Thursday, May 01, 2008

UNPFII: Economic and Social Development


United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Seventh Session
Thursday, April 25, 2008
Speaker: Sothy Kien

Collective Statement by Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation and the Montagnard Foundation


Madame Chair,

We would like to say thank you to Vietnam and the other countries for taking the positive step of supporting the 13 September 2007 adoption of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, unlike many of our indigenous Native American and Native Canadian brothers and sisters, our people from Asia are not recognized at all.

We believe unless such recognition occurs, our people will continue to be denied our basic fundamental freedoms as guaranteed under the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples. Already our rights are not realized. Future work will become irrelevant at the international level and for each individual Khmer if we are not recognized.

Taking advantage of the recent adoption of the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we would like to request the help the Permanent Forum and governments around the world to help set up an appropriate timeframe for which countries who has not yet recognized its indigenous people to do so. The adoption must not only be superficial but substantive in the daily lives of indigenous peoples.

During Human Rights Council meeting last March, Vietnam announced that it was ready for human rights dialogue. For the last four years, we have affirmed the need of an open dialogue between Vietnam and the KKF on human rights at the Permanent Forum. Let us make a historic moment and start a human rights dialogue here today.

We would to contribute the following recommendation to the Permanent Forum in regards to this item:

• Request the aid of the Permanent Forum to set up an open dialogue between Vietnam and KKF during a session on the Permanent Forum.

• Through such interactions, we can begin to look at ways in which we can initiate the process of recognizing the Khmer Krom people and the Montagnard as indigenous peoples and explore effective mechanisms to ensure that they are included in free and informed decision making processes affecting Khmer communities.

• Ask that Vietnam provides a detailed summary of specific policies or programs targeting Indigenous Peoples that are currently taking place or proposed in their Five Year Socio-Economic Development Plan.

• That a national education campaign is established in Khmer language about the MDGs as well as international human rights instruments such as CEDAW, so our Khmer-Krom people are aware of their basic rights and able to be active participants.

• That the consultation and implementation of such national plans are conducted under the principles of free, prior and informed consent with indigenous groups and local people to ensure that such programs do not destroy the ancestral lands and compromise our traditions

• Request that the aid from the World Bank and IMF to allocate specific funds donated to Vietnam to create vocational programs in the local areas where millions of the indigenous Khmer Krom people who are living in the Mekong Delta.

• Ask that Vietnam work in close collaboration in genuine partnership with specialized agencies and KKF and the Montagnard Foundation to meet mutual objectives.

• Seek a reversal of current trend of urbanization and Vietnamization. KKF ask that victims of the State’s failure or disastrous projects that result in contaminating land be immediately compensated to provide the basic living essentials and to halt the influx of Khmer Krom people being forced to move to other provinces to find employment.

• Request the aid of FAO, ILO and Vietnam to help provide employment opportunities for many local Khmer Krom people who are now finding themselves landless as result of land confiscation by corporations and the country of Vietnam.

• Ask that all special inter-agencies be open to workshops in Kampuchea Krom and where our people live in large diaspora around the world to allow for more effective partnership from indigenous organizations about policies and programs taking place in our homelands

• Ask that Vietnam allows independent organizations to be formed to enable further social and cultural development of indigenous peoples.

• Ask for projects that will integrate the indigenous peoples into mainstream society be culturally appropriate and sensitive to their distinctive culture without eroding their sense of identity.

• While Vietnam is recognized as Asia’s second fastest growing economy in recent years with GDP annually increasing over 8% and making 138.6 Billion USD in 2005, the rural areas where Khmer Krom people are living, does not have a proportional share of Vietnam’s social and economic progress. The KKF remain behind as we are deemed backward by the Vietnam government. We demand to be equal partners for the economic and social development of our homeland.

We are particularly concern that the MDGs for indigenous peoples will not be met if Vietnam continues to undermine the positive contribution of our work at the Permanent Forum.

