Khmer Krom activist holds talks with UNHCR officials

Hochimonk Non Nget's letter (in Vietnamese and Cambodian) ordering the defrocking of Tim Sakhorn. Non Nget now denies that he was involved in Tim Sakhorn's defrocking. Is this Hochimonk now lying as well? (Click on each letter to zoom in)

Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea and Sebastian Stragio
The Phnom Penh Post

Tim Sakhorn meets officials in Bangkok as part of asylum bid.

KHMER Krom activist Tim Sakhorn met with officials of the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Monday in Bangkok to apply for political asylum in the United States, but he will have to wait until at least June 20 to learn his fate.

The 41-year-old monk was arrested and defrocked in June 2007 before being jailed for one year in Vietnam for his advocacy on behalf of southern Vietnam's ethnic Khmer minority.

He was allowed to visit family in Takeo province April 4, but was reordained and fled to Thailand the following week.

Kitty McKinsey, UNHCR's Asia spokesperson, said that the organisation's policy was not to discuss the progress of individual cases.

But Tim Sakhorn confirmed by phone Monday that he had met with UNHCR officials, who set the ball rolling on his bid to seek asylum in the US.

"[The officials] asked me who had defrocked me and the reason they did that. I told them I was defrocked by head monks Tep Vong and Non Nget after being accused of undermining the unity between Cambodia and Vietnam," he said.

But he said that his fate remained uncertain following the meeting, and that UNHCR would inform him of the success of his bid June 20.

"I hope that I will be given asylum in America because a lot of human rights groups have encouraged them to give me refuge," he added.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that the government did not object to Tim Sakhorn's attempt to seek refuge abroad, and that it was an individual right guaranteed under local law.

But he added that the activist, like the country's 14 million other citizens, had little to fear in the Kingdom as long as he obeyed the law.

"He has nothing to fear unless he is doing something counter to the laws of Cambodia," he said Monday.

But Non Nget, Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhist Mohanikay sect, denied he had taken part in Tim Sakhorn being banished from the monkhood in 2007.

"I have never known Tim Sakhorn or seen his face," he said Monday, blaming local monks for the defrocking.

The ever shifting accusations against Monk Tim Sakhorn: Hun Sen/Tep Vong/Khieu Sopheak/Khieu Kanharith can't tell a straight lie?

Khmer Krom community asks Hun Sen to consider Monk Tim Sakhorn’s case

09 October 2007
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata and Heng Soy

The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Community (KKC) in Cambodia wrote a letter asking prime minister Hun Sen to review and reconsider the defrocking case of Monk Tim Sakhorn, the former abbot of the Phnom Den North pagoda, located in Kirivong district, Takeo province. The KKC accused that the defrocking of Monk Tim Sakhorn was illegal.

Thach Setha, KKC President, told RFA on Tuesday that: “We ask the prime minister to reconsider this case because the investigation report he received from government agents is completely opposite to the facts obtained by NGOs investigations, in particular (the government report is) opposite to the investigation conducted by Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations and associations. Therefore, we will send in an attachment, all the documents based on our own investigations, and the various proofs for the prime minister to review and reconsider, in order to provide justice for Venerable Tim Sakhorn.”

Thach Setha’s reaction above was made after Hun Sen reported to the king on the information report (he received) about the defrocking of Monk Sakhorn, the former abbot of the Phnom Den North pagoda.

According to the copy of Thach Setha’s letter, dated 08 October, sent to prime minister Hun Sen, Thach Setha indicated that former Monk Tim Sakhorn is a legal Cambodian citizen who was recognized by the local authority.

Thach Setha’s letter added that the accusation that Monk Tim Sakhorn participated in 2 demonstrations against the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship, is simply not true. The former abbot never did anything contrary to the religious rules.

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and government spokesman, reacted by saying that Hun Sen cannot reconsider the request.

