Two human rights documentaries got censored at the UN – upon request by Viet Nam during the 6th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at UN headquarters in NYC, in May 2007. The officially scheduled special side events on UN premises where to raise awareness on the human rights situation of the Hmong Lao people – who fled from military aggressions in Laos to Thailand, and the religious oppression endured by the Khmer Krom people in southern Vietnam. UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson’s office, repeatedly asked by UN journalists, confirmed on Thursday the 24 May, 2007 at a press conference: “A formal complaint by the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations was received on 18 May by the Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues regarding the scheduled screening of two films on UN premises on 22 and 23 May. The Ambassador of Viet Nam expressed in his letter to the Chairperson of the Permanent Forum grave concerns about the contents of the films as being alarmingly biased against the State of Viet Nam. Given that the United Nations is an organization of Member States, and in light of the formal protest of a Member State, the department of Economical and Social Affairs (DESA)was of the view that screening these films on UN premises would be inappropriate and that the films could be screened off the UN premises. “I favored the screening of the films, but DESA pulled the “member states say” card” said Vickay Tauli Corpuz, the Chairperson of the UNPFII who received prior the letter written by Viet Nam, at a following UN press conference on the same day to UN journalists. By this logic, what if Sudan said, “We don’t want there to be any further discussion or film screenings about Darfur” — would the UN move all such events outside the building? wrote Matthew Russell Lee, UN journalist from Inner City Press. “The Vietnamese do have a lot to hide, if they have to block the film “Hunted Like Animals” , which is filmed in Laos and Thailand, and not in Vietnam”, said Kue Xiong, president of Lao Human Rights Council, a Hmong Lao organization based in the US, and one of the organizers of the cancelled side event screening. “There are Vietnamese soldiers in Laos, and our people say that specially high rank Vietnamese military officials are involved in the genocide against our people in Laos. This is going on for over 30 years, since the Vietnam war ended, and our people remain trapped and hiding in the jungles of Laos, because they are persecuted due to that they where former allies and the secret army for the US” added Vaughn Vang, the director of the same Hmong organization.”Hunted Like Animals is the first film who gives our people a real voice, and speaks the truth.” “The film is already out in the world, we send over 1500 DVDs to UN agencies, heads of states and Human rights channels, Vietnam can block my films at UN premises, but they can not silence the voices of the desperate Hmong people, who explain what is happening to them in Laos, and why they fled to Thailand, nor the Khmer Krom voicing their religious oppression” said filmmaker and human rights advocate Rebecca Sommer “But we screened the films regardless, a block away from the UN, I even invited the Ambassador of Vietnam to attend our screenings because I believe in dialogue” Sommer added “in a way, Vietnam did us a huge favor, because now everyone is even more interested in the documentaries, so we have to thank them for their UN-diplomatic action against the freedom of expression. “Now the world can see, how Vietnam censors the truth to come out-even at the UN, it is hundred times worse in our homeland, with our Khmer Krom people living in southern Vietnam. Imagine how oppressed and mistreated our people are – the film Eliminated Without Bleeding is showing that, and that’s what the Vietnamese are so afraid to have it screened.” said Thach Thach, president of the Khmer Krom Federation, the organizer of the second side event which got cancelled. “Over 200 Indigenous and non governmental Organization, leaders to their tribal nations and peoples, including UN officials, signed a letter of objection addressed to DESA”, said one of the organizers of the cancelled events, “we are highly concerned that a state can come and say-don’t let them talk during a UN conference for Indigenous Peoples. That should not happen, the PFII is for Indigenous Peoples to address their grievances, and that is what those documentaries are about, they give a voice to those – which are silenced.” To watch video clips of the documentaries Eliminated Without Bleeding “Hunted Like Animals To download a comprehensive Report on the Hmong Lao issue, submitted to the UN system in 2006 visit http://www.rebeccasommer.org/press.html For more information, please contact: Thach Thach, Khmer Krom Federation: (519) 659-3920 Kue Xiong, Lao Human Rights Council: (651) 253-3709 Rebecca Sommer, filmmaker: (718) 3021949
