Friday, 12 June 2009Written by Holly Pham and Neth Pheaktra
The Phnom Penh Post
AS the June 18 deadline for his asylum application draws near, Buddhist monk and human rights activist Tim Sakhorn says he is confident the United States government will grant him political asylum and allow him to settle in America.
Tim Sakhorn, an advocate for the rights of southern Vietnam's ethnic Khmer minority, popularly known as Khmer Krom, fled from Cambodia in April and has been living at an undisclosed location in Bangkok awaiting the US government's decision, expected next week.
"I am now waiting for an official confirmation from [the UN High Commissioner for Refugees]," Tim Sakhorn said by phone from Bangkok, adding that he is going to have a meeting with officials from the US Embassy in Bangkok soon.
"I strongly believe that I deserve asylum status since the threats from the Vietnamese authorities are real."
The 41-year-old monk, who was arrested and defrocked in Cambodia in June 2007 before being deported and jailed for a year in Vietnam on charges of undermining its national unity, fled to Thailand when Vietnamese authorities allowed him to enter Cambodia on April 4 to visit
family in his native Takeo province.
"It is difficult for Khmer Krom to stay in this country: The Thai authorities will arrest as soon as they find us," Tim Sakhorn said.
"It is a bit easier for monks since they can rely on pagodas for day-to-day support, but regular Khmer Krom have a hard time even finding shelter or paying for food. Khmer Krom will face serious problems if the UN fails to recognise our rights to refuge," Tim Sakhorn said.
The Bangkok office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has granted temporary refugee status to five Khmer Krom monks, allowing them to stay in Thailand pending the approval of an asylum bid to other countries.
Ang Chanrith, executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said the UNHCR is expected to release the official verdict on Tim Sakhorn's case on Thursday, while the refugee status of the other five Khmer monks will be finalised by early July.
He said Thailand is now a temporary home for more than 200 Khmer Krom currently applying for residence in third countries.
Since early 2009, the UNHCR has helped four Khmer Krom refugees obtain political asylum in the United States, while an additional 71 have received temporary refugee status and are waiting to move on to another country.
Worsening situation
Thach Setha, president of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association, said the rapid increase in the number of Khmer Krom refugees in Thailand was due to the series of protests against rights abuses committed by the Vietnamese authorities in 2007 and 2008.
"Even after having fled to Cambodia, [the Khmer Krom] are not safe. The Vietnamese authorities continue to track them down here. This is why they must seek asylum in another country," he said.
In a report on the Khmer Krom issued in January, Human Rights Watch recorded the "severe and often shrouded" methods used by the Vietnamese government to stifle freedom of religion and other basic rights of the Khmer minority in the Mekong Delta.
The US Embassy in Bangkok could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Tim Sakhorn, an advocate for the rights of southern Vietnam's ethnic Khmer minority, popularly known as Khmer Krom, fled from Cambodia in April and has been living at an undisclosed location in Bangkok awaiting the US government's decision, expected next week.
"I am now waiting for an official confirmation from [the UN High Commissioner for Refugees]," Tim Sakhorn said by phone from Bangkok, adding that he is going to have a meeting with officials from the US Embassy in Bangkok soon.
"I strongly believe that I deserve asylum status since the threats from the Vietnamese authorities are real."
The 41-year-old monk, who was arrested and defrocked in Cambodia in June 2007 before being deported and jailed for a year in Vietnam on charges of undermining its national unity, fled to Thailand when Vietnamese authorities allowed him to enter Cambodia on April 4 to visit
family in his native Takeo province.
"It is difficult for Khmer Krom to stay in this country: The Thai authorities will arrest as soon as they find us," Tim Sakhorn said.
"It is a bit easier for monks since they can rely on pagodas for day-to-day support, but regular Khmer Krom have a hard time even finding shelter or paying for food. Khmer Krom will face serious problems if the UN fails to recognise our rights to refuge," Tim Sakhorn said.
The Bangkok office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has granted temporary refugee status to five Khmer Krom monks, allowing them to stay in Thailand pending the approval of an asylum bid to other countries.
Ang Chanrith, executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said the UNHCR is expected to release the official verdict on Tim Sakhorn's case on Thursday, while the refugee status of the other five Khmer monks will be finalised by early July.
He said Thailand is now a temporary home for more than 200 Khmer Krom currently applying for residence in third countries.
Since early 2009, the UNHCR has helped four Khmer Krom refugees obtain political asylum in the United States, while an additional 71 have received temporary refugee status and are waiting to move on to another country.
Worsening situation
Thach Setha, president of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association, said the rapid increase in the number of Khmer Krom refugees in Thailand was due to the series of protests against rights abuses committed by the Vietnamese authorities in 2007 and 2008.
"Even after having fled to Cambodia, [the Khmer Krom] are not safe. The Vietnamese authorities continue to track them down here. This is why they must seek asylum in another country," he said.
In a report on the Khmer Krom issued in January, Human Rights Watch recorded the "severe and often shrouded" methods used by the Vietnamese government to stifle freedom of religion and other basic rights of the Khmer minority in the Mekong Delta.
The US Embassy in Bangkok could not be reached for comment Thursday.
15 comments:
whenever it comes to Thailand is related in a Khmer story, someone or this stupid blog should blame Thailand, now when they see that Thailans is playing an important role in helping a Khmer, no ones says nothing.
A lot of Khmer Krom in Thailand will inform the Thai to help Khmer Krom.
Because I think there are a lot of Khmer Krom currently living in Thailand too.
KhmerKromSruin,
Why someone should blame Thailand?When they are doing the right things.
