By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Washington
16 April 2008
Members of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom minority living in Vietnam are continuing to flee their homes or live in fear, as security forces have been deployed to surround them, witnesses told VOA Khmer.
One woman said she received a shooting injury in an April 9 crackdown on the Khmer Krom, who are culturally linked to Cambodia but live in Vietnam.
The Khmer Krom have not been allowed to celebrate their traditional New Year, for fear of a crackdown, she said.
“No one dares to go out. We are just hiding, as black-uniformed, fully equipped forces have been deployed around our village,” said the woman, who like other witnesses asked that her name be withheld for fear of retribution.
A second witness, from Tin Bien of Tra Bao district, Vietnam, said he had been forced to move around from one place to another, fearing arrest by government forces, including through trickery.
A person might be invited to a party, only to be arrested, he said.
“They’ve deployed troops and are watching us and trying to arrest us,” he said. “We do not have any freedom.”
As many as 300 Khmer Krom in Vietnam protested last week, claiming their rights were abused by officials, but witnesses said the protest led to a crackdown, where five people were injured and six were arrested for illegal demonstration.
Ang Chanrith, director of the Khmer Krom Human Rights Organization in Cambodia, said the situation was “more serious” than before the Khmer New Year.
No international rights groups or embassies had paid any attention to the crackdown, he said.
One woman said she received a shooting injury in an April 9 crackdown on the Khmer Krom, who are culturally linked to Cambodia but live in Vietnam.
The Khmer Krom have not been allowed to celebrate their traditional New Year, for fear of a crackdown, she said.
“No one dares to go out. We are just hiding, as black-uniformed, fully equipped forces have been deployed around our village,” said the woman, who like other witnesses asked that her name be withheld for fear of retribution.
A second witness, from Tin Bien of Tra Bao district, Vietnam, said he had been forced to move around from one place to another, fearing arrest by government forces, including through trickery.
A person might be invited to a party, only to be arrested, he said.
“They’ve deployed troops and are watching us and trying to arrest us,” he said. “We do not have any freedom.”
As many as 300 Khmer Krom in Vietnam protested last week, claiming their rights were abused by officials, but witnesses said the protest led to a crackdown, where five people were injured and six were arrested for illegal demonstration.
Ang Chanrith, director of the Khmer Krom Human Rights Organization in Cambodia, said the situation was “more serious” than before the Khmer New Year.
No international rights groups or embassies had paid any attention to the crackdown, he said.
7 comments:
So then what is hun sen thinking about vietnamese living in cambodia? Isn't it time for the khmer to have a tight grip on them too? What's wrong with hun sen?
Good, Maggot Feeders don't deserved anything.
Evil Vietnam never stop bullying.
Hanoi will pay a hefty price of civil unrest in Kampuchea Krom when time comes. Vietnamese! you all don't be so comfortable sitting and demanding your makeup laws to your authority to terrifying Khmer Krom people. They are Khmer mchas srok and they will celebrate their traditional New Year, OK!
Kampuchea Krom is the past, the former time, it is the history.
Today, it is the South's Vietnam.
The historic problem of the kampuchea krom, it is necessary to see with French's government.
Us, the current Khmer generation, us lose interest completely in this problem.
By.
nobody has to live in fear! how come people allow this to happen? something is missing here!
To 4:50PM
I know it is not your problem but when the Vietcong invaded Cambodia in 1979 and whose problem is it? Of course you like to say it is not your problem too but how do you like it to live under the Vietcong occupation for 10 years? It is a slave like you who like to live under the Vietnamese feet and allow AH SOK KONG middleman to take advantage of dirt poor Cambodia!
I never give a fuck about South Vietname because it is only name but the Khmer Krom people have a deeper root go back to thousand of years in Khmer Kampuchea Krom which rename by the Vietcong government as South Vietname!
It is God willing to free Khmer Krom people from the Vietnamese or Vietcong oppression!
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