Urgent Appeal for the Release of the former Khmer-Krom Abbot

Urgent Appeal for the Release of the former Abbot Khmer-Krom

Background

Mr. Thach Sophon was ordained as a Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk in 1990 and was promoted to the Abbot of the Kampong Kasann temple (or Chua Moi in Vietnamese) in Khom 8, Phuong 6, Preah Trapeang province (renamed Tra Vinh) since 2000.

On July 22, 2010, Vietnamese authorities coerced Mr. Thach Sophon to defrock.

A week later, on July 29, 2010 at 11:00 am, the Tra Vinh provincial police came to the Kampong Kasann monastery and kidnapped Mr. Thach Sophon.

Prior to his defrocking and kidnapping, Mr. Thach Sophon was active in promoting and encouraging his monk students to study abroad, such as at the universities in Thailand. He also encouraged and exercised freedom of information by using communication devices such as the satellite dish to listen to world news. Mr. Thach Sophon also took safety and security measures to protect against thieves who entered the temple to steal artifacts and vandalize the temple. We believe that the above activities have been the grounds in which Vietnamese authorities have used to defrock and apprehend Mr. Thach Sophon.

Mr. Thach Sophon’s whereabouts remains unknown to his family members and to his many Khmer-Krom Buddhist followers to date.

On behalf of the defenseless Khmer-Krom family of Mr. Thach Sophon, we seek the urgent attention of the international community to:

• Help closely monitor and help investigate the disappearance of the Mr. Thach Sophon in Tra Vinh province.
• Request that Vietnam uphold their commitment to human rights and to immediately release Mr. Thach Sophon without conditions attached.
• Urge the government of Vietnam to respect the rights of Mr. Thach Sophon as the indigenous people of the Mekong Delta to freely express his opinion and practice his religion.

Sincerely yours,
Thach Ngoc Thach
KKF President

KKF Staff and Three KK Buddhist Monks in Washington, DC.

Venerable Tim Sakhorn (Photo: VOKK)

Venerable Danh Tol (Photo: VOKK)

Venerable Kim Muon (Photo: VOKK)

May 05, 2010
By Lenny Thach,
KK HR Advocacy

The KKF Staff and three KK Buddhist Monks visited the U.S State Department – Vietnam Desk, Cambodia Desk and Refugees Officer on May 04, 2010, to raise the issues on Refugees case, Khmer Krom human rights violation in Vietnam, Religious Freedom and the most important to bring the live witnesses to meet them; the victims below are the live witness:

• Ven. Tim Sakhorn Former Chief monk of Phnum Den, Cambodia.
• Ven. Danh Tol Former Buddhist monk from Soc Trang, Kampuchea-Krom
• Ven. Kim Muon Former Buddhist monk from Bac Lieu, Kampuchea-Krom

During their visit, they met with U.S State Department Staff Mark-Vietnam Desk, Adam West-Cambodia Desk and Refugees Officer to discuss the Khmer Krom issues in Vietnam and Cambodia. The Khmer Krom people in Vietnam are still restricted of their freedom of religious practice, human rights violations against Khmer Krom, detain, imprison, place under house arrest for the people who expression their freedom assembly in VN.

Mr. Thach N. Thach, KKF president and Mr. Giap Tran, KKF Administrator, and Ven. Tim Sakhorn were also briefed on the Vietnam’s policy making is not in process and its political and economic prospects by the wide range of policymakers and analyst. Especially, they have raises important such as; the religious freedom, CERD, legal system, refugees cases and human rights violation in Vietnam.

The KKF’s Delegates urged the U.S State Department to take immediate attention and to urge Vietnam to respect the Human Rights of the Khmer-Krom people, so the mockery trial as seen in Venerable Tim Sakhorn’s case and the Five KK Buddhist Monks will not happen again with the innocent Khmer-Krom people.

