Khmer Krom: Group Condemns Treatment Toward Refugees

Thursday, 11 February 2010
Source: UNPO

A statement issued Monday by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) condemned the treatment of Khmer Krom, Uighur and Hmong refugees by several nations, including Cambodia, after a conference on refugees in Rome last week.

Below is an article published by The Phnom Penh Post

The statement expressed “deep concern at the total disregard” for the principle of non-refoulement – which protects refugees seeking asylum from being returned to their home countries – by the governments of Cambodia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Myanmar and Nepal.

Maggie Murphy, programme coordinator for the UNPO Secretariat, expressed specific concerns on Monday about the conduct of Cambodian authorities in dealing with Khmer Krom refugees who have been unable to secure identity documents since arriving in Cambodia on December 5.

“The Khmer Krom case is extremely complex due to Cambodia’s gesture of granting asylum seekers citizenship without granting full citizen rights. Indeed, names must be changed or adapted, and places of birth modified,” she said.

“The granting of an identity document often only occurs once a bribe has been secured from the asylum seeker,” she said, adding that the Khmer Krom Federation, which attended the Rome conference, had received numerous complaints that authorities had requested prohibitively large sums of money for identity documents.

Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said Tuesday that it was standard practice to require a small fee for legal documents. “It’s normal that the authorities might ask for a little fee to buy cigarettes or for breakfast. In Western countries or the United States, if you want to see a doctor, you need to pay a lot of money,” he said.

Thach Soong, a Khmer Krom representative who has previously argued that the refugees need legal documents to secure housing and employment, said they could not afford to pay any sum. “I’m sure they will not provide us any legal documents because we don’t have any money,” he said.

The UNPO statement also criticised what it described as the “weak response” of the broader international community and called on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to reverse its decision to hand over responsibility for refugees to state authorities.

Uyghurs Facing Midnight Extradition

"Death Sentences Should Be Expected"

Friday, 18 December 2009
Source: UNPO

UNPO is deeply concerned for the welfare of 20 Uyghurs as news emerges that they will be returned to China in the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of a visit to Phnom Penh by Chinese Vice-President, Xi Jinping.

Below is an article published by UNPO:

Twenty-two Uyghurs arrived in Cambodia in recent weeks and have claimed asylum on the basis that they face harsh treatment in China following accusations of an involvement in violent protests on July 5th earlier this year (2009). The charges against them remain unknown. Secretary General of the UNPO, Marino Busadachin, called the extradition "a fateful decision from which death sentences should be expected." Mr. Busdachin noted that China's past record had shown that it "could not be trusted to protect the rights of those under trial...in a society where political expediency had repeatedly and consistently dictated judicial process."

The Chinese authorities have used the unrest as a smokescreen to increase the use of oppressive policies against the Uyghurs and unwarrantedly label them as criminals. Thousands of Uyghurs have been detained, regardless of their involvement in the demonstrations and ensuing turbulence and the human rights of imprisoned Uyghurs are harshly violated.

Over the past few months, news has surfaced of death sentences being imposed by Chinese authorities on at least 20 of the Uyghurs in custody, 9 of whom were executed in November 2009 to international condemnation (For example European Parliament Resolution dated 26 November 2009). The trials have been shrouded in secrecy and have been carried out in a hasty fashion. Uyghurs were denied their right to a lawyer and no independent observers were permitted to the trials.

Sending any asylum seeker back to China could very well lead to the detainment, trial and potentially the execution of the people involved. This story is reminiscent of previous instances of extradition where even non-Chinese nationals face unfair trials and long prison sentences when forcibly returned to China. Huseyin Celil, an ethnic Uyghur who once fled China and gained Canadian citizenship, was arrested in Uzbekistan in April 2006. He was extradited to China against the objections of the Canadian government and sentenced to life in prison.

Since China has shown utter disregard to its constitutional and international obligations in their legal processes against the Uyghurs, the possible trial of any of the 22 asylum seekers ought to be carried out elsewhere. If the Uyghurs’ refugee status had been confirmed, Cambodia would be bound not to deport them under the 1951 convention to which it is a party and the jus cogens principle of non-refoulement.

The status of these individuals has represented a diplomatic challenge for Cambodia this week as China – Cambodia’s biggest investor - is able to exert economic pressure on foreign relations. UNPO believes that the economic ties between Cambodia and China should not interfere with the asylum seeking process of the 22 Uyghurs in any way. Determining the fate of individuals on the basis of unwarranted economic threats goes against the individual rights of the asylum seekers involved.

