18 May 2007 By Kessor Raniya – Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman, rejects the call made by Khmer Krom communities both inside and outside of Cambodia. The call asks the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to help resolve the issue of the recent defrocking and jailing of Khmer Krom monks by the Vietnamese authorities. Khieu Kanharith, who is also Minister of Information, accused the Khmer Krom monks of being involved with Kampuchea Krom liberation movement to create an illegal secession zone. Khieu Kanharith said: “They (the Viets) arrest these monks because they participate with the movement of Khmer Kampuchea Krom government in the US, and (furthermore, it involves) a country (Vietnam) that has an embassy with us, so we do not support such action (by the Khmer Krom monks). This is secessionism.” In response to Khieu Kanharith’s (wild assertion), Monk Thach Bin, the planning aid official of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in the world, rejects this accusation, saying that it is not true. Monk Thach Bin said: “The KKF has no intention of ordering the creation of a secession zone. If there is (any such intention) of creating a secession zone, why would the executive committee of the KKF work so hard to call on UNPO to help find justice for us.” Regarding the request for intervention from the RGC by the Khmer Krom monks, Heng Samrin also rejected this request, saying that this is an internal issue of Vietnam, and that Cambodia must not interfere with it.
