HOME   NEWS   HISTORY   MAP   TEMPLE    KKF-RADIO   KKKCO-MUSIC   KKKCO   KK FOOD   EMAIL
From: Elise A. Linchitz
To: [email protected]
Date: Tuesday, March 02, 1999 4:55 PM
Subject: VOKK
>
>Hello!
I am a student at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. I am doing a paper
on the indigenous people of Vietnam and I was wondering if you would be
willing to give me some information. You are obviously very knowledgable
about this subject, but there are very few other websites. What I am
interested in most is the current political, economic, cultural, and
social struggle of the indigenous people of Vietnam. Have there been
attempts to achieve total independence or autonomy? Has the UN gotten
involved? What is it exactly that the Khmer Krom people want? If you
could possibly answer these questions or give me any information that
you think may be useful, I would greatly appeciate it!
>Thanks!
> >Sincerely,
>Elise Linchitz
The Khmer Krom people :  Aspiration and Grievances in brief
INTRODUCTION:
	This article is written in response to recent inquiries by researchers, students, public and private organizations, who are interested in the human rights aspect of the Khmer Krom people and other ethnic minorities  in Vietnam. The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation who is the umbrella-organization of the Khmer Krom organizations world-wide, would like to take this opportunity to present  to readers very brief introduction of political-economic-cultural grievances and aspiration of the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam today.
POLITICAL GRIEVANCE:
	Under totalitarian regime of Vietnam, the Khmer Krom people continue to suffer of racial discrimination and decimation.  They are subjected to unrelenting policies of assimilation and population transfer of the government of Vietnam to decimate the existing fiber of the Khmer Krom people.
	There have been countless political assassinations of Khmer Krom leaders over the course of Khmer Krom history under the Vietnam domination.  Although their (Khmer Krom leaders?) causes have been legitimate and just, as to seek compromises, mutual understanding, respects and equality in peaceful means between the two people (the Khmer and the Vietnamese), but Khmer Krom leaders have always suffered of atrocities caused by Vietnam governments of the past and present.
      During the World War II - the Vietminh, who has been the backbones of current Vietnam government, had committed the holocaust style of massacre to ten of thousands of Khmer Krom people including the Buddhist monks (victims were cremated alive) in many provinces of south Vietnam.
	In 1976 - the Khmer Krom in South Vietnam revolved, had been suppressed  barbarously by the government of Vietnam?s arm-forces.  Many people have been killed included Buddhist monks.  In 1986, in the pretext of infamous KC50 project, the government of Vietnam has murdered, tortured and imprisoned many Khmer Krom religious leaders and clergies in the province of Tra Vinh.
	The above crimes are just a few in recent history. Additionally, there were many other events in past history resulted in serious devastation to the Khmer Krom people.  Typically, the government of Vietnam has accomplished a complete forced of assimilation and decimation of Khmer Krom people in many provinces such as Dong Nai, Baria, Long An, Dong Thap, Sadec, Ben Tre, Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon).  The Khmer Krom people in the above provinces could be traced only through careful study and research.  The nostalgia of their ancestors and their original culture remains alive in the heart and soul.   The remnant Khmer Krom in those provinces, due to severe human rights abuses, are less likely to display Khmer culture.  At the above unfortunate region, there are only a few Khmer monasteries left and struggling to survive under the hostile pressure of extinction.
	According to A HISTORY OF SOUTH-EAST-ASIA, professor D.G.E. Hall has pointed out:" The Saigon area, the Water Chen-la of the ancient Khmer Kingdom, was the tempting field for the Vietnamese expansion.  It had a population of only about 40,000 families so that there were vast empty spaces." This was about 1670's.  Obviously, there was significant number of Khmer Krom families in the areas around Saigon before the arrivals of Vietnamese settlers. Where are their descendants now? How were they disappeared? Those questions are worthwhile to seek true answers.  One thing is certain that, all of the Khmer Krom families who once were residents of Saigon (derived from Khmer word: Prey Nokor = Forest City), had been squeezed out by the Vietnamese settlers.
	The Subject of Khmer Krom population has been skewed severely by the Vietnam government.  According to some independent study, the Khmer Krom population could be as high as 10 million, whereas in the Vietnam government data and its 1979 census has numbered the Khmer Krom to only about 717,300 people.
