Khmer Krom Network
On 30th April every year since 1975, the Vietnamese Communist (VC) government has celebrated the victory of the Vietnam War and brought “peace” to the country. This so called victory has caused millions of people in Vietnam to flee its borders to seek freedom and thousands of hectares of the Khmer-Krom farmers’ lands in Kampuchea Krom. Much of the lands were confiscated by the VC government.
In Swaiton (renamed Tri Ton) and Kra Bao (renamed Tinh Bien) districts of Motr Chrouk (An Giang) province, the Khmer-Krom farmers were forcefully evacuated to Khleang (renamed to Soc Trang) province as early as 1979. When they were allowed to come back to their villages by the end of 1980, they found that most of their farmlands were stolen by the local Vietnamese authorities. Those confiscated farmlands were either sold or distributed to its ethnic Vietnamese people by the local Vietnamese authority leaders.
Since 1975, the Khmer-Krom farmers have tried to file complaints to demand for the return their confiscated farmlands but the local Vietnamese authorities have ignored and in some cases have threatened to imprison them if they kept complaining.
The VC government also has been successful in installing Khmer Krom individuals as their puppets pretending to be the representatives for the Khmer-Krom in each province in Kampuchea Krom. Unfortunately this meant that these Khmer Krom individuals were used as a tool to further to oppress their own people while serving only for the benefits of the VC government.
The loss of land due to land grabs by VC authorities ensured that Khmer Krom people were further entrenched in poverty. Finding themselves with little alternative to survive, in recent years, the Khmer-Krom farmers in Swaiton and Kra Bao districts have tried to file their complaints seeking the return their confiscated farmlands.
The Vietnamese authorities have tried to employ various tactics to stop the Khmer-Krom farmers from filing complaints, even in some recent cases resorting to the use of violence. The Vietnamese authorities have accused the Khmer-Krom farmers for “disturbing the society”, so they had a legal excuse to imprison these farmers.
More disturbing still is the rare cases that land has been returned, hidden conditions have been attached. For example in the case of Ms. Ly Thi Huong, whose land was returned but not without horrifying double agenda conditions attached. With the return of her land, her brother was beaten, imprisoned once and once again earlier this year. Her rice fields, ready for harvesting was cruelly taken from her fields twice after local Vietnamese authorities claimed that the land still belonged to the State.
According to the Khmer-Krom farmers from Swaiton district, on April 28 and 29, the VC government ordered Mr. Son Song Son and the “113” Special Forces of the Police of An Giang province to summon Khmer-Krom farmers to listen to their lectures at Chy Eng Krom temple and a Khmer-Krom boarding school in Dom Puel (Chau Lang) Village, Swaiton (Tri Ton) district. They started off by threatening the Khmer-Krom farmers and said that if the Khmer-Krom farmers kept demanding for the return of their confiscated farmlands, they will be imprisoned for “disturbing the society.” They claimed that they will imprison Mr. Chau Son, Mr. Chau In, Mr. Chau Hen and Mr. Chau Ut who have been leading other Khmer-Krom farmers to demand their confiscated farmlands.
In the meeting, the Khmer-Krom farmers were told clearly that the Vietnam authorities were very powerful and that they can imprison Khmer-Krom farmers anytime. They even can imprison any Khmer-Krom, even in Kampuchea, just like the case of Venerable Tim SaKhorn.
At this time, Mrs. Neang Don and Mrs. Neang Donn are currently in prison for participating in a peaceful protest to demand for return their confiscated farmlands. Mr. Chau Hen and Mr. Chau Ut are also currently missing after the Vietnamese authorities came in the middle of the night in a massive military attempt to arrest them. Random shots were fired, some hitting Mrs. Neang Phon who is Mr. Chau Hen’wife, on April 7 2008.
The local Vietnamese authorities in Swaiton and Kra Bao districts have and continue to ignore the issue of confiscated lands because the leaders of the local authorities took the Khmer-Krom farmlands and sold it to the Vietnamese people. Thus, even if the Vietnamese Prime Minister ordered the local Vietnamese authorities to return the confiscated farmlands back to the farmers; the local authorities have no lands to return because they already sold those lands. Instead of trying to find a workable solution, the local Vietnamese authorities have tried to accuse the Khmer-Krom farmers for “disturbing the society” to silence the Khmer-Krom farmers.
Every year, Vietnam profits greatly from extracting crude oil from Khmer Krom’s natural land and resources at O-Cap (renamed Vung Tau) province. If Vietnam truly wants to eradicate the poverty of the Khmer Krom people, it needs to put money back to the Khmer Krom community. Even with 1% of the money made from the crude oil, Vietnam has more than enough money to buy back the lands that corrupted local authorities have sold to its ethnic Vietnamese people.
Instead of attempting to deny that problems are occurring at the local level or attempting to suppress unrest, the Vietnam government must start looking at conflict resolution and immediately resolve land confiscation issue. With the returned of their lands, the Khmer Krom farmers will start to do what they do best, planting and harvesting rice, sustaining their very mean of survival for centuries.
In Swaiton (renamed Tri Ton) and Kra Bao (renamed Tinh Bien) districts of Motr Chrouk (An Giang) province, the Khmer-Krom farmers were forcefully evacuated to Khleang (renamed to Soc Trang) province as early as 1979. When they were allowed to come back to their villages by the end of 1980, they found that most of their farmlands were stolen by the local Vietnamese authorities. Those confiscated farmlands were either sold or distributed to its ethnic Vietnamese people by the local Vietnamese authority leaders.
