Sunday, March 04, 2007

Khmer Krom monks demonstrating at Samaky Raingsey Pagoda [in Phnom Penh]

Khmer Krom monks holding banners and voicing their protest using loudspeakers (Photo: Uk Sav Bory, RFA)

Khmer Krom monks holding a large banner saying: "Down with the atheist Vietnamese government" (Photo: Uk Sav Bory, RFA)



03 March 2007
By Uk Sav Bory
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Almost 100 Khmer Krom Buddhist monks held a peaceful demonstration at Samaky Raingsey pagoda, located in Khan Meanchey, Phnom Penh in the afternoon of Friday 02 March. The demonstration was help to demand that the Vietnamese government put an end to the defrocking of Khmer Krom monks in Khleang province (Soc Trang in Vietnamese) and asking Vietnam to reinstate the 9 monks who have been defrocked by its government.

Several banners were raised and the demonstrators used loudspeakers to voice out their protest against the defrocking of monks, as well as against the threats made to defrock several hundreds other Buddhist monks in Khleang province by the Viet authority.

Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the association of Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks, said that the 9 Khmer Krom monks who were defrocked by the Vietnamese last month, are still being jailed in Khleang province.

Monk Yoeung Sin said: “We are all trying to preserve our national culture, our customs, our literature, but the communist Vietnamese authority is trampling on them all the time. Even though we are now in the 21st century with a lot of progress made in the world, the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is still trampling on the religious freedom of Khmer Krom people, the Viets are discriminating against other nationalities.”

Monk Yoeung Sin said that even the peaceful demonstration held today was authorized by the Phnom Penh municipality, several hundreds of other Khmer Krom monks who are residing in other pagodas in the city were prevented from attending today’s demonstration.

Khmer Krom monks coming from Botumvatey pagoda (Wat Botum) who participated in the demonstration, said that in pagodas where Khmer Krom monks reside, the abbot of the pagoda warned them that any Khmer Krom monk who participate in Friday’s demonstration will face the consequence regarding monk rules which prevent them from being involved in politics. Nevertheless, to express their desire for freedom, to let the world know the hardship of Khmer Krom people, the Botum pagoda monks must participate in this demonstration. They said: “We are facing a lot of difficulties to come to participate in today’s demonstration. We have to take several detours in order to get here.”

Monk Em Virak who lives in Ounalom pagoda, said that there is no pressure in his pagoda to force them not to participate in the demonstration. However, he said that information about the demonstration sent by the association of Khmer Krom monks was not received by all pagodas, therefore, some monks were not able to come and demonstrate.

Monk Em Virak said: “The request to hold the demonstration looked like a private request, there was no general announcement made so that all monks know about it.”

Chan Savet, an official with the Adhoc human rights organization, said that the authorization for the Friday peaceful demonstration was given only to show to the world that Cambodia has democracy. However, democracy in Cambodia is in fact very limited because not all monks could leave their pagodas to come and participate in the demonstration. Furthermore, the municipality only allows the demonstration to be held for 1 hour only, therefore Khmer Krom monks do not have enough time to speak out to the public about the hardships faced by Khmer Krom monks.

The demonstration held on Friday afternoon was allowed after the unsuccessful demonstration held on 27 Feb [in front of the Viet embassy].

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr Hun Sen please have a heart if you are khmer blood. Don't be so brutal! Be a hero! How would you feel if you have a monk's son live in khmer krom defrocked. Money and power not mean much if you are really care and understand.

Anonymous said...

If Khmer K Krom accepted the land they residing now is Vietnam country. KKK can't do much, because
Vietnam is communist rules as same as China and N. Korea, Lao still
have some monks, because Lao still
a country, but soon will gone as well. KKK must claims that this land is their land.
Bati

Anonymous said...

This one eye Hun Khvoy never respect to anyone at all even Buddist Monk. He respects only his boss Yuon.