Statement conference in Wilmington on February 3, 2018

MONTAGNARD SUPPORT GROUP, INC.

The Dega People's Movement for Self-Determination, Freedom, and Independence

P.O. Box 668843

Charlotte, NC 28266

Email: ymut1961@gmail.com Website: https://montagnardsupportgroup.blogspot.com

We call ourselves the Dega. The French call us the Montagnards. For thousands of years the Dega people lived independently in the Central Highlands, a separate territory from Vietnam. Dega people are different as a nation from Vietnamese people. In 1950 Vietnamese foreigners invaded the Dega nation and illegally annexed Dega territory to the State of Vietnam. Since then the Dega people face ethnic genocide and oppression. We came to the United States to reach our ultimate goal of restoring Dega independence.

February 3, 2018

INTRODUCTION

First, we thank Peter Maguire, the Fainting Robin Foundation, and U-N-C-W for setting up this event. Thank you to all of you for welcoming us today. Thank you to the U.S. government for saving us. We would not have survived to this day.

We are here today to share our people's story with the world. We are here today to share our people's struggle. The Dega people continue to suffer just because the Central Highlands is our homeland. We are here to help our people. We are here to make sure the Dega people survive.

ANCIENT HISTORY

Since God gave birth to the world the Dega people have always lived in the same location. Our ancestors traveled the seas and past the mountains, but the Central Highlands territory is our homeland. The Central Highlands has always been a separate part from Vietnam. The Dega people are different as a group from the Vietnamese people. For thousands of years our people lived in peace. Our enemies were tigers and snakes. That changed when the Vietnamese began genocide against the Dega people to steal our country and force our territory to become part of Vietnam.

LANGUAGE

We the Dega people speak our own languages. Before 1970, we have text books in our own languages. In school, we studied in our own languages across the Central Highlands. Starting in 1970, the Vietnamese destroyed and burned Dega textbooks. From 1971 until present day, the Vietnamese forced the Dega people to study and learn in the Vietnamese language in schools.

THE VIETNAM WAR

Before the Vietnamese Civil War officially began the Dega people started a movement demanding Dega independence from Vietnam. During the war, the Vietnamese groups fought their civil war in the homeland of the Dega people. This was done on purpose – to murder millions of our people to take our country. The Vietnamese used the war to cover up the genocide of the Dega people who are different as a nation from the Vietnamese.

During the Vietnamese Civil War millions of Dega women, men and children were murdered. Our people who survived were raped, tortured, and enslaved.

Hanoi and Viet Cong released photos of genocide that caused anger around the world. Americans were blamed for some of these genocide when it was really the Vietnamese. This was propaganda by Vietnamese groups to cover up the genocide of the Dega people.

DEGA FREEDOM FIGHTERS COME TO U.S. IN 1986

We came to the United States for our people, for our country and for independence. We came to the United States to reach of our ultimate goal – to end genocide and occupation against the Dega people. We the Dega people would like to have a life with freedom as the Vietnamese people have. We would like to see our children walk on the street with no fear.

We would like to see our children play and dance in our own homeland with smile, laugh, cheerful and happiness as the American's children have. We have a dream like the American people of freedom. We seek the American people's help to end occupation of our country.

Thank you for your listening.