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| Beating of Khmer Krom monks by cops serving the atheist regime in Phnom Penh (Photo: Reuters) |
By Kim Pov
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Discrimination against Khmer Krom people living in Cambodia still remains even though high ranking Cambodian officials claimed that Khmer Krom people are full Cambodian citizens.
Source from the Khmer Krom Association in Cambodia indicated that no Khmer Krom people are seen fleeing Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam) to seek refuge in Cambodia during the period starting from the end of 2010 until now.
Ven. Chan Sophat, President of the Khmer Krom monk-students and students, said that even if the fleeing situation by Khmer Krom refugees has calmed down, it does not mean that the situation in Kampuchea Krom has been better. Quite to the contrary, the slowdown in the fleeing of Khmer Krom is due to pressure in Kampuchea Krom and the difficulties faced by Khmer Krom people in Cambodia, in particular the intense discrimination they face in Cambodia currently: “They have many ways in [Kampuchea] Krom, sometimes they try to act nice with you, but they also threaten you when they can do it.”
Talking over the phone with RFA from Kampuchea Krom, Mrs. Neang Han, a 45-year-old woman, discussed about land protests and other protests led by Khmer Krom people which are no longer taking place after a lot of them were arrested and jailed one after another, and also some resolution with small token provided [to the protesting Khmer Krom people] were observed following the protests.
Mrs. Neang Han added that many of those who oppose the Viets would rather keep quiet even though they are pleased or displeased with the resolution given to them and they no longer dare flee to Cambodia like before anymore because when they flee to Cambodia, they were arrested and sent back to their village. Some of those who flee were also arrested after they were sent back to their village: “Threat is like no threat, because when they flee to Cambodia, they are afraid to be arrested, they cannot return to their homeland [Cambodia], just like Uncle [Chau] Hen, he received a letter from the UNHCR and everything, but they still persecuted him.”
A report from the Cambodian ministry of Interior (MoI) indicated that, up to now, there are 86,000 Khmer Krom people living in Cambodia. These Khmer Krom people entered Cambodia for trade, for studying and also to flee the Viet authority.
Ven. Chan Sophat claimed that the discrimination against Khmer Krom people in Cambodia is still a serious problem, for example, the problem of obtaining Cambodian identification papers is a major problem face by Khmer Krom people and this affects their livelihood. They also face various other social pressures as well. “When they arrived [in Cambodia], they are Cambodian citizen according to the law. However, they have to face many problems, such as obtaining paperworks. Normally speaking, there is no problem, but they need paperworks for identification.”
Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, President of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF), indicated that the Cambodian authority did not protect nor take care to defend Khmer Krom people, unlike the Viet authority which pay a great deal of attention to the welfare of their citizens. To the contrary, he explained that the Cambodian authority threatens, pressures and interferes deeply in the affair of Khmer Krom associations. The Cambodian authority is also applying pressure and they tighten the freedom of Khmer Krom people, in addition to conducting surveillance on them. “As for the Viet citizens, each week, they organize all kind of programs, such as education program and, quite to the contrary, for the Khmer authority, not only they do not pay attention to Khmer Krom people living in Cambodia, but it also does not pay attention to the Khmer Krom people living in Kampuchea Krom either. We never see any high-ranking Khmer leaders paying attention to the plight of their own people, all that they do is to recite the 2 or 3 lines in the Constitution.”
He added that, for Khmer Krom people in Cambodia, living without proper Cambodian identification amounts to living without freedom and these Khmer Krom people face life dangers constantly. While the Cambodian authority does not provide them with identification papers, nor does it pay attention to the plight of the Khmer Krom people, Khmer Krom people who are being pursued by the Viet authority could not obtain help from the UNHCR to seek refugee status even though they had fled to Cambodia or Thailand already.
As of 19 Feb 2011, we still could not obtain clarification from the MoI on this issue. General Khieu Sopheak, the MoI spokesman, indicated that he was busy. However, in the past, Khieu Sopheak used to declare that Khmer Krom people are considered full Cambodian citizens when they enter Cambodia. Therefore, there is no need for them to ask for Cambodian citizenship, nor do they have any reason to ask for refugee status in Cambodia either.
In March 2010, the UNHCR in Bangkok turned down the request made by 18 Khmer Krom family members to be resettled in a third country after these Khmer Krom people fled their arrest by the Viet authority because they stood up to protest and demand back their land and rice fields confiscated by the Viet authority.
Mr. Chau Hen, a representative of the Khmer Krom protesters, returned back to his village in Kampuchea Krom, only to face arrest and sent to jail when he arrived there.
13 comments:
Why do Kos Trol, sea and lands proximately over 10 000 km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty? Why don’t Cambodia goverment transparencies explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 and what's about over 10 000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Kos Trol, Sea and lands over 10 000km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty at 1979 to 1985 treaty! Treaty! Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protect a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group rather in the real name of protecting Khmer nation?
