Showing posts with label Religious persecution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religious persecution. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Hochimonk clergy chases Ven. Loun Savath out of pagodas [-Persecution of Ven. Loun Savath by Hochimonks]
 |
| Ven. Loun Savath receiving the Hellman Hammett prize in the US in July 2011. |
 |
| Hochimonk Non Nget buttering up Hun Xen's father |
By Tin Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated form Khmer by Soch
activities led by Ven. Loun Savath do not violate any Buddhist rule or state law. Quite to the contrary, this clergy order is instead a human rights oppression.
Ven. Loun Savath who usually participated in various community protests, such as the forest protection communities, and who also joined protests organized by residents who were unjustly evicted from their lands and houses, has been accused by a Phnom Penh Hochimonk of committing acts violating Buddhist rule and religion.
On 22 August, Ven. Loun Savath reacted to the clergy order issued by the Siem Reap head monk preventing him from receiving shelters from any pagodas in Siem Reap province and accusing him of violating Buddhist rule, by saying that he did not do anything wrong and that his action was only to help seek justice and to share the pain of the people who face human rights violations – such as losing their houses, their lands from violations committed by private companies.
The clergy order issued on 19 August stipulated that Ven. Loun Savath is prohibited from officiating a freedom celebration for 12 released prisoners in Wat Thmei pagoda, Chikreng district, Siem Reap province.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
China’s critics are being silenced in South-East Asia
Bang a Gong
China’s critics are being silenced in South-East Asia
Apr 20th 2011
The Economist
BANGKOK
China’s critics are being silenced in South-East Asia
Apr 20th 2011
The Economist
BANGKOK
IN ITS foreign relations, China parades a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of others. It routinely vetoes UN resolutions on this ground (on Libya, it abstained). It boasts that unlike meddlesome Westerners it offers trade and aid without strings, (see article).
Yet in its pursuit of domestic enemies, China is making more demands of its neighbours. Inviting the Dalai Lama to visit has long been a no-no. The same goes for rebellious Uighurs. A group of 20 that fled to Cambodia in 2009 were handed back to China before they could claim political asylum.
Now the target is Falun Gong, a quasi-Buddhist sect that China banned in 1999. Apparently prodded by China, Vietnam and Indonesia have shut down Falun Gong-affiliated radio stations and prosecuted station operators, though neither country forbids the group. Two Vietnamese men arrested last year face up to five years in jail if found guilty of illegal broadcasting. Their trial had been due to begin on April 8th but was postponed. In Indonesia a station manager went on trial last month for a similar offence.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Young Catholics learn of Khmer Rouge horror
May 28 2009
UCAN
UCAN
PHNOM PENH : "Year Zero" is a blank for most Cambodians. For those born after the Khmer Rouge's 1975-1979 reign of terror, there are few visible signs of the period when communist leader Pol Pot tried to forcibly return the country to a pre-industrial age.
It was with this in mind that the Catholic Social Communications office in Phnom Penh decided to hold a workshop on May 23 for young Catholics to learn more about their country's painful past.
The office is also planning to take small groups of youths to the ongoing trial of Khmer Rouge cadre charged with involvement in what many have called genocide, including the trial of Tuol Sleng prison guard Kang Kek Iew, also known as Duch.
"It was a shocking period in Cambodia's history that I still find hard to come to terms with," said Oem Sokhorn, 23, during a discussion session.
"My parents said they did not have enough food then but were forced to do hard labor," said the undergraduate. "I was even more shocked when they said my grandfather was killed in front of them. I have tried to imagine what it was like to suffer during that period."
Sokhorn also said her parents told her of boys who were taught by Khmer Rouge soldiers to kill others, even their own parents.
Yim Sotheary, 26, a senior staff worker at the Center for Social Development, an NGO, said some social issues, such as domestic violence and drunkenness, could be a result of the mental suffering experienced by people under the Khmer Rouge.
"Based on my own experience, I think that the Khmer Rouge's atrocious behavior could have contributed at least in part to these social problems," she said.
Some children thought that their parents were uneducated or bad people because they were violent at home, or they drank, but sometimes this is not true, Sotheary said. Sometimes the root cause of such behavior lies in the dark days of the past, she said.
Children should learn about what their parents had gone through, she added.
During the workshop, people in their 50s and 60s also shared what life was like under the rule of Angkor, as the regime referred to itself.
Mary, a 23-year-old undergraduate, said the workshop gave her a better understanding about what life was like then.
"My parents talk so little about what happened then," she shared. "I rarely ask them about their life at that time, because they would cry. But this workshop provided me with more answers."
Ly Sovanna, director of the Catholic Social Communications office, said the main aim of the workshop was to help the younger generation have a better idea of the brutality that people endured under Pol Pot.
While young people can learn a certain amount from books, this workshop is a good opportunity for them to learn about the period from others, he said.
During its brutal reign, the Khmer Rouge outlawed all religions. Religious believers, including Catholics, were either executed or deported. Many churches were destroyed.
In 1977, Khmer Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas, former apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, died in a labor camp in Kampong Thom, a northwestern province.
It was with this in mind that the Catholic Social Communications office in Phnom Penh decided to hold a workshop on May 23 for young Catholics to learn more about their country's painful past.
The office is also planning to take small groups of youths to the ongoing trial of Khmer Rouge cadre charged with involvement in what many have called genocide, including the trial of Tuol Sleng prison guard Kang Kek Iew, also known as Duch.
"It was a shocking period in Cambodia's history that I still find hard to come to terms with," said Oem Sokhorn, 23, during a discussion session.
"My parents said they did not have enough food then but were forced to do hard labor," said the undergraduate. "I was even more shocked when they said my grandfather was killed in front of them. I have tried to imagine what it was like to suffer during that period."