Tim Sakhorn, Danh Ton and Kim Muon are re-ordained as Buddhist Monks again

Tim Sakhorn during his sham trial in Vietnam

Danh Ton (L) and Kim Muon (2nd from left) during their sham trial in Vietnam after they were forced to defrock
Danh Ton, Tim Sakhorn and Kim Muon prior to being re-ordained (All photos: VOKK.net)
Participants to the Khmer Krom monks re-ordainment ceremony
Re-ordainment ceremony
Danh Ton (L), Kim Muon (C) and Tim Sakhorn taking their vows

On Monday 03 May 2010, three Khmer Krom monks who were forced to defrock in Cambodia and Kampuchea Krom, have been re-ordained again. The ceremony took place at Wat Soriyarainsey, Philadelphia, USA.

For additional information please click the following link: http://www.vokk.net

KKF Welcomes Tim Sakhorn, Kim Moeun & Danh Ton to USA

Picture: KKF members welcome the former monks at the airport

Source: Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation

Members of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation and the general Khmer community in Philadelphia, USA are today celebrating the arrival of Khmer Krom latest heroes and human rights activists, Tim Sakhorn, Danh Ton and Kim Mouen.

On 8th February 2007, two hundred Khmer Krom Buddhist monks from Khleang (renamed Soc Trang) conducted a peaceful demonstration demanding religious freedom. Five monks, amongst them Danh Tol and Kim Mouen were forced to disrobed by Vietnamese authorities and sent to prison for 2 to 5 years.

Nabbed as the “Khmer Krom hero that rose from the delta”, Tim Sakhorn was a Khmer ‐Krom Buddhist monk and also an Abbot of North Phnom‐Denh temple in Phnom‐Denh village, Karivong District, Takeo province, Cambodia. On June 2007, he was defrocked and then deported to Vietnam by the Cambodian government for an alleged crime of undermining the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

In 2009, Kim Moeun and Danh Ton fled Vietnam after being released from prison and made the perilous journey through Cambodia to Thailand seeking asylum. When Tim Sakhorn was allowed to visit Cambodia for his mother’s funeral in April, 2009, he too fled to Thailand on a motorbike. They were accepted by the Sweden government later the same year.

Today, they are celebrating their survival and sharing their stories to the world. The former monks are expected to attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues this coming week, travel to Washington DC and visit Khmer and Khmer Krom community around the USA to testify against the Vietnam government and tell the world the reality in Kampuchea-Krom.

The subservient Hun Sen's regime continues its oppression on Khmer Krom monks to serve the interest of its Hanoi master

4 Khmer Krom monks facing forced defrocking

17 November 2007
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A source indicated that four Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks residing in Cambodia are currently facing forced defrocking and eviction from their pagoda in the near future. The four are accused of involvement and working for the US-based Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation in the world (KKF) movement.

The source claimed that the 4 Khmer Krom monks are currently residing in Wat O’Andoung pagoda, Banteay Neang commune, Mongkul Borey district, Banteay Meanchey province, in Cambodia’s northwest. The four monks were questioned by three cops in the evening of Saturday. The cops brought along a number of documents to accuse the 4 monks, and the cops were accompanied by a monk official.

32-year-old Monk Thach Kong Phuong, one of the 4 monks targeted by the authority, told RFA by phone from Wat O’Andoung pagoda on Saturday that the local police was questioning him and accusing him of involvement in working for the KKF movement. Venerable Thach Kong Phuong said: “Right now, I am being defrocked. A monk official came to defrock us.”

The other 3 monks facing this problem are: Ven. Phauk Phal Ang, Ven. Hor Phal Ang, and Cheng Chhay Eang. They all came to live in Cambodia since 2004.

Ang Chanrith, the director of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Human Rights Defense Organization (KKHRO) said in reaction to the police threat for defrocking: “The provincial cult department committee, the district governor, and the provincial governor have threatened Khmer Krom monks, telling them to quickly leave the Wat O’Andoung pagoda within 3-day. If they don’t leave the pagoda, or they still remain in Mongkul Borey district, they will be arrested and the charge brought on Ven. Tim Sakhorn will be applied to them.”

