The high jacking of the United Nations
The UN faces destruction from within – demonstrated by events such as conflict in Iraq to the recent “Easter massacre” of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam.
When the regime of Saddam Hussein initially crumbled under the onslaught of the US led coalition, there was as a result of the invasion - another reported fatality of profound global significance. The eulogy for this fatality was written by Richard Perle, - noted neo-conservative and former advisor to the Pentagon, though praise or acclamation for the deceased was most certainly absent. Published in “The Guardian” it was a cynical, yet some would say prophetic eulogy titled “Thank God for the Death of the UN”.
Mr. Perle was referring to the failure of the UN Security Council in reaching a consensus on the initial military action against Iraq. Thus he questioned the legal and moral authority bestowed upon it, notably its ‘relevance’ to ensuring world order or retaining legitimacy. Yet today as the spotlight of the media focuses on the continuing conflict in Iraq, there is another conflict brewing within the UN itself, that is - threatening to nail its coffin shut.
The world’s forum on human rights – the UN Human Rights Commission – is being subverted into becoming, nothing short of a farcical “talking shop” controlled by despotic regimes. Nations with appalling human rights records increasingly dictate the operations of the Human Rights Commission thereby undermining progress on human rights. Further such regimes intimidate and bully those who demonstrate any semblance of moral courage or speak out against human rights abuses. This subversion is escalating and the ramifications will not only lead to the death of the UN. Such is the case of the Montagnard peoples and the Transnational Radical Party.
Many miles away in Vietnam a race of indigenous peoples - the Montagnard hill tribes - face brutal repression including what may have been the largest mass slaughter of Christians in modern times. On Easter 2004 the Vietnamese government violently crushed Easter prayer demonstrations conducted by thousands of Christian Montagnards who were protesting against years of repression by the Vietnamese authorities. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reported a number of Montagnards being beaten to death with hundreds severely injured, resulting in a refugee crises and brutal crackdown that continues to this day. While the United States has already accepted 1000 Montagnard refugees over the last three years, one questions for how long this can continue? Soon in the international arena the Montagnard’s pitiful cries for help may all too be silenced as Vietnam concocts spurious terrorist allegations against Montagnard activists using the UN’s very own mechanisms.
The Vietnamese government, faced with increasing condemnation of their human rights record (including allegations of mass murder against Montagnards and a government cover-up) has resorted to instigating terrorist proceedings in the UN against Mr. Kok Ksor a Montagnard hill tribesman. Mr. Ksor, President of the Montagnard Foundation is also a US citizen who has unflinchingly raised the plight of this people to international attention. Vietnam has accused him and his organization of organizing peaceful demonstrations in Vietnam. Conducted on Easter with the basis of non-violence the demonstrations were violently crushed by the Vietnamese government who justified their actions by claiming the hill tribe activists were “terrorists”. Consequently the organization that sponsored Mr. Ksor to utilize UN forums in the pursuit of human rights - the Transnational Radical Party - is threatened with having its revered high-level consultative status to the UN actually suspended (for three years) or revoked. Unbelievably this “bogus” terrorist claim is being entertained by the UN.
Yet - on an institutional level repressive regimes like Vietnam are not without friends and the Transnational Radical Party faces the real possibility of being kicked out of the UN. Hanoi has mustered a collection of co-conspirators, nations who don’t want to hinder their trade relations with Hanoi and those, of the usual gaggle of despotic regimes (including Communist Cuba and China) who have a mutual interest in seeing human rights groups kicked out of the UN. All this political wrangling is done to directly subvert the Human Rights Commission through plain old fashioned intimidation and thuggery.
Thus on 21 July 2004 the lines will be drawn between good and evil in New York where the final vote will be held during the plenary session of the UN Economic and Social Council. Effectively the UN will decide whether or not a Christian hill tribesman who now lives in South Carolina - is a terrorist.
These events highlight the inherent nature of the failings of the UN. Namely, that the UN itself, is made up of despotic regimes who are permitted to hold the reins of justice. Such is akin to letting the wolf guard the flock (and one needs only to be reminded how Libya recently chaired the Human Rights Commission).