Speaking on hearing news of the decision, Senator Marco Perduca of the Senate of the Italian Republic stated his belief that “[t]o extradite twenty Uyghurs to China will be to throw them into the jaws of a judicial system that is acknowledged to be partial, which still supports the death penalty, and which has already led to the execution of at least eight Uyghurs in recent months after seriously flawed trials. I therefore urge the Cambodian authorities to allow the Uyghurs to remain in Cambodia - a country I have always known to be hospitable - while the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees deals with their cases in the proper fashion.”

UNPO calls on Cambodia to immediately refuse requests for extradition, halt this forcible return and reconsider the decision to grant asylum to Uyghurs who face imminent danger in China.

UNPO Speaks About Indigenous Issues at the European Parliament

Friday, 20 November 2009
UNPO

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) was invited to speak at a Hearing on Cambodia facilitated by Human Rights Without Frontiers at the European Parliament on 17 November 2009.

The Hearing was chaired by Niccolò Rinaldi (Vice President of ALDE group) and moderated by Edward McMillan-Scott (VP European Parliament) alongside Willy Fautre (Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers). The panels were composed of representatives from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (Ms Maggie Murphy, Program Coordinator), Cambodian Government (H.E. Ambassador Mr. Rudi Veestraeten), the United Nations (Prof. Surya P. Subedi, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia), the European Commission (Mr. Seamus Gillespie, Head of Unit), the Center for Development Research and Cooperation (Dr. Prof. Tazeen Murshid), Amnesty International (Susi Dennison, Executive Director), International Trade Union Confederation (June Sorensen), The Cambodian Association for Human Rights (Mr. Thun Saray, President and former political prisoner) and Human Rights Watch (Brad Adams, Asia Director).

Forced evictions, labor rights, judiciary issues, the role of the EU in Cambodia, as well as political and institutional factors impacting on human rights in Cambodia were among the list of issues discussed during the hearing. Panelists shared valuable information on several topics to describe the current status of human rights in Cambodia.

Susi Dennison, Executive Officer of Amnesty International explained how the ongoing violence against women subsequently leading to forced evictions can be traced back to their lack of civil and political rights.

On the other hand, Mr Thun Saray, former political prisoner and President of the Cambodian Association for Human Rights raised deep concerns about the failure of Cambodia’s justice system to provide a political environment that would safeguard fundamental human rights of both Cambodians and its defenders in the country.

The international community is aware of Cambodia’s ratification of 7 out of 8 labour rights laws. However, June Sorensen of the International Trade Union Confederation stressed that the majority of Cambodia’s workforce remains completely unaware of labour rights making it difficult for trade unions to operate in Cambodia.

Mr. Seamus Gillespie, Head of Unit of the European Commission recognized that Cambodia has entered the process of recovery. However whilst the country has achieved some level of stability, as the elections in 2008 showcased, international standards on electoral processes have not been followed. Furthermore, not all violations against human rights in Cambodia are accurately reported especially those committed during the dictatorship. Mr Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, stressed this issue saying that crimes committed in the past should not be forgotten by simply concentrating on the recent ones.

Maggie Murphy, Program Coordinator of UNPO, spoke on four major issues of great concern to the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom and the Montagnards: land rights claims and subsequent forced relocation, religious persecution, violence and torture and forced repatriation.

Ms Murphy reiterated that these issues should be primarily addressed by acknowledging the indigenous status of both the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people and the Montagnards. The unfortunate fact is that Cambodia can sign and ratify all international declarations and agreements pertaining to indigenous peoples but unless the people of Khmer Krom and the Montagnards are acknowledged as such, every declaration is meaningless. Thus, the first step in effecting significant changes to the lives of the marginalized peoples of Khmer Krom and Montagnards is to give them the status of indigenous peoples and then ensure that constant international pressure is applied to Cambodian authorities to ensure that they abide by these international agreements.

UNPO suggests a more active role for EU in Cambodia

There are significant political and institutional factors that impede the forceful repatriation of Khmer and Montagnard refugees from Cambodia to Vietnam. UNPO hopes that the EU will put pressure on Cambodia to sign and ratify the ILO Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, with the aim of respecting the traditions of indigenous peoples in relation to the use of their ancestral lands.

Lack of Political Will

In contrast to the presentations by the majority of panelists, the Ambassador of Cambodia strongly affirmed that the concept of “freedom of expression in Cambodia is very strange” and further elaborated that “freedom of expression is in place”. He contended that this is especially true in the areas of civil and political rights. However, whilst sufficient mechanisms are in place to adequately guarantee the rights of minorities and indigenous groups, the implementation has been severely lacking. Issues addressed in the hearing can only be tackled if the Cambodian government demonstrates a strong sense of political will to ensure that the human rights of the aforementioned groups are safeguarded.

