Friday, 08 January 2010
Source: UNPO
A group of 24 Khmer Krom who fled persecution in Vietnam have not been allocated a place to live in Cambodia. Below is an article published by Phnom Penh Post:
A group of 24 ethnic Khmer Krom remain in limbo after the chief of Phnom Penh’s Boeung Tumpun commune said he could not guarantee them a place to live.
The group – deported from Thailand December 5 as illegal immigrants after fleeing persecution in their native Vietnam – presented a letter to the commune chief Wednesday, asking for a place to live. Ang Chanrith, former executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said the group had sent a letter requesting identification cards, birth certificates, a family book and resident book on Tuesday to the Ministry of Interior.
Chau Sokha, 34, said the process could not take longer than a month. “The NGO that is sheltering us can only do so for another month,” he said. If the process “takes any longer than that, we will protest at the Ministry of Interior”.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed the group were free to live as Cambodian citizens, but questioned their demand for places to stay and identification cards.
“Any Khmer Krom under the Cambodian constitution are entitled to live here,” he said, but accused local NGOs and opposition parties of using the group to push their own agendas. “They are being used as political hostages,” he said.
A group of 24 ethnic Khmer Krom remain in limbo after the chief of Phnom Penh’s Boeung Tumpun commune said he could not guarantee them a place to live.
The group – deported from Thailand December 5 as illegal immigrants after fleeing persecution in their native Vietnam – presented a letter to the commune chief Wednesday, asking for a place to live. Ang Chanrith, former executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said the group had sent a letter requesting identification cards, birth certificates, a family book and resident book on Tuesday to the Ministry of Interior.
Chau Sokha, 34, said the process could not take longer than a month. “The NGO that is sheltering us can only do so for another month,” he said. If the process “takes any longer than that, we will protest at the Ministry of Interior”.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed the group were free to live as Cambodian citizens, but questioned their demand for places to stay and identification cards.
“Any Khmer Krom under the Cambodian constitution are entitled to live here,” he said, but accused local NGOs and opposition parties of using the group to push their own agendas. “They are being used as political hostages,” he said.
8 comments:
Ruling party needs to take all the public funds that they stole and use it to help their citizens. Please take care of these families and provide them with proper housing and allow them the opportunity to start their lives in srok Khmer.
If khmer don't love kh no one in the world will! I would like to pleadge the gov't to call upon all khmer citizens who are living in the refugee camp in viet or thai to come back to their homeland for there is no other place like home. At the moment we only have 14 millions compare to others, we need more much more!. So, please try to create a safe haven for them in our own land somewhere where they can call home. In the end we belong to the earth and the earth does not belong to us, so please do the right thing. Aust
Why some idiot in Phnom Penh called these faces YOUNs? they look pure Khmer....and they are our family..!
Vietnam did! twisted things around, the same thing during pol pot's regime, by confusing all khmers and making khmers killing each other...
I am sorry to said this to this group of Khmer Krom that the Government of Cambodia welcome you to come to Cambodia and guarantee you Cambodia citizenship, but no way the Government going to guarantee you a place to live. There are no countries in the world that guarantee it citizen a place to live. If the Government guarantee you a place to live right now, soon going to be millions more Khmer Krom coming to ask for place to live.
measthes@yahoo.com
measthes@yahoo.com
11:45 AM
But y cambodia government gives all rights for youn to live and enjoy freedom in srok khmer???
Khmer pp
THESE PEOPLE ARE KHMER REGARDLESS OF THEIR CITIZENSHIP AS VIETNAMESE. They came to Cambodia as Khmers and not as Vietnamese and they are asking for help. To deny them would be ANTI-KHMER, which proves even further that the Phnom Penh government is either VIETNAMESE or even less than HUMAN.
12:01 PM Because Cambodian government are full of YUONS.
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