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BRIEF HISTORY OF KAMPUCHEA-KROM (Former French Cochin China)

INTRODUCTION

	The "Brief History of Kampuchea-Krom" was commissioned by the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation, the sole legitimate worldwide organization of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom living abroad, in response to the need of this document.

	The document is produced basing on historical events and circumstantial evidences rather than referenced documentation. The fact is, there are not many history books or documents about Kampuchea-Krom alone, since this land was once part of the Khmer Empire. The reference, therefore, document is the first of its kind that reflects the truth, is published by the Khmer

GEOGRAPHY (see attached map)

Kampuchea-Krom means "Cambodia Below" or "South Cambodia"."Krom" in Khmer also means under to indicate "southern." Kampuchea- Krom was the southernmost territory of the Khmer Empire, and it was once known as (French) Cochin China. It is the southwestern part of Vietnam. It covers an area of some 89,000 km2 with Cambodia to the north, the Gulf of Siam to the west, the South China Sea to the south, and the Champa?s territory to the northeast. Prey Nokor was one of the most important commercial cities of all in Kampuchea-Krom. But the name was changed to Saigon, then, to Ho Chi Minh City, by the Vietnamese Communist in 1975.

	The Vietnamese find most Khmer locality names difficult to pronounce so they changed them to Vietnamese. These new Vietnamese names have no meaning whereas their Khmers? are related to historic events or accounts. These include such places as Toul Ta Mok (Thu Dau Mot), Preah Trapeang (Tra-Vinh), Srok Trang (Soc Trang), Pol-Leav (Bac Lieu), etc? It is obvious that the Vietnamese government of all regimes nurture the same vicious goals: to Vietnamize the territory and to alter its history.

PEOPLE

For the inhabitants, it is estimated that there are about 4 to 6 million Khmers living in Kampuchea-Krom, and they are called Khmers(-Krom), meaning Khmers who live in the south of Cambodia. Approximately 80 percent of them live in the Mekong delta, and a small number is in other provinces throughout the southern part of Vietnam.

The Khmer-Krom people have been in existence in this part of the peninsula since the beginning of the 1st Century. They have sacrificed their lives to hold on to the territory since then. The territory was immense compared to the Khmer population at that time, creating opportunities for expansionist neighbors to invade. For this reason, after the Vietnamese exterminated the Kingdom of Champa, they used all kinds of pretexts and tactics to move their people to Kampuchea-Krom. Since the French colonial departed Indochina in 1954, after nearly 100 years of domination on this land, Kampuchea-Krom has been placed under Vietnamese control. The Khmer authority had filed complaints against this criminal act, but the French National Assembly chose to ignore them.

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	 Besides the Vietnamese, there are other peoples living in Kampuchea-Krom, they include the Chinese, the Chams, the Mountgnards, and many other small ethnic groups. The Khmers-Krom are out-numbered by their "invaders" and "guests", who once asked the Khmers-Krom for asylum or migration only. About 70 percent of the Vietnamese and 95 percent of the Chinese live in the cities and fill most of important jobs in government and business. The Chams are numbered less than 100 thousand and are concentrated in a community in Chau Doc, Bien Hoa, and Tay Ninh provinces. The Khmers-Krom, however, live throughout the country, especially, in the Mekong delta.

LANGUAGE

	 The Khmer language is spoken in all Khmer families and communities. For official business, however, the Vietnamese language is strictly enforced. About 10 percent of the Khmers-Krom is able to speak and write Vietnamese correctly. The Khmer language is taught at home and in the temples, but it is not permitted in any official business. The struggle for the Vietnamese government to allow the use of Khmer in school or public place has been advocated for years, but no satisfactory result has ever been achieved. In many instances, thousands of Khmers-Krom were accused, jailed, tortured, deported, or persecuted for speaking, learning, or teaching the Khmer language. The Vietnamese do not allow books or documents to be written or published in Khmer unless they are to be used as propaganda.

RELIGIONS

	 Approximately 95 percent of the Khmers-Krom are Buddhists. They practice Hinayanna Buddhism, whereas most Vietnamese practice Mahayanna Buddhism, or Christianity. The Chams are Muslims, and the Chinese are mostly Buddhists, and some Christians. There are more than 500 Buddhist temples and about 10,000 monks throughout Kampuchea-Krom. Some temples were erected many centuries ago are still standing today, but many others were destroyed during the wars.

