13 March 2007 By Mayarith Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Socheata 
Demonstrations have been successively held against the Vietnamese authority which is accused of oppressing Buddhist monks in Kampuchea Krom. Following the Washington DC demonstration, other demonstrations were held in Philadelphia and New Jersey in the US, another demonstration was also held in Australia. On Monday, in Ottawa, Canada, about 200 monks and laic citizens held another such demonstration there. In San Francisco, about 80 people including not only Khmer Krom monks, but also monks from other nationalities, held a demonstration also. The demonstrations which were held in the US and Canada on Monday, were to protest against the action taken by the Vietnamese authority in jailing and defrocking 9 Khmer Krom monks, and preventing hundreds of other Khmer Krom monks from getting out of their pagoda to beg for alms. In Ottawa, one of the participant in the demonstration said: “My name is Kim Tay Chrea, I’m from Preah Trapeang province (Kampuchea Krom), I am demonstrating to demand that the Vietnamese state release 9 monks from Khleang province…” The San Francisco demonstration was led by Monk Thach Birong from California. He said: “The main goal for our gathering in front of the embassy is to raise 5 important points: (1) to demand that the [Vietnamese] government release monks who were defrocked, and also release three monks who disappeared from Preah Trapeang, as well as 3 other monks from Khleang province. They (monks who disappeared) are being jailed, but we don’t know where, they are being hidden and oppressed by the Vietnamese government. We are demanding that the Vietnamese government, in particular, the Vietnamese embassy in San Francisco, resolve this issue. (2) to demand that the Vietnamese government put an end to the violation of Buddhism rights in Kampuchea Krom…” Demonstrators from the two countries warn that they will continue holding other demonstrations elsewhere if the Vietnamese authority is not putting an end to its oppression on Khmer Krom people.