Sokhorn also said her parents told her of boys who were taught by Khmer Rouge soldiers to kill others, even their own parents.
Yim Sotheary, 26, a senior staff worker at the Center for Social Development, an NGO, said some social issues, such as domestic violence and drunkenness, could be a result of the mental suffering experienced by people under the Khmer Rouge.
"Based on my own experience, I think that the Khmer Rouge's atrocious behavior could have contributed at least in part to these social problems," she said.
Some children thought that their parents were uneducated or bad people because they were violent at home, or they drank, but sometimes this is not true, Sotheary said. Sometimes the root cause of such behavior lies in the dark days of the past, she said.
Children should learn about what their parents had gone through, she added.
During the workshop, people in their 50s and 60s also shared what life was like under the rule of Angkor, as the regime referred to itself.
Mary, a 23-year-old undergraduate, said the workshop gave her a better understanding about what life was like then.
"My parents talk so little about what happened then," she shared. "I rarely ask them about their life at that time, because they would cry. But this workshop provided me with more answers."
Ly Sovanna, director of the Catholic Social Communications office, said the main aim of the workshop was to help the younger generation have a better idea of the brutality that people endured under Pol Pot.
While young people can learn a certain amount from books, this workshop is a good opportunity for them to learn about the period from others, he said.
During its brutal reign, the Khmer Rouge outlawed all religions. Religious believers, including Catholics, were either executed or deported. Many churches were destroyed.
In 1977, Khmer Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas, former apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, died in a labor camp in Kampong Thom, a northwestern province.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
KKF Delegates Meet Congressional Human Rights Caucus on Vietnam
Panel III
KKF delegates at the briefing2007-12-08
Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)
Over eleven Khmer Krom representatives headed to Washington DC to testify against Vietnam during the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on Vietnam on Thursday 06 December 2007.
The event is the first of kind for Khmer Krom, the testimony by Mr. Sereivuth Prak, Vice President of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation and International Affairs details the stark reality and human rights violation that continue to be committed against that Khmer Krom people and Buddhist monk under communist Vietnam.
See below for summary of the briefing:
Panel 1:
Ambassador John Hanford, U.S. Department of State
Panel 2:
Commissioner Leonard Leo, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Panel 3:
Chris Seiple, Institution of Global Engagement
T. Kumar, Amnesty International
Sereivuth Prak, Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation
Nguyen Dinh Thang, Boat People SOS
U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, acting as Briefing Chair opened with a Statement on the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Briefing on Religious Freedom in Vietnam and welcome Ambassador Hanford, Commissioner Leo, and all of the panelists and guests.
“I have been very concerned that the State Department removed Vietnam from its list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) on November 13, 2006. Prior to my trip to Vietnam in April, my previous three visa requests to travel to Vietnam were denied by the Vietnam Government due to my outspoken concern about Vietnam’s human rights and religious freedom violation.”
Congresswoman Sanchez was keen to hear from Mr. Leo Leonard, US Commission on International Freedom about his observation during the visit to Vietnam on Oct 23, 2007 to Nov 2, 2007.
Mr. Leo testimony stated that:
“Vietnam’s overall human rights record remains very poor and has deteriorated in the last year. The government of Vietnam has decisively moved to repress challenges to its authority. Dozens of legal and political reform advocates, free speech activists, labor unionists, and independent religious leaders and religious freedom advocates have been arrested, placed under home detention or surveillance, threatened, intimidated, and harassed.”
As part of this testimony in Section II Buddhist Group Face Harassment and Abuses, the Commissioner stated that “is particular true of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), some Hoa Hao, and Cai Dai groups, as well as Khmer Buddhist.”
The Commissioner also reiterate the evidence that “five Khmer Buddhist monks and are in prison for organizing peaceful demonstrations to protest restrictions on ordination and language training in Soc Trang province.”
He concludes by stating that U.S. must continue to make clear to the Hanoi government that Vietnam must allows for openness, prosperity and freedom.
Panelist testimony was then given by Mr. T. Kumar, representative of Amnesty International. He stated that Vietnam government needs to take the U.S. seriously for the interest for the both countries.
Panelist testimony by PhD. Chris Seiple President Institution of Global Engagement “In understanding religious freedom--the cornerstone of civil society because of its inherent respect for the other--it is critical to keep in mind that values do not take place in vacuum. They are lived out everyday amidst the messiness of life.”
One question was raised asking Congresswoman Sanchez what can be done about this.
It was suggested that work must be done from top and bottom up at all levels with a clear strategic plan. Religious in Vietnam is part of the solution and very important point of contact in some degree to religious leader not threat to the society to serve people in their own faith.
“We need to work toward a national law regarding religion, and significant internal political forces that seek to affirm rule of law in the context of religion and religious freedom.”
Panelist testimony was then given by Sereivuth Prak, representative of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation and International Affairs:
In his statement he said that the majority Khmer Krom in southern part of Vietnam believes in Theravada Buddhism. For example: like the Christianity there are Catholic or Presbyterian but it’s very similar of faith. He brought up the issue of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, who was defrocked and deported to Vietnam and imprisonment in An Giang province for providing shelter to his fellow-country people. He was brought to trial in An Giang province for undermining national unity between the Vietnam and Cambodia. He also mentioned the five former Khmer Krom monks currently imprison in Soc Trang province.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang Boat People SOS also testified stating that Vietnam government only recognizes the religion denomination and registers in legal activity and ordinance restriction by the local government. For example: in Soc Trang province the Khmer Buddhist monks has been pushed to the corner just because they conducted a demonstration to express their want of religious freedom.
