By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) claimed that at least 200 Khmer Krom people have traveled on Monday to the office of the Vietnamese Assembly located in Prey Nokor (Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnamese) in order to demand for a resolution in the land dispute issue.
Monk Thach Binh, a KKF representative, said that these Khmer Krom people came from Motr Chrouk province (Chau Doc in Vietnamese), and they had split up in numerous small groups led by three Khmer Krom leaders: Chau Heng, Chau In, and Chau Uk. “There are 210 people altogether, but when we left, we split up into three groups: the first group arrived last night at midnight, when they arrived there (Prey Nokor) … their side (the Vietnamese authority) arrested them, they were prevented from leaving, they were threatened and suffered hardships. There is no break, so our (Khmer Krom) brothers are continuing the struggle until tomorrow, we will see how many more will arrive,” Monk Thach Binh said.
From Kampuchea Krom, Chau Heng, a leader of the demonstrators from Motr Chrouk who is currently standing in front of the office of the Vietnamese Assembly in Prey Nokor, said over the phone that Khmer Krom villagers reached here in secret. He said that his group counts 11 people, but two of them were arrested by the police. He indicated that many more are yet to arrive.
Chau Heng indicated: “They will come, there are some more still coming, a few at a time. Even if we are arrested, we will resist and fight on because we lost our ancestral lands, anybody would regret (this kind of lost). Also, the number of people who are suffering hunger is growing daily, they have no work. Like me for example, I had to swim across several water streams and rivers, it was flooding water level in these rivers, I swam across them all to reach here.”
The same source indicated that, for some groups, their leaders had been arrested by the Vietnamese cops, while other groups are ordered by the Vietnamese cops to return back to their villages, and wait for a resolution.
RFA could not reach the Vietnamese government yet. However, Trinh Ba Cam, Hanoi’s mouthpiece in Phnom Penh, indicated that he did not receive this information yet, but he said Hanoi’s prime minister ordered a resolution of land disputes at the local levels.
This is the second time that Khmer Krom people from Motr Chrouk province are protesting to demand back their lands and their farmlands in Prey Nokor. In June 2007, a group of more than 1,000 protesters, including both Khmer Krom and Vietnamese people, sustained severe repression from their public protest.
The Khmer Krom protesters said that they will maintain their demands because they have waited for a resolution, but so far none has come.
Monk Thach Binh, a KKF representative, said that these Khmer Krom people came from Motr Chrouk province (Chau Doc in Vietnamese), and they had split up in numerous small groups led by three Khmer Krom leaders: Chau Heng, Chau In, and Chau Uk. “There are 210 people altogether, but when we left, we split up into three groups: the first group arrived last night at midnight, when they arrived there (Prey Nokor) … their side (the Vietnamese authority) arrested them, they were prevented from leaving, they were threatened and suffered hardships. There is no break, so our (Khmer Krom) brothers are continuing the struggle until tomorrow, we will see how many more will arrive,” Monk Thach Binh said.
From Kampuchea Krom, Chau Heng, a leader of the demonstrators from Motr Chrouk who is currently standing in front of the office of the Vietnamese Assembly in Prey Nokor, said over the phone that Khmer Krom villagers reached here in secret. He said that his group counts 11 people, but two of them were arrested by the police. He indicated that many more are yet to arrive.
Chau Heng indicated: “They will come, there are some more still coming, a few at a time. Even if we are arrested, we will resist and fight on because we lost our ancestral lands, anybody would regret (this kind of lost). Also, the number of people who are suffering hunger is growing daily, they have no work. Like me for example, I had to swim across several water streams and rivers, it was flooding water level in these rivers, I swam across them all to reach here.”
The same source indicated that, for some groups, their leaders had been arrested by the Vietnamese cops, while other groups are ordered by the Vietnamese cops to return back to their villages, and wait for a resolution.
RFA could not reach the Vietnamese government yet. However, Trinh Ba Cam, Hanoi’s mouthpiece in Phnom Penh, indicated that he did not receive this information yet, but he said Hanoi’s prime minister ordered a resolution of land disputes at the local levels.
This is the second time that Khmer Krom people from Motr Chrouk province are protesting to demand back their lands and their farmlands in Prey Nokor. In June 2007, a group of more than 1,000 protesters, including both Khmer Krom and Vietnamese people, sustained severe repression from their public protest.
The Khmer Krom protesters said that they will maintain their demands because they have waited for a resolution, but so far none has come.
2 comments:
The Vietcong will pay for what they have done to the Khmer Krom people! It is God’s will that the Vietcong will be punished for their evilness!
Go Khmer Krom! We are Cambodian or we all Cambodian support you to fight for your rights. Keep up the good work.
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