New Vietnamese History Book Condemned for Falsifying History of 'Kampuchea Krom'

SRP MP Urges Hor Namhong To Protest in Reaction To Book Falsifying History of kampuchea Krom

10 Aug 07
By Kongkea
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and posted online

The Vietnamese have always used all types of tactics in their attempt to swallow Cambodian territory at all costs and to facilitate their continued encroachment on Cambodia's integrity and sovereignty at all times.

On Thursday, 9 August, a Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] People's Representative sent a message to Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, urging him to react on behalf of the Cambodian Government against communist Vietnam's history book that falsified historical fact by publishing that Kampuchea Krom [Lower Cambodia, ancient Khmer territory in present-day southern Vietnam] was cut off and given to Vietnam, in the 17th century and that the Khmers of Kampuchea Krom were refugees who fled from Cambodia along the Mekong River to escape the genocide carried out by the Khmer kings of the 15th century.

This SRP MP said that what was written in the Vietnamese history book published by the Vietnam Communist Party [VCP] was a fabrication of history with an evil intent and total irresponsibility. For this reason, he urged Hor Namhong, foreign minister of the current Cambodian Government, to issue a protest in response to the publication of the VCP history book that has falsified the truth of the Khmer history.

In particular, Thach Setha, chairman of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Communities Organization, also reacted in these words, "The VCP wrote this book to misrepresent history since Cambodia was born 2,000 years BC. The word Khmer took it root from the words Funan and Chenla, which produced the term Kampuchea or Cambodia. The Khmers took their origin from Queen Livyi, who ruled Funan, and the Varman dynasty."

Thach Setha affirmed that during his reign King Jayavarman II unified the Khmer empire, which included the Kampuchea Krom.

He went on to say that what the Vietnamese history book wrote was completely false as it differed from the Khmer history and in all Khmer historical documents there was no mention of any Khmer king having given away any piece of Khmer territory to Vietnam.

Thach Setha stressed that the first Vietnamese settlers came to the Khmer territory in 1623 during the reign of King Cheychettha II. Therefore, the Vietnamese were illegal immigrants living on Khmer soil. After the demise of King Cheychettha II, all subsequent Khmer kings continued to demand that Vietnam hand back the Khmer territory. But the Vietnamese consistently refused. At first, the Vietnamese kings claimed that they were too busy fighting the Chinese and they begged the Khmer kings for a favor not to ask the return of the territory at that moment. In 1653, King Ang Chan ascended the throne and insisted that the Vietnamese return the Khmer territory. The Vietnamese king at that time still refused to return the Khmer territory, claiming that he and his people were also partly Khmers, because the previous Khmer king had a Vietnamese wife.

The French imposed their colonial rule on the Indochinese region and before they pulled out the French portioned off the Khmer territory of Kampuchea Krom and put it under Vietnamese control in June 1949 according to the French law No. 49733. At present, nearly 14 million Kampuchea Krom Khmers live in their native land in 21 provinces and cities.

The demand for the return of the Khmer territory of Kampuchea Krom has been made since the ancient Khmer kings to these days when organizations and associations of the Kampuchea Krom Khmers both at home and abroad have been nonviolently demanding respect for their rights, religious freedom, and freedom of expression as well as the return of the Khmer territory of Kampuchea Krom. This demand has been carried out on the international stage as well.

As for the Kampuchea Krom Khmer citizens and Buddhist monks who live in their native land, they have suffered persecutions, arrests, and imprisonment at the hands of the Hanoi Vietnamese authorities. On the contrary, the Vietnamese nationals live densely inside Cambodia enjoy all kinds of freedom and are free to set up associations for the protection of Vietnamese residents in various Cambodian provinces and cities. Moreover, these illegal Vietnamese settlers carry Cambodian citizen identification cards and Cambodian voter cards. They also have the right to own lands in Cambodia.

As for the Vietnamese children born in Cambodia in the decades since 1979, they have studied and learned Khmer letters, history, culture, and tradition. Some Vietnamese children have graduated from Cambodian universities. We Khmers must beware. The Vietnamese children and grandchildren born after 1979 are becoming Cambodian leaders or Cambodian MPs. These Vietnamese are using Cambodian names and have their birth places in Cambodia.

The Cambodian National Assembly must make a law prohibiting people of other races whose ancestors were not Khmer from becoming Cambodians. Nowadays, the majority of the children of Vietnamese and other nationalities are using documents showing that they are Cambodian citizens. Only the king has the privilege to give Cambodian citizenships to aliens and even so, before giving them these Cambodian citizenships many preconditions still must be fulfilled first.