Khieu Kanhartih added: “First of all, it’s (his) problem of ordaining (monks) without asking the opinion from the cult department at all. There are a lot of cases (like that), it’s not just the issue of political propaganda, in reality it’s about the religious rule (violation) which is severe. It’s not the problem about him participating in this movement or that movement, the movement is sometimes part of his right also, but the main problem was that he didn’t listen to anybody, and he ordained (anybody) as he wanted, this is not right. In the past, he has been warned several times, he didn’t listen.”

Former Abbot Tim Sakhorn was ordered defrocked by Tep Vong, the supreme patriarch, and accused of violating the Buddhist rule by undermining the solidarity between Cambodia and Vietnam, and by using the pagoda to serve as a political propaganda center, thereby affecting the Buddhist rule. These charges came out of Tep Vong’s letter dated 16 June.

Currently Monk Tim Sakhorn is being jailed in Vietnam’s An Giang province, after he was arrested by the Cambodian authority and deported to Vietnam on 30 June.

Thach Ngoc Thach: "...the Cambodian government must remember that the Yuon government never respect the friendship they talk about..."

Interview with Thach Ngoc Thach on Monk Tim Sakhorn’s case

08 October 2007
By Sary Roth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The representative of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in the world was very deceived when he learnt about the content of Hun Sen’s clarification letter send to Hero-King Norodom Sihanouk, regarding the case of Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Thach Ngoc Thach said that the action taken by the Cambodian government was done to preserve the personal friendship between a gang of people who control power and have influence on the government, and Vietnam. It was not done to preserve the wellbeing of Cambodian citizens, nor was it done to preserve the territorial integrity of Cambodia.

The following is the interview of Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, the executive director of KKF in the world. The interview was conducted by Mrs. Sary Roth of RFA.

Sary Roth (RFA): What do you think about the letter sent by Hun Sen to Preah Karuna (Norodom Sihanouk) in which he accused Monk Tim Sakhorn of being a Khmer Kampuchea Krom citizen, and he (Hun Sen) said that he does not accept to resolve the case of Monk Tim Sakhorn. What is your reaction to Hun Sen’s letter?

Thach Ngoc Thach (KKF): Regarding the letter that prime minister Hun Sen sent in reply to Samdech the Hero-King, I think that it is an issue which is out of timing, first of all. Secondly, this letter is nothing more than an excuse letter for the Yuons. The Yuon government wants to show that Cambodians are having problems with each others, rather than showing that this is a problem with the Vietnamese government.

From here on, I believe that the prime minister, just like all our Cambodian compatriots in the world, we are concerned of losing our lands more than we care about losing our friendship with the Yuons,. Therefore, (the reason provided in Hun Sen’s letter) is completely opposite to the worries of the people who are concerned about losing our lands.

Therefore, we see that the government does not pay attention of the people’s concerns, they do not care about the territorial issue, in this sense, I really regret (seeing this). At the same time, I am asking all Cambodian people in the world, to push the government to think about the concerns of the people, to think more about the territorial issue rather than the Khmer-Yuon friendship. As I told you at the beginning, this letter is merely an excuse for the Yuon government only.

RFA: In the case of Mr. Tim Sakhorn, what do you plan to do next?

KKF: Regarding the problem of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, I am confident that the Youn government will release him in the future, as I told you before, because the Yuon government does not want to see any International pressure imposed on them, that is why they came to visit in Cambodia, to talk with the Cambodian government, in order to show that this is an internal dispute in Cambodia only. As we have seen in the past, the Yuon government from all eras, they are always looking for a mean to create disputes among Khmer people, so that when these problems arise, they remain inside Cambodia.

From here on, we will push the Yuon government to resolve not only the case of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, but in the future, we don’t want to see the Cambodian government arresting its own citizens and deport them, and hand them over to the Yuon government anymore.

We see that the Yuon government is violating the territorial integrity of Cambodia, the Cambodian government must remember that the Yuon government never respect the friendship they talk about, it they really respect the friendship (between Cambodia and Vietnam), they wouldn’t create the case of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, and they wouldn’t take him and put him jail in Vietnam.

From now on, the Yuon government must be pressured by the International community, and we are pushing the US, the UN on this issue. In 2009, the Yuon government will face the UN regarding human rights issue, and its violation of human rights in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam).

