The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Dozens of Buddhist monks kicked, punched and hurled bottles at baton-wielding police in Cambodia's capital Monday at a demonstration to demand religious freedom for monks in neighboring Vietnam.
The clashes erupted as about 40 monks approached the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh to submit a petition against authorities' alleged mistreatment of Buddhist monks in the communist country.
The protesters accused Vietnamese authorities of arresting and defrocking several ethnic Cambodian monks over the past few months.
Authorities let only a few state-sponsored religious organizations operate in Vietnam, a situation that has led to altercations there with some groups including Buddhists.
A large part of southern Vietnam, known in Cambodia as Kampuchea Krom, used to be part of Cambodia's Khmer empire centuries ago. Many ethnic Cambodians still live there.
In the Phnom Penh protest, about 100 riot police used batons to beat back the monks, blocking them from marching near the embassy.
The monks responded by punching the police and throwing water-filled plastic bottles at them. One monk was seen kicking a police officer in the groin.
Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police chief, said six policemen were slightly injured.
"They tried to storm the embassy, and police had the duty to protect the embassy," he said.
The police bruised seven monks on their heads or bodies, said Chan Saveth, an investigator with the nonprofit Cambodian human rights group Adhoc. He accused police of violence against the monks, who are widely revered in Cambodia.
The clashes erupted as about 40 monks approached the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh to submit a petition against authorities' alleged mistreatment of Buddhist monks in the communist country.
The protesters accused Vietnamese authorities of arresting and defrocking several ethnic Cambodian monks over the past few months.
Authorities let only a few state-sponsored religious organizations operate in Vietnam, a situation that has led to altercations there with some groups including Buddhists.
A large part of southern Vietnam, known in Cambodia as Kampuchea Krom, used to be part of Cambodia's Khmer empire centuries ago. Many ethnic Cambodians still live there.
In the Phnom Penh protest, about 100 riot police used batons to beat back the monks, blocking them from marching near the embassy.
The monks responded by punching the police and throwing water-filled plastic bottles at them. One monk was seen kicking a police officer in the groin.
Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police chief, said six policemen were slightly injured.
"They tried to storm the embassy, and police had the duty to protect the embassy," he said.
The police bruised seven monks on their heads or bodies, said Chan Saveth, an investigator with the nonprofit Cambodian human rights group Adhoc. He accused police of violence against the monks, who are widely revered in Cambodia.
4 comments:
This is a serious accusation "the monks tried to storm the embassy"
It is time for this government to go. Many billions of $$ make them do this. It is not democratic that Hun Sen told the Burma last month.
Actions show more than words.
It is so sad that this idiot government never learns.
It is time the youths, monks, farmers and peoples and get up and defend their right.
The protest or demonstration shall keep go on until this government goes away.
Let show the power of the peoples.
This is very frustrating for me to understand such a simple act of delivering a protest letter to the Vietcong embassy in Cambodia and the AH HUN SEN Vietcong thugs dare to intervene and to use brute force on the Cambodian monks?
I never thought that the Vietcong embassy in Cambodia is more than a place of worship or the Angkor Wat and no Cambodian people or monks can approach it?
What has become of Cambodia under AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave leadership? It seems the Vietcong embassy in Cambodia has more sovereignty than the whole Cambodia!
AH HUN SEN needs to rethink his action!
Hun Sen,is holding cambodian people hostage for the benifits of ah youn-government,we are know that.this is not knew cambodia people are dumb!they like to go to the worthless people to make friends with."ANANIKUM AMERICA RULES!"
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