Vietnam falsifies the history of Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam)

Map of Kampuchea Krom, currently occupied by the colonialist Vietnamese

04 July 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Cambodian historians are strongly reacting to a new publication issued by the Vietnamese authority on the history of South Vietnam. The new history publication claims that Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam) is a land which Vietnam cleared, and that Cambodian people living there are nothing more than refugees fleeing from Cambodia.

Dr Michel Tranet, a Cambodian history researcher, said that this publication is a falsification of history which Cambodia’s neighboring countries undertook in the past 20 years.

Dr Michel Tranet added that Cambodia has numerous stone inscription documents, and that such falsification is unwarranted. Nevertheless, he said that Cambodian historians should hold a meeting to discuss this issue.

Dr Michel Tranet said: “Whatever they say, we don’t care, they write whatever they want to serve the interest of their nation. They don’t write to protect our land, we know this very well, and there’s nothing surprising. Therefore, we must pursue our research based on our stone inscriptions and based on Chinese (historical) documents, so that we learn about the truth. But we must know that they (Viets) are using a subterfuge on Khmer people, we should not be surprised. Therefore, no matter how much more they write, no matter how much they shout out, the most important for us is not to just shout back, we should also organize a meeting (to address this issue).”

The Vietnamese-language document received by RFA, and provided by the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in the world, stated that on 08 March 2007, the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) central committee, and the Southwest region headquarters committee have written a new book titled: “The review of South Vietnam’s history for distribution to the Vietnamese population in order to prevent the breakup of the South.”

This book claimed that the culture of the kingdom of Funan, also known as Nokor Phnom (in Cambodian), is not a Cambodian culture, and that this is also goes to the wedding tradition etc… The book went on to say that the Vietnamese presence in the southland (Kampuchea Krom) started since the 16th century AD, and at that time, because of Siamese interference, the Khmer royal family weakened. Vietnamese living in the Tuon Van area then went in to clear the lands in Dong Nai area. Later on Khmer King Chey Chetha II (an ancestor of the current Cambodian royal family) married Ngoc Van, a Vietnamese princess, and he allowed Vietnamese to establish themselves in the south, in the Prey Nokor (Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city) area.

The book went on to say that later on, the Nguyen lords occupied the entire southern area, and became the owners the land, and that later on the Vietnamese fought and won its independence from France in 1975.

The book published by the VCP claimed that Cambodian people living in South Vietnam are refugees fleeing Cambodia after the Chenla kingdom fought and took over the Funan kingdom. These Cambodians were fleeing the genocide perpetrated by the reigning Cambodian king of the time.

The book was rejected by Cambodian historians who said that the Khmer race are part of the Khmer-Mon race which was influenced by the Indian culture. Both the Chenla and the Funan kingdoms were populated by Khmer ancestors and their offsprings until now.

Ros Chantrabot’s history book on Cambodia said that the unification of all Khmer territories took place under the reign of King Pheakveakvarman I, between the 6th and 7th century AD.

Other Khmer history books said that the Cambodian territories during its apogee, extended all the way to China Sea, including the 23 provinces now located in South Vietnam.

Khmer Krom history indicated that the Southern portion of Cambodia was handed by the French colonial regime to the Vietnamese in 1949.

Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, confirmed that South Vietnam was Cambodia’s territories, and the Cambodian population living there are the rightful owners of the land. He indicated that the Phnom Penh regime is also reviewing this issue.

Khieu Kanharith said: “Whatever document, let us look at it first before we provide an answer. But, to sum it up, even though I did not see (this document yet), Khmer Kampuchea Krom are the owners of the lands and waters there. The entire Kampuchea Krom lands are Khmer lands which the Vietnamese took away because our leaders are mediocre. But, as King-Father recognized it, now that we lost it, he will not demand it back, but he asked that the borders be clearly protected in order to preserve (what is left).”

Ching Ba Kam, an official from the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia, claimed that his embassy did not known about this history publication yet. “Now, I can’t confirm about this book yet, because I don’t have any information about this issue. But whatever you just said, I don’t know about it, I did not read this book yet, and I don’t know its actual content, I don’t know yet. Therefore, I cannot provide any explanation on this issue.”

RFA attempted to obtain clarifications from the Ministry of Education, and the National Assembly councilor, but so far, we did not receive any answer yet.