The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in partnership with the UNPO will hold a two day demonstration on May 7 and May 8 in Geneva to draw attention to human rights abuses taking place in Vietnam, timed to coincide with the very first time that Vietnam will undergo U.N Human Rights Council examination.Wednesday, 06 May 2009
UNPO
Human Rights in Viet Nam:
Indigenous Khmer Krom in Geneva to Call Upon
the International Community for Action
Indigenous Khmer Krom in Geneva to Call Upon
the International Community for Action
The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in partnership with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) will hold a two day demonstration on May 7 and May 8 to draw attention to human rights abuses taking place in Vietnam. The demonstrations are timed to coincide with the very first time that Vietnam will undergo their Universal Periodic Review at the U.N Human Rights Council.
On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human Rights Council convenes to examine Viet Nam's human rights record for the very first time, 400 indigenous Khmer Krom people will assemble in front of the Palais des Nations in Geneva to denounce the distressing situation of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
In a country where a great number of the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are only an abstract concept, ethnic minorities find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Sharing the Vietnamese population's harsh fate, they must also carry the full burden of their differences. The 8 million indigenous Khmer Krom find themselves in this situation. An indigenous people having lived in the Mekong delta (in southern Viet Nam) for over 3000 years, they have since the country's independence been the target of organised discriminations and expropriations. These state policies have led to the marginalisation of this population.
In a country where religious practices are subject to severe restrictions, their special bond to therevada Buddhism (a minority branch of Buddhism in Viet Nam) catalysed tensions with the regime. The instauration of Vietnamese as the country's sole language combined with the restrictions imposed on Khmer Krom temples, the last remaining institutions passing on the Khmer culture and language, have contributed to exacerbate tensions between indigenous Khmer Krom people and the regime. The legacy of the Cambodia -Viet Nam war and the current rivalry between these two countries also weigh heavily on the Khmer Krom. As Khmers (the majority ethnic group in Cambodia), they are still often perceived by a fair share of the Vietnamese as "enemies from the inside" and the authorities see any affirmation of their identity as a threat to national integrity. Victims of colonialism and of the partition of territories in the former French Indochina, the Khmer Krom have been engaged in a non-violent struggle to assert their rights and protect their culture for sixty years now.
Gathering grassroots organisations as well as Khmer Krom in diaspora, secular and religious people, personalities of various political affiliations, the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) works to give the Khmer Krom a voice on the national and international levels. On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human Rights Council convenes to examine for the first time Viet Nam's whole human rights record, 400 indigenous Khmer Krom will be present in Geneva, both inside and outside the UN buildings, to remind the international community of the situation faced by ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
07 May 2009
On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human Rights Council convenes to examine Viet Nam's human rights record for the very first time, 400 indigenous Khmer Krom people will assemble in front of the Palais des Nations in Geneva to denounce the distressing situation of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
In a country where a great number of the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are only an abstract concept, ethnic minorities find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Sharing the Vietnamese population's harsh fate, they must also carry the full burden of their differences. The 8 million indigenous Khmer Krom find themselves in this situation. An indigenous people having lived in the Mekong delta (in southern Viet Nam) for over 3000 years, they have since the country's independence been the target of organised discriminations and expropriations. These state policies have led to the marginalisation of this population.
In a country where religious practices are subject to severe restrictions, their special bond to therevada Buddhism (a minority branch of Buddhism in Viet Nam) catalysed tensions with the regime. The instauration of Vietnamese as the country's sole language combined with the restrictions imposed on Khmer Krom temples, the last remaining institutions passing on the Khmer culture and language, have contributed to exacerbate tensions between indigenous Khmer Krom people and the regime. The legacy of the Cambodia -Viet Nam war and the current rivalry between these two countries also weigh heavily on the Khmer Krom. As Khmers (the majority ethnic group in Cambodia), they are still often perceived by a fair share of the Vietnamese as "enemies from the inside" and the authorities see any affirmation of their identity as a threat to national integrity. Victims of colonialism and of the partition of territories in the former French Indochina, the Khmer Krom have been engaged in a non-violent struggle to assert their rights and protect their culture for sixty years now.
