KHMERS KAMPUCHEA-KROM FEDERATION
Asia – Australia – Europe – North America
A member of UNPO - IDBF
KKF P.O. Box 0193 • Pennsauken • NJ 08110 • Tel: (856) 655-9254 • Fax: (856) 583-1503
http://www.khmerkrom.org • Email: thach.thach@khmerkrom.org
Asia – Australia – Europe – North America
A member of UNPO - IDBF
KKF P.O. Box 0193 • Pennsauken • NJ 08110 • Tel: (856) 655-9254 • Fax: (856) 583-1503
http://www.khmerkrom.org • Email: thach.thach@khmerkrom.org
Office of the President
No: 108/KKF/N/2009
Vietnam Authority Denied Defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist Monks to Reordain
PRESS RELEASE: 20 February 2009
Pennsauken, NJ, USA
Soc Trang, Vietnam - Five former Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks, namely Venerable Kim Moeun, Ven. Danh Ton, Ven. Thach Thuong, Ven. Ly Hoang and Ven. Ly Suong have been denied the right to reordain as Buddhist monks by Vietnam authorities.
On 10th May 2007, five defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks were trialed at a Vietnamese court, without legal or proper presentation. They were accused of allegedly being the organizers of a peaceful demonstration and were sentenced for 2 to 4 years imprisonment.
The injustice sentence sparked international outrage and peaceful demonstrations conducted around the world by the Khmer-Krom and Khmer communities. The pressure of international human rights groups, NGOs and governments resulted in the release of the five monks on January 2009. Upon release, the defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks headed to the temple where they were originally defrocked by the Vietnam authorities.
On 19th February 2009, the four former monks (Mr Kim Moeun, Mr. Thach Thuong, Mr. Ly Hoang, and Mr. Ly Suong) submitted a letter to the Vietnam authorities seeking permission to be reordained as Buddhist monks. Instead of granting permission, the Vietnam authorities (Mr. Dang Thanh Hai, Mr. Son Song Son, Mr. Thach Kim Sen and Mr. Lam Ren) summoned them for intimidation and interrogation from 8:00am until 1:30pm. They were prohibited from taking a break or lunch during this interrogation session.
In this regards, we would like to urgently appeal for your help to:
Thanks for your help in advance and I am looking forward to hear from you.
Respectfully Yours,
Thach Ngoc Thach
President of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
CC: UN Human Rights Council – UN Human Rights Agencies
U.S. Department of State on Religious Freedom - UNPO – Foreign Embassies in Vietnam
On 10th May 2007, five defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks were trialed at a Vietnamese court, without legal or proper presentation. They were accused of allegedly being the organizers of a peaceful demonstration and were sentenced for 2 to 4 years imprisonment.
The injustice sentence sparked international outrage and peaceful demonstrations conducted around the world by the Khmer-Krom and Khmer communities. The pressure of international human rights groups, NGOs and governments resulted in the release of the five monks on January 2009. Upon release, the defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks headed to the temple where they were originally defrocked by the Vietnam authorities.
On 19th February 2009, the four former monks (Mr Kim Moeun, Mr. Thach Thuong, Mr. Ly Hoang, and Mr. Ly Suong) submitted a letter to the Vietnam authorities seeking permission to be reordained as Buddhist monks. Instead of granting permission, the Vietnam authorities (Mr. Dang Thanh Hai, Mr. Son Song Son, Mr. Thach Kim Sen and Mr. Lam Ren) summoned them for intimidation and interrogation from 8:00am until 1:30pm. They were prohibited from taking a break or lunch during this interrogation session.
In this regards, we would like to urgently appeal for your help to:
- Urge Vietnam to stop using interrogating tactics and intimidation towards the defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks.
- Urge Vietnam respect and uphold Article 70 of its Constitution which states that “The citizen shall enjoy freedom of belief and of religion; he can follow any religion or follow none” and allow the defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks to reordain as part of their individual rights to pursue their studies in Buddhism.
- Urge all foreign Embassies in Vietnam to closely monitor the Khmer-Krom human rights violations and religious freedom situations to ensure that the Khmer-Krom have their rights to freely practice their religion.
Thanks for your help in advance and I am looking forward to hear from you.
Respectfully Yours,
Thach Ngoc Thach
President of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
CC: UN Human Rights Council – UN Human Rights Agencies
U.S. Department of State on Religious Freedom - UNPO – Foreign Embassies in Vietnam
