Son Chhay: Defrocking of Monk Tim Sakhorn was done based on Vietnam’s order

28 September 2007
By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

An opposition MP accused that the defrocking of former Monk Tim Sakhorn was done based on an order issued by the Vietnamese authority to the Cambodian government, following numerous revealing documents sent by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to the National Assembly this Friday.

MP Son Chhay, Chairman of Committee No. 5 of the National Assembly, declared that he was very surprised to learn that the defrocking (of Monk Tim Sakhorn) was done to please Vietnam. He said that he will demand for an official explanation about this issue on Monday.

Son Chhay said: “Therefore, we can see that the action which took place was done to serve Vietnam’s interest altogether. We demand that there is an explanation, and there must be official answer from the Ministry of Interior, and from Vietnam about this issue also.”

The clarification document from the MoI confirms that the defrocking of former Monk Tim Sakhorn was done based on a direct order from Tep Vong, the Buddhist supreme patriarch.

During the defrocking, a Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) and Khmer Monk Movement magazine was found. The magazine contains articles attacking the Vietnamese authority, this was (considered as) the undermining (activity) of the solidarity between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Son Chhay indicated that this is no cause to defrock Monk Tim Sakhorn on such issue. However, Khieu Sopheak, MoI spokesman, claimed that Monk Tim Sakhorn used Cambodian territories to oppose Vietnam.

Khieu Sopheak indicated: “The Constitution of our kingdom does not allow anyone, any individual, any organization, or any political party to use Cambodian territories to oppose another legal government in the world…”

The former abbot of the Phnom Den Pagoda was defrocked by force by the Cambodian authority on 30 June 2007, he was subsequently jailed in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam). Even thought the MoI claimed that Monk Tim Sakhorn volunteered to return to live in Kampuchea Krom, civil society organizations have accused the Phnom Penh regime of deporting its own citizen to Vietnam to be jailed there.

A few days ago, the Vietnamese TV station in Motr Chrouk (An Giang in Vietnamese) province, indicated that Monk Tim Sakhorn will be released, however, up until now, nobody has seen him released yet.

Khieu Sopheak welcomes the eventual return of Monk Tim Sakhorn back to Cambodia, but he rejects any intervention to help secure the release of the monk, claiming that this case is beyond the Phnom Penh regime’s governance inside Cambodia.

Comrade Tep Vong condemned Monk Tim Sakhorn of criminal act when the court of the land did not even say so, is he a Parajika liar communist patriarch?

Tep Vong clarifies about the defrocking of Monk Tim Sakhorn

Friday, July 13, 2007
By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Yesterday, supreme patriarch Tep Vong confirmed one more time that the defrocking of Monk Tim Sakhorn, the abbot of Phnom Den pagoda in Takeo province, was done according to the Buddhist law and the state law in application, Monk Tim Sakhorn is accused by (former communist comrade) Tep Vong of being illegal towards the Buddhist Dharma.

In a 2-page clarification statement dated 12 July, Tep Vong accused Monk Tim Sakhorn that, besides looking down on him, calling (comrade) Tep Vong as a supreme communist patriarch, an unruly patriarch, and a puppet king monk of Hun Sen, when Monk Tim Sakhorn’s room was searched, the Cambodian authority found several documents, including pornographic VCDs, and a woman sleeping in the bed of Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Tep Vong’s declaration called Monk Tim Sakhorn a convict whose activity led to the rupture of solidarity among the monks, and is therefore a parajika, as well as being a criminal.

If defrocked Khmer Krom Monk Tim Sakhorn is killed, jailed, or torutured, the full responsability falls on Hochimonks Non Nget and Tep Vong

Relatives of defrocked Khmer Krom Monk still have no news from him since his disappearance

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

Relatives of Monk Time Sakhorn in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam) claimed that he is nowhere to be found there even though the Cambodian authority claimed that it sent him to Kampuchea Krom.

Monk Tim Sakhorn’s relative made this claim following the defrocking of the monk perpetrated by the Cambodian authority last Saturday. Monk Tim Sakhorn, the abbot of the Phnom Den pagoda, located in Takeo province, was accused of undermining the friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Chau Mean told RFA over the phone from Kampuchea Krom that Khmer Krom people all over the place, in particular those living in Andoung Teuk district, Mort Chrouk province (Chau Doc in Vietnamese), the birthplace of Monk Tim Sakhorn, did not find any information about his whereabouts. “We have contacted them, but we don’t know where he (Monk Tim Sakhorn) is, he was arrested for 2-3 days already, and I could not find him yet … there is no news, where could he be?...”

Chau Ban, the younger brother of Monk Tim Sakhorn, declared that so far, he had not received any information about the missing monk. Monk Tim Sakhorn’s relatives all over the place are looking for him both in Kampuchea Krom and in Cambodia, but no one saw him, and his disappearance caused concerns among his relatives that he may be jailed and tortured.

Chau Ban said: “On the day of the incident, they transported him to Kampuchea Krom, he refused to go, there are people who saw this and they willing to be witnesses. We look for him everywhere, but we couldn’t find him. In my mind, I think that they may have killed him already, or he could be jailed and tortured because the way they arrest him is very brutal, that’s what let me to think about this.”

An anonymous official from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RFA that the Vietnamese government did not provide a visa to Monk Tim Sakhorn. He said that Vietnam is not responsible for the problem faced by this former monk, and that Vietnam considers this issue as an internal affair of Cambodia.

