The Central Highlands have been sealed off by security officials following protests by ethnic minority Christians reminiscent of demonstrations in 2001 that produced similar actions. Some 1,000 people took to the streets in Buon Ma Thuot, the capital of Daklak province, to protest religious repression April 10, and dozens were injured and arrested in scuffles with police. All flights to Buon Ma Thuot have been canceled, roads into the town are blocked, and the region is closed to all foreigners. The government blames foreign instigators for the protests, in particular the Montagnard Foundation, a North Carolina group founded by former anti-communist fighters.