We, the KKF would like to extended our sincere thanks for The Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Cambodian for Human Rights and Democracy supports group that led by Dr. Nicole Ung, Venerable Xarong, and Khmer Krom group that led by Mr. Tran Mannrinh.
The event is the first of kind for Khmer Krom, the testimony by Mr. Sereivuth Prak, Vice President of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation and International Affairs details the stark reality and human rights violation that continue to be committed against that Khmer Krom people and Buddhist monk under communist Vietnam.
See below for summary of the briefing:
Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) on Vietnam
December 06, 2007
10:30 – 12:00
Office of Congressman Lantos
2413 Rayburn HOB Room 2255
Washington, DC 20515
December 06, 2007
10:30 – 12:00
Office of Congressman Lantos
2413 Rayburn HOB Room 2255
Washington, DC 20515
Panel 1:
Ambassador John Hanford, U.S. Department of State
Panel 2:
Commissioner Leonard Leo, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Panel 3:
Chris Seiple, Institution of Global Engagement
T. Kumar, Amnesty International
Sereivuth Prak, Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation
Nguyen Dinh Thang, Boat People SOS
U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, acting as Briefing Chair opened with a Statement on the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Briefing on Religious Freedom in Vietnam and welcome Ambassador Hanford, Commissioner Leo, and all of the panelists and guests.
“I have been very concerned that the State Department removed Vietnam from its list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) on November 13, 2006. Prior to my trip to Vietnam in April, my previous three visa requests to travel to Vietnam were denied by the Vietnam Government due to my outspoken concern about Vietnam’s human rights and religious freedom violation.”
Congresswoman Sanchez was keen to hear from Mr. Leo Leonard, US Commission on International Freedom about his observation during the visit to Vietnam on Oct 23, 2007 to Nov 2, 2007.
Mr. Leo testimony stated that:
“Vietnam’s overall human rights record remains very poor and has deteriorated in the last year. The government of Vietnam has decisively moved to repress challenges to its authority. Dozens of legal and political reform advocates, free speech activists, labor unionists, and independent religious leaders and religious freedom advocates have been arrested, placed under home detention or surveillance, threatened, intimidated, and harassed.”
As part of this testimony in Section II Buddhist Group Face Harassment and Abuses, the Commissioner stated that “is particular true of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), some Hoa Hao, and Cai Dai groups, as well as Khmer Buddhist.”
The Commissioner also reiterate the evidence that “five Khmer Buddhist monks and are in prison for organizing peaceful demonstrations to protest restrictions on ordination and language training in Soc Trang province.”
He concludes by stating that U.S. must continue to make clear to the Hanoi government that Vietnam must allows for openness, prosperity and freedom.
Panelist testimony was then given by Mr. T. Kumar, representative of Amnesty International. He stated that Vietnam government needs to take the U.S. seriously for the interest for the both countries.
Panelist testimony by PhD. Chris Seiple President Institution of Global Engagement “In understanding religious freedom--the cornerstone of civil society because of its inherent respect for the other--it is critical to keep in mind that values do not take place in vacuum. They are lived out everyday amidst the messiness of life.”
One question was raised asking Congresswoman Sanchez what can be done about this.
It was suggested that work must be done from top and bottom up at all levels with a clear strategic plan. Religious in Vietnam is part of the solution and very important point of contact in some degree to religious leader not threat to the society to serve people in their own faith.
“We need to work toward a national law regarding religion, and significant internal political forces that seek to affirm rule of law in the context of religion and religious freedom.”
Panelist testimony was then given by Sereivuth Prak, representative of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation and International Affairs:
In his statement he said that the majority Khmer Krom in southern part of Vietnam believes in Theravada Buddhism. For example: like the Christianity there are Catholic or Presbyterian but it’s very similar of faith. He brought up the issue of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, who was defrocked and deported to Vietnam and imprisonment in An Giang province for providing shelter to his fellow-country people. He was brought to trial in An Giang province for undermining national unity between the Vietnam and Cambodia. He also mentioned the five former Khmer Krom monks currently imprison in Soc Trang province.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang Boat People SOS also testified stating that Vietnam government only recognizes the religion denomination and registers in legal activity and ordinance restriction by the local government. For example: in Soc Trang province the Khmer Buddhist monks has been pushed to the corner just because they conducted a demonstration to express their want of religious freedom.
We, the KKF would like to extended our sincere thanks for The Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Cambodian for Human Rights and Democracy supports group that led by Dr. Nicole Ung, Venerable Xarong, and Khmer Krom group that led by Mr. Tran Mannrinh.
Friday, November 02, 2007
USCIRF Delegation to Vietnam Discusses Religious Freedom with Prime Minister
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2007
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
Oct. 26, 2007
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
WASHINGTON—A delegation from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom concluded its visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday and is scheduled to complete its talks in Vietnam over the next week. The delegation, led by Commission Chair Michael Cromartie, has held candid discussions with many government, religious, and civil society leaders, including Prime Minister Nguyen Tang Dung, Vice Minister for Public Security Nguyen Van Huong, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, National Assembly Foreign Relations Chairman Nguyen Van Son, Committee for Religious Affairs Chairman Nguyen The Doanh, and Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Chair Pham Phuong Thao.
Although it is not the Commission’s usual practice to issue press statements during its trips, the Vietnamese media have extensively covered Commission activities, including publishing an extensive transcript of the Commission’s meeting with Vice Minister for Public Security Huong.
Commissioners asked Vice Minister Huong to undertake full, impartial, and effective investigations into reported police abuses, including continued reports of forced renunciations of religion. The Vice Minister assured the Commission that he would take action against any police official engaged in forced renunciations of belief. He also promised to report back to the Commission about the March 2007 beating death of an ethnic minority Protestant.
