


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•SRES 229 IS 

Whereas, during the 1960s, the United States Mission in Saigon, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and United 

States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green 

Berets, trained the Montagnards in unconventional warfare; 

Whereas an estimated 61,000 Montagnards, out of an estimated population of 1,000,000, fought alongside the 

United States and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam 

(ARVN) forces against the North Vietnamese Army and 

the Viet Cong; 

Whereas the CIA, United States Special Forces, and the 

Montagnards cooperated on the Village Defense Program, 

a forerunner to the War’s Strategic Hamlet Program, 

and an estimated 43,000 Montagnards were organized 

into Civilian Irregular Defense Groups (CIDGs) to provide protection for the areas around the CIDGs’ operational bases; 

Whereas, at its peak, the CIDGs had approximately 50 operational bases, with each base containing a contingent of 

two United States Army officers and ten enlisted men, 

and an ARVN unit of the same size, and each base 

trained 200 to 700 Montagnards or ‘‘strikers’’; 

Whereas another 18,000 Montagnards were reportedly enlisted into mobile strike forces and various historical accounts describe a strong bond between the United States 

Special Forces and the Montagnards, in contrast to Vietnamese Special Forces and ARVN troops; 

Whereas the lives of thousands of members of the United 

States Armed Forces were saved as a result of the heroic 

actions of the Montagnards, who fought loyally and 


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bravely alongside United States Special Forces in the 

Vietnam War; 

Whereas, after the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975, 

thousands of Montagnards fled across the border into 

Cambodia to escape persecution; 

Whereas the Government of the reunified Vietnamese nation, 

renamed the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, deeply distrusted the Montagnards who had sided with the United 

States and ARVN forces, and subjected them to imprisonment and various forms of discrimination and oppression after the Vietnam War ended; 

Whereas, after the Vietnam War, the United States Government resettled large numbers of Montagnards in several 

States and an estimated several thousand Montagnards 

currently reside in North Carolina, which is the largest 

population of Montagnards residing outside of Vietnam; 

Whereas the Socialist Republic of Vietnam currently remains 

a one-party state, ruled and controlled by the Communist 

Party of Vietnam (CPV), which continues to restrict freedom of religion, movement, land and property rights, and 

political expression; 

Whereas some Montagnard-Americans have shared their personal stories about Vietnamese authorities either preventing them from visiting Vietnam or subjecting them to 

interrogation upon re-entering the country on visits; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2016 Country Reports on 

Human Rights Practices documents the Government of 

Vietnam’s claim that Montagnards fleeing to Cambodia 

and Thailand are illegal migrants in pursuit of economic 

opportunities, and human rights groups assess that the 

Government has pressured Cambodian and Thai authoriVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:38 Jul 25, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR229.IS SR229

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ties to refuse Montagnards refugee or temporary asylumseeker status and repatriate them to Vietnam; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2016 Country Reports on 

Human Rights Practices states that, although Vietnamese law prohibits discrimination against ethnic minorities and despite Vietnam’s significant economic 

growth, the economic gap between many ethnic minority 

communities and ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) communities 

persisted as a result of longstanding and persistent discrimination; 

Whereas the Department of State’s 2016 Country Reports on 

Human Rights Practices further states that ethnic minority populations in Vietnam also experienced significant 

health challenges as maternal and child mortality rates 

were significantly higher in ethnic minority areas, in comparison with urban and coastal areas; 

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2016 Annual Report 

states that ‘‘Montagnards, many of whom are Protestant, 

face numerous restrictions’’ such as being prevented from 

holding religious ceremonies, harassed or punished, and 

‘‘many are summoned to meet with local authorities and 

pressured to cease practicing their ‘poisonous’ faith’’; 

Whereas Montagnards have stated that this kind of ongoing 

social and religious persecution drove them to flee to 

Cambodia; 

Whereas USCIRF reports that, since October 2014, ‘‘up to 

300 Montagnards have fled Vietnam to Cambodia, many 

because of religious persecution’’ but ‘‘only 13 have been 

granted refugee status with the United Nations High 

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as countless othVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:38 Jul 25, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR229.IS SR229

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ers are waiting for Cambodia to process their asylum 

claims, and dozens have been returned to Vietnam, often 

at great risk of reprisals’’; and 

Whereas USCIRF recommends that Vietnam be designated a 

Country of Particular Concern (CPC) as a means to facilitating reforms: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the contributions of the 

3 Montagnards who fought loyally and bravely with 

4 United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam 

5 War and who continue to suffer persecution in Viet6 nam as a result of this relationship; 

7 (2) condemns ongoing actions by the Govern8 ment of Vietnam to suppress basic human rights 

9 and civil liberties of its citizens; 

10 (3) calls on the Government of Vietnam to 

11 allow human rights groups access to all regions of 

12 the country and to end restrictions of basic human 

13 rights, including the right for Montagnards to prac14 tice their Christian faith freely, the right to land and 

15 property, freedom of movement, the right to retain 

16 ethnic identity and culture, and access to an ade17 quate standard of living; 

18 (4) recognizes the importance of the U.S. Ref19 ugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and that, where 

20 determined to be eligible, Montagnards should be 


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1 provided access to USRAP for resettlement in the 

2 United States and in other countries; and 

3 (5) urges the President and Congress to develop 

4 policies at every level, including trade, military, and 

5 economic policy, that support Montagnards and 

6 other marginalized ethnic minority and indigenous 

7 populations in Vietnam that reflect United States in8 terests and commitment to upholding human rights 

9 and democracy abroad. 

Æ 


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