Gathering grassroots organisations as well as Khmer Krom in diaspora, secular and religious people, personalities of various political affiliations, the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) works to give the Khmer Krom a voice on the national and international levels. On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human Rights Council convenes to examine for the first time Viet Nam's whole human rights record, 400 indigenous Khmer Krom will be present in Geneva, both inside and outside the UN buildings, to remind the international community of the situation faced by ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
07 May 2009
- 16h00 – 18h00: Interview opportunities
- 18h00 – 20h30: Parc de l'Ariana, Mohandas K. Gandhi statue, Candleit Vigil and Moment of Silence in memory of the victims of the Vietnamese regime.
- 08:00 AM - 01:00 PM: Place des Nations (facing the Palais des Nations). Demonstration for the rights of the Khmer Krom in Viet Nam.
- 10h00 Buddhist Rite, Visak Bochea, followed by traditionnal giving of alms to monks.
- 11h30 – 12h00: Solemn call to Viet Nam and the international community.
- 12:00 – 13h00: Reading of the history of Visak Bochea.
- 13h00 - 16h00: Interview opportunities at the United Nations
- M. Vien Thach, KKF, Tel: +33 6 2561 1961, Email: vf2k@free.frThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Languages:French and English
- Maggie Murphy (UNPO) Tel : +31 649 864 340 Email: mmurphy@unpo.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Languages, Français, Anglais
- M. Sinh Tra, Tel: +41(.76)592 7306 Email : sinh.tra@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Languages : Suisse- Allemand
20 comments:
Please stand up and continue to fight. Our freedom is near. We must let the world know that YOUN had oppressed for years. We want to live as human being on our soil. Khmer Krom land is our land. We want our self determination or seek an autonomy. We want the world to know that we can want to follow the model of East Timore and Kosovo.
Rise up Khmer Krom!!
As long as we keep fighting for freedom and justice, victory will be on our side. Khmer Krom land will be returned back to Cambodia - the right and legitimate owner.
It is time to face the truth!
Chayo Khmer Krom!
khmer krom have to continue to voice their concerns and their rights; otherwise, the vietnamese gov't will continue to abuse their rights and freedom if they don't make themselves heard in the world. like they say, if you don't ask, you don't get it. vietnamese gov't need to respect the rights and freedom of the indigenous minorities in their country; that's all about human rights as well. god bless the khmer krom people.
I am Khmer Krom currently in rank of CPP and would like to see Khmer Krom free themselves soon.
YOUN abusing too much rights over KHmer Krom.
We must tell the world to know that we want justice and right to self determination.
East Timore, Kosovo are the prime example for us.
UN, please do something to the YOUN.
They oppressing too much!!
To all Khmer and Khmer Krom inside/outside the country please give the support to our brothers/sisters.
We want our independent or some sort of autonomous soon.
KhmerKromPP,
CPP : Communist Pro youn Party
Rises Up ALL Khmer!
Unity and international laws and international voices will shame the oppressor and killer evil youns.
We all owed to our ancestor, our history, our culture. The abuser and the oppressor must not get away. For youns must not get away with murders and have the last laugh.
Justice cannot come free and without demand. Forces must be applied.
khmerjen@usa
I am so proud of Khmer-Krom community, this is the time in our Khmer history. I wonder how Youn government facing with Hunman Right.
I would like to encourage all the Khmer-Krom and Khmer people around the world stand up for our Freedom.
Freedom of Right and Freedom of Speech.
Kaun Khmer in Blood
Now this is not the time like back 30-50 years ago that they never heard of us.
Now they can hear us clearly and know where we from and located.
Khmer is the rightful owner of the land that the damn French conspired with the YOUN and illegal pass it over to the YOUN. French, thought YOUN will preserve its attitude forever instead they got betrayed by the YOUN.
French was at fault and still do nothing for us. If I were HUN SEN I have to shut down the French Embassy in Phnom Penh to humiliate them.
KhmerPP,
Folks! or Bong Pa-own Khmer Krom,
I've read the history of Greece and the Turkish, the Turk has controlled Greece for over +400 years and the Greece managed to rise up and fought with the Turk and reclaim its identity and independent. You know, Greece was once a might kingdom just like us Khmer Empire too. They all well known through the world. They still have their civilization almost all over Europe.
For us not recently until 1945 the French illegal gave our land to YOUN. If we lost this land with a fight that is another problem but this land was transferred illegally.
We must sacrifice some human resources and time to declare to the world to let them know that we want our human rights as for to live like other human races on this planet. We are the rightful owner of the Mekong delta.
We would like to seek self-determination as soon as possible or the war will break out and cause more casualties. To this day we have our advantages such as:
We can link news and information via:
Internet
Newspapers
Cell-phone
Fax
Magazine
This is our right moment.