The Commission urged the immediate release of several prisoners of concern, including Nguyen Van Dai, and Li Thi Cong Nhan, advocates for religious freedom and legal reform in Vietnam; Hoa Hao monks Vo Van Thanh Liem and Vo Van Thanh Long; and Fr. Nguyen Van Ly. Commissioners also asked to meet with Nguyen Van Dai and Li Thi Cong Nhan because of reports that they were being denied medicine and religious materials. Vice Minister Huong arranged for the Commission to meet privately with the two human rights defenders and to inspect their prison cells.
“These are two courageous young people who the government believes are national security threats,” said Michael Cromartie, Chair of the Commission. “We believe their peaceful advocacy for political reform, religious freedom, and human rights strengthens, rather than threatens, the Vietnamese state. We will continue to seek their immediate release.”
Vice Minister Huong promised the Commission that an overdue appeals court hearing for the two prisoners would happen soon. “We are confident,” said Cromartie, “that the sentences of Nguyen Van Dai and Li Thi Cong Nhan will be overturned on appeal.”
The Commission also continued to raise the issue of restrictions and abuses against Vietnamese Buddhists. Commissioners asked Prime Minister Dung to allow followers of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, as well as Khmer, and Hoa Hao Buddhists to organize independently and carry out spiritual and charitable activities legally and outside the government-sanctioned Buddhist organizations. Commissioners pointed out that the Vietnamese government has allowed different Protestant denominations to carry out legal operations; the government should recognize similar diversity among Buddhists, Commissioners said.
Asked if he was willing to meet with the UBCV leadership to discuss creation of an independent organization, Prime Minister Dung indicated that he was willing to “meet with any religious leader” to discuss alleged problems and concerns.
The Commission later met with the UBCV’s spiritual leader Thich Quang Do in Ho Chi Minh City, where he accepted the Prime Minister’s invitation to meet, saying that he looked forward to discussing ongoing threats and restrictions against the UBCV.
The Commission delegation will continue to Hue, the Central Highlands, and Soc Trang Province over the next week. “Government officials have said that we can go anywhere and meet anyone,” said Cromartie. “We look forward to continued access and trust that there will be no reprisals against those we meet.”
Although it is not the Commission’s usual practice to issue press statements during its trips, the Vietnamese media have extensively covered Commission activities, including publishing an extensive transcript of the Commission’s meeting with Vice Minister for Public Security Huong.
Commissioners asked Vice Minister Huong to undertake full, impartial, and effective investigations into reported police abuses, including continued reports of forced renunciations of religion. The Vice Minister assured the Commission that he would take action against any police official engaged in forced renunciations of belief. He also promised to report back to the Commission about the March 2007 beating death of an ethnic minority Protestant.
The Commission urged the immediate release of several prisoners of concern, including Nguyen Van Dai, and Li Thi Cong Nhan, advocates for religious freedom and legal reform in Vietnam; Hoa Hao monks Vo Van Thanh Liem and Vo Van Thanh Long; and Fr. Nguyen Van Ly. Commissioners also asked to meet with Nguyen Van Dai and Li Thi Cong Nhan because of reports that they were being denied medicine and religious materials. Vice Minister Huong arranged for the Commission to meet privately with the two human rights defenders and to inspect their prison cells.
“These are two courageous young people who the government believes are national security threats,” said Michael Cromartie, Chair of the Commission. “We believe their peaceful advocacy for political reform, religious freedom, and human rights strengthens, rather than threatens, the Vietnamese state. We will continue to seek their immediate release.”
Vice Minister Huong promised the Commission that an overdue appeals court hearing for the two prisoners would happen soon. “We are confident,” said Cromartie, “that the sentences of Nguyen Van Dai and Li Thi Cong Nhan will be overturned on appeal.”
The Commission also continued to raise the issue of restrictions and abuses against Vietnamese Buddhists. Commissioners asked Prime Minister Dung to allow followers of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, as well as Khmer, and Hoa Hao Buddhists to organize independently and carry out spiritual and charitable activities legally and outside the government-sanctioned Buddhist organizations. Commissioners pointed out that the Vietnamese government has allowed different Protestant denominations to carry out legal operations; the government should recognize similar diversity among Buddhists, Commissioners said.
Asked if he was willing to meet with the UBCV leadership to discuss creation of an independent organization, Prime Minister Dung indicated that he was willing to “meet with any religious leader” to discuss alleged problems and concerns.
The Commission later met with the UBCV’s spiritual leader Thich Quang Do in Ho Chi Minh City, where he accepted the Prime Minister’s invitation to meet, saying that he looked forward to discussing ongoing threats and restrictions against the UBCV.
The Commission delegation will continue to Hue, the Central Highlands, and Soc Trang Province over the next week. “Government officials have said that we can go anywhere and meet anyone,” said Cromartie. “We look forward to continued access and trust that there will be no reprisals against those we meet.”
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Faith of the Cambodian Martyrs
Mon, Oct. 29, 2007
By Chuck Colson
Christian Post Guest Columnist
By Chuck Colson
Christian Post Guest Columnist
In the late 1970s, Khmer Rouge dictator Pol Pot oversaw the deaths of about 2 million people in Cambodia. Not surprisingly, Pol Pot’s red hordes were especially merciless in their persecution of Christians.
Now, thirty years after the fact, the UN-sponsored Khmer Rouge tribunal is set to begin. The surviving victims of that unspeakably evil communist regime have waited nearly a generation for justice.
