Tuesday, March 17, 2009

We Testify: Khmer Krom Buddhist monks and people share their stories

Source: Khmer Krom Network

KKN is proud to offer for the first time a series of short documentaries on the people behind the Khmer Krom struggle.

The mini films aims to will show real accounts of what the Indigenous Khmer Krom people and Buddhist monks go through under the communist Vietnamese regime.

The emotion, the heartbreak and the courage that everyday Khmer Krom endure in order to survive a harsh reality under a government that cares little for its indigenous peoples.

These feature films will be posted on KKN weekly and will feature a range of subjects and will interview Khmer Krom from all walks of life. It is produced by the volunteers of the KKFYC organisation.

Stay tuned and we would love to hear your feedback!

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our brothers Khmer Krom, we will continue to fight for our freedom, rights, our decolonization toward self-determinaiton.

Our brothers in Thailand will support you for your rights.

To all Khmer Krom please stand up to continue our journey toward freedom.

Khmer Krom lands must belong to Khmer Krom. If you can, please seek refugee in Thailand. We are buddhist, we must support you all.

Please stand up!!

You will achieve your dream like East Timore and Kosovo.

Khmer Krom/Thailand,

Anonymous said...

Youn government need to respect Khmer-Krom people and Buddist monks.

Thanks, to who writing this acticl. I hope we all stand up to fight and protect our Khmer freedom.

Kaun Khmer in blood

Anonymous said...

The US needs to set a role model first.

Anonymous said...

Go Khmer Krom go!!
We will be like East Timore and Kosovo in near future.

Khmerkrom/PP

Anonymous said...

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has always taken strict measures since 1980 in making sure that Vietnamese living in Cambodia have the greatest or highest degree of human rights protection, cultural preservation and social rights in Cambodia. You'll notice in today's Cambodia that Vietnamese settlers tend to have the upper hand when there is a feud between Cambodians and Vietnamese. Most of the time, the Cambodian national police would chastise the Cambodians rather than even try to determine whether the fault came from the Vietnamese contingency. This is a result of the Vietnamese government taking measures to ensure that its nationals living in Cambodia are protected.

However, in southern Vietnam, the Vietnamese tends to commit human rights violations against the Khmer Krom people. There are many examples of this and I do not need to list them or explain them because it is very prevalent. As for the Cambodian government, they tend to turn a blind eye towards this matter and keep their distance as much as possible.

It's pretty much a dilemma for the Khmer Krom people because most Cambodians view them as "Vietnamese" while the Vietnamese view them as second-class citizens.

Anonymous said...

Well, let's face it.Yuons are not dumb.What make us sick to the stomach is our khmer government who close their eyes and ears to all these and be accepted as such just to stay in power and ignore everything, and not only that yuons in srok khmer are flourishing and can even join in election. What a shame.

Anonymous said...

it seems so one-way. the overseas vietnamese want to have their freedom and rights in cambodia, they must also think on how indigenous khmer krom people want the same rights and freedom in the mekong delta region too. it is so bias and so discriminated in this picture. i say until all the vietnamese gov't can treat the indigenous khmer krom people's rights and freedom fairly and humanely, cambodia should not allow the same rights and freedoms to the overseas vietnamese who reside in cambodia. wake up, cambodia, something is wrong with this picture! until they stop mistreating the indigenous khmer krom people, why should cambodia and khmer people in cambodia give the overseas vietnamese their rights and freedom in cambodia? common sense, you know! it should be a two-way street, not one-way!

Anonymous said...

2:01AM,

What you said is true.

There is also a lot of disunity amongst the Khmers in Cambodia, the Khmer Surin, the Khmer Krom and over-seas Khmers.

KHMER SURIN: The Khmer Surin tends to try and act as if they are pure Thai people. Kind of like an identity crisis that is prevalent to them even though Thailand treats them as second-class citizens. A good portion of them consider themselves Thai and just like their Thai counterparts, look down on Cambodians.

KHMER KROM: Suffered years of persecution under the Vietnamese and as a result, their human rights have always been violated. Vietnam tries very hard to assimilate them into becoming Vietnamese speaking and upholding Vietnamese customs and cultural traditions. For the most part, the Vietnamese wants the Khmer Krom to think of themselves as Vietnamese and throw away their Khmer language, religion, roots and traditions. To the Khmers, they are seen as "Vietnamese" and to the Vietnamese, they are treated as second-class citizens.

KHMER (kandal): Has a heritage of jealousy, power struggle and violence amongst each other. The current government is a kleptocratic dictatorship, yet it is considered the most democratic in about 40 years. The country has been through hell. Cambodians don't really know how to deal with their own pains and for the most part, Cambodians tend to take advantage of each other and back stab one another even when their country is poor as shit. The political elites and high military officers tend to be highly corrupted in which natural resources are mishandled, state assets are stolen and sold, treatment to everyday citizens involves disenfranchising them and intimidation,and the list goes on and on.

Anonymous said...

Ah Hun Xen will die soon and Khmer krom will be free!!!

We are with you Khmer Krom!!!!!
Khmer Krom + Khmer Kandal and Khmer sorin are alltogether and will be very strong!!!!

Ah Hun Xen will die the same Ah Hok Lundy soon!!!