Cambodian army at front line suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition, their families have no health care help, no securities after they die but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning with young girls message, have super health care from oversea medical treatment, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make Cambodian people suffer everyday as Cambodian people know already.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that result lost over 10 000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why don't they transparency inform all Cambodian and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't include Kos Trol (Kos Trol size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapoor with heap of great natural resources) in education system in Cambodia.
Look at Hun Sen families, relatives; friends are billionaires, millionaires where do they get the money from if we all just get out of war with empty hands? Hun Sen always say in his speech Cambodia just get up from war, just get up from Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% innocent Cambodian people are so poor struggling with living every day.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
This war is to wipe out Hun Sen 's regime plus families, relatives and friends of Hun Sen because they are making 90% cambodians so suffer every day.
Hun Sen and his families, his relatives, his friends murdered a lot of cambodian people such as K5, 1997 and so on with lost count.
To 4:28 PM
Ms. Rattana Keo does that because the problems are still out there and unsolve justicely for Cambodia and cambodian people.
Why do Hun Sen and his families, relatives, friends own The country like that? Hun Sen thinks that he is the owner of Cambodia and he can decides all cambodian people who live or die at any time he want. Just look K5, 1997 events, every cambodians who talk about lands, sea that he give to Vietnam are mysteriously murdered.
Phnom penh government should protect khmer krom like hanoi protect vietnam in cambodia .Khmer krom is the khmer blood ,if you don't protect khmer krom meaning you don't think the value of yourself.
Why don't they jiont force to crack down on Vietnamese living illegally in Cambodia? after all Khmer Krom are legally living on their own ancestor's land. That the way it's suppose to be. Instead Khmer are taking a bad reputation by serving Hanoi's evil thugs Vietnames's regime. To commit crimes against Human right violation against our own race and country. This is so lost by Khmer Hun thug regime in Phnom Pehn.
Khmer Krom are threaten to be extinguish by Vietnamese regime, so therefore they should be protected instead of crack down, or persecution by the Vietnamese and Hun's thugs regimes.
Why were those monks not at the temple?
I, feel sad for the khmer people that are khmer hate,when the need your support you turn away.This is the time to joint hands.
question why they called Khmer KROM. just like Khmer SURIN?
ARE these KHMER KROM AND KHMER SURIN ARE khmer?
"Why were those monks not at the temple?"
Because they were on their way to beg for survival.
"Why were those monks not at the temple?"
They are protesting against Yourns Dogs.
As some of the above posters mentioned, Yourns living illegally in Cambodia get supports from Yourn with text books, foods and money etc. but Khmer Krome who live on their ancestor' s land not only don' t get any support from their own government but got beat up and killed as well.
WHAT A SHAME
Tmil ort Sasna....
This is what everybody have to understand. Viets are in our country and they are involved in our government, police, military, political, etc., etc. It's not that the Khmer government dont want to help but Hun Sen is under the Viet regime and he dont want to lose his life either if he disobeys his leader, Hanoi. If you go to Srok Khmer, Viets are everywhere you go and they speak their language like it's their country. I know because I've seen it and heard it. It's just like the United States, where you have immigrants working for the government, police, military, so on and so on. But in our case, the Viets are embedded in our government and everything else so that's why most of these secret agent Viets working for high authority such as the government can deny Khmer Krom people and nobody can say anything. In fact, Viets are so embedded in Srok Khmer they take on Khmer names but in reality they are Viets. On the outside they might be Khmer but deep inside they are Viet blood only working for their people. If you see the names of these people you would know like i know that they are Viet names but they change a few letters or take out a few letters and make it similiar to Khmer names but in reality it's a Viet name such as(in Khmer they change it to "Than" but in Viet it's "Thanh" with an "H" at the end. I know for a fact khmer names dont have such names like "Than". So basically, it's all a disguise to cover up their real identity as Viets.
Yes 12:25am, you are 110% correct. So how do we solve this problem? I ask because you seem to know the problem well. Once you know what the problems are, then the next step would be to find the solutions. Please help.
And regarding to "why are those monks not at the temple?" Well because the monks know and understand the problem well. therefore, they are trying to find some solutions to help out our Khmer-Krom people. Don't believe the hype of monk should just chant and pray. That's just the YOUN propaganda that spread like wild fire among our khmer community and people. Everyone need to be involve with this so call word "POLITIC". For some reasons this word is like a taboo within our fragile community. Each country needs three things to survive: POLITIC, MILITARY, AND ECONOMIC. When all 3 are strong, that country is powerful. If not, the opposite happen. So encourage everyone to learn and use politic and it is not a bad word.
Koun Khmer
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