Friday, September 21, 2007

Cambodia-Americans Plan White House Protest Over Detained Monk


Planning to attend the vigil in Washington DC?
Click here to view the schedule


Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
20 September 2007

"As you know, human rights and freedom of religion are well respected in Vietnam" -sic!- Nguyen The Cuong, spokesman for the Vietnamese embassy
A group of Cambodian-Americans who advocate for the rights of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people plan to hold a protest in front of the White House in Washington Friday, organizers said.

The group is protesting the detention in Vietnam of defrocked monk Tim Sakhorn, who is being held for illegally crossing international borders without proper paperwork.

An undisclosed number of protesters will gather to "demonstrate against communist Vietnam for illegally and forcibly defrocking and imprisoning Venerable Tim Sakhorn, a good Samaritan Buddhist monk, and to hold a candlelight vigil to pray for his safety and release," a statement from the Cambodian Americans for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Tim Sakhorn is at the center of a debate over the rights of Khmer Krom monks and laymen in both Vietnam and Cambodia and has become a rallying point for supporters of the ethnic group.

A Vietnam Embassy spokesman denied any policies that violate human rights. "As you know, human rights and freedom of religion are well respected in Vietnam," Nguyen The Cuong said Thursday. "It is provided for in the law and constitution of Vietnam and in practice it is well respected."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I THINK HUN SEN AND HIS CCP PARTY ARE SCAREY CAT TO LOST THEIR POWER TO DO SOMETHING WITH HIS BOSS VIET
ALSO A HUN SEN AND HIS CCP WANT OTHER COUNTRY TO KILL AS MANY AS THEY CAN TO GOOD CAMBODIA PEOPLE ..CAN THEY SEE WHY A HUN SEN AND ATEP VONG JUST SAT IN MERCEDES DO NOTHING TO HELP TIM SOKHA... LET THE MONK DIED AND SUFFERING STEP BY STEP ... LIKE TOUN KRORSANG CROCODICE POND HOW MANY CAMBODIA AND FOREIGNER GOT KILLED IN THEIR.....AND MORE WAY...AND STRICK TO KILL...

Anonymous said...

The Cambodian Buddhist instituions in Cambodia and Kampuchea Krom, especially the Buddhist monks could use the example of the Burmese Buddhist monks, who are demonstrating in Myanma (Burma) as this author writes these lines, to lend their voice on against the hikes by the gov't on oil and daily necessities in that country.

Perhaps Khmer monks can idolize after the heroic figures like Oknha Khleang Moeung, Oknha Krola Haom Kong, Oknha Son Kuy, heroic Bikkhu Preah Balat Ghosaneak Hem Cheav, and the most recent one, Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda.

Anonymous said...

Free at last for Monk Tim Sakhorn!

Free from the Vietcong oppression!