05 Dec 2007 By Kim Pov Sottan Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy of KI media A source from the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) indicated that Khmer Krom people living in Motr Chourk (An Giang in Vietnamese) and Khleang (Soc Trang in Vietnamese) provinces, Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam) will hold their demonstration in Hanoi within 10 days to demand back their lands, if the Vietnamese authority does not provide a resolution to their land problems. The demonstration plan was decided when about 100 (Khmer Krom) people from Motr Chrouk province protested about land problems in An Cu commune, Tinh Bien distritct, and about 30 other (Khmer Krom) people demonstrated about land problems also at the Native people committee located in Prek Russei city on Tuesday. Neang Yer, the 50-year-old Khmer Krom woman who led the protest in Motr Chourk province, indicated that the Vietnamese provincial authority promised to resolve all these issues within 60 days, but that it has been almost two months already, and there is still no resolution yet. Neang Yer said: “I promised them that if in 10 days, there is still no resolution (on the land disputes) for us to see, we will go to the central (communist) party, we will go to Prey Nokor (Ho Chi Minh City), and we will wait there to see what answer they will give us. If they don’t provide a decent answer (in Prey Nokor), my group will travel to Hanoi next.” The same situation is also occurring in Khleang province, Vinh Ba, a Khmer Krom representative of the Khleang province protesters, said that the (authority) asked the people to remain calm a few months back, but it does not want to resolve this issue, that is why, the people came to protest one more time. Vinh Ba said: “The delegate of prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung came here 2-3 times already, but there is no resolution whatsoever. My group from Khleang village asks for a resolution. It is very difficult for us, the situation occurs long ago, 17-year already and there is no resolution at all. And for me, I don’t ask for anything else other than my lands, they (VN authorities) took them and they did not compensate me, how can I not ask for my lands back? I must ask for them back.” Land protests by Khmer Krom people are happening almost monthly. Villagers who lost their lands claimed that the Vietnamese authority confiscated several hectares of their ancestral lands to share among themselves (VN officials). Some saw their lands confiscated for more than 10 years already, while others have just seen their lands confiscated recently only. RFA could not reach the Vietnamese authority on this issue. Trinh Ba Cam, Hanoi’s mouthpiece in Cambodia, indicated that the confiscation of lands occurs in every country: “Land disputes are occurring in every country, however, their resolutions depend on the authority. The authority will provide a decent resolution according to the government’s determination.” Recently, a Cambodian parliamentary delegation led by SRP MP Son Chhay visited South Vietnam, in particular in Kampuchea Krom. During the visit, Son Chhay discussed with his Vietnamese counterparts about cooperation (between the two countries) and he also asked Hanoi to resolve the land dispute issues suffered by Khmer Krom people.