Reply letter from Hun Sen to King-Father on Monk Tim Sakhorn's case in Khmer

Click on each page of the letter to zoom in

VN newspaper shows a picture of Monk Tim Sakhorn

The arrow shows former Monk Tim Sakhorn being questioned by the Yuon cops (Photo published by Sralanh Khmer newspaper)

06 September 2007
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A Vietnamese newspaper from An Giang province published a picture showing former Monk Tim Sakhorn sitting in front of Vietnamese cops during his questioning.

The picture (see above) shows Monk Tim Sakhorn pointing to a document in front of Vietnamese cops. This is the very first time that a picture shows that former Monk Tim Sakhorn is still alive.

The VN newspaper dated 28 August reported that former Monk Tim Sakhorn is accused of inciting minority people in VN to demonstrate against the Hanoi regime. The newspaper also reported that former Monk Tim Sakhorn distributed Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) documents, as well as VCDs and information bulletins which oppose the VN regime.

The Vietnamese state-owned newspaper quoted Monk Tim Sakhorn as providing the names of at least 6 KKF leaders involved in activities opposing the communist Hanoi regime.

The alleged names of the 6 KKF leaders are: Chau Rieb, Tran Manh Rin, Thach Ngoc Thach, Prak Sereivudh, Mrs. Son Thidit, Trung Giap, and To Kim Thong. The 6 are accused (by Hanoi) of providing money and documents to former Monk Tim Sakhorn so that he can lead anti-Hanoi activities.

Mrs. Son Thidit, the KKF representative of Khmer Krom women, reacted on this newspaper report, from her home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, by saying: “Based on the (recent) Vietnamese report, before that we did not know where Monk Tim Sakhorn was, but now with this newspaper report, we know exactly that Monk Tim Sakhorn is really in Vietnam. However about the alleged claim made by Monk Tim Sakhorn, this may not be true because he never participated in any KKF committee meetings, and if Monk Tim Sakhorn helped published (KKF) information, this is his individual freedom rights. The Vietnamese newspaper report was made with the intention of discouraging (Khmer Krom) people from demonstrating about their land disputes, and they (Vietnamese) are doing it also to create discords among the Khmer Kampuchea Krom communities in Kampuchea Krom, and also among the Khmer Krom communities in Cambodia and those in Kampuchea Krom.”

Mrs. Son Thidit said that she met former Monk Tim Sakhorn in Cambodia when she visited Cambodia in February of this year. However, she maintained that former Monk Tim Sakhorn is not a KKF member. She said that the action taken by Monk Tim Sakhorn was done to preserve the freedom rights of Khmer Kampuchea Krom people who are currently being oppressed by the communist Hanoi regime.

Khmer Krom: Call for International Attention

2007-08-27
UNPO

The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation issues a press release highlighting recent reports of intimidation and calls for the release of the Venerable Tim Sakhorn, an imprisoned Buddhist monk.

Below is a press release issued by The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation:

To Whom It May Concern:

On August 22, 2007, Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcasted in Khmer that the Vietnamese authority summoned a Khmer Krom man, Mr. Chau In, living at Sake Deouch commune, An Cu village, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province, to meet the police authorities of Tinh Bien district, An Giang province. Mrs. Kim Pouv Saton, RFA reporter, interviewed Mr. Chau In while he was on his way to meet the police authority. Mr. Chau In told her that the Vietnam authority is trying to accuse him for receiving money from Venerable Tim Sakhorn who is a Cambodian Buddhist monk that was defrocked by Cambodian authority and deported to Vietnam on June 30, 2006.

On August 23, 2007, RFA (Mrs. Kim Pouvsaton) interviewed two Khmer Krom women who were imprisoned and threatened to admit an injustice crime for receiving money from Venerable Tim Sakhorn. The first woman is Mrs. Neang Phe, 69 years old, who is living in the same village with Mr. Chau In. She told RFA that she was imprisoned 3 days by the Vietnam authority [...]. She said that she is old and she could not remember what they were trying to accuse her. She was so exhausted, so she just shook her head to admit whatever the Vietnam authority accused her so she could go home.