HISTORY

	 The Khmers who live in the southern regions of the greater Cambodia are called Khmers(-Krom) by the people who live up north. Likewise, the Khmers in southern Thailand also call the Khmers living in Cambodia Khmers-Krom. The word Khmers-Krom is more acceptable by the Khmers in Kampuchea-Krom than the Khmers in Cambodia since it clearly identifies the geography of where these people were born, and live.

Toward 1862, upon completion of their occupation of Indochina, which included Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia, Laos, and Kampuchea-Krom, the French colonial made Kampuchea-Krom, a colony and called it Cochin China, whereas the other four "states" were under the French protectorate regimes. The name Cochin, perhaps, took after the southern city of India where both places have had much resemblance to each other.

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	During their rule in Cochin China, the French authorities practiced a double standard policy when it came to the Khmers-Krom and Vietnamese. The French avoided dealing directly with the Khmers-Krom and used the Vietnamese to oppress them.

	The epoch of the Khmer Empire had been from the start of the 9th century until early 15th century. Its territories extended to the north as far as the Saluen River in the eastern part of Myanmar (Burma); to the south at the Thailand-Malaysia border at the Gulf of Siam. The eastern frontier of the Khmer Empire was the Champa Kingdom and the South China Sea. Kampuchea-Krom was the southernmost territory of the Khmer Empire. During this period, the Empire was a

major power in South East Asia. The renowned architecture and construction of the ancient Angkor Wat, and many other numerous monuments in the Empire had brought the Khmer artistic to the highest level that human beings ever attained. The ruined port of Oc-Eo (O-Keo in Khmer) in the province of Rach Gia in today?s southern Vietnam, was the busiest port in the region, where the

Khmers, Chams, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans did their trading. The township of Prey Nokor was a commercial center for the Khmer Empire, and it was once the most important military garrison against the Vietnamese?s southward movement. In spite of all these, the Khmer-Krom people have outlived the sufferings and turbulence of the history, and remained united until today.

MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENTS IN KAMPUCHEA-KROM

	 After over one thousand years under the Chinese domination, the Vietnamese ambition on territory expansion became unbearable to their weak neighbors in the south. The most well-known campaign of all was Nam Tien (Southward Movement), which aimed at the Kingdom of Champa as their first target. As the campaign became reality, the southern border had been moved south as planned, Ly Thanh Tong (1054-1072), then renamed the country to Dai Viet (Great Vietnam). All of Vietnamese rulers continued to implement this campaign as their highest priority, and their border continued to open up to the south. While struggling for internal power, the Vietnamese always used the conflicts as opportunities to "borrow" neighbor?s territories for regrouping their

forces or asking for asylum. When the wars were over, the grantor?s territory and their peoples would suffer great losses, not Vietnam. Besides, the Vietnamese leaders also used inter-marriage as another means of manipulation to capture their neighbors? territories. The loss of Kampuchea-Krom to Vietnamese was the result of these cunning practices. Champa and Laos have gone through the same experience, and the results are the undeniable facts of the recent world history.

THE DECLINE OF THE KHMER EMPIRE (1400 - 1867)

	 From the 3rd to the 14th century there was southward migration of ethnic T?ai (also known as Siam or Thai) from southern district of China called Nan Chau. At the beginning of 13th century, there were the establishments of some small kingdoms in the northern regions of the Khmer Empire. In 1279, the Sukhotai Kingdom was established and later on became Thailand. In 1353, at the northeast, Lan Xang Kingdom (Laos) was founded. Beyond the far northeast region of the Khmer Empire at the Chinese border, there was an establishment of a new state called Chao Chih by the Yueh (Vietnam). Until the early 900?s, the state of Chao Chih was a vassal state

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of the Chinese Empire. After the formations of states and regaining independence, the wars began to take a toll on the Khmer Empire. The Thai moved south from the Sokhotai; the Chams and the Vietnamese from the northeast; causing the Khmer Empire to become very weak. As a result, their territory became smaller and smaller as time went by. The last episode of this tragedy took place when Kampuchea-Krom was incorporated into Vietnam rather than Cambodia in 1954.