Ms Murphy concluded by explaining that many similar recommendations were made by states and NGOs as Vietnam recently underwent examination under the UPR process. On 24 September the review ended with Vietnam rejecting 45 of the Human Rights Council’s recommendations, which demonstrated a lack of commitment to securing fundamental human rights. UNPO hopes that Cambodia will be more receptive to the UPR process, and that they will facilitate it, rather than obstruct it through rejections and rebuttals. Political will is fundamental to guaranteeing the improvement of the human rights situation in Cambodia.

The Destiny of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom People

The Destiny of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom People

By Preynokor News Team
On the web at http://www.preynokornews.blogspot.com

The Khmer-Krom people living abroad, especially in the United States, have their own reason to celebrate both the Fourth of July 2009—the American National Independence Day—and the Freedom Day of Tim Sakhorn. By the way, who is he?

Venerable Tim Sakhorn, prior to his capture by the Vietnamese Government in June 2007, was “Nobody”—an ordinary local Buddhist monk, not well known at all, at his temple in North Phnom Denh Village, Kirivong District, Takeo Province, Cambodia. During the past two years of his survival through extremely severe hardship in the Vietnamese prison, including physical and mental tortures, as well as his dangerous journey to escape from Vietnam to Cambodia and Thailand before being accepted for a special resettlement in Sweden under the political asylum program, Tim Sakhorn has become “Somebody”—the kind of “Khmer-Krom’s Dalai Lama” who is symbolizing as one of our Khmer-Krom’s national heroes in this modern time.

His name has been recognized in the international spotlights, from the Internet search engine websites, such as the Google.com and Yahoo.com, to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Congress, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the European Parliament, and the Transnational Radical Party (TRP) in Italy.

The international press/news media, and other major radio broadcasting programs have been constantly keeping the world informed about the current situation of Tim Sakhorn during his hardship, among them the Radio Free Asia/Khmer Services (RFA), Voice of America/Khmer Program (VOA), the Voice of Khmer-Krom (VOKK), the Radio France International (RFI), the radio broadcasting service in Australia, the Beehive Radio Program of Mr. Mam Sonando, and the Asia Times Magazine. The documentary film produced by Ms. Rebecca Sommer, entitled “Eliminated Without Bleeding”, was clearly illustrated about the atrocity committed by the Vietnamese Communist Government against the Khmer-Krom people.

The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which advocate for the respects for human rights and religious freedom have also been very helpful to the Khmer-Krom’s causes, among them the Human Rights Watch (HRW)--a well-admired Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)—which recently published a book about Khmer-Kroms entitled “Vietnam on the Margins: Rights Abuses of Ethnic Khmer in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta”.

Two other important individuals who are in charge of the Cambodian NGOs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, who have been working tirelessly to advocate the human rights for the Khmer-Kroms are greatly appreciated. They are Dr. Kek Galabru who is the president of the Cambodia League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) and Mr. Ang Chanrith, presently serving as the executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Human Rights Defense Association. Why Venerable Tim Sakhorn has gained a lot of sympathy from the world community?

It was the Vietnamese government’s secret services agents with a full collaboration from a small group of top ranking Cambodian Buddhist monks under an order from the Hanoi-backed Great Patriarch Tep Vong to arrest Venerable Tim Sakhorn, defrocked him, and deported him to imprison in Vietnam.

One of Tep Vong’s top monk cadres, who engineered this arrest, was Venerable Long Kim Leang. According to Tim Sakhorn who already arrived at Sweden on July 4th 2009, Long Kim Leang was the one who directly stripped off his frock when he refused to be defrocked injustice. Tep Vong and his band accused Venerable Tim Sakhorn of undermining to the Cambodia-Vietnam’s relations. The Vietnamese judge, on the other hand, sentenced Tim Sakhorn for one year of imprisonment. Both of Tep Vong and the Vietnamese Communist government were lying to their teeth regarding Venerable Tim Sakhorn’s matter.

As a matter of fact, Abbot Tim Sakhorn was just a Good Samaritan with a true compassion to help the poor and needy Khmer-Krom refugees who escaped from the Communist repressions in Vietnam. As an Abbot of his temple, Venerable Tim Sakhorn provided his pagoda as a sanctuary place for these refugees to stay temporarily and gave them foods as well as other necessary assistance before these people could find other means to live on their own.

His monastery is located just less than a few miles from the border of Vietnam at the province of An Giang and this monk had never crossed the boundary into that country at all. Tim Sakhorn is a former Khmer-Krom refugee who fled to Takeo Province, Cambodia in 1978 from the Vietnamese government’s oppression in his hometown in Svay Tong District (Huyen Tri Ton), Mot Chrouk Province (used to be Chau Doc and is presently changed to An Giang Province in Vietnamese). Who are these Khmer-Krom people?