Since 1975, the Khmer-Krom farmers have tried to file complaints to demand for the return their confiscated farmlands but the local Vietnamese authorities have ignored and in some cases have threatened to imprison them if they kept complaining.
The VC government also has been successful in installing Khmer Krom individuals as their puppets pretending to be the representatives for the Khmer-Krom in each province in Kampuchea Krom. Unfortunately this meant that these Khmer Krom individuals were used as a tool to further to oppress their own people while serving only for the benefits of the VC government.
The loss of land due to land grabs by VC authorities ensured that Khmer Krom people were further entrenched in poverty. Finding themselves with little alternative to survive, in recent years, the Khmer-Krom farmers in Swaiton and Kra Bao districts have tried to file their complaints seeking the return their confiscated farmlands.
The Vietnamese authorities have tried to employ various tactics to stop the Khmer-Krom farmers from filing complaints, even in some recent cases resorting to the use of violence. The Vietnamese authorities have accused the Khmer-Krom farmers for “disturbing the society”, so they had a legal excuse to imprison these farmers.
More disturbing still is the rare cases that land has been returned, hidden conditions have been attached. For example in the case of Ms. Ly Thi Huong, whose land was returned but not without horrifying double agenda conditions attached. With the return of her land, her brother was beaten, imprisoned once and once again earlier this year. Her rice fields, ready for harvesting was cruelly taken from her fields twice after local Vietnamese authorities claimed that the land still belonged to the State.
According to the Khmer-Krom farmers from Swaiton district, on April 28 and 29, the VC government ordered Mr. Son Song Son and the “113” Special Forces of the Police of An Giang province to summon Khmer-Krom farmers to listen to their lectures at Chy Eng Krom temple and a Khmer-Krom boarding school in Dom Puel (Chau Lang) Village, Swaiton (Tri Ton) district. They started off by threatening the Khmer-Krom farmers and said that if the Khmer-Krom farmers kept demanding for the return of their confiscated farmlands, they will be imprisoned for “disturbing the society.” They claimed that they will imprison Mr. Chau Son, Mr. Chau In, Mr. Chau Hen and Mr. Chau Ut who have been leading other Khmer-Krom farmers to demand their confiscated farmlands.
In the meeting, the Khmer-Krom farmers were told clearly that the Vietnam authorities were very powerful and that they can imprison Khmer-Krom farmers anytime. They even can imprison any Khmer-Krom, even in Kampuchea, just like the case of Venerable Tim SaKhorn.
At this time, Mrs. Neang Don and Mrs. Neang Donn are currently in prison for participating in a peaceful protest to demand for return their confiscated farmlands. Mr. Chau Hen and Mr. Chau Ut are also currently missing after the Vietnamese authorities came in the middle of the night in a massive military attempt to arrest them. Random shots were fired, some hitting Mrs. Neang Phon who is Mr. Chau Hen’wife, on April 7 2008.
The local Vietnamese authorities in Swaiton and Kra Bao districts have and continue to ignore the issue of confiscated lands because the leaders of the local authorities took the Khmer-Krom farmlands and sold it to the Vietnamese people. Thus, even if the Vietnamese Prime Minister ordered the local Vietnamese authorities to return the confiscated farmlands back to the farmers; the local authorities have no lands to return because they already sold those lands. Instead of trying to find a workable solution, the local Vietnamese authorities have tried to accuse the Khmer-Krom farmers for “disturbing the society” to silence the Khmer-Krom farmers.
Every year, Vietnam profits greatly from extracting crude oil from Khmer Krom’s natural land and resources at O-Cap (renamed Vung Tau) province. If Vietnam truly wants to eradicate the poverty of the Khmer Krom people, it needs to put money back to the Khmer Krom community. Even with 1% of the money made from the crude oil, Vietnam has more than enough money to buy back the lands that corrupted local authorities have sold to its ethnic Vietnamese people.
Instead of attempting to deny that problems are occurring at the local level or attempting to suppress unrest, the Vietnam government must start looking at conflict resolution and immediately resolve land confiscation issue. With the returned of their lands, the Khmer Krom farmers will start to do what they do best, planting and harvesting rice, sustaining their very mean of survival for centuries.
8 comments:
The same way Khmers in Khmer kandal will face after Cambodia will be legally ceased as a COUNTRY
but a sate of Indochina in the near future around 2012.
All Khmers,inside and outside,Continue to sleep and enjoy to play Viet Kai Loeung, with all Viet music instruments.
After 2008 election, Hun Sen will win again, and what all Khmer groups and political parties plan to do ?
It aint over until it's over! If the Vietcongs can wrap hand-grenades around their chest to blow up the French so can everybody else! The palestinians do it, the iraqis do it..nothing is impossible!!!
In 2100 khmer nation wll cease to exist. Here are the reasons:
1- yuon take good care of yuons.
2- khmer (cpp)take good care of yuon.
3- yuon hate khmer.
4- khmer (cpp ) love yuon.
And worst of all, khmer( cpp) oppressed its own people who dare to speak about yuon.
Good points, 4:09
And I can't agree more.
You pathetic idiot (1:54), this is about Ah Khmer-Yuon, not Khmer. For the thousands times, stop begging Cambodia to get into Vietnam internal affair. No, no, no, "N", "O", which word or letter don't you understand.
Many hearts, many hands, and many grenades will drive these Yuon people away.
Go ahead, and they will soon to send to Planet of the Ape.
I can smell fear with the above comment. Fear of the truth.
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