Let Freedom Ring For Khmer-Krom

Somalin Thach addressed the 8th Session of the UNPFII in 2009

By Somalin Thach
Khmer Krom Youth Quarterly Vol. 9

I would like to say THANK YOU to our youths who attended the KKFYC 3rd World Conference in Philly for your great support and precious time from the very bottom of my heart. Also THANK YOU to the elders for their warm support with places for us to stay and food for us to eat while we were on our mission at the UNPFII.

Just like our people in our homeland facing oppression due to restrictions of the Vietnamese Government, we here are facing depression due to economic crisis. Everyone is busy trying to make ends meet and trying to over come daily challenges life have set forth for us. I hope these challenges can only bend our feelings and not break our feelings in support of our voiceless people back home in Kampuchea-Krom.

I have learned a lot from just participating in the UNPFII this year alone. I learn that there are still great fears that linger around people outside and inside Kampuchea-Krom. Why fear when we are only doing the things that are right? We only ask for what the Vietnamese Government signed up to become a member of the UN back in 1977 and promised to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. We just want to provide recommendations to help the Vietnamese Government achieve their goals.

On May 28, 2009 at the UNPFII, my tears unexpectedly shed in the middle of delivering the Future Work speech to the UN delegates. Can anyone answer why? You don’t need to tell me I had already guessed. Your tears would have dropped if you were in my position at that time delivering the truthful speech to the UN and to the Vietnamese Government. What you need to answer now is: What can we do and how can we help to save our identity from diminishing?

It is a fact that we can not open a Khmer school in Kampuchea-Krom. It is a fact that we can not practice our religion like our ancestors did in Kampuchea-Krom. It is a fact that we can not practice our culture. It is NOT a fact that we are not intelligent or a dunce like the Vietnamese government had assumed; it is because we are not given the opportunity to grow, to blossom and to challenge our minds.

In support of our voiceless people in Kampuchea-Krom especially for the women and youths, we need to join hands with KKF and KKFYC to help making our dreams a reality. To merge out of the oppressed condition we are forced to hold within and break free like many other Indigenous peoples around the world. We deserve our rights. We deserve equality. We are the Indigenous Peoples of the Mekong Delta region. We are the Khmer-Krom people of Kampuchea-Krom. We want to be free! Let Freedom ring for Khmer-Krom!

Damnok Teuk Phnaek Pravattisastr - "The tears of history": A Poem in Khmer by Son Samrach

Click on the poem to zoom in

Poem by Son Samrach

Emotional plea by Ms. Somalin Thach, a courageous Khmer Krom representative

Somalin Thach’s emotional speech at the UNPFII attracts the attention to Khmer Krom plight

29 May 2009
By San Suwith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

In a speech given at the forum for Indigenous People held at the UN headquarters in New York City yesterday, a Khmer Krom woman indicated that all that Khmer Krom people want is to be able to live with their Khmer identity preserved and be able to practice their cultural Khmer heritage.

Somalin Thach, a representative of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF), broke down with emotion during her speech given at the United Nation of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York yesterday, while reminiscing about her parents’ flight from Kampuchea Krom (current South Vietnam) because of the discrimination of Khmer Krom people by the Hanoi regime, and also because of their unique Khmer cultural heritage.

Somalin Thach told the audience, that in her name as a Khmer Krom people, her hope is to live in her homeland and to practice her unique cultural heritage. It was time for Viet Nam to move beyond preventing her people from speaking at this Forum. She declared: “I want nothing more but to live in my homeland, as my ancestors have been speaking our indigenous language and practicing our cultural heritage. Madam Chair, we strongly believe that it is time that Vietnam move beyond the denial of our rights to speak at this permanent forum and put into practice our rights to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the very own constitution of the UN…”

RFA was not able to obtain Ms. Somalin Thach’s comment on her speech because she is currently flying back to her home in Seattle, Washington.

Nevertheless, Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, KKF executive director who is still leading the Khmer Krom delegation in the meeting in New York, indicated that Ms. Somalin Thach’s speech caught the attention of the foreign forum participants.

Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach said: “The chairwoman of the forum was attracted [by the speech] and she shared Khmer Krom sufferings. She said that the identity of each nationality is very important around the world, and this is the reason why security of indigenous people is protected here. Furthermore, we noted that a number of countries also got the attention and they came to shake hand and encourage Ms. Somalin Thach, even NGOs came to ask for copies of her speech. Therefore, I am calling on all Khmer Krom people who live outside of the country, as well as all Khmer Krom people who now live in countries with freedom, to join in. Only us who live overseas have a voice to represent our voiceless people who are victimized both in Kampuchea Krom and in Cambodia.”

KKF Intervention on Vietnam Government Speech at UNPFII

Wednesday 30th April 2008 - Mrs. Somalin Thach's intervention on Vietnam government speech at the Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.