Khmer-Krom people are the Indigenous Peoples who have been living on their ancestral lands in Kampuchea-Krom which is now known as southern Vietnam for thousands of years. Presently, this most fertile region is the major rice basket of Vietnam, making this country to become the second biggest rice exporter in the world, next to Thailand.

During nearly a century of occupation in Indochina from 1863 to 1954, the French colonial power ceded Kampuchea-Krom to Vietnam on the 4th of June 1949 without any prior consultation with the Cambodian government or a permission from the Khmer-Krom populations at all. There were countless atrocities committed by the Vietnamese governments of all regimes through their secret ethnic cleansing policies against the Khmer-Krom.

Map of Kampuchea-Krom

During the American involvement in the Vietnam War, so many Khmer-Krom people were severely suffered by the atrocity and ethnic cleansing policy committed against them by the Vietnamese Communist insurgency and the Ngo Dinh Diem regime as well as other subsequent Saigon Governments. Being caught between the rocks and the hard places, so many Khmer-Krom people voluntarily served in the U.S. Army Special Forces to fight against the Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Armies (VC/NVA).

Like the Montagnard Hill Tribes in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and the Hmong Hill Tribes in Laos, significant numbers of Khmer-Krom people were specially selected to operate in top secret missions behind the enemy’s lines along the infamous Ho-Chi-Minh Trails in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. These Khmer-Krom people fought bravely, courageously, daringly, and loyally side by side with their American commanding officers of the elite U.S. Green Berets against the out-numbered, out-gunned, and well-trained VC/NVA in the most inhospitable environment in the triple canopy jungles of those Ho-Chi-Minh Trails.

After the complete withdrawal of the American troops from South Vietnam and the subsequent fall of that country into the Communist occupation in April 1975, the situation regarding the Khmer-Krom holocaust became worst. The Hanoi regime began to intensify their oppression to eliminate the Khmer-Krom race, especially to seek revenges against these poor indigenous populations for their collaborations and loyalties with the U.S. Special Forces during the war.

At the present time, even after nearly two decades of U.S.-Vietnam normalized relationship, Hanoi still continues to oppress the Khmer-Krom through their tremendous human rights violations, religious persecutions, confiscations of their ancestral lands, and other socio-economic deprivations. The Khmer-Krom indigenous peoples are not allowed to learn their own language and history in public schools or to freely practice their Theravada Buddhism without the interference and strict control of the Vietnamese government.

When Khmer-Krom people stood up for their rights, the Vietnamese Communist authorities arrested these poor people, imprisoned, tortured, and executed them. Many tactics and strategies employed by the Hanoi government through their ethnic cleansing policies against the Khmer-Krom.

The UNHCR should do more to protect the Khmer-Krom refugees in Bangkok from being arrested and deported back to Cambodia by the Thai government. What was the major reason of the Khmer-Krom’s recent escape to Thailand?

On 8 February 2007, approximately two hundred Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks in Soc Trang province of Vietnam organized a peaceful demonstration to demand religious freedom. Instead of solving this problem non-violently, the Vietnamese government cracked down on these Khmer-Krom protesters. The police arrested, defrocked, and imprisoned some of the monks whom they considered of leading this peaceful demonstration. Other Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who were fearful for their safety regarding this repression escaped to Cambodia.

Unfortunately, there is a double discrepancy in Cambodia by the Ministry of Interior regarding their handling of the Khmer-Krom refugee situation. First, the UNHCR refused to grant the refugee status for these Khmer-Krom people, claiming that according to the Cambodian constitution, any Khmer-Krom who escaped from Vietnam to Cambodia will be automatically given the full Cambodian citizenship. So, the UNHCR could not accept the Khmer refugees in their Cambodian homeland.

But the Cambodian Ministry of Interior which oversees many important aspects of the Cambodian domestic affairs including the immigration, local administration, and internal securities has never issued the official document recognizing the legitimacy of these Khmer-Krom people as the Cambodian citizenship, such as the birth certificate, national identification card, the rights to attend public school, to work and to vote. As a result these Khmer-Krom people became illegal aliens in Cambodia resulting in their inability to find employment, enrolling in schools, have the rights to vote, or to obtain the Cambodian passport. In contrast, the same Cambodian Ministry of Interior secretly granted the full Cambodian citizenship to almost all of the Vietnamese who are able to migrate freely into Cambodia by issuing them the above mentioned government document to legitimize their status.