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen is a sore looser. CPP is always control by YOUN. That's why those YOUN have more rights and privileges than Khmer in some way.

HUN SEN is a true blind person to this issue.

Before HUN SEN takes control over Cambodia he surely gave insurance to YOUN. Can Hun SEN see how Khmer Krom being treated????

May lightning strike HUN SEN like Hok Lundy sooner!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Khmer Krom please don't lost hope. I've read a lot of world history around. I've encountered the history of Greece. Greece which was a mighty empire one time just like us the Khmer empire. But they got weaker and weaker then the Turkish took over them and controlled them +400 years. But they (Greece) always united and fought for their freedom. Finally, they decolonized themself out of the Turk. For +400 years that was long for Greece and managed to free themself. For us Khmer Krom, I would say the history got mishandled to us. The French illegally gave our lands our nation to the YOUN in the 1940+. That's not long ago. We can't still tell the world that lands always belong to us. The French had put the Case of Cochinchina (Khmer Krom) on pending due to Cambodia political turmoil from the 70,80 and 90. I bet if we work harder they will bring this case back to life. Remember the case is being pending in Paris.

United Khmer Krom,

Anonymous said...

what everyone here is saying is their understand of khmer thinking; that is good. so, it is time for all khmer people to wake up from that hibernation and open their eyes. we are living in a competitive world here. so get out of our comfort zone and teach our fellow khmer how to unite and be competitive. yes, do learn from everybody, i mean everybody, enemies, friends, family, strangers, acquaitence, foes, and so on. learn from everybody! this is how the world evolve and how we all can become smarter by learing from others, by adapting to new way and integrating to new way; doesn't mean we have to abandon our culture and tradition and so on, it just mean we are smarter by incorporating new way so be can live better and have a better life and make cambodia a better country with smart, intelligent khmer people and so on. so, do wake up, people! stop being 'tadpole in a fishbowl for too long already. the world is bigger than our oyster shell, you know! if now don't try to adapt and adopt to better ourselves we will always fail and weak. please wake up and learn and be smarter by opening our eyes and see what our neighbors are doing or the world is doing for that matter! we are khmer, we should be proud of ourselves and our country. god bless cambodia.

Anonymous said...

I love the Vietnamese. My mother works at a brothel in Svay Pak and I was fathered by a low-level Vietnamese soldier. Ah Pouk Scam Rainxy never accepted me nor do the over-seas potato diggers...that's why I hate Ah Pouk Scam Rainxy and cherish the Vietnamese that considers me as one of theirs. His Excellency Hun Sen will make sure that me and my Vietnamese wife will have a good future. Ah Pouk Scam Rainxy would never let me have a good future.

Anonymous said...

We are all Khmer, included Khmer Surin, Khmer Krom, Khmer Champa and Khmer Mon. Please don't call us Cambodian, Cambodgien or Kambodschaner.

Anonymous said...

nobody should have to live anywhere in fear. because living in fear and threat cause people to take action. that is human nature. if they respect the law and don't hurt or harm others in way shape or form, that let them be! treat everybody in accordance to the rule of law, then there is nothing to be afraid of because the law protects everybody. until we all can understand that, cambodia still has a long way to go before the dust settled and the water is clear, to use this cliche. god bless cambodia.

Anonymous said...

2:53am,

What are you talking about?

Anonymous said...

So what do you really want, Ah Jkout (2:53)? The only think Khmer Leu, Khmer Mon, Khmer Surin, and Khmer Krom got left is some blood and drinking water. You guy have stolen everything that belong to them already.

Anonymous said...

When is somebody gonna some the communist hanoi? Perhap never ! Perhap since will be no true freedom or justice. Perhap this world should end soon as according to Mayian chronicle or the second coming of Masiah.

There will be no peace, for this world is too currutped and cruel.

Anonymous said...

4:05AM,
No one stole anything you idiot. Only the Siem and the Yuon, through conquest, deceit and manipulation. Learn your Cambodian history through a holistic approach and understand the context of things before you spit shit out of your mouth and make yourself sound ignorant.

It's Cambodians with the mentality like you that further handicaps Cambodian society.

Anonymous said...

4:05AM! don't feel bad dude! we are all khmer brother and sister bro! we' all came from one blood line home!...Siamese/Vietcong are screwing us up from the begining, don't be mad at your families, come and have a smoke with me home!

Anonymous said...

2:45 AM Chea dongkov ach in this forum.

Anonymous said...

You are sick, 5:51, you know that? You steal everything from everyone of us, and you got the gut to call us brother. Why don't you do that with your real brother and sister and see how they really take it, dude.

Anonymous said...

For most of the people who are come to this world, do good deed and then go to a better Place.
For the bad Viet Namese or Viet Cong come to this world dig the hole go to HELL.
What Make these Viet think they can get a way with the crime they have commited, it just a dumb stupid people.they will BURN in Hell I can tell you that!

Anonymous said...

I could see everything from your eyes. Do not lose hope. We only need a person who is able to reunited all Khmers, and this person will show up soon or later.

Anonymous said...

Fair enough, but meanwhile stop calling us, let us call you instead, okay?

Anonymous said...

8:01 leave your Phone # with your name so we know not to call you again.