Unfortunately, that justice may never come. “Real justice,” says Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, “means . . . making decisions . . . based on evidence, not politics.” And sadly, according to the Wall Street Journal, politics and allegations of corruption and misuse of funds have already compromised the tribunal’s integrity in the eyes of many.
Nonetheless, while the scandals surrounding the tribunal garner headlines, a much more amazing story is emerging—and it involves the murderous persecutors of Christianity.
One of the major Cambodian officials cited for crimes against humanity is named Duch. He directed the “notorious S21 prison, where some 14,000 people are thought to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths in the killing fields outside Phnom Penh.” Unlike other former Cambodian leaders, Duch has actually admitted his part in the killings of nearly one-quarter of Cambodia’s population. He has spent the last eight years in a military prison.
“I have done very bad things in my life,” Duch told Religion Today back in 1999. “Now it is time to bear the consequences for my actions.” You see, before Duch surrendered to authorities, he surrendered to Christ. And he was not alone.
Ninety percent of Cambodia’s Christians may have been slaughtered during the reign of Pol Pot, but as human rights advocate Kristin Wright reported, more than 2,000 Khmer Rouge who once followed Pol Pot now follow Christ! Many of them converted after encountering the faith of those they murdered.
“It is a testimony,” says Wright, “to the courageous lives of Christians like [one Cambodian named] Haim, who used their final words to witness to Khmer Rouge soldiers before being dumped in a mass grave.” And now, years after nearly being exterminated, Christianity is growing in Cambodia, despite the new government’s clamp-down on non-Buddhist religious activities.
It is a modern-day realization of what ancient Church father Tertullian proclaimed: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
And around the world today, the blood of Christian martyrs is flowing as never before. We have talked on “BreakPoint” many times about the savage persecution of Christians in many Muslim countries, in China, and in ancient Christian homelands in Iraq. That is why I am asking you and your church to participate in the 10th annual Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church this November 11. You can visit www.BreakPoint.org to get materials your church can use in observing this day of prayer.
And as you pray for the persecuted Church, pray for the persecutors as well, that they, like the Apostle Paul and the former Khmer Rouge militants, will embrace the One whose followers they persecuted.
Now, thirty years after the fact, the UN-sponsored Khmer Rouge tribunal is set to begin. The surviving victims of that unspeakably evil communist regime have waited nearly a generation for justice.
Unfortunately, that justice may never come. “Real justice,” says Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, “means . . . making decisions . . . based on evidence, not politics.” And sadly, according to the Wall Street Journal, politics and allegations of corruption and misuse of funds have already compromised the tribunal’s integrity in the eyes of many.
Nonetheless, while the scandals surrounding the tribunal garner headlines, a much more amazing story is emerging—and it involves the murderous persecutors of Christianity.
One of the major Cambodian officials cited for crimes against humanity is named Duch. He directed the “notorious S21 prison, where some 14,000 people are thought to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths in the killing fields outside Phnom Penh.” Unlike other former Cambodian leaders, Duch has actually admitted his part in the killings of nearly one-quarter of Cambodia’s population. He has spent the last eight years in a military prison.
“I have done very bad things in my life,” Duch told Religion Today back in 1999. “Now it is time to bear the consequences for my actions.” You see, before Duch surrendered to authorities, he surrendered to Christ. And he was not alone.
Ninety percent of Cambodia’s Christians may have been slaughtered during the reign of Pol Pot, but as human rights advocate Kristin Wright reported, more than 2,000 Khmer Rouge who once followed Pol Pot now follow Christ! Many of them converted after encountering the faith of those they murdered.
“It is a testimony,” says Wright, “to the courageous lives of Christians like [one Cambodian named] Haim, who used their final words to witness to Khmer Rouge soldiers before being dumped in a mass grave.” And now, years after nearly being exterminated, Christianity is growing in Cambodia, despite the new government’s clamp-down on non-Buddhist religious activities.
It is a modern-day realization of what ancient Church father Tertullian proclaimed: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
And around the world today, the blood of Christian martyrs is flowing as never before. We have talked on “BreakPoint” many times about the savage persecution of Christians in many Muslim countries, in China, and in ancient Christian homelands in Iraq. That is why I am asking you and your church to participate in the 10th annual Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church this November 11. You can visit www.BreakPoint.org to get materials your church can use in observing this day of prayer.