ECONOMIC GRIEVANCE:
	The Khmer Krom are indigenous and land is the main source for their viability. Since their land has been encroached and occupied by the Vietnamese in the past, and such activities are continued until now. Thus their only economic resource is shrinking. Their economic status is reducing from land-owners to barely physical laborers for less than 1.0 dollar (US) per working day. They are living ten folds below poverty level but the government of Vietnam constantly prevents any international organizations to observe the facts to help these people.
	According to a recent Associated Press reported from Hanoi on Wednesday, December 09, 1998: the Khmer Krom people have only about 309 pounds of foods for consumption per year per person which is only 50% of the average availability of food to a Vietnamese.  According to a Vietnamese weekly paper, the Trong Dong (Silver Drum) reported in Southern California on Friday, November 27, 1998: to alleviate starvation, the Khmer Krom of Tra Vinh province (of Vietnam) have to sell their blood...
	There is no genuine effort of the Vietnam government to develop Khmer Krom people economically except using appeasement to put Khmer Krom and other minorities to sleep to advance government goals to expedite the vietnamization of minorities. Therefore education within the Khmer Krom children are very low in both percentage attending grades schools as well as in higher education.  None of the Khmer Krom students has been allowed to study abroad to gain new knowledge to help their own people.  According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, reported from Hanoi on Friday, November 13, 1998: only 20 students of Vietnam's millions of ethnic minorities have been selected to attend higher education.  This has proved that the Khmer Krom and other minorities are not allowed to have sufficient opportunities to live their lives in the modern society. Their future is at stake.  That is only to be slave laborers.
CULTURAL GRIEVANCE:
	The Khmer Krom culture is under a constant pressure to be annihilated by the assimilation policies and subversive tactics of the Vietnam government.  The Khmer Krom culture is deeply rooted in Hinayanna Buddhism is now crumbling.
	Originally, there were about 700 Khmer Buddhist temples all over south Vietnam or former French Cochin-China.  However, under the Vietnam government's hostile policies of assimilation toward the Khmer Krom people, there were many temples destroyed so were the Khmer communities around them. As a result, the Khmer Krom people in those areas have been uprooted or completely murdered or vietnamized. The number of Khmer Buddhist temples is now reduced to a remaining of only in between 460 to 500. The Khmer Krom temples are constantly scrutinized by the agents of Vietnam Fatherland Front ( a branch of the Vietnam communist government). They are to dictate the religious practices as well as changing the built-in characters of the Khmer to assimilate the Vietnamese culture.
	Evidently, the new building has been funded by Vietnam government to represent Khmer traditions in the province of Tra Vinh has been artistically skewed to deviate from the true Khmer cultural characteristics to impose the Vietnamese culture upon the Khmer, and mislead the local and international tourists on the Khmer traditions.  In many of the Khmer cultural festivities, the Vietnam government has subtly introduced many Vietnamese cultural characters, which the Khmer population are forced to accept them to be part of Khmer traditions, etc.
HAS THE UN GOTTEN INVOLVED?
	During the second world war and after the French Cochin-China was ceded by France to Vietnam on May 23, 1949, the Khmer Krom have continuously suffered of human rights abuses until now.  Unfortunately, atrocities which the Khmer Krom people have suffered such as the crimes of genocide committed by the Vietminh during the W.W.II or the massacre in 1976 then 1986, etc., no one in the outside would know about.
	The Vietnamese government has always suppressed the Khmer Krom people and other minorities behind their iron curtains. There are no United Nations Human Rights workers allowed to work in the minority areas. No international press will be allowed to visit the provinces of Khmer Krom in Vietnam if the pretext has not been manufactured to serve the government?s political gains.
    	Last year in October, prior to the UN(United Nations) Delegation to visit Vietnam, a delegation of the Khmer Kamupchea-Krom Federation has been in Geneva to present the Khmer Krom's cases to the UN officials.  The UN has been implored to consider and take appropriate actions to stop the gross violation of human rights of the Khmer Krom people and their religious leaders in Vietnam.
	Unsurprisingly, as many human rights organizations around the world have predicted, Vietnam government has deliberately prevented the UN officials to freely visit the Khmer Krom religious leaders, the victims of religious oppression.  Those of whom, who supposed to be visited by UN, have been threatened by secret polices.  Those of whom, who have been able to meet the UN officials are afraid of heavy consequences after the UN officials left, and not being able to tell the UN officials any information because they are being watched by Vietnam secret polices.
	Through peaceful means, the Khmer Krom people wish to have more international organizations and more friendly governments gotten involved to help solving their problems with the Vietnamese government that have been too long overdue and millions of Khmer Krom lives have been cumulatively lost.