Regarding this problem, General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the ministry of interior, said that he didn’t receive a report yet on this issue. However, he stressed that the law in Cambodia does not allow monks to use the Cambodian territories as a base to distribute propaganda serving any organization or association with the aim of opposing the government.

It should be recalled that former Monk Tim Sakhorn, the abbot of the Phnom Den North pagoda, located in Kirivong district, Takeo province, was defrocked by force by the Phnom Penh regime, and he was handed over to the Hanoi regime which accused him of conducting activities to undermined the friendship and unity between Cambodia and Vietnam, because he (allegedly) served the KKF activities.

On 08 November, the communist Hanoi regime in An Giang sentenced former Monk Tim Sakhorn to one-year of jail time. Source claimed that the sentencing of Monk Tim Sakhorn was done without the presence of any defense lawyer.

CCHR criticizes the role of the Khmer Monk-King in Monk Tim Sakhorn’s case

02 August 2007
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Ou Virak, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), told RFA that he confirmed with the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia on 02 August 2007 about the arrest of Monk Tim Sakhorn by the Vietnamese authority.

Ou Virak said: “We confirmed with the Vietnamese embassy on Cambodia, they (VN embassy) answered that they indeed arrested Tim Sakhorn. Then they answered that Tim Sakhorn is a Vietnamese citizen who lived illegally (in Cambodia) and he returned back to his country illegally, and they claimed that Tim Sakhorn received aid money to create opposition opinions against the issues in Vietnam.”

Regarding this issue, CCHR also criticized the role played by Monk-king Tep Vong in Tim Sakhorn’s case.

More Monks Defrocked As Vietnamese Crack Down on Khmer Temples

Thursday, April 19 2007
Posted by Khmer Krom Network

More Khmer Krom Buddhist monks have been reported defrocked by Vietnamese authorities just yesterday, 19 April 2007.

As hundreds march toward Can Tho yesterday morning, local police from Soc Trang gathered in force and headed towards to two temples to defrock more monks.

The latest victims are Venerable Ly Nau, 32 years old, Abbot of Peam-Buon temple and Venerable Son Thanh Phia, Abbot Dom-Po Temple from Soc Trang province.

It was alleged that the Vietnamese polices arrived early yesterday and forced Venerable Ly Nau to defrock at 8AM before heading to Dom-Po and disrobing Venerable Son Thanh Phia.

The status of both monks remains unknown.

VN forced 3 Khmer Krom monks to defrock

26 Feb 2007
By Ros Sokhit
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

The Vietnamese authority forced 3 Khmer Krom monks to defrock last Saturday, and accused them of acting as leaders in a demonstration against the communist regime.

Monk Thach Bin, a representative of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in Cambodia, told RFA on Wednesday that the 3 monks forced to defrock are: Monks Kim Moeun, Thach Deur, and Thach Svieng Hea. The three monks reside in a pagoda in Khleang province (Soc Trang in Vietnamese), in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam).

The Vietnamese authority released 4 monks among the 9 monks arrested by the Vietnamese authority last Friday.

However, the other 5 monks are still being jailed [by the Viet authority]: “I am informing you that up to now, the Viet authority has released 4 monks.”

Recently, two organizations: the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Defense, and the KKF call on the Cambodian government to intervene with the Vietnamese authority to put to an end the arrest of Khmer Krom monks, and forcing them to defrock.

Mu Sochua, SRP Secretary-General, said that the action taken by the Viet authority is a serious violation on the religious freedom which is protected by international conventions.

Mu Sochua said: “The SRP condemns the violation of the rights of Buddhist Kampuchea Krom monks, and SRP respects and recognizes our Khmer Kampuchea Krom brothers and sisters as Cambodians who are victims of religious persecutions perpetrated against our Monks.”

Up to now, RFA could not contact the Vietnamese authority for clarification on this issue. In the past, the Cambodian authority used to say that it would not ignore this issue.

Frequently, Khmer Kampuchea Krom associations and Khmer Kampuchea Krom people have accused the Vietnamese authority of violating their rights and freedom of expression and religious belief.