Thank you Madame Chair

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, shut the fuck up Mee Khmer-Yuon. We are all sick and tire of propaganda. Just go flush the toilet if you can't take the heat. The running water will help to cool you off.

Anonymous said...

shut the fuk up AH YOUN CHOY MARAY 1:57pm or Ah YOUN KAUN MEE SOMPHAN CPP ...u alway sucking ur mom's pussy that's why u r an idiot human.

Anonymous said...

How dare the fucken Vietcong government deny the right of the Khmer Krom and Montagard people!

On planet Earth not only the fucken Vietcong population has the right to live but also the Khmer Krom and the Montagard population has the right to live on also! Whether Vietname has over 80 million or less than 80 million and all right of the people must be respected otherwise the struggle, the discussion, and the debate will continue forever until there is a solution to the Khmer Krom problem!

What the Vietcong want is what the Khmer Krom want!

Anonymous said...

You are khmer Angkor

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=-prbpyUpIWs&feature=related

Anonymous said...

1.57pm Shut up you Vietcong mother fucker. I hope your race will be wiped out by the great plague. Fucken parasites. Once a thief always a thief. The world recognize your kind. You will never live in peace as long as Khmer-Krom people are still on this planet as we will never give up.

Anonymous said...

This page is not for ah youn.
It only hurt you more. cus we always score more and we are invincible. You can't track us cus we from around the globe to this page and at the forum.

Khmer Young said...

Vietnam authority can effectively and continually ban and inhumanize Khmer Kampuchea Krom in Vietnam, but they cannot stop or intimidate them in the UNs.

Congratulation Romy Thach for your brave and intellectual message to Vietnamese government.

As I see in the youtube, Romy Thach including Sothy and Somali are genuine Khmer Kampuchea Krom younger generations who are the hope for this sacred land.

All Best

KY

Anonymous said...

Keeps doing your job my dear, you're my Queen in the name of Khmer nation. I know the V.G agression is irritated of their quilted. May our lord Buddha bless you and Khmer teems.
My regards

Proleng Khmer

Anonymous said...

Wrong, lord Buddha doesn't associated with propaganda.

Anonymous said...

"We would like to say thank you to Vietnam.."

Whoever wrote this first phrase I hope it was not a Khmer. No Khmer should give the Viet any thank you for any reason. The viets are killers and robbers. To give them thanks is to show them your weakness. Please don't do that. Never ever give thanks to yuon for any reason. This inhumane race has been trying to eliminate you the Khmer Krom. DO NOT THANK THEM OR THEY WILL SEE IT AS YOUR WEAKNESS.

Anonymous said...

DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM
DEATH TO VIETNAM

Anonymous said...

Wrong, Khmer was slave and now they are free, and they have no one to thank to but Vietnam, 10:23. You are not Khmer if you didn't know this.

Anonymous said...

You know that Youn were slaves to the Chinese not so long ago for hundreds of years. Khmer always been free and will always be. So get your facts right you Vietcong mother fucker.

Anonymous said...

True, but not for Ah Khmer-Yuon. They were born to be slave and they will always be slave. No one can change mother nature.

Anonymous said...

It is kind of funny to see the Vietcong who want to live with Khmer Krom people so bad that they have to call the Khmer Krom as the Khmer-Youn! Ahhahhahahahhahh

Oh well! This is what you called Vietcong high culture!

Anonymous said...

Who the hell want live with Ah immoral Khmer-Yuon criminals? They all should go back to Malaysia, Indonesia, or India where they came from. They don't belong in Chinese descendant's land like Vietnamese, Cham, Lao, or Thai.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! Yuon Ho Chi Minh discover Kampuchea Krom and that the Yuon should send the indigenous Khmer-Krom people out their land.

I have to give you credit for that one 11:19am, you just confirm that the Khmer-Krom was there first. Bravo Uncle Ho should come back and give you 70 young Yuon virgins.

Have fun while it last.