WHAT IS IT EXACTLY THAT THE KHMER KROM PEOPLE WANT?
	There have been countless barbaric events through out history in which the Khmer Krom people have been victims of racial discrimination and assimilation of the government of Vietnam.  They are (the Khmer Krom people) continued to suffer now. Their children find no future under the Vietnam domination.  The Vietnam government did not allow Khmer Krom people to have the same opportunities to grow as its own (Vietnamese) people, the Kinh people.
	Vietnam will be a good neighbor to the Khmer Krom, but Vietnam has failed to be responsible leader with moral obligations to exercise good government of all people in its country. Vietnam has failed to be the head of a family of nations in which, the Khmer Krom people is a member.  The Khmer Krom people want to self-determine their own destiny which they will democratically decide their own fate and the fate of their children.   Whether to be independent from Vietnam or to be autonomy within Vietnam, these questions will require international attentions and international solution to firstly foster a democratic environment for the Khmer Krom people to freely express their very true aspiration.
General Questions and Answers on the issues of
Khmer Krom?s rights in Vietnam
INTRODUCTION:
	This article is written in response to recent inquiries by researchers, students, public and private organizations, who are interested in the rights issues of the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam today. The Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation who is the umbrella-organization of the Khmer Krom organizations world-wide, would like to take this opportunity to present very brief response to some of the general questions on the Khmer Krom people as the following:
	Could you tell me how the UN has helped or has not helped the Khmer Krom people in their search for human rights?
Recently, one of the major aspects of human rights of the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam, the religious oppression, has been aware of by the UN (United Nations) officials at Geneva.
	Although, the government of Vietnam has caused many difficulties to the UN officials during their visit in Vietnam in October-1998, but at least the UN has observed a partial of the truth for the first time in the history of suffering of the Khmer Krom people.  They are glad that the surface of mountains of sufferings of their people which has been accumulated layers by layers over tens of decades, has been scratched and observed for the first time by the world's body.
   	Much more awareness and actions from the world community to peacefully force Vietnam government to abide by the international laws are needed,  if the Khmer Krom people are to be saved from a gradual extinction.
	What exactly are the Khmer Krom looking for in terms of freedoms?
The Khmer Krom people are indigenous and simplistic.  They do not expect anything more than their legitimacy as a people.  They are peaceful citizens of the world and they are a peaceful nation within families of nations.  Their rights have been warrant by the Charter of the United Nations and by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Peacefully, they demand no more than what the norm of the world has to offer, which has been prescribed by the international laws.  Naturally, as a member of the international community and the UN, the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has the duty (if not obligation) to fully exercise those international legal instruments.
	Would they like to be their own country?
In consideration of the relationship of the Khmer Krom and the Vietnamese for duration of over 300 of years since the two people have begun their interfaces, the following facts have been observed and recorded:
	1) The Vietnamese has always held government powers.
	2) The Khmer Krom people are allowed no chance to succeed in the peaceful mean and not being able to foster a trust-worthy relationship with Vietnam.
	3)The Khmer Krom have suffered of multiple wholesale massacres to their general population.
	4) Many of the Khmer Krom leaders have been assassinated.
	5) Their economic resources "land" have been robbed.
	6)Their cultural characters as a people are gradually tempered by the forced of assimilation and population transfer.
	7) Their social identities to foreigners who visit in Vietnam are suppressed to zero.
	8) There is no future for Khmer Krom children generations after generations.
	9) The longevity of  the Khmer Krom  as a people under Vietnam domination is in question.
	Absolutely, they would like to be their own independent country and to be responsible for their own future.  However, one of their major objectives is "to develop peace, harmony, respect, understanding and cooperation between the Khmer Krom people and others, including the Vietnamese people".  Therefore, the Khmer Krom people did not rule out other forms of self-determination
	Would they like to be able to govern themselves?
  	Definitely, with the involvement of international communities they like to self-govern as intermediate steps toward more independent.   An example as in the case of the people of Palestinian or the people of Kosovo or the people of East Timor could be used as typical  models.
	Would they like to stay citizens of Vietnam, but have equal rights in terms of becoming elected officials, etc.?