The second woman is Mrs. Neang Ve, 50 years old, who is also living in the same village with Mr. Chau In. She was imprisoned for 1 day. The Vietnam authority accused her for receiving money from Ven. Tim Sakhorn. She said that, at this time, Mr. Chau In, Neang Phe, herself, and Chau Son cannot go to work anywhere. They are so afraid and just stay at home. She told RFA to appeal the Human Rights organizations to ask Vietnam to return Ven. Tim Sakhorn back to Cambodia because the Vietnam authority keeps accusing the innocent Khmer Krom for having contact with Ven. Tim Sakhorn.

Mr. Chau In, Neang Phe, Chau Son, and Neang Ve are amongst hundreds of farmers from the area known to file numerous complaints to the Vietnam authority demanding for the return of their farmlands since last year. To this date, The Vietnam authority does not resolve the land issues for the poor Khmer Krom farmlands.

Based on the interviews that were conducted by Mrs. Kim Pouvsaton with the [...] Khmer Krom farmers in Kampuchea Krom, I can see that the Vietnamese authority is trying to find falsity evidence so they could accuse Ven. Tim Sakhorn to be guilty. Vietnam has imprisoned Ven. Tim Sakhorn who is a Cambodian citizen since June 30, 2007. Vietnam has no evident to prove that Ven. Tim Sakhorn is guilty. Thus, Vietnam has to use [...] tricks to [...] imprison the Khmer Krom farmers, especially an old woman like Mrs. Neang Phe; by accusing them receiving money from Ven. Tim Sakhorn so they can go to the big cities (Can Tho city and Saigon city) to protest to demand returning their farmlands. Fortunately, those Khmer Krom farmers are bravely to speak up with the RFA reporter.

In this regards, I would like to urgently appeal for your assistance to:

• Urge Vietnam to return Venerable Tim Sakhorn back to Cambodia unconditionally.
• Urge Vietnam to stop threatening, torturing, and imprisoning the innocent Khmer Krom farmers.
• Urge Vietnam to stop confiscating Khmer Krom’s farmlands and resolve their farmland issues.
• Urge the foreign Embassies in Vietnam to monitor the Khmer Krom Human Rights violations and provide assistant to save the Khmer Krom victims if their life are in danger, such as the case of the people who are mentioned above.

Thanks for your help in advance and I am looking forward to hear from you.

Respectfully Yours,

Thach Ngoc Thach
President of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation

VN cop during the torture of a Khmer Krom woman: "... in 2008, Vietnamese lands will extend all the way to the Thai border”

Khmer Krom condemn the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments

26 August 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Click here to listen to the program in Khmer

The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) angrily condemned the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments on the violence and severe human rights violations perpetrated in both Cambodia and Vietnam.

The urgent statement dated 24 August was issued after it was reported that oppression and more arrests and jailing of Khmer Krom people are currently being conducted in South Vietnam, and those arrested are accused of involvement with Monk Tim Skahorn, the former abbot of Phnom Den pagoda. Vietnam accused Monk Tim Sakhorn of paying people to protest and demonstrate against Vietnam.

Thach Ngoc Thach, KKF President, said that his federation could not remain silent in this case. He said that KKF will bring their complaints to the international community next month.

Thach Ngoc Thach said: “Venerable Tim Sakhorn’s case is now turning into an international case, all the countries which we contacted, including the United Nations, as I told you earlier, will take up this case to demand an answer from the Vietnamese government, as in the case of the European Union Parliament which has recently announced its decision to push the Vietnamese government to resolve the case of 5 Khmer Krom monks who were defrocked and jailed until now. Therefore, in the future, the EU Parliament will continue to issue other decisions in the case of Venerable Tim Sakhorn.”