And as you pray for the persecuted Church, pray for the persecutors as well, that they, like the Apostle Paul and the former Khmer Rouge militants, will embrace the One whose followers they persecuted.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Khmer Krom Protest in Phnom Penh against the defrocking and jailing on anti-communist Monk Tim Sakhorn in Vietnam
Men sit behind a portrait of anti-communist Buddhist monk Tim Sakhorn during a protest at a pagoda in Phnom Penh August 17, 2007. The Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed Tim Sakhorn, who went missing on June 30 after being defrocked by Phnom Penh's Supreme Patriarch for "damaging Vietnamese-Cambodian relations", was in custody in Vietnam, but said he had been arrested for illegal entry. The so-called Kampuchea Krom, whose existence is due to the redrawing of the Vietnamese-Cambodian border under French colonial rule, have longed complained about religious persecution by Vietnam's communist rulers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks hold a protest to demand Vietnam release anti-communist Buddhist monk Tim Sakhorn, at a pagoda in Phnom Penh August 17, 2007. The Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed Tim Sakhorn, who went missing on June 30 after being defrocked by Phnom Penh's Supreme Patriarch for "damaging Vietnamese-Cambodian relations", was in custody in Vietnam, but said he had been arrested for illegal entry. The so-called Kampuchea Krom, whose existence is due to the redrawing of the Vietnamese-Cambodian border under French colonial rule, have longed complained about religious persecution by Vietnam's communist rulers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks hold a protest to demand Vietnam release anti-communist Buddhist monk Tim Sakhorn, at a pagoda in Phnom Penh August 17, 2007. The Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed Tim Sakhorn, who went missing on June 30 after being defrocked by Phnom Penh's Supreme Patriarch for "damaging Vietnamese-Cambodian relations", was in custody in Vietnam, but said he had been arrested for illegal entry. The so-called Kampuchea Krom, whose existence is due to the redrawing of the Vietnamese-Cambodian border under French colonial rule, have longed complained about religious persecution by Vietnam's communist rulers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Yeoun Sin, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist Monk's Association, speaks to the media during a protest for the release of anti-communist Buddhist monk Tim Sakhorn, in Phnom Penh August 17, 2007. The Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed Tim Sakhorn, who went missing on June 30 after being defrocked by Phnom Penh's Supreme Patriarch for "damaging Vietnamese-Cambodian relations", was in custody in Vietnam, but said he had been arrested for illegal entry. The so-called Kampuchea Krom, whose existence is due to the redrawing of the Vietnamese-Cambodian border under French colonial rule, have longed complained about religious persecution by Vietnam's communist rulers. REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaSunday, June 10, 2007
Christians martyred under communist [Vietnamese] rule
Dieu Suoi
Sui H'Krong2 more deaths in crackdown on house church movement
Posted: June 9, 2007
WorldNetDaily
Two more members of a mostly-Christian population in the Central Highlands of Vietnam have died at the hands of authorities, according to a U.S.-based foundation whose leaders recently issued a plea to President Bush to ask Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet about such tragedies when the two meet later this month.
The death toll from the communist government's persecution of Christians there actually is rising by three, but one of the deaths happened some time ago, only to be reported recently. The two other deaths have happened just in recent weeks, according to officials with the the Montagnard Foundation.
As WND reported, that group just days ago sent an open letter to Bush asking him to pressure the president of Vietnam to stop the "persecution, torture, killings and imprisonment" of the Degar Montagnards, a group of people who sided with the U.S. during the Vietnam war and have been persecuted since.
The foundation said an estimated 350 Degar Montagnards are imprisoned for standing up for human rights, spreading Christianity, or fleeing to Cambodia. "These prisoners are subjected to torture, including electric shock treatment, and withheld food and medical care," the foundation said.
Its new report documented the death on May 29, 2007, of Dieu Suoi, a Christian who was tortured by police and prison officials. He was arrested in 2005 "because he was a house church Christian who refused to join the official church," the foundation said. He was beaten with batons and shocked, then imprisoned.
His health deteriorated in prison, and on May 27, police returned him to his family, who insisted he be hospitalized because he had been beaten so badly they hardly recognized him. Suoi, 30, died in two days, the report said.
Another death happened just a few weeks earlier, when Sui H'Krong, 55, a Christian woman, died at her home after she was released from a hospital after surgery.
She had gone to a doctor in March because of stomach pains, but was referred immediately to a hospital where she was taken directly in to surgery.
"After the surgical operation was done, Dr. La Van Thang told her he could not find anything wrong," the report said. She was sent home, where her health quickly failed and she died.
"Her family fears that she was experimented on and did not receive proper medical care," the foundation report said.
The third report that just came in involved Y-Kuot Enuol, 41, who was arrested in 2001 and subjected to torture for several years in prison. After his death in late 2004, "security police threatened his family not to tell anyone about what had happened … or they too will also be tortured and killed by the police," the foundation report said.
The open letter to Bush had been written by Kok Ksor, the president of the foundation, and describes how the attacks began as soon as the communists took over South Vietnam after the U.S. military pullout.
"One of those victims was my uncle, a civilian congressman for the Montagnards who was publicly executed in 1975," Ksor wrote. "Ever since the Vietnamese government has continued land exploitation, Christian persecution, torture, killings and imprisonment of our people. Religious persecution continues today as authorities torture house church Christians who resist joining the 'official' church."
"Mr. President, We ask that you: Strongly urge Vietnam to release all of the estimated 350 Montagnard Degar Prisoners from Vietnamese prisons…," the letter said, citing a Human Rights Watch report documenting those cases.
The letter also is asking the U.S. to consider restoring Vietnam to the list of nations cited as "Countries of Particular Concern," for its persecution of religious and minority groups. And it also would like the State Department to include the Montagnard Foundation as relations between the U.S. and Vietnam develop.
"We are not asking the United States to abandon relations with Vietnam and we do not want progress between the United States and Vietnam to be stifled. We know the world of politics is complex but we cry out in desperation to you," the letter said. "Inside the Central Highlands our people desperately await to hear some news that an American president has remembered them."
"As you may know the Montagnard Degar people were allies to the United States during the Vietnam War and U.S. veterans came to know our people like brothers," Ksor said. "In fact, during the Vietnam War our people were considered one of America's most loyal allies and it is estimated that at any one time over 40,000 Montagnards served alongside their American comrades. Throughout the … war it is estimated 100,000 Montagnards served with the U.S. military and by the end of the war, over a quarter of our population, over 200,000 people, had died including half of all adult males," he wrote. The communists, on taking over, he said, "enacted revenge," and it continues.
Leaving the situation as it is would mean "surveillance, arrests, beatings, electric shock torture, imprisonment and murdering," he said.
The foundation also announced plans for a peaceful demonstration on June 16 outside the White House, "calling for an end to persecution of their people by the Vietnamese communist government," which will be followed by a prayer vigil at the Vietnam Wall Memorial.
In a recent report from Michael Ireland, of ASSIST News, he documented the ongoing harassment.
Citing Human Rights Watch documentation, he said Vietnam is targeting "those perceived as following 'Dega Christianity,' an unsanctioned form of evangelical Christianity."