We don't want to live life like dark age.
We must be respected as a human being.
KhmerKrom Prey Norkor,
Unrepresented nations and peoples are gaining visibility and in a recent interview with the American journal Congressional Quarterly Global Researcher, UNPO General Secretary Mr. Marino Busdachin, gave his impressions of the challenges and hazards now facing such groups in their campaign for greater recognition in global fora. An excerpt is reproduced here.
The Congressional Quarterly Global Researcher is a subscription journal which since 1945 has enjoyed a wide circulation among decision makers in Washington D.C. and beyond. As well as a core readership of United States Congressional members, it also counts many schools, universities and libraries amongst its subscribers.
Below is an excerpt from an extensive article in the April issue of Congressional Quarterly Global Researcher. To read the excerpt in Chinese please click here.
Though several international conventions reaffirm the right to self-determination, they also pledge to uphold the “principle of territorial integrity” – the right of existing states to prevent regions form seceding. “International law grows by practice,” says Thomas Grant, a senior fellow and legal scholar at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent institution established and funded by the U.S. Congress that tries to resolve international conflicts. “The legal situation adapts itself to the factual situation”.
Consequently, the international community’s response to de facto separatist states varies widely. For example, most of the world refuses to deal with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has been punished with an economic embargo since 1973, when Turkish troops invaded Cyprus and permanently occupied the north, creating a Turkish-dominated de facto state there. Somaliland – which established a de facto state in northwestern Somalia in 1991 after the government in Mogadishu collapsed – has been largely ignored by the world community despite being a relative beacon of stability in the otherwise unstable horn of Africa. […]
Meanwhile, the island nation of Taiwan, off the coast of mainland China, is accepted as a global trading partner – the United States alone has 140 trade agreements with the Taiwanese – but not as an independent country. Few countries are willing to challenge Beijing’s “one-China” policy, which denies any province the right to secede and sees Taiwan as its 23rd province […]
Marino Busdachin – general secretary of the Hague-based Unrepresented nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), which represents 70 nonviolent movements pushing for self-determination – rails against the U.N. for not upholding that right. “Self-determination exists on papers only. It is a trap,” he says. “We cannot apply to anyone for it. The U.N. member states block us.” Moreover, he say, seeking self-determination should not be confused with demanding the right to secede. “Ninety percent of our members are not looking for independence,” he says. […]
Fixing Fragile States author [Seth] Kaplan believes separatism makes sense in a few cases, such as Kosovo and Somaliland. “But, generally, the international community is right to initially oppose separatism,” he says.
So when should a group have the right to secede? “When you are deprived of the right to participate in government, and there are serious violations of human rights, such as genocide,” says the USIP’s Grant. […]
[Günter] Dauwen points out that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned countries for not respecting the rights of ethnic minorities, but the EU doesn’t force its members to comply with those rulings. […]
Busdachin of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization says the EU “is helping to resolve separatist conflicts in many cases because it has the most advanced regime for protecting minorities.” For example, the EU has consistently pressured Turkey, which wants to join the union, to grant the Kurds the right to express their language and culture more freely. Such a move would quell some Kurds’ desire for full independence, he says, adding that he would like to see ASEAN, MERCOSUR and other regional organizations follow the EU model. […]
But independence does not always mean war. With a broadly homogenous population, its own currency, flag, army, government and airline, Somaliland is an example of how a people can effectively secede without causing chaos and violence. Somaliland’s isolation from the international community has not hindered its development – indeed it has helped, argues author Kaplan.
“The death of external involvement has kept foreign interference to a minimum while spurring self-reliance and self-belief,” he says. […]
In some cases – notably Quebec, Flanders, Wales and Scotland – separatist movements have not boiled over into violent conflict. In each, the central government granted some self-rule to the separatist region, preventing the situation from turning violent. In addition, the moments were able to argue their cases through elected political representatives in a functioning democratic system, which also reduces the likelihood of violence.
“When a country is too centralized and no-democratic, this produces separatist movements that can become violent…The responsibility is 50-50.” […]
Cheer to Khmer Krom!
Please keep up the good work.
I am proud of all "Nakk Sneha Jeat"
From me Koun Khmer moy roob,
Hello All;
Thanks to all who are supporting our community. We have to fight for our rights. it looks like we launch a big thunther stome to let the world know that we are facing humman right abuse in Southern Viet Nam (Kampuchia Krom)
Please keep supporting.