Kofi Annan himself has voiced reforms for the Human Rights Commission, which brings us back to Mr. Perle’s eulogy. Mr. Perle is arguing the UN is dead – a “chronic failure” unable to enforce its own resolutions (and it is true that only five permanent members on the UN Security Council hold veto power). Thus as history has proved he suggests - it is false and scurrilous to rely on France, Russia or communist China to reach a consensus. The US led coalition of the willing (re: Iraq) has pushed the UN aside where he states “What will die is the fantasy of the UN as the foundation of a new world order”.
But to be fair, Mr. Perle however, concedes the UN died only a partial death, acknowledging that the “good works” part of the UN will survive. This “good works” one must deduct, would naturally include - the Human Rights Commission.
On May 8, 2002 I personally attended the Human Rights Commission in Geneva and witnessed a despicable scene. The Vietnamese ambassador to the United Nations interrupted a Montagnard speaker who had taken the floor - Mr. Kok Ksor - and accused him of being a "terrorist" and "an agent of the CIA." Mr. Ksor was addressing the UN under “indigenous peoples” issues and thus there were exclamations of bewilderment from the international delegates who turned to see this "terrorist" in the U.N. Communist Cuba also followed suit demanding this lone Montagnard hill tribesman be ejected from the UN. At the time however, I was not fully aware of Vietnam’s plan.
But now I know.
On May 14, 2003, the Vietnamese ambassador to the U.N. in New York, Nguyen Thanh Chau formally requested that the United Nations "revoke" the consultative status of the Transnational Radical Party who had sponsored Mr. Ksor “the alleged terrorist” to speak before the UN.
Vietnam’s plan is clear. First, the Vietnamese government accuses the Montagnard activists of being terrorists, then they convince other repressive regimes to support such a motion and - then they threaten the organization who supports the Montagnard “terrorist” (ie: silence your critics by kicking them out of UN). In effect Vietnam is high jacking human rights – committing terrorism itself by subverting the UN processes, which brings us to identify - the real culprit. An obvious clue can be found in a quote from the Human Rights Watch report of May 28, 2004, describing the Easter massacre by Vietnamese authorities,
“People were bleeding from their throats, noses, mouths, and eyes. The villagers were crying as they tried to get away from the slaughter by the police and civilians. We were running helter-skelter. Those who tried to hide in the coffee plantation were caught, beaten and killed on the spot.”
I also refer to the story of Kok Ksor’ mother. In 2001 she refused to denounce her son’s activities on Vietnamese television. In retaliation Vietnamese police beat her and broke her ribs. She is over 80 years old. This year also, after the Easter Massacre, Mr. Ksor’s brother was arrested, tied to a flag pole and publicly flogged.
These are stories of indigenous Montagnards who inside the Central Highlands of Vietnam face terrorism everyday by a government that has for decades confiscated their ancestral lands and tortured them for practicing Christianity. Unfortunately the world hardly notices.
In June 2004 the Vietnamese government approached the Transnational Radical Party in New York and made a final offer to drop the terrorist charges against them – on the condition they themselves drop all support for Kok Ksor and the Montagnard issue. The Transnational Radical Party refused. A courageously act they now face being suspended from the UN fro three years.
Some years ago in 1978 Alexander Solzhenitsyn spoke at Harvard University. He said, “the Western world has lost its civil courage, both as a whole and separately, in each country, each government, each political party and of course in the United Nations.”
Today the Montagnard world, the Montagnard peoples have all but lost their ancestral lands, many have lost their right to life. If they lose their right to speak out in the international arena then they are truly dead. If Vietnam succeeds in high jacking the UN - then the UN is truly dead. A dangerous precedent will be set. If the international community allows itself to be intimidated into silence, if the Transnational Radical Party are sanctioned from the UN this July 21st then we should heed the warning from Solzhenitsyn’s 1978 speech. He said, “Should one point out that from ancient times decline in courage has been considered the beginning of the end?
Written by human rights activist, name to remain confidential
Google It!. 9:30:27 PM 
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The international press freedom organisation said the sentence against him, handed down on 14 July, was designed to justify the more than 18 months he had already spent in custody. He should be released at the end of July. 
