According to Him Sman, Cham people in Cambodia feel like home here, and they do not wish to get back the former territories of Champa (Photo: Pring Samrang, Cambodge Soir)Wednesday, May 23, 2007
By Duong Sokha
Cambodge Soir
Unofficial translation from French by Luc Sâr
The charge brought up against Cham people in Pursat for recruiting an army and the Thai government declaration over the presence of Cambodian citizens alongside Thai Muslim rebels do not seem to stir much emotion in the Muslim community in Cambodia.
Sangkat Chraing Chamres 1, Phnom Penh City – The charge brought up on 10 May against 3 Cham ethnic, and the one brought up later against a fourth Cham last Friday, by the Pursat court for illegally recruiting an army do not seem to stir much the Cham community in Chraing Chamres 1, located in Khan Russei Keo, Phnom Penh. “If they really commit a mistake, they will be punished,” Him Sman, the CPP group chief in Village No. 4, said without wanting to take side. Nevertheless, he also indicated: “I never heard of an armed movement aiming at regaining back the Champa territories! In any case, Cham people in Cambodia are not interested in this, here (in Cambodia), they feel like home.”
“Don’t be scare! Cambodian Muslims have no intention of creating armed forces,” Ismael Pen Pou Talet, a neighborhood resident, assured while working on a piece of iron on the step of his wooden house. “In any case, they don’t have the right,” Sos Cles chimed in. “And it is not easy to recruit Cham people in Cambodia, believe me, more and more people respect the law. People here are not involved with terrorism, but some use Muslims as their scapegoat,” he said with regret.
A young man, Set Muhammdsis, confided that he is praying for the release of the Cham people charged by the Pursat court, he said that the four were charged without sufficient proof. “I heard that this would be a government threat in order to set a firm example for the Cham people so that they don’t recruit an illegal armed force in the future,” he said. Sos Kamry, Cambodia’s mufti, said that he did not hear about the rumor claimed by Set Muhammdsis.
Cham families fear for reprisals in Thailand
Furthermore, the recent accusation made by an advisor of the Thai Prime Minister, according to which, Cambodian instructors would be helping Muslim insurgents in Southern Thailand – but the accusation was since tempered by the Thai government – did not upset Cambodian Muslims, the mufti said. “But before making the accusation, they should have proof,” he stressed. In Sangkat Chraing Chamres I, Sos Sleh, felt hurt by this accusation, he is also hurt by the Thai “repression” against Muslims in Southern Thailand which he saw on TV. Sof Ty, the Village No. 4 chief, said that the accusations made by Thailand instill fear among the families who sent their children for higher education in Southern Thailand. They are concerned about the possible retaliations by the Thai authorities. In the neighborhood, from one house to another, the same words are being spoken: “We live like all other Cambodians, our only difference is our religion.” For the Village No. 4 mosque chief, le Khmer Rouge era even reinforced the solidarity among Cambodians and Muslim Cambodians. “7 January [1979] represented a second birth for all of us,” he stressed. “We still suffer from the remnants of that era, we are not thinking about terrorism, we are mainly preoccupied to find means to improve our lot.”
Sangkat Chraing Chamres 1, Phnom Penh City – The charge brought up on 10 May against 3 Cham ethnic, and the one brought up later against a fourth Cham last Friday, by the Pursat court for illegally recruiting an army do not seem to stir much the Cham community in Chraing Chamres 1, located in Khan Russei Keo, Phnom Penh. “If they really commit a mistake, they will be punished,” Him Sman, the CPP group chief in Village No. 4, said without wanting to take side. Nevertheless, he also indicated: “I never heard of an armed movement aiming at regaining back the Champa territories! In any case, Cham people in Cambodia are not interested in this, here (in Cambodia), they feel like home.”
“Don’t be scare! Cambodian Muslims have no intention of creating armed forces,” Ismael Pen Pou Talet, a neighborhood resident, assured while working on a piece of iron on the step of his wooden house. “In any case, they don’t have the right,” Sos Cles chimed in. “And it is not easy to recruit Cham people in Cambodia, believe me, more and more people respect the law. People here are not involved with terrorism, but some use Muslims as their scapegoat,” he said with regret.