Monk Tim Sakhorn was ordained as a Buddhist monk 20 years ago. He no longer has any immediate relatives living in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam), but last week, the Cambodian authority defrocked him by force, and deported him to Kampuchea Krom by claiming that Monk Tim Sakhorn volunteered to go there.

The Khmer Kampucha-Krom Federation (KKF) Worldwide accused that the deportation of the former monk to Vietnam is tantamount to sending him to jail and torturing him.

Chan Soveth, an official of the Adhoc human rights organization, confirmed that civil society organizations are working with various foreign embassies in Vietnam to find out more about Monk Tim Sakhorn, but so far, no information has transpired yet.

Tep Vong: No more defrocking of Khmer Krom monks (… until next defrocking)

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

Click here to listen to the rude words used by Hochimonk Tep Vong during his interview with RFA

Supreme patriarch Tep Vong said on Wednesday that there will not be anymore defrocking of Khmer Krom monks, following the defrocking of one Khmer Krom monks in Phnom Den pagoda, Takeo province.

Tep Vong claimed that the defrocking was done to this Khmer Krom monk because he created difficulties for him (Tep Vong), and that the Khmer Krom monk asked to be defrocked himself. Tep Vong said that there is no reason to defrock other Khmer Krom monks.

Tep Vong said: “If it’s true, I would do it already, but if it’s not true … I won’t do it, that’s why I said that we should end this mayhem with this guy (Tep Vong used the derogatory calling of “Ah Niss” to designate another monk), because he persecuted me. His group beat up other monks until their heads and faces were gashed.” RFA: “So there will not be any more defrocking?” Tep Vong: “No more … I don’t know, I did not defrock him, I was asked to give the permission for the defrocking, so I authorized the defrocking.”

Tep Vong made this remark after he received numerous criticisms for the defrocking of a Khmer Krom monk in Phnom Den. Tep Vong’s critics accused him of discouraging Khmer Krom monks from demanding the respect of Buddhism in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam).

Monk Yoeung Sin, the abbot of the Samaky Raingsey pagoda, said that Khmer Krom monks, in particular the 20 monks who just fled from Kampuchea Krom recently, are very concerned after they learned that Tep Vong had ordered the defrocking of another 11 Khmer Krom monks.

Monk Yoeung Sin added that up to now, some of the monks fled from their pagodas, while others no longer dare go out to beg for their alms as they usually do. “Now, there are other monks who fled, they are quite numerous, they are no longer staying in one place. They are now concerned, furthermore, some no longer dare going out to beg for their alms because they are afraid that they will be arrested, therefore, even to go beg for their alms, they don’t even dare do it. They are concerned that the Viet group arrest them and prevent them from going to beg for their alms … now they are scared, when they get into the water they face the crocodiles, but when they get back up on lands they face the tigers, they don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do,” Monk Yoeung Sin said.

Monk Tim Sakhorn, the abbot of the Phnom Den pagoda was defrocked by the Cambodian authority last Saturday. He was accused of violating the Buddhist rule by undermining the national and international unity, in particular, he is accused of undermining the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam by using the pagoda as a propaganda headquarters.

Adhoc investigators confirmed that Monk Tim Sakhorn was issued warnings in the past because he allowed Khmer Krom people to become monks without asking the authorization from the patriarch. Following his defrocking, Monk Tim Sakhorn’s whereabouts is unknown, even though the Cambodian authority claimed that he volunteered to return back to Vietnam.

Currently, numerous civil society organizations are holding meetings to find refuge and safety shelters for concerned monks who are native from Kampuchea Krom.

Cambodia monks fearful after abbot disappears

04/07/2007
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The disappearance of a high-profile abbot in Cambodia, Venerable Tim Sakhorn, has evoked grave concern among ethnic Khmer communities around the world.

The abbot of Phnom Den pagoda in Takeo province was defrocked last week by the supreme patriarch of Buddhist monks in Cambodia, Venerable Tep Vong, for an alleged attempt to undermine the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Khmer Krom are an ethnic minority group living in the Mekong Delta regions of southern Vietnam and Cambodia which used to belong to Cambodia before Vietnam acquired it under French colonialism.

The head of the Khmer Krom Buddhist Association, Venerable Yin Sin, told Radio Australia's Khmer News that four monks have already fled Vietnam, through Cambodia and now on to Thailand, through fear of persecution, and another 11 have gone into hiding.

"The Khmer Krom have been living in fear, some have left Vietnam for safety reason, and now they are being followed," he said.

The head of the Khmer Krom community in Cambodia, Thach Setha, also expressed concern after the Cambodia Daily newspaper quoted a statement by the Cambodian supreme patriarch saying that defrocking another 11 Khmer Krom monks was possible.

Venerable Tep Vong said the monks could be drefrocked if found to have been involved in a violent brawl with local monks in April this year during a march protesting the Vietnam government's oppression of the ethnic Khmer who live in neighbouring Vietnam.

A spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said the ministry was not aware of the threat to defrock another 11 monks, but said once defrocked, the monks would lose their immunity from prosecution.

They could then be charged for any alleged crime or any activity deemed to be illegal or harming national security.

Cambodia's Khmer community leader Thach Setha told Radio Australia's Khmer News the community is seeking help from international human rights groups, as well diplomats, in citing Cambodia for political oppression.

Vietnam has recently been cited by human rights groups for political oppression of the Khmer Krom.