Subsequently, to express their support and sympathy for the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who were arrested and imprisoned in Vietnam, the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks in Cambodia organized a peaceful protest in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh to demand the release their fellow Buddhist monks. Unfortunately, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior ordered the Police and even the Cambodian Buddhist monks to violently attack these peaceful protesters. Again, Venerable Long Kim Leang, was among the Cambodian high ranking Buddhist monks receiving order from the Hanoi puppet monk—the Great Patriarch Tep Vong-- who ordered other monks under his command to crack down on these Khmer-Krom monks, making this violent chaos look like the fighting between the monks and the monks.

Left image: Cambodia police chased Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks
Right image: Long Kim Leang was leading his “pro-Communist Vietnamese” monks to oppress the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks

On May 30, 2009, Mr. Huynh Ba who is a Khmer-Krom activist for the land rights was also arrested by the Vietnamese authority. Since then, the Vietnamese government has rejected the request of Mr. Huynh Ba’s family to visit him inside a prison as well as not to give him a fair trial. His family, from the day of his arrest until the present time, has been kept in the dark by the Vietnamese Communist authority from learning about the health condition and the well being of Mr. Huynh Ba.

By stealing the ancestral lands of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom Peoples in Kampuchea-Krom, which is Vietnam’s main rice basket, making this country to become the world’s second biggest rice exporter, millions of our populations are starving and are living in poverty. Besides that, while Vietnam is receiving billions of dollars from digging crude oils on the Khmer-Krom’s ancestral sea near O-Cap (Vung Tau) province, the Indigenous Khmer-Krom Peoples are getting nothing from that benefit.


Since the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF), which represents the voice of our Khmer-Krom people in the international arena, became an official member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) in 2001, this KKF organization has organized our people to actively participate in the global diplomatic mainstream through the peaceful human rights movement based on the international laws. When the Indigenous Khmer-Krom Peoples know their rights, they would stand up for these rights, especially the rights for self-determination so that they could live freely on their ancestral land. By realizing this dream, they would not need to flee their beloved homeland any more in order to seek refuge in another country. “When There is a Will, There will be a Way”.

Sambok Khmum radio will broadcast the commemoration ceremony of the loss of Kampuchea Krom live from France

Source: Radio Free Asia
Reported in English by Khmerization

Radio Sambok Khmum has indicated that it will broadcast the commemoration ceremony of the loss of Kampuchea Krom live from France on the 13th of June, reports Radio Free Asia.

Mr. Mam Sonando, director and owner of Radio Sombok Khmum, said that this live broadcast is purely a Khmer issue and he doesn't believe that it will affect the relations between Hanoi and Phnom Penh.

He said: "I am only fufilling my duty. My duty is to broadcast the activities of the Khmer Krom people to in the defence of their freedom, this is the first point. Secondly, I believe that the Khmer krom issue is 100% a Cambodian issue. Thirdly, this is relating to the history of Kampuchea Krom which we need to let all Khmers know clearly about the Khmer Krom issues. Why Kampuchea Krom was put under the Vietnamese control and why do we have the issue of Kampuchea Krom? Why did I say that it is an issue for all Khmers? Because France was the one who ceded the Kampuchea Krom territories to Vietnam, but France never ceded the Khmer Krom people to the Vietnamese rule?"

Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, president of the Khmer Krom Federation, said that the commemoration ceremony was held as a way to ask the EU to put pressures on Vietnam to respect the human rights of Khmer Krom people and to give self-determination to Khmer Krom people.

He said of the reason why the commemoration service is being held in France: "First, this is important because it is the 60th anniversary of the loss of Kampuchea Krom. Secondly, France is a country that ceded the territory of Kampuchea Krom to Vietnam. We came here because we have a cooperation from the UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples' Organisation), the cooperation of the Centre for Human Rights of Hawaii and we have invited the representatives of the EU and the UN and a number of international legal experts to attend the ceremony. So, we would like to use this 60th anniversary as an event to launch our protest through legal channels, to make a protest through the 21 committees in order to reverse the Vietnamese colonisation of Kampuchea Krom. Thirdly, we urge the UN Human Right Council in Geneva to take up the issues of human right abuses in Kampuchea Krom. Fourthly, we will push for the issues (above) to be resolved through judicial channels."

Kampuchea Krom is a former Khmer territory consisting of 21 provinces inhabited by about 12 million Khmer Krom people. It was ceded to Vietnam by the French colonial authority on the 4th of June, 1949.

KKF: Growing International Support For Khmer Krom Issues in Geneva

KKF Delegations with Professor Yash Ghai and representatives from LICADHO and UNPO
KKF Delegations Thach Ngoc Thach, Venerable Berong and Thhai Makara with member of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Asia and UNPO

Fri, 2008-03-21
Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)

Members of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) have traveled to Geneva, Switzerland for the 7th Session of Human Rights Council (HRC), arriving earlier this week.

Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, KKF President, Mr. Thach Vien, KKF Vice President of Europe Chapter, Venerable Thach Berong, KKF International Affairs Officer and Mr. Thhai Makarar, KKF Youth Committee headed to Geneva to submit a report to the HRC about the ongoing human rights abuses and religious violations committed by the Vietnam government.

Starting from 3 March until 28 March 2008, governments, indigenous peoples and international agencies gather to speak about human rights.

It provided a great opportunity for organizations to network, share information and provide support to one another.

Upon arrival, the KKF Delegations were met with surprising support from different organizations also attending the conference.

KKF met with Professor Yash Ghai, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Cambodia spoke about the religious violations in the Mekong Delta. During his speech to the HRC, Professor Ghai spoke about the issues KKF brought up.Click here to read his speech

The delegation also met up with representatives from Human Rights Watch, High Commissioner for Human Rights in Asia, Commissioner for Human Rights on Indigenous Peoples and Amnesty International.

They made an appeal to European Union delegations and ambassadors to support the Khmer Krom issues.

They also initiated a meeting Mr. Thun Saray, President of ADHOC and Dr. Kek Galabru, President of LICADHO.

According to the KKF delegation, the growing support by international agencies and organizations has provided a great moral boast and credibility to the work of the Federation bringing greater hope and a brighter future for the indigenous people of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

Khmer Krom: Appeal For Fair Trial

2007-11-14
UNPO

The Hague, 8 November 2007 - Buddhist Abbot Tim Sa Khorn was brought before the People’s Court of Justice of the An Giang Province (Vietnam) today to be tried for “Sabotaging the unification policy” under Article 87 of Vietnam’s Penal Code

Tim Sa Khorn, a prominent Khmer Krom religious figure and human rights defender, had disappeared on 30 June 2007 after having been disrobed by the Cambodian religious authorities.

On the day of his disappearance, Tim Sa Khorn was summoned to the office of the religious head of the Takeo Province (Cambodia). Once arrived, he was disrobed in the presence of religious and lay officials who had come from the capital. He was not allowed to challenge this decision.

Eyewitnesses later saw men in uniforms force Tim Sa Khorn to enter a car. He had not been seen since this event, until his trial on 08 November 2007.

On 03 July 2007, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Minister of Interior announced that Tim Sa Khorn had returned to Vietnam of his own free will.

A month later, on 02 August 2007, the Vietnamese authorities announced that Tim Sa Khorn had been arrested for ‘illegally entering the country” but did not provide any information as to his health or whether he would be tried.

Despite numerous requests from UNPO and United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Vietnamese authorities have not disclosed information on the detention of Tim Sa Khorn.

With barely any forewarning, it was announced by Vietnamese authorities that he would stand trial on 08 November 2007. The trial lasted scarcely an hour. During the trial, Tim Sa Khorn was asked to repeat a text prepared in advance and read out by the judge. Following this, Tim Sa Khorn was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

Crucially, the defendant was denied appropriate legal representation and time to prepare and present his defence , including the opportunity to present his own witnesses or cross-examine prosecution witnesses. Moreover, despite Tim Sa Khorn and his family having been out of Vietnam since 1979, the witnesses whose testimonies were retained by the court against him were local Vietnamese citizens. Finally, it appears Tim Sa Khorn has been denied the right to appeal.

Holding the defendant incommunicado during his detention (more than four months) and denying repeated requests by his family (namely his father and brother) for visitation rights appears to be a grossly disproportionate and unjustified treatment, given the nature of the charges and the sentence.

By repeatedly refusing to release information on the case and announcing the trial with little prior notice to the international community, Vietnam has not demonstrated the levels of transparency consistent with the country’s commitment to human rights.

Given the information received, it is clear that Tim Sa Khorn did not receive a fair trial. Evidence strongly suggests that a number of articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Vietnam has ratified, were breached, including articles 9 and 14. These articles guarantee, amongst other things, the right to a timely trial, the right to contest one’s detention before a court, and the right to a fair trial with access to legal counsel, and the right to present and cross-examine witnesses.


UNPO therefore kindly appeals to the Vietnamese authorities to:

• Grant Tim Sa Khorn the right to appeal the judgement enshrined in Article 14 of the ICCPR;
• Grant Tim Sa Khorn access to legal counsel of his choosing;
• Implement the full procedures and rights, as set out by the ICCPR, in any possible appeal or retrial, including legal representation for Tim Sa Khorn, the right to speak in his own defence, and the opportunity to present and cross-examine witnesses;
• Allow visitation rights to Tim Sa Khorn whilst in detention.

UNPO Demonstrates with Khmer Krom in Paris

2007-08-20
UNPO

UNPO has joined demonstrations organized by the Khmer-Kampuchea Krom Federation (KKF) in Paris, aiming to raise awareness of human rights violations in the Mekong Delta and the recent arrest of the Ven. Tim Sakhorn.

