Minister backs media for the Khmer Krom

MINISTER of Information Khieu Kanharith said yesterday that he would support local Khmer Krom activists in establishing media outlets to publicise their community’s interests, so long as these efforts did not damage the Kingdom’s relationship with Vietnam.

Khieu Kanharith Information's Minister of Cambodia.Photos Phnom Penh Post

Khieu Kanharith met yesterday with Thach Sang, president of the Cambodia-based Khmer Kampuchea Krom Friendship Association.

The minister said he would support funding to allow the group to publish a magazine and receive one hour of free airtime per day on state radio stations in Takeo and Svay Rieng provinces. He added, however, that the government opposed activities that “draw objections from the Vietnamese government or argue for the liberation of Khmer Krom land from Vietnam”.

At a meeting in Phnom Penh last month, Vietnamese Vice Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang praised the cooperation of Cambodian authorities in halting anti-Vietnamese “plots”.

This cooperation, Tran said, had prevented Khmer Krom activists from “hiring state and private radio broadcasting with the aim of propagandising against the traditional relationship and the alliance of the two countries”.

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MINISTER of Information Khieu Kanharith said yesterday that he would support local Khmer Krom activists in establishing media outlets to publicise their community’s interests, so long as these efforts did not damage the Kingdom’s relationship with Vietnam. Khieu Kanharith Information's Minister of Cambodia.Photos Phnom Penh Post Khieu Kanharith met yesterday with Thach Sang, president of the Cambodia-based Khmer Kampuchea Krom Friendship Association. The minister said he would support funding to allow the group to publish a magazine and receive one hour of free airtime per day on state radio stations in Takeo and Svay Rieng provinces. He added, however, that the government opposed activities that “draw objections from the Vietnamese government or argue for the liberation of Khmer Krom land from Vietnam”. At a meeting in Phnom Penh last month, Vietnamese Vice Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang praised the cooperation of Cambodian authorities in halting anti-Vietnamese “plots”. This cooperation, Tran said, had prevented Khmer Krom activists from “hiring state and private radio broadcasting with the aim of propagandising against the traditional relationship and the alliance of the two countries”.

A Young Khmer-Krom Woman Died Two Year after Got Beating up by the Vietnamese Police

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, a young Khmer-Krom woman, Neang Savong, who used to lead the Khmer-Krom farmers to demand returning confiscated farmlands, passed away.

In 2008, Mrs. Neang Savong led a group of Khmer-Krom farmers in An Cu village, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province to demand the Vietnamese authorities to return their confiscated farmlands. During their peaceful protest, the Vietnamese authority sent Vietnamese Polices using arm forces to disperse the protest. Vietnamese polices used electric baton to beat her and made her became unconscious for one day. Since then, she had become ill and passed away on September 25, 2010.

In an interview with VOKK, her father, Mr. Chau Inn, told VOKK that because of his daughter helped the Khmer-Krom farmers to demand returning confiscated farmlands, that is why his daughter was the main target to be attacked by the Vietnamese polices. When she was sick, she was discriminated and ignored for her treatment at the Vietnamese hospitals in Prey Nokor (Sai Gon) City and in Tri Ton town in Tri Ton district.

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On Saturday, September 25, 2010, a young Khmer-Krom woman, Neang Savong, who used to lead the Khmer-Krom farmers to demand returning confiscated farmlands, passed away. In 2008, Mrs. Neang Savong led a group of Khmer-Krom farmers in An Cu village, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province to demand the Vietnamese authorities to return their confiscated farmlands. During their peaceful protest, the Vietnamese authority sent Vietnamese Polices using arm forces to disperse the protest. Vietnamese polices used electric baton to beat her and made her became unconscious for one day. Since then, she had become ill and passed away on September 25, 2010. In an interview with VOKK, her father, Mr. Chau Inn, told VOKK that because of his daughter helped the Khmer-Krom farmers to demand returning confiscated farmlands, that is why his daughter was the main target to be attacked by the Vietnamese polices. When she was sick, she was discriminated and ignored for her treatment at the Vietnamese hospitals in Prey Nokor (Sai Gon) City and in Tri Ton town in Tri Ton district.

An Appeal for Justice for the Killing of a Khmer-Krom Youth in Prey Nokor City

To: International Labour Organization (ILO),
International Human Rights Organizations,
UN Human Rights Council,
Democratic Governments,
International Media

Khmer Krom young continue to dead in Kampuchea Krom haven't justice.
Left to right: Chau Net 22 years killed by Viet peoples at Tay Ninh preovince on September 02,2010
Son Van Thanh 17 years killed by Viet peoples at Prey Nokor city on September 19,2010
Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc 20 years killed by her Korean husband on July 07,2010
Neang Savong dead on September 25, 2010
Background
A Khmer Krom youth, named Mr. Son Van Thanh, was stabbed numerous times by a Vietnamese assailant with the tailoring knives and scissors. The attack took place in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) city, south Vietnam. From the vicious attack, Mr. Son Van Thanh’s body was having the major internal and external bleeding and the attacked scissors were still stuck in the wounds. Some of his friends rushed Mr. Son to a hospital in the HCM city, but he was refused emergency treatments due to his lack of money.

After 4-hours of waiting at the hospital and when his relatives found some fund, Mr. Son finally received a surgery to remove the scissors from his body and to treat the open wounds. After the surgery, Mr. Son was later transferred to another hospital in the city named the 115 Hospital. The 115 Hospital assured that his health condition was normal and Mr. Son was discharged to come home. Mr. Son Van Thanh was later died after the discharge. Mr. Son Van Thanh died alone in HCM city at 2:15pm on September 18, 2010.

