Mon, 17 Dec 2007
DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodian Buddhist monks from the ethnic minority Kampuchea Krom clashed with riot police in the capital Monday after they were refused permission to deliver a petition to the Vietnamese embassy. Around 50 monks in saffron robes arrived at the embassy mid-morning but were refused entry, according to one, and staged a peaceful sit-in outside the embassy for around an hour.
However things turned violent just as monks appeared to be complying with requests by Cambodian police to leave and suddenly turned and began throwing bottles and rocks at police before fleeing down one of the city's main streets.
Police said no arrests were made and there were only minor injuries on both sides.
"The monks only wanted to deliver a petition and the police behaved badly to them so they threw things," investigator for local human rights group Licadho, An Sam Ath, claimed.
"It is a great shame that the Cambodian government criticized Myanmar for attacking monks and then does the same thing to its own monks," he added, referring to bloody pro-democracy rallies in Myanmar's capital Yangon in September.
Sam Ath said the monks' petition included a demand for the release of Tim Sakhorn, a Kampuchea Krom monk jailed in neighbouring Vietnam after being defrocked in Cambodia.
Human rights groups decried Sakhorn's deportation and subsequent arrest, but the Cambodian government says he requested repatriation to Vietnam after he was defrocked for alleged sexual misdemeanors and abusing his position at his south-western provincial pagoda.
Police at the scene who declined to be named claimed the monks had orchestrated an attack and had not been provoked.
"Look around: do you see any rocks at the embassy? They brought things with them to throw at us. We don't want trouble with monks. We are Buddhists too. They are cruel to do this," one officer said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak declined comment on the rally. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said he was outside the capital and had no information on the events.
The Kampuchea Krom are ethnic Cambodians from the Mekong delta region which was ceded to Vietnam by France during negotiations for independence.
Human rights groups have alleged they suffer abuses and suppression at the hands of the Vietnamese government - charges Vietnam denies.
The pro-Vietnam Cambodian government has also scoffed at allegations it targets Kampuchea Krom, pointing out a number of highly positioned monks from that ethnic minority who operate freely.
However things turned violent just as monks appeared to be complying with requests by Cambodian police to leave and suddenly turned and began throwing bottles and rocks at police before fleeing down one of the city's main streets.
Police said no arrests were made and there were only minor injuries on both sides.
"The monks only wanted to deliver a petition and the police behaved badly to them so they threw things," investigator for local human rights group Licadho, An Sam Ath, claimed.
"It is a great shame that the Cambodian government criticized Myanmar for attacking monks and then does the same thing to its own monks," he added, referring to bloody pro-democracy rallies in Myanmar's capital Yangon in September.
Sam Ath said the monks' petition included a demand for the release of Tim Sakhorn, a Kampuchea Krom monk jailed in neighbouring Vietnam after being defrocked in Cambodia.
Human rights groups decried Sakhorn's deportation and subsequent arrest, but the Cambodian government says he requested repatriation to Vietnam after he was defrocked for alleged sexual misdemeanors and abusing his position at his south-western provincial pagoda.
Police at the scene who declined to be named claimed the monks had orchestrated an attack and had not been provoked.
"Look around: do you see any rocks at the embassy? They brought things with them to throw at us. We don't want trouble with monks. We are Buddhists too. They are cruel to do this," one officer said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak declined comment on the rally. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said he was outside the capital and had no information on the events.
The Kampuchea Krom are ethnic Cambodians from the Mekong delta region which was ceded to Vietnam by France during negotiations for independence.
Human rights groups have alleged they suffer abuses and suppression at the hands of the Vietnamese government - charges Vietnam denies.
The pro-Vietnam Cambodian government has also scoffed at allegations it targets Kampuchea Krom, pointing out a number of highly positioned monks from that ethnic minority who operate freely.
4 comments:
its kinda hard to keep all the anger and emotion for stirring out. But we have to resist this tempation always and not be like them. Sometimes i feel somebody needs to throw rocks at these Cambodian police and officials. But it should not becoming from our monks, we have practiced this non-violent for over 50 years in petitioning against Vietnam violation, even though it seems progress is no where to turn to, we should follow the path set forth by our elder monks who came before us in the history of resistance and civil rights.
This is rare, i will not assume, because so far as I lived, i remember since our resistance in vietnam in Saigon since the republic the monks and its participants have always sit in peacefully and compassionately in great patience in rain etc.
If the police did not try to pushing the monks away from Vietnam Embassy, I dont think the monks will do anything to police.
Let think about it, the monks are not stupid to fight with the police because the police have the weapons and protection. the monks are smart enough to know that.
If the police did not attack the monks, I dont think the monks will do anything to the police. They may be just use water bottle or whatsoever to defend themselves.
If the police practice Buddhism, they should not bet the monks to unconscious. If you look at the pictures, the monks have no weapon, but the police have. The monks are human too, if their life is in danger, they have to defend for it.
I know that the YOUN inside of the YOUN embbassy will laugh at the Cambodia police because they just are the YOUN's dogs to defend for the YOUN embassy.
Why do KHMER have to beat KHMER where KHMER are BUDDHIST MONKS??????? Are we back to the Pol Pot regime????????
ពួកអាអស់នេះ សុទ្ធតែក្បាលយួនខ្លួនខ្មែរ។ វានឹងធ្លាក់នរកអស់មិនខាន ជាមួយចៅហ្វាយវា ដែលជាអាយ៉ងដាច់ថ្លៃរបស់យួន!
if the monks really attacking the the dogs, they will have no show in defending themselves, because they are the untrained dogs of the youn. Go monks. Beat da crap out of the scabby dogs.
Post a Comment