VIETNAM IMPRISONS KHMER-KROM BUDDHIST MONK
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
KHMER-KROM MAN FARMER IS SUMMONED TO VIETNAM COURT
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 06 November 2007
Pennsauken, NJ, USA
BACKGROUND: The Khmer-Krom people are the Indigenous Peoples of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam (Kampuchea Krom). On June 4, 1949, Kampuchea Krom was transferred to Vietnam by the French colonial government without the consent of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom Peoples. The land is still inhabited by millions of the Khmer-Krom people who remain deeply attached to their culture, religion, customs, traditions and ancestral land. Living under the control of the Vietnamese Communist government, the indigenous Khmer-Krom people have suffered tremendous Human Rights violations, confiscation of ancestral lands, and economic and social deprivations. The hmer-Krom people are not allowed to learn their own language, history, or to freely practice their Theravada Buddhism.
VIETNAM ARRESTED CAMBODIAN CITIZEN IN CAMBODIA
On 30 June 2007, Venerable Tim Sakhorn, Abbot of North Phnom-Denh temple in Phnom-Denh village, Karivong District, Takeo province, Cambodia, was summoned to meet the Head Monk of the Takeo province at Takeo City. After the meeting, the Cambodia authority and the Head Monk accused Venerable Tim Sakhorn of using his temple as a place “to propagate activities that divide the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam” as stated in the letter used to defrock Ven. Tim Sakhorn by Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong. After defrocked, Ven. Tim Sakhorn disappeared. The spokesmen of the Cambodian authorities were flip-flopping with the whereabouts of Ven. Tim Sakhorn. The spokesman of the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom-Penh, Trinh Ba Cam, had previously denied any knowledge of Ven. Tim Sakhorn’s whereabouts after his disappearance from Cambodia.
On 1 August 2007, Vietnam admits through its official website (www.vovnews.vn and www.vov.org.vn), the Voice of Vietnam News (VOV News) that Vietnam authority just arrested a person who is a “disappeared monk”, Ven. Tim Sakhorn, for attempting to enter Vietnam illegally. Instead of charging Ven. Tim Sakhorn with the initial alleged crime of entering Vietnam illegally, he is being detained and will be tried for the crime of “sabotaging the unification policy” under Article 87 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.
A KHMER-KROM FARMER IS SUMMONED TO VIETNAM COURT
On 22 October 2007, the Vietnam Court of An Giang Province summoned Mr. Chau In to be a witness at the trial of Venerable Tim Sakhorn on November 8, 2007 (please see below for the details of this summon and the trial of Venerable Tim Sakhorn). Mr. Chau In is concerning about his safety due to this summon because he knows nothing about Venerable Tim Sakhorn’s case. If this is a fair trial, the Vietnam authority should invite all Khmer-Krom in his village to attend this trial, not just only him.
THE KHMERS KAMPUCHEA-KROM FEDERATION (KKF) URGENTLY CALLS ON YOUR SUPPORT TO:
Respectfully Yours,
Thach Ngoc Thach
President of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
VIETNAM ARRESTED CAMBODIAN CITIZEN IN CAMBODIA
On 30 June 2007, Venerable Tim Sakhorn, Abbot of North Phnom-Denh temple in Phnom-Denh village, Karivong District, Takeo province, Cambodia, was summoned to meet the Head Monk of the Takeo province at Takeo City. After the meeting, the Cambodia authority and the Head Monk accused Venerable Tim Sakhorn of using his temple as a place “to propagate activities that divide the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam” as stated in the letter used to defrock Ven. Tim Sakhorn by Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong. After defrocked, Ven. Tim Sakhorn disappeared. The spokesmen of the Cambodian authorities were flip-flopping with the whereabouts of Ven. Tim Sakhorn. The spokesman of the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom-Penh, Trinh Ba Cam, had previously denied any knowledge of Ven. Tim Sakhorn’s whereabouts after his disappearance from Cambodia.
On 1 August 2007, Vietnam admits through its official website (www.vovnews.vn and www.vov.org.vn), the Voice of Vietnam News (VOV News) that Vietnam authority just arrested a person who is a “disappeared monk”, Ven. Tim Sakhorn, for attempting to enter Vietnam illegally. Instead of charging Ven. Tim Sakhorn with the initial alleged crime of entering Vietnam illegally, he is being detained and will be tried for the crime of “sabotaging the unification policy” under Article 87 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.
A KHMER-KROM FARMER IS SUMMONED TO VIETNAM COURT
On 22 October 2007, the Vietnam Court of An Giang Province summoned Mr. Chau In to be a witness at the trial of Venerable Tim Sakhorn on November 8, 2007 (please see below for the details of this summon and the trial of Venerable Tim Sakhorn). Mr. Chau In is concerning about his safety due to this summon because he knows nothing about Venerable Tim Sakhorn’s case. If this is a fair trial, the Vietnam authority should invite all Khmer-Krom in his village to attend this trial, not just only him.
THE KHMERS KAMPUCHEA-KROM FEDERATION (KKF) URGENTLY CALLS ON YOUR SUPPORT TO:
- Send your representatives to attend the trail of Venerable Tim Sakhorn to ensure that Venerable Tim Sakhorn receives a free and fair trial compliant with Internationally recognized standards of justice.
- Urge Vietnam to stop using threatened tactics to summon the innocent Khmer-Krom farmer, such as, Mr. Chau In who is just a farmer to be a witness of a trial that has nothing to do with him. On August 23, 2007, Radio Free Asia broadcasted in Khmer about how Vietnam authorities threatened and tortured Khmer-Krom women, Mrs. Neang Phe and Mrs. Neang De, to force them to accuse Venerable Tim Sakhorn based on what Vietnam authority wants.
- Urge Vietnam to respect the sovereignty of Cambodia because Venerable Tim Sakhorn is a Cambodian citizen.
- Urge Cambodia to send representatives to protect and defend for its citizen at Vietnam Court.
Respectfully Yours,
Thach Ngoc Thach
President of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
8 comments:
I don't think it's hard to burn down Youn's embassy in Phnom Penh.
Oh yeah? Go Ahead ... Make my day!
We should provoke a widespread feeling of discontent among the Khmer and Khmer Krom populations which culminated in distructive rampages against the Vietcong embassies in Phnom Penh like on 11 and 12 March 1970. I was set the deadline to dust yuon vietcong on 15 March 1970. And my God we did it. Yuon Vietcong embassy personnel took off by ICC aircraft headed for HANOI. Hahaha Trinh Ba Cam......
Well, we (Khmer) have a saying that after you have a good laugh, you'll weep. So stop complaining. Just go by the prophecy.
The fucken Vietcong government is putting up a fucken show to show how powerful they are before the Vietcong population by judging dirt poor Cambodian helpless monk!
This is all just a fucken show! The fucken Vietcong has no right to judge Cambodian people!
Nope, Ah Khmer-Yuon criminal is not Khmer people.
This Yuon troller must put to dead without trial; so we,Khmer, will not see him again.
Yep, and that will be Ah Yuon troller Sakhorn.
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