From left, clockwise: Siu Di, Đinh Yum, Thông and Rôh. — Photo cand.com.vn

GIA LAI — Security investigators in the central province of Gia Lai are finalising criminal proceedings against four suspects accused of attempting to revive a banned separatist network in the Central Highlands, authorities announced on Thursday.

The suspects, identified as Rôh, 63, of Ayun Commune; Thông, 34, of Bờ Ngoong; Siu Di, 85, of Lơ Pang; and Đinh Yum, 63, of Bờ Ngoong, face charges of 'undermining national unity' under Vietnamese law.

Siu Di and Đinh Yum, currently believed to be outside the country, will be tried in absentia if the case proceeds to court.

According to investigators, the alleged scheme dates to 2019, when Siu Di and Đinh Yum – exiled members of FULRO, a defunct separatist organisation that has continued operating from abroad – began directing local operatives to rebuild the movement's presence inside Việt Nam.

Their stated aim was to eventually establish a separate state for the Bahnar ethnic group in the Central Highlands.

FULRO – an acronym derived from its French name, Front Unifié de Lutte des Races Opprimées – was militarily defeated in 1992 when its remaining fighters surrendered to UN peacekeepers in Cambodia.

Its exiled leadership, however, has continued pursuing a separatist agenda. In 1999, FULRO leaders abroad orchestrated the creation of 'Dega Protestantism' – an organisation that the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) publicly denounced in 2001, stating it had no affiliation with legitimate Protestantism and warning that it used religious cover to advance a political separatist agenda.

Beginning in 2023, the alleged effort in Gia Lai intensified. The overseas-based suspects are accused of ramping up recruitment under the banner of a self-styled group called 'Bahnar Dega Kon Kong', which is another iteration of the same tactic: exploiting religious identity to mask separatist organising.

Investigators say the group compiled membership lists to send abroad to solicit foreign support or intervention.

Under direction from the alleged ringleaders, Rôh and Thông are accused of recruiting locally, establishing six meeting cells across Ayun and Bờ Ngoong Communes with more than 200 participants.

The group also received money, clothing, hats, banners and badges from overseas contacts, materials authorities say were intended to lend the organisation a structured, official appearance.

"Bahnar Dega Kon Kong is not a religious organisation," a senior official from Gia Lai's Security Investigation Division said.

"It is a deliberate attempt to disguise the activities of FULRO and 'Dega Protestantism' behind a religious facade. Had it not been detected and stopped in time, these individuals could have expanded their network and seriously destabilised local security and public order."

Gia Lai's police said they worked closely with local officials and community leaders to educate residents about the group's true nature, adding that many participants had come to recognise that their involvement was misguided.

Investigators say they are now finalising case files for formal prosecution. — VNS