THE SPECIFIC EXPANSION OF VIETNAM

	 Another set back to the Khmer Empire was the southward expansion of the Kingdom of Vietnam. As early as 10th and 11th century, Vietnam first began its territorial expansion over the Kingdom of Champa. In early 17th century, they captured the remaining part of the territory, and the Kingdom of Champa was erased from the world map. The Chams? territory is now simply known as central Vietnam.

During the reign of Tran Anh Tong (1293-1314), Princess Huyen Tran of Vietnam was presented for marriage to the King of Champa as a trap to annex the Chams? territory. After the arranged marriage, the annexation was completed as planned, in 1673. A similar scheme was also used against the Khmer Empire. The campaign started in 1620 and continued until they occupied the whole of Kampuchea-Krom.

VIETNAM?S TRINH-NGUYEN SEPARATIST WAR

	 During the Le Dynasty in the early 1600?s, Vietnam experienced internal chaos. The Vietnamese warlords struggled for power and sought full control of Vietnam. The Trinh clan controlled the northern part of Vietnam while the Nguyen?s controlled the south. As a result, the Trinh and Nguyen wars provided the Vietnamese with opportunity to infiltrate the northeast part of

Kampuchea-Krom in the provinces of Do Nai, Ba Ria and Toul Ta Mok.

In 1620, after 2 years on the throne, the young Khmer monarch, King Chey Chetha II, had fallen into the similar Vietnam?s trap as that of the King of Champa in 1307. The southern clan leader, Nguyen Hy Tong, presented one of his exotic daughters, Princess Ngoc Van, to King Chey Chetha II for some favors. Through the Princess? intervention in 1623, the Nguyen warlord sent his representatives to ask the Court of Udong permission for the Vietnamese to conduct trade in Baria and Prey Nokor (Saigon), and be given custom authorities over trading. Because of marriage to the Vietnamese wife, King Chey Chetha II had no strong reasons to refuse but granted the requests. Some historians agreed that these were the covert acts intended to rob the Khmers of their rights. Later, the Court of Hue, again, used the nice-guy?s trick by volunteering their men

to assist the Khmer authority in carrying out the policing in the areas. Some documents in Khmer history have cited that at the start of the relationship, the Court of Hue only asked to use certain areas in Prey Nokor to train their militaries for wars against the Chinese and they would be returned to the Khmer authority in 5 years. But at the death of King Chey Chetha II in 1628, the areas of Prey Nokor, Baria, Do Nai, and Toul Ta Mok were flooded with the Vietnamese.

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COLONIZATION OF PREAH TRAPEANG

During the Tay Son uprising (1779-1796), the Srok of Preah Trapeang (Travinh) had given asylum to the fugitive Vietnamese Emperor Gia Long so that he could reconstitute forces against his own warlord Tay Son. King Ang Eng of the Khmer Empire had also provided a military support to this Vietnamese Emperor as a gesture of a good neighbor. But after winning back his throne of Annam from the Tay Son, Gia Long arbitrarily turned the Srok Preah Trapeang into a Vietnamese colony.

During his dynasty (1802-1819), King Gia Long started an irrigation project in the Province of Moak Chruok (Chau Doc). Thousands of the Khmers-Krom were forced to dig a canal named Vinh Te, 53 kilometers long and 25 meters wide, from Bassac river to the Gulf of Siam. During this forced labor project from 1813-1815, many thousands of the Khmers-Krom were killed. In one particular instance the Khmer workers were buried alive so that the Vietnamese

soldiers could use their heads as stove stands to boil water for tea for their Vietnamese masters. The phrase "Be careful not to spill the masters? tea" is still well reminded to their children by all Khmers-Krom parents.

THE LEGACY OF OKNHA SON KUY

During the reign of King Thieu Tri (1841-1847), the Khmers-Krom were harshly forced to abandon their Buddhist religion, custom, tradition, and language. Oknha Son Kuy (also known as Chavay Kuy), Governor of the Srok of Preah Trapeang, had to give up his life in exchange for those rights. The Vietnamese Court of Hue recognized the facts and agreed to have the imposition lifted. When Oknha Son Kuy was beheaded in 1841, people rose up against the

Vietnamese through out the country. The Khmers-Krom had to stand alone and faced severe retaliations without any supports from King Ang Duong of the Khmer Empire. It was understandable that at the start of his reign, Thailand and Vietnam often attempted to impose their superiority over the Khmer internal affairs. His body was buried in the capital seat of the Preah Trapeang (Travinh), and his tomb is still standing there until today.