Thanks
S.N.Q.
Bravo! Brothers/Sisters Khmer Krom!!!
Dear Khmer Compatriots (KK & all Khmer descendants)
Khmer proverb says "struggle you survive, silent you die" or "effort brings us success". Khmer people have believed in the work of "termite" or "ants". Termites have small body, no perfect sense-organs, but gradually their effort witness their success of having mount-like resident (dey dombok). Khmers are still having hope through their gradual effort and commitment.
There are ongoing debates on the positive changes in a nation depended on upper elites/bourgeoisie or depended on the bottom-line participation (farmers, workers and minority)?
These debates have resulted in two schools of thought: the political change from the top-down effort has resulted in dictatorship/authoritarian/totalitarian, but political change from the bottom-up effort has resulted in democracy, justice, and egalitarian development.
Individual Cambodian has to understand that, their nation wholly depends on them not on those few elites/capitalists. Scholars have found that individuals have their capacity and hidden transcripts/power to make whole society change positively. Positive change of the whole society has not merely depended on fate or the belief on the death of few dictatorship leaders. Changes of the past, present and future have evidently been resulted by the individual effort or bottom-up struggling.
In reality, in some situation Cambodian people's quietness means their death is coming closer, but if they are waking up to struggle means they can live longer.
In the past, Cambodian people surrendered and offered their authority to top leaders. But when their hope has been always disappeared, they have begun mobilizing their own gut and effort. Cambodian people have not depended on their so-called charismatic or capable leaders any more. They have been changing to Cambodians' new insight resulting in how Cambodia can survive nowadays.
As part of the society member, Cambodian cannot expect from other's effort, they have to participate collectively. Or Cambodian cannot live silent because doing so their destiny will be stolen by the few.
Khmer Krom people are Khmer. Their culture, language and blood are Angkorean's mental and biological inheritance. Because of the awakening of individual Khmer Krom that why they can live nowadays. Khmer Krom people are different from Khmer Surins. While Vietnam's approach to Khmer Krom is different from Thailand, Khmer Krom has remained its authority and sovereignty more than Khmer Surins.
Thailand has satisfied Khmer Surin all what they desire, but Thailand has worked to eliminated the identity of Khmer Surins. Eventually, major Khmer Surins have succumbed to the ideological effort of Thailand. In contrast to Khmer Krom, Vietnam has experienced hardship to lure the Khmer Krom or we can say that "Khmer Krom has more intellectual leaders than". Intellectual leaders who have no owned the manner of selfishness and arrogance. Khmer Krom deserve to be worldwide recognized and sympathized.
In sum, Khmer Krom, Khmer Kandal, and Khmer Leur (Surin, Buriram & Si Sa Keth etc) are Khmer. We have had the same destiny: plundered and oppressed by the coming of new emerging nations (Thailand and Vietnam). Currently, we all appeal for the same goals: respecting our culture, allowing us to live our own way of lives, giving us fundamental freedom, recognizing our Khmer value, providing us self-determination, and don't eliminate our identity...etc
KY
UNITY UNITY UNITY!
please spread the around about this event, so those who can attend will attend.
Thank you all in advanced.
It is time for every Khmer to rise up against the encroaching neighbors!!!
UNITY is the CORE for every Khmer!!!!
BRAVO..! BRAVO..! BRAVO.,! KHMER KAMPUCHEA KROM...!U GUYS DARE TO FIGHT WITH YOUN,UNLIKE KHMER SCAMBODIA RULE BY HUN SEN CONSIDER YOUN AS HIS PARENTS,
from khmerchen Yellow Knife CANADA
1:52 PM
This is not the way of unity.
From the best of my knowledge French has pending the Khmer Krom case due to Cambodia and Youn was involving in war back in the 60's and 70's. Right now most Cambodian hope that HUN SEN revive the case but HUN SEN himself is under the control of YOUN. There is slip chance for HUN SEN to protest against his master. But due Khmer abroad all alike Khmer Kandal and Khmer Krom are putting the case together for Khmer Krom.
Khmer Krom must be respected by YOUN at any cost because Khmer is the rightful owner of this Mekong delta.
Khmer Krom is seeking a self determination then will let them to seek autonomy.
Khmer Krom has been wanting to follow the procedure of East Timore and Kosovo.
Khmer Krom must stand up to fight for their future.
KhmerKrom Khet Klang,
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