Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Khmer Krom migrants appeal to UN envoy as conditions deteriorate

Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

They had no confidence in the government’s ability to help them.
A GROUP of ethnic Khmer Krom who say they are fleeing persecution in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region are making a public appeal to a UN-appointed rights watchdog, claiming Cambodian officials have not been receptive to their pleas for citizenship.

Thach Soong, a representative of 19 Khmer Krom still seeking asylum after fleeing to Phnom Penh following their deportation from Thailand on December 5, said the government has ignored their repeated requests to formally recognise them as Cambodian citizens.

The group now hopes the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, who began his second official visit to the Kingdom on Monday, can step in.

“We know he is visiting Cambodia, so we want to ask him for help,” Thach Soong said.

If he doesn’t help us, then we will die.

The group has remained in limbo since arriving in December. They have asked for formal identity cards, food, housing and official recognition as Cambodian citizens.

Officials have so far brushed aside requests for identity cards and housing, causing alarm among the asylum seekers.

Already, five among the group – a woman, two men and two girls – have returned to Thailand in another attempt to seek asylum there, Thach Soong said.

“They had no confidence in the government’s ability to help them,” he added.

Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, could not be reached for comment Monday. But he has previously said that any Khmer Krom is entitled under the constitution to live in Cambodia.

Accused monks hiding

Also, five Khmer Krom monks who claim police are accusing them of distributing anti-Vietnamese leaflets that have outraged senior government officials remain in hiding.

“We dare not show our faces, because we fear arrest,” said Liv Phally, one of the five, who believe authorities have targeted them.

Interior Ministry officials, however, have stated that they have never threatened to arrest the monks.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY THARUM BUN

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stupid, Khmer seeking Asylum in their own country Cambodia.
Who can't do this kind of asylum or these people are Viets ?
In case they are Viets, than the Cambodian government should send them to Hanoi.

Anonymous said...

If khmer don't love Khmer, no one in the world will love them. Khmer gov't needs to learn from Aust, try to create a system to protect all for one and one for all. Both opposition leaders need to learn to work together as a team (both left and right are significantly important, the main issue is to be more focused on how to generate income for the nation, e.g. transporting rice, fish and other materials as well as try to import all machinaries for doing the job!. labouring by the use of machinaries not by human energy in which it will be too slow. Aust, is only 200 years old and is far more developed than those countries which existed 1000 of years old! Khmer needs to learn from the Aust way of life as quick as possible,or else we will have nothing left. Aust

Anonymous said...

Khmer and viet have always been good friends,but the wicked one are the Chiness and the USA and they used khmer to attack viet because viet choose to be part of the USSR. Anyway, half of the Khmer population are now vietkhmer, we might as well be one. we must promote unity, by treating each other kindly. Without viet's help we would not be here today. So, stop calling each other's name. we need one another if we want to be more successful. we must migrate at least 2-3 million more viets and place them around phrea vihear area so that they can be the country's keepers, it will be good for both nations, do it now and do it fast! K. intelligent

Anonymous said...

5:15pm ahahaaaaahhaaa
you are so funny. Funny person! Do you think your comments will hurt Hun Sen and his CPP.

Anonymous said...

This site is also frequented by CPP supporters, Yuons and Thais.

Anonymous said...

Only animal that do not recognize their own race!!!Would the CPPs fit this description?!

The CPPs do not recognize their own race, but recognize the Viets as Khmer instead.

Khmer Angkor

Anonymous said...

5:15 PM

You sound like stupid person or ah yuon....

Anonymous said...

"You sound like stupid person or ah yuon...."
11:36 PM

And you sound like a dick-sucking jerkhead.

Anonymous said...

"We must migrate at least 2-3 million more viets"

I agreed. Khmers are only good at killing ourselves but we get beaten up by other races everytime. Let's merge with the Viets so we can become the hunter instead of the hunted for once.

Khmer wishing to be Viet

Anonymous said...