The Hague, 20 August 2007 – After Australia and the United States of America, it was France’s turn to stage a Khmer Krom demonstration. Organised by the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) numerous members of the Khmer Krom Diaspora, Buddhist Monks, and supporters filled Paris’ “Esplanade de Droits des l’Homme” (Human Rights Plaza) on Sunday 19 August 2007, raising awareness of the human rights violations from which their communities continue to suffer.

The Khmer Krom are the indigenous people of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, and became a UNPO Member in 2001 where they are represented by the KKF. Since this time they have been actively involved in the organisation’s nonviolent struggle for the betterment of the human right situation in their region. As part of a broader assimilation policy, Khmer Krom Buddhists Monks have in particular been targeted for persecution. Breaches of their basic human rights have become increasingly common as they are identified as the primary bearers of the distinct language and cultural identity of the Khmer Krom people. Particular concern has been expressed most recently at the growing infringement upon the right to religious freedom, the right to freedom of speech, and the right to freedom of assembly.

The recent defrocking and subsequent disappearance of the Ven. Tim Sakhorn, a Khmer Krom Buddhist Monk living in Cambodia, has also raised concern amongst Khmer Krom communities. As the religious leader of a temple which assisted Khmer Krom refugees fleeing persecution in Vietnam, many viewed the Ven. Tim Sakhorn as an important defender of both refugees and human rights. Recent reports suggest however that he has been returned to Vietnam by Cambodian authorities, where he is now under detention and charged with “undermining national unity.” The KKF and UNPO have both appealed extensively for his release, as well as for greater protection for the region’s human rights defenders. The well attended demonstration in Paris represented a further opportunity to bring his case to international attention, ensuring above all that he is not forgotten.

[Further information about the Ven. Tim Sakhorn]

[Read the UNPO appeal]

In light of these recent developments the KKF has organized a number of demonstrations around the world. In Paris, Khmer Krom Buddhists, both from France and beyond, gathered across from the Eiffel Tower at the Esplanade des Droits de l’Homme, protesting human rights violations and calling for the safe return of the Ven. Tim Sakhorn. Colourful and lively protests were interrupted only by a moment of prayer, led by attending Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks, and remembering those who have suffered, and who still suffer, from human rights violations and persecution. Signatures were collected for a series of petitions, with the general public educated also about the ongoing situation in the Mekong Delta and the rich history of the Khmer Krom.

Amongst the many speakers were representatives from the Khmer Krom in the Netherlands, Lyon (France) and Grenoble (France), as well as representatives from the Cambodian Associated League for Human Rights in France, and the Association for the Victims of the Khmer Rouge Genocide. Later in the afternoon a delegation, which included a UNPO representative, marched to the Cambodian Embassy, delivering an appeal to the Cambodian government, urging further support for the Khmer Krom and in particular for the Ven. Tim Sakhorn.

UNPO delivered also an appeal, urging the Cambodian government to pressure its Vietnamese neighbours to respect international human rights standards, and to remember their own obligations to protect human rights defenders and those who seeking refuge within their borders.

[Read the UNPO appeal to his Excellency the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of France]

Against the backdrop of the peaceful prayers of an ancient culture, the Buddhist Monks and the many old and young gathered in the name of peaceful manifestation, it is hard to understand the justification of Vietnamese authorities for the continued severe repression of the Khmer Krom.

UNPO Appeals for Human Rights Defenders

2007-08-19
UNPO

The Hague, 20 August 2007 – UNPO remains concerned about the ongoing persecution of Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks in Vietnam. Following the recent arrest of the prominent Buddhist Abbot the Ven. Tim Sa Khorn, UNPO issued the following appeal calling for his immediate release, as well as for greater protection for the human rights defenders of the Mekong Delta.

On 8 February 2007, following a peaceful demonstration which gathered 200 Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks in a call for greater religious freedom, Vietnamese authorities arrested, intimidated, defrocked and imprisoned nineteen Khmer-Krom Buddhist Monks. A number remain imprisoned for their role in organising these demonstrations.

On 30 June 2007, the Ven. Tim Sa Khorn, Abbot of the North Phnom-Denh Temple in Cambodia was summoned to meet the Head Monk of the Takeo province. Cambodian authorities accused him of using the Temple as a place “to propagate activities that divide the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam”. An order was subsequently given to defrock the Ven Tim. Sa Khorn.

On 3 July 2007, General Khieu Sopheak, Spokespersons for the Cambodian Ministry of the Interior, announced that Tim Sa Khorn, who had been living in Cambodia since 1979, had been returned to Vietnam. Reports from early August 2007 suggest the Ven. Tim Sa Khorn was subsequently arrested by Vietnamese authorities on charges of “of undermining national unity.”

