Press conference held by EU MPs Marco Panella and Marco Perdula at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh (Photo: Pring Samrang, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)Two EU MPs prevented from flying to Vietnam
24 Dec 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French
Marco Panella and Marco Perdula, EU Members of Parliament, were banned from boarding a Vietnam Airlines flight from Phnom Penh to Hanoi on Tuesday 23 December. The reason for this ban: to preserve the security for the two EU MPs –sic!–.
The two MPs held a press conference in the afternoon following the incident at Le Royal Hotel in Phnom Penh. “Agents of the [airline] company told us that they received information from their government whereby demonstrations were waiting for us at our arrival. They said they do not wish to put us in a dangerous situation,” Marco Panella revealed before showing his passport bearing the visa issued by the Vietnamese embassy in Italy. But, according to Marco Panella, “the real reason for this ban is because we support the rights of Khmer people from Kampuchea Krom.”
In fact, on Sunday 21 December, the two EU MPs met with representatives of the Kampuchea Krom community in the suburb of Phnom Penh. The two MPs encouraged Khmer Krom people to pursue their peaceful demand.
According to Marco Perdula, the EU MPs’ visit to Vietnam would include meetings with Vietnamese government officials, Vietnamese MPs, as well as visits to Montagnard people and catholic religious people. The pair would also look into the case of Khmer people from South Vietnam, i.e. Kampuchea Krom.
The two MPs held a press conference in the afternoon following the incident at Le Royal Hotel in Phnom Penh. “Agents of the [airline] company told us that they received information from their government whereby demonstrations were waiting for us at our arrival. They said they do not wish to put us in a dangerous situation,” Marco Panella revealed before showing his passport bearing the visa issued by the Vietnamese embassy in Italy. But, according to Marco Panella, “the real reason for this ban is because we support the rights of Khmer people from Kampuchea Krom.”
In fact, on Sunday 21 December, the two EU MPs met with representatives of the Kampuchea Krom community in the suburb of Phnom Penh. The two MPs encouraged Khmer Krom people to pursue their peaceful demand.
According to Marco Perdula, the EU MPs’ visit to Vietnam would include meetings with Vietnamese government officials, Vietnamese MPs, as well as visits to Montagnard people and catholic religious people. The pair would also look into the case of Khmer people from South Vietnam, i.e. Kampuchea Krom.
