The persecution of religious minorities is now official Vietnamese state policy after Human Rights Watch released a June report revealing that Vietnam’s government intends to persecute any ethnic Montagnards who follow ‘unauthorised’ Christianity (Montagnards are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam - the term Montagnard means ‘mountain people’). This latest threat to Montagnards is causing many to flee into Cambodia where they hope to worship Christ freely; but many are deported back to Vietnam. Last year Cambodia returned 54 Montagnards without allowing them opportunity to seek refugee status. Formerly animists, ethnic Montagnards began converting to Christianity in the 1950s and are now a Christian group. In addition to being persecuted for their Christianity they are being targeted by the Vietnamese government because of their past allegiance to the US during its war in Vietnam.