The CPP celebrates 56 years of its communist root

June 28, 2007
Cambodian CPP celebrates 56th anniversary of its founding

The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) commemorated the 56th anniversary of its founding on Thursday.

The Khmer People's Revolutionary Party, presently known as the Cambodian People's Party, was founded on June 28, 1951 by the Cambodian people's struggle for independence and freedom, Chea Sim, the Chairman of CPP, said while addressing a ceremony in Phnom Penh.

In the past five decades, serving as the leading political force born out of people's movement, the CPP overcomes untold obstacles, while bringing about great historic achievements for the nation, and clearly showing its great capability and nature, he added.

The CPP will continue to closely cooperate with the co-ruling Funcinpec Party to successfully implement the policies of the Cambodian government, Chea Sim said, adding that this cooperation will continue to consolidate beyond the 2008 parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, Chea Sim also expressed his deepest grief over the tragic accident caused by the plane crash on June 25.

"The meeting shares its deepest and saddest condolence with families and relatives of those who died in the accident and wish them serenity world," he said.

"I also wish to express here of my appreciation and deepest thank to the armed forces and people for their wholehearted efforts under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen in search for and rescuing victims in the tragic accident," he added.

Source: Xinhua

Khmer Kampuchea Krom call for intervention

Left: Officials participating in the commemoration ceremony, CPP and CPP government officials are nowhere to be seen. Right: Opposition leader Sam Rainsy (Photo: Sralanh Khmer newspaper)

04 June 2007
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom community called on the international community and the government of Cambodia to help intervene urgently with the Vietnamese authority which defrocked, arrested, and jailed Khmer Krom monks.

During a ceremony marking the commemoration of Khmer Krom nationalist heroes, and the 04 June event (the date France decided to transfer the ownership of Kampuchea Krom to Vietnam), Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom community, called on the national and international communities to help intervene with the Vietnamese government for the release of 5 Khmer Krom monks who are currently being jailed, and the return of the religious status to 16 other monks who were defrocked by force.

Thach Setha added that these monks did not do anything wrong, they only express their opinions to demand for their ability to study Khmer literature.

Thach Setha said: “Today, on this painful day marking the loss of our lands, our voice is a calling voice, a pleading to the national and international community to please help intervene with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam government so that it releases the (Khmer Krom) monks who were sentenced to jail, and so that it allows the other 16 monks to rejoin the Buddhist religious order again. We (Cambodia) have the full right to intervene, this is not an internal issue of Vietnam, this issue involves Khmer people, this issue involves the Cambodian government.”

Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks association, said Khmer Kampuchea Krom people, the rightful owners of the lands and the waters (of Kampuchea Krom), have suffered for the past 57 years because of all kinds of Vietnamese government oppressions, such as farm land confiscation, confiscation of pagodas, and in 2007, the Vietnamese government has imposed a severe restriction of Khmer Krom monks by preventing them to go out to beg for their daily alms, by defrocking Khmer Krom monks, by jailing them, etc…

RFA was not able to obtain any comment on this issue from government officials.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who was also present at the ceremony, said that he demands that monks and laymen to have the same rights. He condemned the action taken by the Vietnamese authority to defrock and jail Khmer Krom monks, as barbaric.

Sam Rainsy said: “They (Vietnamese gov’t) oppress Khmer Krom monks, they jail them, these are barbaric acts that all those who love justice and democracy must condemn.”

The 58th mourning commemoration of the transfer of the Kampuchea Krom lands to the Vietnamese government, perpetrated by the French colonial regime in 1949, was participated by officials from the Sam Rainsy Party, the Funcinpec party, and the representative of the King only.