Shame, shame, shame on you to wish yourself to be Viet!!!Viet would kill all if you hand them the handle of a sword! Look at how Viets turned Champa into? No man's land!!!Kampuchea Krom is almost like Champa. Now is Lao and Cambodia's turn to be exterminated by the Viet.

Anonymous said...

គួរឲ្យអស់សំណើចដែរដែលមេបក្សរបស់អស់លោកបានធ្វើឲ្យប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរជាប់គុកជាប់ច្រវាក់
ហើយខ្លួនឯងរត់ចោលប្រជាជន។នេះហើយមេបក្សដ៏ល្អសម្រាប់មនុស្សអគតិមួយចំនួនបានដើរតាម។មិនយួរទេសមេបក្សអស់លោកនឹងធ្វើរឿងមួយដ៏ធំ
ប្រឆាំងនឹងរាជរដ្ធាភិបាលហើយឲ្យលោកទាំងនោះ
ជាប់គុកហើយមេរបស់អស់លោកនឹងដើរចេញពីអស់លោក។បើតាមខ្ញុំគិតមិនយួរទេនឹងមានរឿងដ៏ធំ
ហើយចម្លែកទៀត។វាគួរឲ្យសោកសង្រេងណាស់ដែលបក្សពួកប្រឆាំងនៅកម្ពុជាមិនដែលនិយាយអំពីបរទេសមកស្រុកខ្មែរហើយបានធ្វើអំពើផ្តេសផ្តាស់នេះសោះហើយម្ាក់ៗអួតក្តែងៗថាស្រឡាញ់ខ្មែរណាស់មិដាច់ពីមាត់ទេ។លោកប្រឆាំងនៅស្រុកខ្មែរអើយកុំឃើញបក្សប្រឆាំងនៅជប៉ុនឈ្នះឆ្នោតហើយបក្សប្រឆាំងនៅស្រុកខ្មែរឡើងចាងនោះវាមិនខ្មេះទេ។បក្សប្រឆាំងនៅស្រុកគេបានធ្វើឲ្យប្រទេសពួកគេជឿនលឿនចំណែកឯបក្សប្រឆាំងនៅស្រុកខ្មែរធ្វើឲ្យប្រទេសអន់ថយហើយអព្ធមុខថែមទៀត
ចាំជាតិក្រោយទៅក្រែងលោបានខ្លះប៉ុន្តែជាតិនេះមិនឈ្នះគណបក្សប្រជាជនទេលោកប្រឆាំងអើយ។

Anonymous said...

Khmer Krom are Khmer people, from Kampuchea Krom! OMG, some people need to read and learn their own history. The area was illegally ceded to Vietnam by France on June 1949. Khmer Krom people are indigenous to the area of the Mekong Delta. Since the early 1700's the mass migration of Vietnamese soared in the millions. The implementation of Viet Adminstration in the area by France, proved deadly for Khmer Krom survival. They have committed Genocide against Khmer Krom people, called Tae-Ong Genocide. Atrocities against Khmer Krom, such as land-grabbing, political and religious persecution has made life a living hell for Khmer Krom people. People in Cambodia can relate to the plight of Khmer Krom people, because this is what is happening in present day Cambodia. The Viet puppet Regime of Hum Sen is feeding Cambodia and it's people to Vietnam.
Cambodia needs to free itself from the Balls and chains of Vietnam, Vietnam is only after it's national interest. They have always encroached upon our land and natural resource, remember the Vietcong backed up the Khmer Rouge and they are the mastermind behind the Killing Fields. When Pol Pot refused to follow their agenda, they invaded Cambodia on January 7, 1979 and pretended to Liberate. Traitors like Hun Sen and CPP party, force the whole country to celebrate January 7, 1979 to try to fool everyone to believe that it is liberation and not invasion. Under Hun Sen and CPP, Cambodia will be taken off the map by Vietnam, just like Champa.

To Khmer wishing to be Viet,
You are not Khmer, but a traitor to think like that!