HRW said the government has ordered a ban, calling it a political movement, not a religion. The organization said police in recent weeks have conducted midnight raids on villages, ransacking homes and have beaten women and children.
The abuse also has been documented by Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom.
The death toll from the communist government's persecution of Christians there actually is rising by three, but one of the deaths happened some time ago, only to be reported recently. The two other deaths have happened just in recent weeks, according to officials with the the Montagnard Foundation.
As WND reported, that group just days ago sent an open letter to Bush asking him to pressure the president of Vietnam to stop the "persecution, torture, killings and imprisonment" of the Degar Montagnards, a group of people who sided with the U.S. during the Vietnam war and have been persecuted since.
The foundation said an estimated 350 Degar Montagnards are imprisoned for standing up for human rights, spreading Christianity, or fleeing to Cambodia. "These prisoners are subjected to torture, including electric shock treatment, and withheld food and medical care," the foundation said.
Its new report documented the death on May 29, 2007, of Dieu Suoi, a Christian who was tortured by police and prison officials. He was arrested in 2005 "because he was a house church Christian who refused to join the official church," the foundation said. He was beaten with batons and shocked, then imprisoned.
His health deteriorated in prison, and on May 27, police returned him to his family, who insisted he be hospitalized because he had been beaten so badly they hardly recognized him. Suoi, 30, died in two days, the report said.
Another death happened just a few weeks earlier, when Sui H'Krong, 55, a Christian woman, died at her home after she was released from a hospital after surgery.
She had gone to a doctor in March because of stomach pains, but was referred immediately to a hospital where she was taken directly in to surgery.
"After the surgical operation was done, Dr. La Van Thang told her he could not find anything wrong," the report said. She was sent home, where her health quickly failed and she died.
"Her family fears that she was experimented on and did not receive proper medical care," the foundation report said.
The third report that just came in involved Y-Kuot Enuol, 41, who was arrested in 2001 and subjected to torture for several years in prison. After his death in late 2004, "security police threatened his family not to tell anyone about what had happened … or they too will also be tortured and killed by the police," the foundation report said.
The open letter to Bush had been written by Kok Ksor, the president of the foundation, and describes how the attacks began as soon as the communists took over South Vietnam after the U.S. military pullout.
"One of those victims was my uncle, a civilian congressman for the Montagnards who was publicly executed in 1975," Ksor wrote. "Ever since the Vietnamese government has continued land exploitation, Christian persecution, torture, killings and imprisonment of our people. Religious persecution continues today as authorities torture house church Christians who resist joining the 'official' church."
"Mr. President, We ask that you: Strongly urge Vietnam to release all of the estimated 350 Montagnard Degar Prisoners from Vietnamese prisons…," the letter said, citing a Human Rights Watch report documenting those cases.
The letter also is asking the U.S. to consider restoring Vietnam to the list of nations cited as "Countries of Particular Concern," for its persecution of religious and minority groups. And it also would like the State Department to include the Montagnard Foundation as relations between the U.S. and Vietnam develop.
"We are not asking the United States to abandon relations with Vietnam and we do not want progress between the United States and Vietnam to be stifled. We know the world of politics is complex but we cry out in desperation to you," the letter said. "Inside the Central Highlands our people desperately await to hear some news that an American president has remembered them."
"As you may know the Montagnard Degar people were allies to the United States during the Vietnam War and U.S. veterans came to know our people like brothers," Ksor said. "In fact, during the Vietnam War our people were considered one of America's most loyal allies and it is estimated that at any one time over 40,000 Montagnards served alongside their American comrades. Throughout the … war it is estimated 100,000 Montagnards served with the U.S. military and by the end of the war, over a quarter of our population, over 200,000 people, had died including half of all adult males," he wrote. The communists, on taking over, he said, "enacted revenge," and it continues.
Leaving the situation as it is would mean "surveillance, arrests, beatings, electric shock torture, imprisonment and murdering," he said.
The foundation also announced plans for a peaceful demonstration on June 16 outside the White House, "calling for an end to persecution of their people by the Vietnamese communist government," which will be followed by a prayer vigil at the Vietnam Wall Memorial.
In a recent report from Michael Ireland, of ASSIST News, he documented the ongoing harassment.
Citing Human Rights Watch documentation, he said Vietnam is targeting "those perceived as following 'Dega Christianity,' an unsanctioned form of evangelical Christianity."
HRW said the government has ordered a ban, calling it a political movement, not a religion. The organization said police in recent weeks have conducted midnight raids on villages, ransacking homes and have beaten women and children.
The abuse also has been documented by Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Cambodian authority, like its communist VN counterpart, prevents Khmer Krom monks from praying for dead monk
Khmer Krom Monks praying in the middle of a rice field under the scorching sun. (Photo: Huntington News Network)Authority prevents Khmer Krom monks from praying
16 March 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
A mixed police force spread on the road leading to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda located in Boeng Thom commune, Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, since early Friday morning to prevent a group of about 60 Khmer Krom monks, human rights activists, and reporters from approaching the grave of a Khmer Krom monk who died under mysterious circumstance recently.
At least two Khmer Krom monks collapsed when the police was trying to prevent them to pray near the grave. The monks did not budge and they sat down and prayed in a empty rice field under the scorching sun of the dry season.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks, said that he and several Khmer Krom monks came to this location for only one reason: to pray for the deceased monk, however, the police prevented them from approaching the grave. The police officers claimed they received their order from their superiors.
Monk Yoeung Sin said: “The cops are standing there, they said that they have gathered people to prevent us from approaching [the grave] to pray. I don’t know what to do now because … they are preventing us from going nearby, it’s a shame.”