A young man, Set Muhammdsis, confided that he is praying for the release of the Cham people charged by the Pursat court, he said that the four were charged without sufficient proof. “I heard that this would be a government threat in order to set a firm example for the Cham people so that they don’t recruit an illegal armed force in the future,” he said. Sos Kamry, Cambodia’s mufti, said that he did not hear about the rumor claimed by Set Muhammdsis.
Cham families fear for reprisals in Thailand
Furthermore, the recent accusation made by an advisor of the Thai Prime Minister, according to which, Cambodian instructors would be helping Muslim insurgents in Southern Thailand – but the accusation was since tempered by the Thai government – did not upset Cambodian Muslims, the mufti said. “But before making the accusation, they should have proof,” he stressed. In Sangkat Chraing Chamres I, Sos Sleh, felt hurt by this accusation, he is also hurt by the Thai “repression” against Muslims in Southern Thailand which he saw on TV. Sof Ty, the Village No. 4 chief, said that the accusations made by Thailand instill fear among the families who sent their children for higher education in Southern Thailand. They are concerned about the possible retaliations by the Thai authorities. In the neighborhood, from one house to another, the same words are being spoken: “We live like all other Cambodians, our only difference is our religion.” For the Village No. 4 mosque chief, le Khmer Rouge era even reinforced the solidarity among Cambodians and Muslim Cambodians. “7 January [1979] represented a second birth for all of us,” he stressed. “We still suffer from the remnants of that era, we are not thinking about terrorism, we are mainly preoccupied to find means to improve our lot.”
10 comments:
There is no fucken proof of Khmer Muslim involvement! The fucken Thaicong had persecuted and killed many innocence Cambodian Buddhist for years and now they want to take on the Khmer Muslim!!!The fucken Thaicong have gone to far this time!!I like to invite all the Muslim around the world to kill all these fucken Thaicong including their fucken blue uniform Thiacong army!!
Look for an article of Vietnamese and Thai secretly met. There're something fishy behind Cambodia.
It does not look that good. Thai was upset after Hun Sen signed the illegal treaty gave land to Viets but not Thai. Thai want western provinces including Angkor Wat.
I am regreted by so many people calling Cambodian Muslim a Cham. We ar all a Unique Khmer, it does not matter what religion we are believing in.
We are Cambodian, We have Four Religions, Buddhism, Hindu(promanh sasna),Muslim,Christian. There are many Khmer believing in all four above religions for handreds of years. And they are Cambodians, they are not Cham, East Indian or European.
So please every body, don't call anybody Cham, they are Khmer or Khmer Muslim. We should love each other, because we all went through Pol Pot Regime. They are Cambodian, they were born in Cambodia. They are Cambodian Citizens.
We all must stand together against the Thai and Yuon accusing us of getting involved in taking back the land.
But they may still proud to be called CHAM! And yes they are Cambodian but do not force them to be Khmer like the youn Vietnamese is doing to us in Kampuchea Krom!
Hey, no one can force anyone to
called themself anything in
vietnam, but you can't denied that
the people who lives in Vietnam
are Yuon citizens.
No the khmer leur never thing so!the Viet stole the land from khmer leur and khmer Krom.
The Viet should call theselve Phnong citizen.
Come on, dude, stop being so
immoral here. The Ah Khmer-Yuon's
King traded his lands for Yuon
Angels, and there is no refund on
that. Plus, the king, at that
time, was the law; thus the
contract is fully and lawfully
binding. Get a life, will ya?
Frankly, no joke, if you keep on
fighting, soon or later, your
brain will starved moral
education, and even if you managed
to take back the land, it will not
do you any good because government
with starved moral education can
only make people suffer. Do you
know what I mean? It is not
worthed, Dude. Just go to school
and do the best you can. That way,
you have a lot more chance to own
your own land and raise your
family. Who care if the country is
called Vietnam, Kampuchea Krom,
or whatever? It is just a stupid
name.
ah/mee rough yuon 3:00AM.
there an't no yuon angel as ah/mee kantorb said but mee yuon whore.
Ah Viet Cong 3:00AM. Stop your communist propaganda. What stupid history you learned from?
Hell, Dude, we were only fighting for
5 years, and look at how many wild
dogs are in Cambodia. Lot of them
are corrupted. And how long Ah
Khmer-Yuons have been fighting, so
far? Do you really think they can
run their country sucessfully right
now? I'll give you 200-1 odd, say
that they can't.
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