As a fait accompli, in 1949 France has illegally transferred its Cochin-China  colony (current south Vietnam) to Bao Dai, the emperor of Vietnam, then successive governments of Vietnam have forced the Khmer Krom people to be  citizens of Vietnam.  As a matter of facts, both France and Vietnam have betrayed their own signatures on this transfer, for not implementing in full of their treaty in regard to the Khmer Krom?s rights, namely the Deferre Motion.    This motion has been part of the Bill of Transfer (of French Cochin-China to Vietnam)  and unanimously passed by the French National Assembly, which spelled out specific rights of the Khmer Krom people.
   	After 50 years of imposing of Vietnam citizenship upon the Khmer Krom people, the following question should be asked:
	Did Vietnam really want to see the Khmer Krom advance as a nation within Vietnam? or
	Has citizenship been used as the scapegoat for Vietnam to exterminate the Khmer Krom people and claimed it as an internal affair?
	Aside from their gradual extinction, has there been anything at all, the Khmer Krom people gained from it, the citizenship of Vietnam?
	
	Objectively, no favorable answer  found to those basic questions.  Therefore, with respect to international laws of citizenship, the longer the Khmer Krom people are imposed to be citizens of Vietnam, deeper the grave which Vietnam government has dug to bury the Khmer Krom people as a whole.
	Without real democratization, it is meaningless to have the Khmers as elected officials in Vietnam.  Many of Vietnam governments in the past and present have used elected positions to mislead the Khmer Krom people.  They portray the Khmer Krom elected officials into many different forms and shapes to serve their purposes: to appease the Khmer Krom, to suppress the Khmer Krom.  Those officials who have displayed real visions for Khmer Krom advancements and equality are normally will not survive.  Cosmetically, on the Khmer Krom issues, Vietnam has successfully misled the world all along.
	Naturally, It is no reason why the Khmer Krom people want to stay as citizens of Vietnam.   However with compromise which must be built on mutual trusts and respects, the Khmer Krom people are keeping all options open.
	How do you think the Khmer Krom people's position in Vietnam has changed during this century?
The guiding principles to peaceful struggles of the Khmer Krom people have been very consistent through out history.  They are to achieve the following objectives:
   1) To take appropriate measures on the principles of non-violent for assurance for the rights of the Khmer Krom people to fundamental freedoms, human dignities, and self-determination according to the Charter of the United Nations.
	2) To protect culture, religions, traditions and identity of the Khmer Krom people from the force of assimilation.
	3) To advocate for the conservation of the hereditary natural resources of the Khmer Krom people such as farmland, and forest against illegal and deceitful deprivation.
	4) To promote social, economic and intellectual developments of the Khmer Krom people who live on their homeland and abroad.
	5) To develop peace, harmony, respect, understanding and cooperation between the Khmer Krom people and others, including the Vietnamese people.
	There have been many Khmer Krom lives sacrificed toward these believes, and they?ve always been suffered of Vietnam's vicious treatment as a result.
  	In 1841, the Khmer Krom 's leader Chauvay Son Kuy, a Buddhist pacifist,  gave up his life to be headed by the court of Hue, under emperor of Vietnam, Thieu Tri.  By taking down his life, Vietnam had agreed to respect Khmer Krom's rights and freedoms.  Did Vietnam ever honor its agreements with Chauvay Son Kuy for the Khmer Krom rights and freedoms?   Subsequently, many other Khmer Krom leaders have dedicated their life for the same principles. The latest victim have been Venerable Kim Toc Chuong, the Buddhist patriarch of Tra Vinh province and 21 other religious leaders, who have been cold blood murdered by the government of Vietnam in 1986.
	Do you think you now have more power as a people?
	Let us specifically define the term ?power?.   Per Webster?s New World Dictionary, the first definition of the word is defined as the following:  Power = ability to do or act.  In this case, for the Khmer Krom people, the term ?power? in the question is   ? the ability to control their own destiny?.
  	The basic components of ones' ability to control their own destiny are their rights and freedoms, which have been universally accepted as international standards, and defined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Unfortunately, until today the Khmer Krom people in Vietnam have been denied their entitlement, and their opportunity to enjoy such rights and freedoms.  The government of Vietnam could advocate anything it wants as far as rights and freedoms for people, but in reality it only provides lipped services and uses it such propaganda to appease the world community for international aids.
   As an example of above fact, a recent newspaper report on March 16, 1999 about the religious right and freedom in Vietnam as the following: 
         GENEVA, March 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations special investigator on religion on Tuesday accused Vietnam of continuing to deny people freedom of worship and called for reforms.
