Global Prayer Day: Khmer Krom Rights

“A day of action – Khmer Krom Religious Rights Day on 22nd of February, 2008” Vietnam is a communist one party. The human rights situation in Vietnam is a catastrophe: its people, especially its indigenous peoples such as the Khmer Krom continue to be systematically persecuted, detained, tortured and in the worse case killed because they express their political or religious views. This time last year, on 8th February 2007, over two hundred Khmer Krom Buddhist monks organized a peaceful demonstration demanding religious freedom in Khleang (renamed Soc Trang) province. On 22nd February 2008, the Vietnamese authorities responded by detaining and defrocking nine Khmer Krom Buddhist monks.

1. Thach Do, aged 27, from Wat Ta Sek, Khleang province.
2. Ly Hoang, aged 22, from Wat Sam Rong, Khleang province.
3. Ly Tang Thong, aged 23, from Wat Sam Rong, Khleang province.
4. Ly Thanh Suoi, aged 28, from Wat Teok Praiy, Khleang province.
5. Thach Xuan Hien, aged 21, from Wat Ta Meon, Khleang province.
6. Tang Phien, aged 22, from Wat Ta Meon, Khleang province.
7. Ly Suong, aged 21, from Wat Teok Praiy, Khleang province.
8. Kim Muon, age 22, from Wat Ta Sek, Khleang province.
9. Thach Thuong, aged 28, from Wat Teok Praiy, Khleang province.

On 10 May 2007, five defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks (Venerable Danh Tol, Venerable Kim Muol, Venerable Ly Suong, Venerable Ly Hoang, and Venerable Thach Thuong) were trialed in a Vietnamese court with no lawyers assigned to defend themselves. They are currently serving 2 to 4 years for allegedly organizing the demonstration. Since February 8, 2007 to May 10, 2007, nineteen Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces in the Mekong Delta have been arrested, defrocked and imprisoned for possessing human rights documents and participating in a peaceful demonstration requesting religious freedom. And in Cambodia, Ven. Eang Sok Theon was murdered after the peaceful protest in Phnom Penh and Ven. Tim Sakorn, head monk in Phnom Din, was defrocked and sent to Kampuchea Krom. He was jailed till present. On the February 22, 2008, the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation(KKF) will launch a one day event entitled, “Khmer-Krom Religious Rights Day” to condemn the injustice actions of the Vietnamese authorities against peaceful monks and more importantly, remember our most respected Buddhist monks who put their lives on lines to demand basic freedoms to express one’s religion and belief .

• Khmer Krom Rights is a nonviolent day of action around the world
• Khmer Krom Rights is a peaceful day to unit for freedom
• Khmer Krom Rights is a pray day for peace Please come together for pray for peace, freedom and an end to the suffering of our people.

Sincerely, Thach N Thach Read in Khmer