Mr. Son Van Thanh, a male and age 17, who resided in Bich Tri (Bach Trey in Khmer) hamlet, Hoa Thuan commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province. Mr. Son Van Thanh recently went to work for a construction company in HCM city in order to support his disabled father. Mr. Son Van Thanh was the only child of the family.

The Motives of the Death
Based on the information received from the victim family, the incidence took place on several alleged reasons:
• Mr. Son Van Thanh went to buy a meal at a market in HCM city and was insulted by the Vietnamese assailant. The two got into an altercation and the assailant attacked the victim with scissors and tailoring knives.
• Mr. Son Van Thanh was poor and alone in the city; hence the hospital refused his emergency treatments.
• Mr. Son Van Thanh is a Khmer Krom individual hence both hospitals he visited discriminated him based on his race and they treated his medical needs on a non-emergency basis. The delay and lack of treatments caused the loss of Mr. Son Van Thanh’s life.

No Justice for the Khmer Krom Victim
So far the cost of the hospital expenses and the transport of the victim’s body from the HCM city to his hometown in Tra Vinh province was 20 million dongs while the assailant’s compensation which only offered 10 million dongs. The victim family is still in debt of all other costs to this point.

In term of justice, the Vietnamese authorities have taken very little or no legal action against the Vietnamese assailant. The un-important treatments by the Vietnamese authorities toward the Khmer Krom cases such as this fundamentally encourage the Vietnamese society as a whole to discriminate against Khmer Krom victims even more so.
On behalf of the Khmer-Krom victim and their voiceless family in Tra Vinh province, we would like to urgently appeal for your assistance to:

• Urge Vietnamese authorities to immediately investigate, apprehend and punish the perpetrator who was involved in the attack as part of their commitment to just society and to combat racial discrimination.

• Urge that the government of Vietnam to generously compensate for the loss and the pains suffered by the victim and their family.

• Urge that the government of Vietnam to train the hospitals or medical centers on race relations when it comes to dealing with the non-Kinh patients.

• Urge Vietnam to set up social programs/agencies in urban centers to assist Khmer-Krom migrant workers in time of needs.

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To: International Labour Organization (ILO), International Human Rights Organizations, UN Human Rights Council, Democratic Governments, International Media Khmer Krom young continue to dead in Kampuchea Krom haven't justice. Left to right: Chau Net 22 years killed by Viet peoples at Tay Ninh preovince on September 02,2010 Son Van Thanh 17 years killed by Viet peoples at Prey Nokor city on September 19,2010 Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc 20 years killed by her Korean husband on July 07,2010 Neang Savong dead on September 25, 2010 Background A Khmer Krom youth, named Mr. Son Van Thanh, was stabbed numerous times by a Vietnamese assailant with the tailoring knives and scissors. The attack took place in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) city, south Vietnam. From the vicious attack, Mr. Son Van Thanh’s body was having the major internal and external bleeding and the attacked scissors were still stuck in the wounds. Some of his friends rushed Mr. Son to a hospital in the HCM city, but he was refused emergency treatments due to his lack of money. After 4-hours of waiting at the hospital and when his relatives found some fund, Mr. Son finally received a surgery to remove the scissors from his body and to treat the open wounds. After the surgery, Mr. Son was later transferred to another hospital in the city named the 115 Hospital. The 115 Hospital assured that his health condition was normal and Mr. Son was discharged to come home. Mr. Son Van Thanh was later died after the discharge. Mr. Son Van Thanh died alone in HCM city at 2:15pm on September 18, 2010. Mr. Son Van Thanh, a male and age 17, who resided in Bich Tri (Bach Trey in Khmer) hamlet, Hoa Thuan commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province. Mr. Son Van Thanh recently went to work for a construction company in HCM city in order to support his disabled father. Mr. Son Van Thanh was the only child of the family. The Motives of the Death Based on the information received from the victim family, the incidence took place on several alleged reasons: • Mr. Son Van Thanh went to buy a meal at a market in HCM city and was insulted by the Vietnamese assailant. The two got into an altercation and the assailant attacked the victim with scissors and tailoring knives. • Mr. Son Van Thanh was poor and alone in the city; hence the hospital refused his emergency treatments. • Mr. Son Van Thanh is a Khmer Krom individual hence both hospitals he visited discriminated him based on his race and they treated his medical needs on a non-emergency basis. The delay and lack of treatments caused the loss of Mr. Son Van Thanh’s life. No Justice for the Khmer Krom Victim So far the cost of the hospital expenses and the transport of the victim’s body from the HCM city to his hometown in Tra Vinh province was 20 million dongs while the assailant’s compensation which only offered 10 million dongs. The victim family is still in debt of all other costs to this point. In term of justice, the Vietnamese authorities have taken very little or no legal action against the Vietnamese assailant. The un-important treatments by the Vietnamese authorities toward the Khmer Krom cases such as this fundamentally encourage the Vietnamese society as a whole to discriminate against Khmer Krom victims even more so. On behalf of the Khmer-Krom victim and their voiceless family in Tra Vinh province, we would like to urgently appeal for your assistance to: • Urge Vietnamese authorities to immediately investigate, apprehend and punish the perpetrator who was involved in the attack as part of their commitment to just society and to combat racial discrimination. • Urge that the government of Vietnam to generously compensate for the loss and the pains suffered by the victim and their family. • Urge that the government of Vietnam to train the hospitals or medical centers on race relations when it comes to dealing with the non-Kinh patients. • Urge Vietnam to set up social programs/agencies in urban centers to assist Khmer-Krom migrant workers in time of needs.