Peaceful Demonstration in Ottawa, Canada on 28 November 2009

Click on the poster for additional information

The Sam Rainsy Party of North America will hold a peaceful demonstration in Ottawa in front of the Canadian Parliament Building on November 28, 2009.

Parliament Building of Canada
Parliament Hill
110 Wellington Street, Ottawa
Time: 11:00am to 3:00pm.

For more information, please see the posterabove.

Siem Reap students demonstrate against school principal

Students holding protest banners in front of the Dom Dek high school (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

03 May 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A group of about 1,000 students from the Dom Dek high school, located on Sotr Nikum district, Siem Reap province, held a peaceful demonstration of Thursday 03 May morning, to protest the return to work of the school principal following an investigation conducted by an inspector of the Ministry of Education. The inspector decided to reinstate the involved school principal.

A representative of the student said that he and a large number of students cannot accept the return of Uong Kim Seung, the school principal, and San Sopheap, the school vice-principal, because the pair used violence and corporal punishments on students. The pair are also accused of inflicting cruelties on students, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear. “We do not accept this resolution, there must be a change of principal and vice-principal. We are not pleased with it because the repression [used by the pair] is too excessive.”

However, Uong Kim Seung said that he will return back to work on Friday 04 May. He insisted that he did not commit anything wrong that could lead to his suspension. “I am the principal, I am not involved in anything that could suspend me. I will return back to work from today on.”

Nea Sophon, the inspector of the Ministry of Education, who investigated the case, did not comment on the resolution to this problem. He said that he is only an investigator and he has no right to make any decision. “I cannot answer yet because I am only gathering information and report them to the higher up at the ministry [of education]. They are the one who decide, based on what I am doing, I cannot give any answer.”

Nevertheless, Tep Vuthy, a man who claimed to be the father of a student, said that he was displeased with the principal and vice-principal of the Dom Dek high school. He claimed that the school direction ordered him to pay in order to have his child name registered for taking exam. “When my son went from grade 9 to grade 10, they told me that my son does not have an identification card to take the exam. They ask me $100, it was teacher Phea. I asked them to lower the price. The teacher said that he cannot lower the price, he has to discuss it with the principal and vice-principal first. I want the removal of the principal and vice-principal…”

The dispute between the school direction and the parents of some students started since 29 March following the accusation made against the principal and his group who inflicted corporal punishment on Tan Sivorn, a male student, and they were also accused of inflicting a number of cruelties on a large number of other students.

On 24 April, a group of about 100 male and female students tried to meet with [CPP] MP Sieng Nam once already. At that time, the Ministry of Education and the deputy governor of Siem Reap province decided to temporarily suspend the school principal and vice-principal, while awaiting for an investigation from the Ministry of Education.

Over Three Hundred Protests As Vietnam Says No to Land Claims

Posted at Khmer Krom Network

Thursday 19 April, 2007- Incoming reports direct from Kampuchea-Krom minutes ago have has revealed that over three hundred protestors are currently conducting a peaceful protest against Vietnam in Sway Tong, Prek Reussey (renamed Can Tho) province, Vietnam. Listen to RFA coverage of this event in Khmer.

False promises by Vietnamese authorities to resolve land issues have sparked anger and yet another massive protest as hundreds of Khmer Krom people head to Prek Reussey.

According to the source, attempts by protestors to travel to Can Tho by cars and buses were effectively halted by Vietnamese police.

Forced into yet the same predicament as the previous protest on 8 February 2007, the Khmer Krom people have once again marched bare footed to Can Tho determined to resolve the land confiscation issues.

One of the victims of the land confiscation is Mr. Chau Son and wife is Neang Yea from An Cu Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province.

Mr. Chau Son has attempt numerous times to reclaim his land after being confiscated by Vietnamese authorities during the 1970s by filing the complaints but have been repeated rejected.

According to another victim, Mr. Chau Inh, Vietnamese authorities had threatened to take action if he continued to pursue his claims.

Unfortunately for Mr. Chau Inh, the threat came in the form of a suspicious accident that sent his nine year old daughter into hospital after being involved in a hit and run.

Mr. Chau Inh believes it was a local authority figure that initated the accident.

The previous protest conducted by the Khmer Krom people last February was temporary solved after Vietnamese authorities promised to solve the matter after Vietnamese New Year.

Two months later, the Vietnamese authorities announced that they will not be returning any of the confiscated land back to the indigenous owners of the Mekong Delta.

The announcements have sparked anger and frustration as Khmer Krom people young and old once again march to find justice in a society dominated by one way party policies.

KKN will keep you updated as events unfold.

Phnom Penh resorting to use Cambodian monks to prevent Khmer Krom monks from demonstrating in front of the VN embassy

A Cambodian man tries to prevent a clash between Buddhist monks during a protest in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 20, 2007. Two opposing groups of Cambodian Buddhist monks engaged in a street fist fight Friday during a protest to demand religious freedom for their fellow monks living in southern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Two opposing groups of Cambodian Buddhist monks fight in a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 20, 2007. The two opposing groups engaged in a street fist-fight during a protest to demand religious freedom for their fellow monks living in southern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Two opposing groups of Cambodian Buddhist monks fight in a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 20, 2007. The two opposing groups engaged in a street fist-fight during a protest to demand religious freedom for their fellow monks living in southern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Lim Yuth, right, a 23-year-old Buddhist monk, bleeds from his left eyebrow after a brawl in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 20, 2007. Two opposing groups of Cambodian Buddhist monks engaged in a street fist-fight during a protest to demand religious freedom for their fellow monks living in southern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Khmer Krom insist on delivering their letter to the Vietnamese embassy

20 April 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Khmer Krom Association displayed its determination to deliver its 2-page letter to the Vietnamese embassy [in Phnom Penh] in the morning of 20 April, even if they will be prevented to do so by the Phnom Penh authority. One Khmer Krom executive member told Kampuchea Thmei that even if the Phnom Penh municipality denied its request to hold a demonstration planned for 20 April, the Khmer Krom group is strongly determined not to cancel their demonstration. The Khmer Krom group said that their demonstration will not be violent, and that they only want to deliver their letter to the Vietnamese embassy, and that following the delivery, the demonstration will be disbanded. The letter contains 6 points related to the oppressions perpetrated by the Vietnamese authority on Khmer Kampuchea Krom, it also demands that Vietnam releases the Khmer Krom people jailed by Vietnam.