UNPO is greatly disturbed by these recent developments which follow a number of similar acts of persecution aimed at Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks. UNPO condemns also in particular the persecution of individuals associated with the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF), a UNPO Member organisation noted for its non-violent principles.

UNPO has consequently appealed to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to France to:

• Urge respect for the Kingdom of Cambodia’s internationally recognised obligations to protect human rights defenders and those seeking safety within its borders;
• Call upon Vietnamese authorities to end their arbitrary and unlawful persecution of the Khmer Krom, in particular of Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks, who play a vital role in preserving and safeguarding the Khmer Krom culture, language, and religion; and
• Urge the Government of Vietnam to ensure the Ven. Tim Sa Khorn is granted his full range of human, civil, and political rights, and receives a free and fair trial compliant with internationally recognised standards of justice.

Khmer Krom: KKF Gives Recommendations to UN

2007-05-17
UNPO

New York, 16 May 2007 - Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) are attending the Sixth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and urged a list of actions to UN agencies to remedy the critical situation of Khmer Krom in Vietnam. Below is their statement, under Agenda Item 3, published in full:

Sixth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

14-25 May 2007 at UN Headquarters, New York City

Delegation: Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
Special Theme: Territories, Lands and Natural Resources
Speaker: Romy Thach

Madame Chair,

We would like to congratulate you on your reelection as chair of the UNPFII. We also would like to thank you for visiting our community in exile at the SAMAKI RANGSEY temple in Cambodia in February. Our people that have been forced from our homelands were pleased to meet a member of the international community that cares about our struggle for self-determination.

We will begin with recommendations to ensure our connection to our sacred homelands in the face of dire circumstances denying our identity.

• KKF seeks the assistance of the United Nations mechanisms for conflict prevention and reconciliation to encourage Vietnam’s recognition of the Khmer Krom people as the indigenous peoples of Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Without doing so, we feel that Vietnam does not fully appreciate the importance of land for the basic survival of the Khmer Krom people.
• Request the assistance of IOM to work with the Vietnam government to initiate programs to resolve land claims and ensure that the indigenous Khmer Krom people are compensated for their lost of farmlands as well as a return to own land. There are many land claims since 1970. Ask for return of our ancestral lands and properties that were unlawfully taken away by the State and by the Vietnamese newcomers.
• Ask that Vietnam adopt a national act to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples in Vietnam to their traditional lands and territories specifically the Khmer Krom people as the indigenous peoples linked historically and spiritually to the Mekong Delta. Create and implement non-discriminatory indigenous land laws that respect and protects the lands of the Khmer Krom people and prevent further acts of illegal land grabbing by Vietnamese authorities.
• Ask that IFAD fund a project to allow Khmer Krom farmers to return to their fields to produce traditional foods for their community. Canal projects that allow salt water into fresh water rice farming area must be stopped immediately to avoid destroying more of Khmer Krom’s land.
• Request the assistance of UNITAR to provide essential training for the Asia region to enhance conflict resolutions and peace building capabilities between governments and indigenous peoples.
• Seek the assistance of UNDP to promote and ensure that the indigenous peoples are presented in all decision making for positive programs focusing on reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals for the Khmer people
• Seek the support of international agencies such as FAO and WHO to provide assistance to examine polluted land to determine its source that has caused thousands of blind farmers and to return the farmers to their traditional land to provide the fundamental nutrition for our peoples. Ask that Vietnam start implementing more effective local systems of monitoring the use of pesticides and their damage to the ecosystem in our homeland.
• Ask that UNESCO help preserve the sacred sites for all of humanity to share under the UNESCO World Heritage program. One of the first locations that immediately needs protection to preserve Sambua Rangsey temple which was built in 373AD at Tra Khao commune, Hoa An Village, Cau Ke district, Tra Vinh province.
• Billions of dollars of profit from oil and natural gas extraction in our homeland and our sea at Ocap (renamed Vung Tau) province must cease going to the multinational corporations and corrupt state agencies and develop a program that ensures the collective economic well being of the Khmer communities’ standard of living.
• Ask that Vietnam start recognize and implement the policy of free, prior and informed consent when implementing programs that encourages participation and consultation with the local Khmer-Krom on all future development projects which take place in their homeland.

Madame Chair, we are convinced that the above measures will improve the living conditions of the Khmer Krom people living under extreme poverty. Such recommendations will help Vietnam achieve Millennium Development goals.

Lastly, we would like to reaffirm our support for the adoption of the Declaration on Rights of the Indigenous Peoples.

Thank you.