Injured Khmer Krom monk Lim Yuth during the melee on 20 April 2007 (Photo: Khmer Krom Network)
Sralanh KhmerTranslated from Khmer by Heng SoyThe police authority from Phnom den commune, Kirivong district, Takeo province, threatened to skin all monks and Buddhist laypersons, members of the Phnom Den North pagoda, who thumbprinted a letter sent to the king asking for his intervention to have the authority search for the disappearing Monk Tim Sakhorn, and ordain him back into monkhood at the Phnom Den pagoda. Monk Tim Sakhorn disappeared after the “07 January” supreme patriarch Tep Vong ordered his defrocking at the end of June, and accused him of breaking the solidarity between Cambodia and Vietnam, and for his disrespect of the “07 January” brand of Buddhism.
A human rights investigator told Sralanh Khmer (SLK) yesterday that Rat, the Phnom Den police chief, threatened monks, the pagoda committee members, and laypersons members of the pagoda, who were providing their thumbprints in a petition to be sent to the king. Rat said told them to be careful unless they will be “skinned like Tim Sakhorn,” if they insist on providing their thumbprints day and night like this.
Uoch Leng, an Adhoc human rights investigator, said that currently, no monks or laypersons dare give their thumbprints since the police chief proffered his threat. However, an investigator for the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation in the world (KKF) based in Cambodia, told SLK that he turned a petition bearing 257 thumbprints to King Sihamoni already on 07 July 2007. Nevertheless, until now, he did not receive any information (from the royal palace) yet.
Thach Setha, director of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Community (KKC) told SLK yesterday that until now, KKC also received about 200 thumbprints from Phnom Den pagoda monks and laypersons on a petition demanding that KKF and Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations help locate Monk Tim Sakhorn.
On 01 July 2007, 3 KKC members, 2 members of the Khmer Krom Monk Association, 3 members of the Khmer Krom Human Rights Organization, 1 KKF member, 1 member of the Friends of Khmer Krom Association, and 2 members of the Foundation for the poor, traveled to the Phnom Den North pagoda to investigate the defrocking case of Monk Tim Sakhorn, one day after he was defrocked.
The threat by the Phnom Den police chief to skin people alive, regardless of whether one is monk or layperson, was made when only an additional 70 thumbprints were collected. The thumbprints collection had to undertaken at night time.
Khieu Sopheak, Ministry of Interior spokesman, who in the past claimed that Monk Tim Sakhorn asked to be deported to his native village in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam), told local newspapers two days ago that he did not know where “Mr. Tim Sakhorn” is. The “07 January” supreme patriarch issued a clarification on 12 July 2007 which includes a fake declaration letter by Monk Tim Sakhorn volunteering to be deported back to Vietnam.
At the Phnom Den pagoda, 15 Monks and several hundreds of families members of the pagoda whom SLK interviewed on the spot, or talked to over the phone, said that they pity and miss Monk Tim Sakhorn very much, and they even organized a prayer ceremony in front of the Buddha statue in the pagoda last Sunday, asking for the wellbeing of Abbot Tim Sakhorn and his safe return to monkhood.
Regarding the threat by the police chief, Grandma Kieng May, an old benefactor of the pagoda, who was copiously insulted (by the police chief), said that she is now very concerned about her own safety.
Information about Monk Tim Sakhorn being sent back to the Takeo jail from the Vietnamese army region 9 cannot be confirmed yet, and his jailing location is still unknown. Nevertheless, a group of human rights investigators claimed that Monk Tim Sakhorn was indeed sent back to Takeo province, but it is not known where he is currently being jailed at.
In a separate case involving the “07 January” monk Tep Vong, members of the Wat Unalom pagoda, where the “07 January” monk himself resides, said that they no longer give alms to monks anymore. A source indicated that monks from Wat Unalom said that for almost one month now, when the monks go out to ask for alms, nobody give them anything. Some monks were wondering whether people were disgusted with Tep Vong, and that’s the reason why they have no feelings for monks like this.
In his declaration issued on 12 July, Tep Vong confessed that he ordered 10 monks to instill order (i.e., violating the duty of the police force) among Khmer Krom monks who were taking a petition to the US embassy, while walking past Wat Unalom. Tep Vong made the wild claim that the “armed” Khmer Krom monks were using violence against the “07 January” monks, and creating disturbance among the “07 January” monk group which was forced to retreat back to Wat Unalom.
However, witnesses of the event said that Tep Vong’s clarification is actually an exaggeration. The witnesses said that it was the “07 January” group of monks led by Sao Chanthol and Leng Kim Lieng, and protected by several body guards who came out of Wat Unalom to prevent Khmer Krom monks from going to the US embassy to hand over their petition. When the Khmer Krom monks refused to listen to their orders, Tep Vong’s “07 January” group of monks ordered their bodyguards to beat up and stone Khmer Krom monks, and 6 Khmer Krom monks were injured during the melee. After bleeding Khmer Krom monks, some of the “07 January” monks climbed in police cars and took off, while others retreated back with fear inside Wat Unalom.
Maybe it was because Buddhists have witnesses such strange attitude of Tep Vong’s group of “07 January” monks that they refused to give alms to them. However such action is also detrimental to other good monks.