LAM SOUMOS BATTLES

	 After the execution of Oknha Son Kuy in the province of Preah Trapeang, Tesa Lam Soum, a provincial administrator, formed a force in Chab Phleung (Tap Son), Tracu District, to battle against the Vietnamese. His army won a battle in Phnor Don (O Dung) that resulted a heavy casualty for the Vietnamese. He was later captured on another front, and brought to Hue to be executed. This happened under the reign of King Thieu-Tri, one of the Vietnamese emperors.

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SENA SOUSOS BATTLE

	 In 1859, the Khmers-Krom of the province of Srok Khleang, under command of Sena Sous, stood up to the Vietnamese in the battles of Mahatup and Chong Balang. During 3 years of fighting, the Khmers-Krom won most military engagements in the areas surrounding the province. Unfortunately, a Vietnamese undercover agent, belonging to other ethnic group, had infiltrated their rank and became Sena Suos?s most trusted chef. Later, Sena Sous was poisoned by his own man.

SENA MONDS AND SENA TEALS BATTLE

	 In 1860, under the command of the 2 bothers, Sena Mon and Sena Tea, the Khmers-Krom in Srok Khleang once again stood up to the Vietnamese at Lum Pou Year (Thanh Phu). Sena Tea was wounded and died. His body was buried in the Kveng Krobel (Hung Hoi) Buddhist temple in Pol Leav (Bac Lieu) province.

FRENCH DOMINATION AND ITS AFTERMATCH

During their French domination from 1867-1949, the Khmers-Krom people had some relief from struggles against the Vietnamese. The French administration, however, widely used Vietnamese as interpreters, translators, policemen, secret agents, and military officers, while using Khmers-Krom as laborers only. Social injustice, wrongful accusations, misunderstandings, and

sufferings were a part of the Khmers-Krom?s daily lives. No Khmer-Krom intellectuals, lawyers, Doctors, engineers, generals or any professionals were produced in Kampuchea-Krom during this period. At the same time, the Vietnamese were treated well and got encouragement to go to school to better their lives.

On May 21, 1949, the French National Assembly met in Paris to decide over the fate of Cochin China. The decision was to place this territory under Vietnamese control with certain rights for the Khmers-Krom were enumerated for the Vietnamese administration to follow. Despite of strong oppositions from the Khmer delegation at the meeting, the Assembly still chose to ignore them. The Khmer-Krom people have been legally separated from the motherland Cambodia since then. They are now considered as Khmers in Vietnam, and as Vietnamese in Cambodia.

THE GENEVA CONFERENCE ON INDOCHINA

After the Geneva Conference on Indochina in mid-1954, the division of North and South Vietnam at 17th parallel became reality: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam occupied the north, and the Republic of South Vietnam took the south. Under the international auspices, more than 2 million Vietnamese moved south into Kampuchea-Krom. During his presidency of the Republic of South Vietnam from 1955-1963, Ngo Dinh Diem ordered that all Khmer names be changed to Vietnamese, and the Khmer-Krom identity was altered by a new and easily identifiable as the "Vietnamese of Khmer Origin." As a result of this decree, some of those who worked for the government, including military officers, lost their Khmer identity.

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DEMONSTRATION OF THE KHMER-KROM BUDDHISTS IN 1969

There were times and again that the Khmers-Krom have to let the world know their wills. The 1969 demonstration of Buddhist monks in Saigon and various provinces had marked the beginning of an open struggle era for their desire. The demand was simple: to be recognized as a minority ethnic group within the Vietnamese society. The Vietnamese government killed many

demonstrators, and refused to grant the status. The demonstrations had ignited the nationalism among the Khmer-Krom youths. Many thousands of them joined the Khmer Serey ( Free Khmer) Movement led by Son Ngoc Thanh, a Khmer-Krom statesman. During the Vietnam War, many thousand of Son Ngoc Thanh troops were trained and supported by the U.S. Special Forces. These troops were known as Mike Force, Mobile Guerrilla Force, and Task Force depending on its deployment. When the Vietnamese (Communist) once again tried to take over Cambodia in 1970, the Khmer Serey troops were dispatched to Phnom Penh for rescue. General Lon Nol, and Son Ngoc Thanh had jointly turned the Kingdom of Cambodia to Khmer Republic in late 1970.