         Abdelfattah Amor, in his report on the situation in Vietnam, said all of the religious communities there were prevented from conducting activities freely....
        ``Religion appears as an instrument of policy rather than a component of society, free to develop as it wishes, something which is ultimately contrary to freedom of religion or belief as governed by international law,'' said Amor, a former dean of the University of Tunis law faculty who visited Vietnam in October.
	Evidently, in their own homeland, the Khmer Krom people's ability to determine their own future has been hindered by the Vietnam government.
	Do you feel as though the Khmer Krom are going to become assimilated into the Vietnamese culture and eventually lose their identity as a people?
The eventuality of total assimilation into the Vietnamese culture is an reality. It is not a threat.  Their identity as a people will be effaced from the surface of this world, if immediate actions are not being taken by the Khmer Krom people themselves with the generous help from the international community.  The following are evidences, which have outraged the Khmer Krom people of all generations:
	According to A HISTORY OF SOUTH-EAST-ASIA, professor D.G.E. Hall has pointed out:" The Saigon area, the Water Chen-la of the ancient Khmer Kingdom, was the tempting field for the Vietnamese expansion.  It had a population of only about 40,000 families so that there were vast empty spaces." Obviously, there was significant number of Khmer Krom families in the areas around Saigon before the arrivals of Vietnamese settlers.  How were they disappeared?  There are only a few Khmer Buddhist temples remained in the area.  Some of those temples has been confiscated by the government of Vietnam.
   	Originally, there were about 700 Khmer Buddhist temples all over south Vietnam or former French Cochin-China.  However, under the Vietnam government's hostile policies of assimilation toward the Khmer Krom people, there were many temples destroyed so were the Khmer communities around them.  As a result, the Khmer Krom people in those areas have been uprooted or completely wiped out. The number of Khmer Buddhist temples is now reduced to a remaining of only in between 460 to 500.   The Khmer Krom temples are constantly scrutinized by the agents of Vietnam Fatherland Front ( a branch of the Vietnam communist government). They are to dictate the religious practices as well as changing the built-in characters of the Khmer to assimilate the Vietnamese culture.
	Moreover, the government of Vietnam has accomplished a complete forced of assimilation and decimation of Khmer Krom people in many provinces such as Dong Nai, Baria, Long An, Dong Thap, Sadec, Ben Tre, Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon).  The Khmer Krom people in the above provinces could be traced only through careful study and research.
	Are there programs in place to protect your culture and to make sure your children learn who they are and where they come from?
To teach and learn the real Khmer Krom's cultural heritage, who they are and where they come from have been crime in the past and are crime today per Vietnam government standards of treatment of Khmer Krom people.   The Vietnamese historians did not elaborate the facts to answer the following questions:   How did Vietnam encroach the Khmer 's land?  How the Khmer Krom people and their Buddhist temples have been uprooted from about 50% of the provinces of former Cochin-China?  How the 40,000 Khmer families once were residents of Saigon have been squeezed out? Etc.   For that reason, there are very low percentages of Khmer Krom children aware of their truth heritage.
   	The children of Khmer Krom, generation after generation have been misled by Vietnam's  educational systems.  Khmer language is barely surviving in the Khmer Buddhist temples.   Whereas in the public school, to appease the Khmer Krom parents, the government of Vietnam has added a few hours per week of Khmer language to grade schools for Khmer children, however government officials do not care about the quality of the curriculum.
  	The Khmer Krom people abroad are fortunate to enjoy the "REAL" freedoms from the host countries and have opportunities to teach their children the heritage and the truth history of their people.
   	There are studies in place of how to protect Khmer culture and to make sure Khmer children learn who they are and where they come from? However due severely lacking of resources, the Khmer Krom people could only do so much within their level of affordability.  External helps are implored to help and save this unfortunate people.  Generous helps from any individual, any organization, and any government to educate the Khmer Krom children their true values are greatly appreciated and welcomed.
	What do you see happening in the near future in terms of what actions the Khmer Krom will take in order to further their goals?
	1)To elevate the Khmer Krom causes to the world?s attention using today communication facilities (television, radio, internet, printing, etc.)
	2)To lobby at the countries which the Khmer Krom are residing, for political and material supports.
	3)To request world agencies and international organizations for humanitarian aids, such as medicines, vocational training, and improving the living standard of Khmer Krom inside the country.
	4)To engage with international organizations such as UNPO for diplomatic solidarity with people and nations that share common aspiration.
	
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1