Police say the monks brought stones to use as missiles Monday, 17 December 2007
By Guy De Launey BBC News Phnom Penh
Buddhist monks and riot police have been involved in a violent confrontation in Cambodia's capital.
The monks were trying to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment of the Kampuchea Krom minority, who are ethnic Cambodians living in Vietnam.
They were attempting to deliver a petition to the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh when police officers blocked their way.
Human rights workers claim the police beat the monks with batons.
The violence started after about 50 orange-robed monks arrived at the Vietnamese Embassy and staged a sit-down protest.
The situation deteriorated as riot police ordered the monks to move on.
The authorities allege that the monks tried to storm the embassy and had brought stones to throw at the police.
Several members of each side were injured, none of them seriously.
Sensitive topic
The monks had been protesting about the treatment of ethnic Cambodian colleagues in Vietnam.
Their petition asked for the release of a monk who has been jailed on charges of "undermining national unity".
They also demanded the return of Vietnamese territory which they claimed belonged to Cambodia.
It is a sensitive topic for the Cambodian government.
Its links with Vietnam date back to 1979 when Vietnamese-backed troops ousted the Khmer Rouge from power.
But many Cambodians dislike their larger neighbour and resent the loss of territory over the years, which includes modern day Ho Chi Minh City.
Some Buddhist pagodas have become rallying points for protests on the issue.
The monks were trying to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment of the Kampuchea Krom minority, who are ethnic Cambodians living in Vietnam.
They were attempting to deliver a petition to the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh when police officers blocked their way.
Human rights workers claim the police beat the monks with batons.
The violence started after about 50 orange-robed monks arrived at the Vietnamese Embassy and staged a sit-down protest.
The situation deteriorated as riot police ordered the monks to move on.
The authorities allege that the monks tried to storm the embassy and had brought stones to throw at the police.
Several members of each side were injured, none of them seriously.
Sensitive topic
The monks had been protesting about the treatment of ethnic Cambodian colleagues in Vietnam.
Their petition asked for the release of a monk who has been jailed on charges of "undermining national unity".
They also demanded the return of Vietnamese territory which they claimed belonged to Cambodia.
It is a sensitive topic for the Cambodian government.
Its links with Vietnam date back to 1979 when Vietnamese-backed troops ousted the Khmer Rouge from power.
But many Cambodians dislike their larger neighbour and resent the loss of territory over the years, which includes modern day Ho Chi Minh City.
Some Buddhist pagodas have become rallying points for protests on the issue.
9 comments:
Just a petition, but why Hun Sen's policemen committed seriously with them?
Hun Sen's government is protecting Cambodian peoples or Vietnam's interest?
When Sen is a Vietnamese dog he barks like one of them.
It is time for the Cambodians get up protect or defend our own citizen. Khmers are Khmers. It does not matter luer or krom.
The right of Cambodians must be respect by any nations where Cambodians are stay.
A lot of Vietnameses live in Cambodia. Did we suppressed them like Cambodians got in Vietnam. It is almost impossible the Sen does this. This is not different from Samphan or Sary did in 1975. Where are the international and ECCC?
The monks in Cambodia must keep going. It is our right to protect the peoples of Cambodia
Ah Yuon embassadors just sit happily to see Khmer kill Khmer.
But this is the way it is gonna have to be. Either Khmer people decide to do what people from other repressive socities throughout time have done, go hell-bent for freedom and accept that many thousands are going to have to die (and be tortured in prison) for the freedom of everybody else. I don't know if Cambodians have taken all they are gonna take yet. Look at Ghandi, look at Africa and France the list goes on and on. Malignant power-freaks do NOT willingly give up their unfair share. It has to be wrested away from them.
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 awyas.
Let show the power of the peoples.
Hun Sen had promised many times that he would resign from the PM position if he cannot do his job. So this is his job “beat the monks”. So he has the right to remain in his job because he is doing and accomplishing his jobs every day.
He is a successful PM. Congratulation Mr. PM
It is very sad to learn that AH HUN SEN as a grown up man must learn how to behave the Vietcong way in order to make the Vietcong master happy!
If the Vietcong behavior command AH HUN SEN to beat up the monk and he will do it! Otherwise AH HUN SEN will be a dead man walking! This is what you called behavioral conditioning by consequence because there is no reward involved here!
This is the triumph of the Vietcong behavioral science because the Vietcong behavioral scientists can turn a poor peasant farmer former Khmer Rouge into Vietcong prisoner and from the Vietcong prisoner into a Vietcong slave and from the Vietcong slave into a Vietcong Cambodian puppet leader and from Vietcong Cambodian puppet leader into Cambodian King and from Cambodian King into Cambodian traitor and back into Vietcong slave!
This is the major discovery in behavioral science in the 21st century using AH HUN SEN as the subject! Now the Vietcong can duplicate this behavioral science discovery and apply it to AH HUN SEN's son AH HUN MANET and the rest of the CPP clan children who are dying to enter the Cambodian politic in the near future!
Hun Sen leadership is more brutal than Khmer Rouge and Burma.
But Hun Sen always brag himself and his government as is better than Khmer Rouge.
In reality: Khmer Rouge is considered as a hell on earth, but Hun Sen regime is considered as ANIMAL on earth.
CPP's members have always liked to compare the different between HELL KINGDOM and ANIMAL KINGDOM.
For you, KI-ests, which one is better than between these two kingdoms?
Do you prefer to escape from these two kingdoms and live in HUMAN kingdom or not?
KY
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!
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