Woman lights her body aflame

Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Khoun Leakhana
The Phnom Penh Post

Police believe a 63-year old mother, whose burned body was found by villagers in Kampot’s Banteay Meas district on Sunday, self-immolated.

Police said that the woman, from Keatha Vongleu village, bought a bottle of gasoline, saying it was for an engine, before going home and setting fire to herself around 9 or 10am.

Villagers found the body and notified police, who found the death to be suicide.

US urges release of Vietnam bloggers facing trial

People visit an Internet shop in Hanoi. The United States on Wednesday called on Vietnam to free three bloggers facing trial for propaganda against the state, voicing deep concern at the self-immolation of the mother of one of the trio

AFP – 08/01/2012

The United States on Wednesday called on Vietnam to free three bloggers facing trial for propaganda against the state, voicing deep concern at the self-immolation of the mother of one of the trio.

The defendants were arrested after posting hundreds of political articles on the banned Vietnamese website "Free Journalists Club", as well as writing on their own blogs, in a case that has been raised by US President Barack Obama.

If convicted they face up to 20 years in prison, according to their lawyers.

Dang Thi Kim Lieng, the mother of one of the three, died after setting herself ablaze on Monday in front of the local authorities' offices in Bac Lieu province, according to people close to the family.

Self immolation of a nun

15 March 2010
DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Phnom Penh – A frightening incident took place at 7:30PM on Sunday 14 March 2010, when a nun dressed in white poured a bottle of kerosene on herself to self immolate. However, young acolytes at Wat Botum in Phnom Penh city helped put down the fire on time. Nevertheless, witnesses to the incident believe that the victim may not survive because she was too seriously burnt. One witness said that, prior to the incident, the nun came by tuk-tuk with a lot of luggage. She traveled from Kampong Chhnang province and was looking for the nun housing in Wat Botum Pagoda. Acolytes at the pagoda informed her that there is no nun living in Wat Botum Pagoda. Soon thereafter, she took a bottle of kerosene and douse herself with it to self-immolate. The victim said that her name is Srey Touch, she is 55-year-old. Currently, she has been sent to the Calmette hospital for emergency care. However, no additional information is available about her condition.

Khmer Krom monks plan to self-immolate if the Viets defrock them [- No Khmer leaders dare react]

22 Feb 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

On Thursday, 2 Khmer Krom monks, doused themselves with gasoline and threatened to immolate themselves if the Vietnamese authority force them to defrock.

Contacted by phone from Kampuchea Krom (current South Vietnam), 27-year-old monk Thach Doeur, a student of Pali at the Khleang (Soc Trang) pagoda, said that he is not getting out of the main temple as long as there is no written guarantee from the Viets for his safety and that he will not be defrocked. “I have tied up my robe to myself. I will douse myself with gasoline before getting out. If you see me in flame when I get out, this means that the Viet authority does not respect the promise I and the other monk made.”

It has been two days since the Viet authority used force in an attempt to defrock monks Thach Doeur and Kim Moeun.

The Viet authority accused the two monks of demonstrating against them when the two monks protested after the Viets refused 200 monks from Khleang pagoda to go out and beg for their daily alms, last week,

Monk Kim Moeun added that additional Viet troops are brought in to surround the main temple in order to starve the 2 monks: “Today, I did not eat, there is nothing for us to eat. If we go hungry, it is the Viet government’s fault who wanted to deny food to me by preventing people from bringing food here. I did not eat since yesterday until now.”

Non Nget, a monk leader in Cambodia, said that he cannot help under the name of faith in Kampuchea Krom because he is worried that this incident may be perceived as a political issue.

Thach Ngoc Thach, Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) director, is asking for intervention from all foreign embassies in Vietnam. He also calls on Cambodian leaders to help resolve this incident: “In particular, the Cambodian government, including King Sihamoni, Samdech Hun Sen, please pay attention to this Khmer Krom issue. Khmer Krom will not stop their demand. It is shameful that the Khmer King, the Khmer Prime Minister, do not care about several millions of Khmer Krom brothers and sisters currently living in Kampuchea Krom.”

The KKF is also pursuing with the Ministry of Interior to obtain an authorization to hold a demonstration to demand that the Viet provide freedom to Khmer Krom people, as well as allowing them to practice their Buddhist faith, and their culture in Kampuchea Krom.

All monk clergy and Viet authority contacted by RFA declined to provide comments on this issue.