Vietnamese of both regimes, North and South Vietnam, occupied more than half of the Khmer

Republic?s rural areas. Once again, the Vietnamese used Khmer?s land for the ideological wars ? Communist versus Free World. Hundred thousands of Khmers were humiliated, killed, displaced or driven asunder. The Vietnamese attempt to take over Cambodia was deterred until 1979.

KHMERS-KROM UPRISING IN 1976

In April 1975, North Vietnam won the war and unified the country. The Khmers-Krom who served in the Communist ranks were purged out or eliminated by wrongful accusations, fabrication of stories, or fault reasons. In 1976, amidst the highest effort of bring the country together in their unification plan, the Vietnamese concocted a so-called Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Liberation Front to arouse the Khmers-Krom?s patriotism. The uprising was carried out as planned. Many districts and villages were liberated by the liberation troops, but the Vietnamese crushed all of them the next day or week. Their participation in this uprising had given the Vietnamese another good reason to eliminate them from the government position or armed forces, or to imprison all Khmer-Krom leaders who had tendency to support the uprising. Many thousands of fearful Khmers-Krom had to move to Cambodia after the event.

Vietnam Invasion of Cambodia 1979

When Vietnam invaded Cambodia in the early 1979, a Vietnamese puppet government was staged up. Those Khmers-Krom who escaped from the Vietnamese plot in Kampuchea-Krom must pay their price in Cambodia, or to join the Vietnamese invaders for leniency. Many thousands were captured, jailed, deported, and killed. Those who gave in became the best tools for the Vietnamese to terrorize their fellow Khmers in both Kampuchea-Krom and Cambodia.

FOUNDATIONS OF KHMERS-KROM ORGANIZATION ABROAD

Right after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Khmers-Krom had the opportunity to leave the country as refugees. As a result, many associations, clubs, Centers, Buddhist Temple

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	Committees were founded around the world. Five different world conventions were organized in the effort to bring them together. The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation is the final product of this solidarity. Under the Federation?s leadership, the struggle for the Khmers-Krom dignity and self-determination in Kampuchea-Krom is nurtured and maintained, The Khmers-Krom are ready to do more, or as much as it takes, to reach their goals.

ACTIVITIES OF THE KHMER KAMPUCHEA-KROM FEDERATION TO STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION BY THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM

It was for the first time in their history that a delegation of Khmers-Krom could attend an international meeting in Sidney, Australia in April of 1995: The UNESCO?s "Global Cultural Diversity Conference."

	In July 1998, the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation, on behalf of its unfortunate people in and outside of Vietnam had formally submitted its application to become a member within the Unrepresented Nations and People Organization, the UNPO at the Hague of the Netherlands.

	Regarding their rights, it was the first time in their history, on September 28, 1998, the four-members delegation of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom was sent to the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland to present to the UN official their grievances. As the result of this noble mission, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dispatched a UN delegation headed by Dr. Abdelfattah Amor, UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance to visit Vietnam on Oct 19 through 28, 1998. This UN Mission has reported by the UN, under its document number, namely the E/CN.4/1999/58/Add.2 dated 29 December 1998.

September 12 -13, 1999 a peaceful demonstration to appeal the world attention to Khmer Krom human rights, issues in the city of New Zealand during the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. where Presidents and Prime Ministers of 21 member countries attended which included President Clinton of the US and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai of Vietnam. Then on September 16, 1999 a reception hosted by the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation its member communities in Australia to welcome Madam Helen Corbett, the General Secretary of the UNPO.

	 October 30, 1999 a peaceful demonstration was organized to inform the world about the gross human rights violation of Vietnam communist government toward the Khmer Krom in Vietnam during the World Trade Organization meeting in the city of Seattle, State of Washington, USA. There were 136 member countries and 34 observer countries attended. Vietnam delegation is an observer member also attending. The Radio Free Asia and Voice of America have broadcast about such historical event.

	January 1st, 2000 was the welcoming event for the new millennium of the Khmer Krom people. It is a historical one for the Khmer Krom in Cambodia. It as organized by the Khmer Krom Millennium Committee in Cambodia. Attended by about 2000 people in the Chatomouk Convention Center in Phnom Penh, there were Representatives of His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, and the Cambodian Parliament, the Cambodian Senate and government officials.

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