Reaction to the eviction of Ven. Loun Sovath

Ven. Loun Sovath (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

05 Sept 2011
By Phorn Rina
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Clashes with the authority during expression of opinions to defend the people’s rights led to the eviction order against Ven. Loun Sovath.

On Friday 02 September, representatives from 6 communities from Ta Pen village in Tbeng commune, Banteay Srey district, Siem Reap province met to issue a statement on the negative impact of land dispute resolution in Siem Reap province. At least 400 villagers came to the meeting with representatives from national and international organizations. The meeting was set to demand for resolutions for victims who lost more than 30,000-hectare of their lands, and the effect of the land loss on almost 100 families. Although he is still under threat from the authorities, Ven. Loun Sovath still participated in the meeting.

The communities’ statement included 4 points, the fourth of which called on Hun Xen and the ministry of Cult and Religion to intervene with Non Nget, the chief monk for Phnom Penh city, and Pech Sonnop, the Siem Reap monk chief, to cancel the religious order banning Ven. Loun Sovath from staying in pagodas in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap province so that he recovers all his freedom to help the nation, the religion and human rights in Cambodia.

Dong Doeung, a member from one family among the more than 1,000 families who attended the statement preparation and who faces loss of his rice field and house in Siem Reap, voiced his support to Ven. Loun Sovath, saying that the latter helped Cambodian communities in Siem Reap province and that he did not do anything that contravene the religion: “In my opinion, I say that his struggle is not against the law because the villagers are victimized by the evictions, and they [religious order] did not think about how much the Cambodian people suffer. What the people and the venerable did was not wrong because monks are issued from the people, therefore, when they see the people [suffering], they must help them. Those monks who control [religion] in the country, they should think carefully because the venerable [Loun Sovath] did not anything different from [the people] in the country. To ban him [from pagodas] make me regret very much [such action] from other Khmer people.”

On 29 August, Ven. Loun Sovath was issued a religious order from the Siem Reap Buddhist clergy and the Siem Reap authority, banning all Siem Reap province pagodas from providing refuge to him. In April 2011, [Hochimonk] Non Nget, the Buddhist patriarch, issued another order banning all Phnom Penh city pagodas from providing refuge to Ven. Loun Sovath.

Ven. Loun Sovath told RFA that he did not do anything that is against the religious law: “The accusations and the ban are also contradicting Buddhism. It was not a religious edict, but rather an absolute order issued by an individual … it was not a religious edict … it was not a religious order, I reject such orders and I will accept them … not all the 60, 000 monks in the country will agree with this religious edict, therefore, it is not a religious order.”

Regarding the authority’s decision to charge Ven. Loun Sovath of contravening religious rule, RFA asked the question to Ven. Hok Savann from Canada. The latter said that reaction by the Cambodian authority to use the clergy to accuse Ven. Loun Sovath is wrong. Ven. Loun Sovath’s actions were not political in nature, they were humanitarian actions involving social problems. Helping people through social welfare and culture is the right thing to do in Buddhism: “His actions are in agreement with the current government which pushes forward human rights, which eliminates corruption, which organizes a fair judicial system and which defends forests. This means that if Ven. Loun Sovath supports deforestation, land-grabbing from the people, then he would contravene the religious rule and the state law. But if he is in sync with the government, then he should be encouraged to continue his action.”

Ven. Hok Savann added that the Cambodian government should not support lower level government officials who banned Ven. Loun Sovath from pagodas. Ven. Hok Savann said that all monks should think again and they should not abide by this wrong edict: “For monks, before making any decision, they have to think hard because Buddhists in the world are following their actions. If they make a wrong decision, it would bring dishonor to the Cambodian clergy. Monk officials who issued the ban against Ven. Loun Sovath are tantamount to monks who support deforestation, corruption. If they just follow this edict without independently thinking among themselves then it would be even more wrong, it would be a sin against the religious rule. Furthermore, they should not evict students [who have contact with Ven. Loun Sovath] from the pagoda. These students did not know anything.”

Dr. Lao Mong Hai, an independent political analyst for Cambodia, reacted to the ban against Ven. Loun Sovath by saying that actions by monks to help suffering villagers are not against Buddha’s dharma. “Monk’s actions to help suffering villagers are not against Buddha’s dharma. Other monks should help the suffering people, they should help lead them, they should defend them, this is Lord Buddha’s path. By what I know, King Jayavarman VII wrote a thought stating: the suffering of the people is the suffering of the king. Buddhism is not just about dharma to reach nirvana only, they should help others who are suffering. Ban from contact [with Ven. Loun Sovath], by what I know, Buddha’s dharma does not have such a thing. Other monks should imitate Ven. Loun Sovath, that a good thing for Buddhism to remain strong. If they go to Nirvana by themselves, they should help the suffering people.”

Ven. Loun Sovath usually joins various protests led by communities that suffer land and housing evictions. Recently, International human rights activists indicated that threat and rights ban against Ven. Loun Sovath is a violation of his rights which are protected by Cambodia’s constitution.

The authority continues to threaten to evict students and monks residing in Ven. Loun Sovath’s housing in Wat Ounalom pagoda, and it also wants to take over the housing where Ven. Loun Sovath used to stay. This action took place after Ven. Loun Sovath received a threatening letter from the authority telling him not to take refuge in Siem Reap pagoda.