12:55AM You are the stupid one who can't tell from right and wrong.
To all the writers: Khmer Krom are Indigenous not Ethnic. Please use the right words. I know you are smarter than the Viet!
Khmer Khet Long-Ho.
We, the CPP, the terrorizer of the Khmer people. We burned down homes, grabbed land and sell it foreigner for development in the name of public domain. We are the Clans of Kleptocratic family. There are no law in Cambodia. ONLY HUN SEN and HIS INTERESTS ARE THE LAWS.
HUN SEN = head of CPP = king of Cambodia = dictator and ruler of Cambodia.
These are the facts.
Pi Anh: PPU. Knowledge is Infectious.
Don't you think Thailand wanted to see YOUN fail? I bet they do. Cause YOUN has taken a lot of Khmer's land. Since Thailand can't get anything recently they will not be happy to see YOUN strong. Thailand will support Khmer Krom for self determination.
Khmer/Thai,
You see, how many Khmer Krom were arrested last night in Thailand and now they are being detained in provincial prison. Listen RFA.
Khmer Krom are getting all support throughout the whole world. They always improved their rights each time they stage a protest or demonstration. They will soon become a country. Thailand secretly teaching and training Khmer Krom how get ready when the situation arrive. They are forming government in exile.
KhmerKrom/Peam,
PPU=Pee Poop Urine!!
ខែ្មរក្រោមត្រួវតែរើបំរះដើម្បីធើ្វជាមា្ចស់ខ្លួន។
សង្ឃឹមថាទៅថ្ងៃមុខលោកហ៊ុនសែនភ្ញាក់រលឹកទ្បើង
ជួយដោះស្រាយរឿងកម្ពុជាក្រោមផង។កុំឲ្យដួចពាក្យ
ថាចុះទឹកក្រពើទ្បើងលើខ្លានុះ!!
Fellow Khmers,
As most of you, I consider KI blog as a medium for me to stay connected with our fellow citizens and to be informed of the current affaires in Cambodia. There is however another reason, the most important one, for my regular visits at KI blog – to observe and study the trend, the intellectual and mental capacities, the progress and the evolution of Khmer society in general.
My general impression so far is that our people still have a lot of works to catch up. Although we have received better and more advanced education and can express ourselves in English with different levels of proficiency, we have not made much progress in term of problem solving capacity. We are still very heavily influenced by the traditional - and most of the times - emotional ways of addressing a particular issue. If our nation is to survive and be able to face the present and future challenges, we must work harder and smarter, and start to see the world as what it really is, not as what it appears to be or what we wish it to be...
Recently I visited a Vietnamese blog as I want to know where they are compared to us. And just to give you an idea of what they are talking about, how they talk to each other and what their philosophy is …etc, here is a fragment of an article from their blog. I leave it to you to make your own impression. However, I strongly urge you to consider this fragment of article as a personal challenge to surpass. We were once a great nation and we can be it again if we chose to.
Khmer Academy
--------------------
“… I walk around Vietnam and see a teenage child, in denial that its parents recently divorced. So much potential, yet confused about how to achieve all it wants to. Horrible scars from the fighting, covered up by adopting everything superficial as quickly as possible--hot motorbikes, fashion, sexual liberation.
Granted, I'm living in Ho Chi Minh City, and it's more western and liberal than the rest of Vietnam. However, it still influences Vietnam through its money and presence on tv.
You cannot blame the older generation for constantly reliving such a trying time, nor for the youth to naturally gravitate to that which satisfies their worldly appetites. All you can hope for, is that sometime, somewhere, the grandchildren of those who lived through the war will understand the role the Indochine wars played in shaping their country, take from their grandparents a healthy dose of realism and respect for death, take from their parents hope and zest for life, and become the Vietnam that ….
Posted by: Triet | February 10, 2006 at 11:53 AM
Fucking Hun Sen;
Hun Sen portrates everything for YOUN, He fucks SRAY YOUN.
we are sure that GOD condemns this fucking Guy and his members such as OURM Yentaing, Chearm Yarp, and so on to hell like Houk Londy.
Please God keep condemning all these men to death.
To 12:55AM
It wouldn't make Thailand looks good in the eye of international community if the Siem leaders chose to turn their back on Monk Tim Sakhorn! And beside Monk Tim Sakhorn is well known among international community for being a victim of human right abused by Vietcong government and AH HUN SEN Vietcong puppet government! For your information, Thailand is also a strong supporter of United Nation in human right!
The Siem leaders save a few Khmer who are well known among international community to save their face but for those unknown Khmer and they wouldn't hesitate to kill them in a heart beat! If you want to know how the Siem leaders treat the Khmer people just ask those Khmer Refugee people living in United Nations refugee camp (more like a UN prison) in Thailand in 1980! I had seen it all and it is hell!
To 4:14AM Khmer Academy
You are over analyzed what the Viet have to say...
For a nation to be great and it depends on great leadership...Cambodia as a country had been cursed by war, betrayal, and adoption of slave mentally as puppet to serve other nation...while Cambodian people are forced to take the back seat pretending to be dumb, deaf, and lack the sense of right and wrong to be a decent human!
Remember, Cambodian people never force death, destruction, war, uncivilized, backwardness, misery, destitute, despair upon themselves and it is a few Cambodian leaders who force their way of seeing the world upon Cambodian people!
Yes...Cambodia can be a great country again and it starts with Cambodian leadership!
We thanks Sakhorn for his good karma for our fellows KK. Your will receive good karma with blessing from America.
God Bless America! and KK
I'm also seeking political asylum from the United States Embassy because of political vituperation from Ah Scum Rainsy.
PPU
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