Yesterday, Mean Samnang, the deputy police chief of Ang Snuol district, did not explain why the police took this action. He only said that he does not know about the situation because he is busy attending a meeting in Takhmao. “I am in Takhmao right now, I am in a meeting,” he said.
Human rights activists attempted to approach the area also but they were prevented by the police which did not allow anyone the entrance to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda where the grave of the deceased Khmer Krom monk is located.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights group, said that she attempted to enter the Tronum Chroeung pagoda in order to help mediate the disagreement between the Khmer Krom monks and the police force, but she was prevented by the police to enter the pagoda.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek said: “I arrived there, they stopped me right in front of the pagoda, they did not let me in. Licadho had sent our observers in the early morning, some of whom were already inside the pagoda. This situation is not right because several monks, about 50 to 60 of them, first they asked to remove the body out the grave for a cremation according to the custom, but they were not successful. Then, secondly, the monks said, if it is too difficult, they are only asking to pray there, and even that they were prevented to do so because the police is afraid of violence because of the presence of a group of people who do not allow the removal of the dead monk body. So much prevention, I just don’t understand. I saw people who committed very serious crimes, like Saddam Hussein, but when he was sentenced to be hanged, his body was returned back to his family.”
NGO human rights groups said that the confrontation between the villagers who are supporting the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda who prevented the Khmer Krom monks from entering the grave site, was quite worrisome.
Chan Saveth, an Adhoc human rights observer, said: “The mixed police forced did not allow human rights activists and reporters to follow or observe the situation. Furthermore, a large number of villagers in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda – about 300 of them – were standing ready to use violence against the Khmer Krom monks to prevent them to pray at the grave site. The representative of the Khmer Krom monks attempted to negotiate with the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, but the abbot refused to come out to discuss and he also refused any demand. It seems like all these villagers are angry with the group of Khmer Krom monks. According to some of the villagers, they said that they are unhappy with the fact that radio and newspapers reported that the [deceased Khmer Krom] monk was killed in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda. This news report greatly affects their pagoda, the place of their worship.”
In a letter sent to the Khmer Krom monks on 15 March, Oum Nhean, the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, absolutely refused the removal of the body of deceased Khmer Krom monk, Eang Sokthoeun, and giving him a proper religious final rite.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) which regroups 23 organizations, issued a statement today saying that the prevention by the authority is a serious violation on the freedom of cultural and religious gathering rights which are guaranteed by the constitution of the kingdom of Cambodia.
At least two Khmer Krom monks collapsed when the police was trying to prevent them to pray near the grave. The monks did not budge and they sat down and prayed in a empty rice field under the scorching sun of the dry season.
Monk Yoeung Sin, President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks, said that he and several Khmer Krom monks came to this location for only one reason: to pray for the deceased monk, however, the police prevented them from approaching the grave. The police officers claimed they received their order from their superiors.
Monk Yoeung Sin said: “The cops are standing there, they said that they have gathered people to prevent us from approaching [the grave] to pray. I don’t know what to do now because … they are preventing us from going nearby, it’s a shame.”
Yesterday, Mean Samnang, the deputy police chief of Ang Snuol district, did not explain why the police took this action. He only said that he does not know about the situation because he is busy attending a meeting in Takhmao. “I am in Takhmao right now, I am in a meeting,” he said.
Human rights activists attempted to approach the area also but they were prevented by the police which did not allow anyone the entrance to the Tronum Chroeung pagoda where the grave of the deceased Khmer Krom monk is located.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights group, said that she attempted to enter the Tronum Chroeung pagoda in order to help mediate the disagreement between the Khmer Krom monks and the police force, but she was prevented by the police to enter the pagoda.
Dr Pung Chiv Kek said: “I arrived there, they stopped me right in front of the pagoda, they did not let me in. Licadho had sent our observers in the early morning, some of whom were already inside the pagoda. This situation is not right because several monks, about 50 to 60 of them, first they asked to remove the body out the grave for a cremation according to the custom, but they were not successful. Then, secondly, the monks said, if it is too difficult, they are only asking to pray there, and even that they were prevented to do so because the police is afraid of violence because of the presence of a group of people who do not allow the removal of the dead monk body. So much prevention, I just don’t understand. I saw people who committed very serious crimes, like Saddam Hussein, but when he was sentenced to be hanged, his body was returned back to his family.”
NGO human rights groups said that the confrontation between the villagers who are supporting the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda who prevented the Khmer Krom monks from entering the grave site, was quite worrisome.
Chan Saveth, an Adhoc human rights observer, said: “The mixed police forced did not allow human rights activists and reporters to follow or observe the situation. Furthermore, a large number of villagers in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda – about 300 of them – were standing ready to use violence against the Khmer Krom monks to prevent them to pray at the grave site. The representative of the Khmer Krom monks attempted to negotiate with the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, but the abbot refused to come out to discuss and he also refused any demand. It seems like all these villagers are angry with the group of Khmer Krom monks. According to some of the villagers, they said that they are unhappy with the fact that radio and newspapers reported that the [deceased Khmer Krom] monk was killed in the Tronum Chroeung pagoda. This news report greatly affects their pagoda, the place of their worship.”
In a letter sent to the Khmer Krom monks on 15 March, Oum Nhean, the abbot of the Tronum Chroeung pagoda, absolutely refused the removal of the body of deceased Khmer Krom monk, Eang Sokthoeun, and giving him a proper religious final rite.
The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) which regroups 23 organizations, issued a statement today saying that the prevention by the authority is a serious violation on the freedom of cultural and religious gathering rights which are guaranteed by the constitution of the kingdom of Cambodia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
