Saturday, July 21, 2007

Khmer Krom plan to protest land problems in Vietnam

19 July 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A source from the Khmer Krom population indicated that several Khmer Krom people are gathering to protest land problems one more time on 23 July, even though the Vietnamese authority requested, in the last few days, to stop all protests and to wait for a resolution from the local authority.

The Khmer Krom people protest plan will take place after a large demonstration participated by more than 1,000 people was broken up by the Vietnamese police in Prey Nokor (current Ho Chi Minh city) yesterday evening.

Sopheap, an over 40-year-old woman from Khleang province (Soc Trang in Vietnamese) in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam), claimed that the Vietnamese authority took away her rice field, therefore the protest will continue because Khmer Krom people do not trust the Vietnamese promise for a resolution because such promises were made several times already.

Sopheap said: “In reality, I don’t trust their claims, they never follow through. They promised to give our land back, they didn’t. My land was only 12-cong in size, and they took it all. I have to live at a guest house … They said they will give it back, but they didn’t.”

Vin Ba, also from Khleang province, was warned (by the Vietnamese authority) for leading a demonstration a few months ago, he added that at least 60 villagers from Khleang province will travel to the Prek Russei Vietnamese Indigenous Committee office to demand for a new resolution on land problems.

Vin Ba said: “They say whatever they want, we will go regardless because we lost our properties, we must demand them back. We don’t go to fight the state, we only go to demand back our properties … They took my land to plant sugarcanes, therefore, I must demand it back.”

In the evening of 18 July, the Vietnamese authority came down on a group of more than 1,000 demonstrators, whom some source indicated include both Khmer Krom and Vietnamese people who came to demonstrate from several regions of Vietnam in the past month. The demonstrators gathered next to the South Vietnamese Assembly to demand for a resolution on land problems.

The same source indicated that several people were killed and injured during the fight with the Viet police.

Until now, Viet TV broadcasted twice daily, a call by the government for the people to end their protest. The Viet government said that local authorities will resolve this issue, and that if the protest still continue, the protesters will be punished.

A Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) official criticized the Viet authority which always makes promises to provide a resolution on the land protest by the people, but that up to now, no such resolution was ever given and the protests still continue.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tell them Khmer Krom! With the modern and 21st century they can keep on doing that to us. All Khmer krom stand up! We demand our right to be exist on our motherland. BRAVO KHMER & KHMER KROM!!! Parajay YOUN COMMIN!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Jeyo, All Khmer!!!!!

Khmer Young said...

Significant case of Venerable Tim Sakorn

Cambodian government is igniting the fire now. Playing game with Buddhism in Cambodia is very sensitive.

The case of Venerable Tim Sokhorn is a test by Vietnam and Hun Sen government to measure how influential of Buddhist institution in Cambodia. I think the test is continuously proving now. The newspapers and radios are endlessly reporting. The sensitivity of Cambodian people are endlessly, perceived, enlarged and ignited.

But Hun Sen government and Vietnam have been aware about this and their test aiming to intimidate and ban all Buddhist monk and KKK people movements in Cambodia, not only in Kampuchea Krom.

It is indisputable that Hun Sen government is actually incorporated with Vietnam to dismantle all Khmer Krom movements that are carrying out to protect their basic human rights. However, Hun Sen government will loss their credibility through this conspiracy with their lasting friend, Vietnam. Vietnam doesn't want international community named their country as high alert in religious freedom abuses, but now Vietnam can persuade Hun Sen government to be named through this forcibly defrocking, detention and kidnapping a Buddhist monk.

It is really illegal to deport Cambodian citizen to any foreign country even though it has some reasons to say. This deportation act is loud and aware by the international community. Vietnam and Cambodia is two separate countries, not one country. So what reason that Hun Sen authority forcibly deported Venerable Tim Sokhorn to Vietnam?

Hun Sen authority has accuracy in its claim that Venerable Tim Sokhorn agreed to go back the former land once threatened him to flee. Furthermore, it would be a lie to claim his consent to go back because the letter and signature don't reflect the reality of the defrocking and the situation.

If we say about international refugee act, though Venerable Tim Sokhorn agreed to go, Hun Sen government must prohibit him not to go because it is against the national and international law.

Soon or later, Hun Sen government might be named as an alert land for its religious freedom and human rights abuses.

Hun Sen government might hope to marginalize Khmer Kampuchea Krom people from Cambodian community, but it is a wrong calculation because how can they marginalize them when KKK people have been recognized by Cambodian constitution and they have shared same blood, identity, belief, language, diet and culture.

It is Buddhist sensitivity, Somdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk's plea, public news's concern, people's anger, illegality and human rights abuse that case of Venerable Tim Sakhorn can offer to Hun Sen government.

Finally, Venerable Tim Sokhorn will become another hero of KKK people though he is lost, alive, died or re-ordained. Previous heroes of KKK people are Son Kuy, Son Nguc Tanh...and Venerable Tim Sakhorn will become their modern-contemporary hero.

We have to keep call Venerable Tim Sokhorn or Dejkun Tim Sokhorn or other respectful words using for Buddhist monks because Venerable Tim Sokhorn's heart and spirit are likely still a monk. He wasn't consent to be disrobed, so that he is still be legally venerated. It is not different from Cambodian Buddhist monk during Khmer Rouge regime, they were disrobed but still practiced the way of Buddhism by heart and spirit and people still recognized them as the monk. After the collapse of Pol Pot regime, many of them became the full monks again automatically.

KY

Anonymous said...

The blood of the Vietcong oppressors will flow!

Anonymous said...

GO KHMER KROM GO in VIETNAM!
GO KHMER GO in CAMBODIA!
GO ALL KHMER GO!
ALL KHMER ON OUR OWN MOTHERLAND GO!
THIS IS OUR LAND WE SHOULD DO WHATEVER WE WANT.