In the same statement, KKF exposed the religious rights and human rights violations perpetrated by the Vietnamese government against the demonstrations held by (Khmer Krom) monks, and the defrocking of 5 Khmer Krom monks who were subsequently sent to jail a few months earlier. KKF also exposed about the killing a Khmer Krom monk in Cambodia, the defrocking of Monk Tim Sakhorn, and the arrest of Khmer Krom people in South Vietnam and their forced coercion to put the blame on Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Mrs. Neang Ye, a 50-year-old teacher from Sangker Duon village, Tinh Bien district, Motr Chrouk province (Chau Doc in Vietnamese) claimed that she was jailed for one day and that she was beaten up and tortured by the Vietnamese police which forced her to confess her involvement with Monk Tim Sakhorn, just because she protested several times in the past with the Vietnamese authority about her farmlands which were confiscated by the Vietnamese authority.

Mrs. Neang Ye said: “They told me: ‘Are you going to answer or not? Will you answer that you took $100 from Monk Khorn (Tim Sakhorn) or not?’ They told me to answer yes then I will be released, they said to answer yes and place the blame on Monk Khorn to prevent Khmer (Krom) people from protesting too much. I told them that in this case, I don’t know about it, it’s a case that involves people in Cambodia and it happened in Cambodia, I live in Vietnam, I only know what’s happening in Vietnam. When I said that, they took a metal bar and squeezed my right thigh until it was all swollen, they threatened me, they held me by my neck collar, at that point, I was really angry, I hold one of the cop by the neck collar back. Then they told me that the lands that Khmer (Krom) people claim as their ancestral lands, they should go and claim with Sihamonineath, they said that do you know that these lands are Vietnamese lands, they said that the Vietnamese lands not only extend to Prey Nokor (Ho Chi Minh City), at the end, in 2008, Vietnamese lands will extend all the way to the Thai border.”

Neang Ye added that land protesters in Motr Chrouk province are currently faced with daily threats and they are accused of receiving money provided by Monk Tim Sakhorn who financed them to rise up and protest against the Vietnamese regime.

This threat also led another Khmer Krom woman to confess and put the blame on Monk Tim Sakhorn after she was jailed for a period of 3-day.

KKF says that this is a new Vietnamese tactics used to bring in more charges against Monk Tim Sakhorn, because it couldn’t find a single reason to sentence Monk Tim Sakhorn at all.

On 24 August, Khieu Kanharith, who, in the past, promised that he will ask a clarification from the Cambodian consulate in Vietnam regarding Monk Tim Sakhorn’s affair, said again that he is still waiting for an reply (from the Cambodian consulate). “There is no answer from the consulate to me yet, therefore wait, I will contact and ask them.”

The delay and the continued jailing of Monk Tim Sakhorn led Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union, to threaten that he will lead a mass demonstration in the near future to express the hurtful feelings in seeing the open interference of Vietnam in Cambodia’s internal affair, and to demand the return of Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Chea Mony said: “This demonstration will take place shortly because we are holding consultations with watchdog groups in the US, Finland, and France, and we are holding a meeting of the executive committee of each union regarding the holding of this mass demonstration with Khmer Krom brothers also. Therefore, if there is no resolution to this case, it will grow into a major issue.”

Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Community, expressed his concerns about Monk Tim Sakhorn after he learned that Monk Tim Sakhorn is currently subjected to intense torture. He added that Khmer Krom community will hook up with the Free Trade Union of Workers to lead a mass demonstration also.

Thach Setha said: “We will join our force together, and make it strong, in order to force the government to bring back Monk Tim Sakhorn, and also to demand for a proper respect of the law in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the government must respect the rights of their own citizens according to the law stipulated in the Constitution in used nowadays.”

Monk Tim Sakhorn was defrocked by force by the Cambodian authority at the end of June, and he was accused of undermining the friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam. After his defrocking, he disappeared until a report indicated that he was jailed in Vietnam.

Regarding this issue, International and national human rights organizations, civil society, MPs, Khmer Krom organizations and associations, and the king himself, asked Hun Sen and the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene and return Monk Tim Sakhorn back to Cambodia. However, up until now, Hun Sen and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remain silent to the requests made.