06-09/12/2006 Speech by Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach Ladies and Gentlemen: I’m honored to be here. My name is Thach Ngoc Thach, the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation president. I’m glad to see many women attend this conference. Thank to the RTP for campaigning to have women to get involved. I have attended many conferences before; but this one is more women participated. We thanks the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (ALDE) and the Transnational Radical Party (TRP) for organizing this great conference. We would like to provide the background report from Mekong Delta (southern Vietnam). Whereas the Khmer-Krom who dares not to speak for his or her legitimate rights on the religious persecution and explicitly eco-social deprivations, and their lives contemporary under human rights oppression and can’t express without scrutiny by the Vietnamese authority. I will give this report the “Ongoing Human Rights violations against the indigenous Khmer-Krom” submit to Mr. Chairman right after my speech. Examples:
- Watching KKF VCD at United Nation on Permanent Forum on the Indigenous Issue is prohibited.
- Reading KKF newsletter, listen to Khmer music, Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, Voice of Kampuchea Krom and contact outside world are banned.
The crimes initiated by the Vietnamese government against Khmer-Krom continue at a rampant rate. For instant, the Khmer-Krom was imprisoned, while others mysteriously disappeared and the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks continue to oppress on the religious faith. Moreover thousands of the Khmer-Krom were fleeing and seeking refuge in Cambodia. We have discussed and shared experiences and we can see these experiences are not new to all of us. We have discussed for years on how to get result quick and better to stop the oppression and help the suffering people. The question is to us and to the Europe parliament to help promote “Democracy” and “Human Rights”. We can not import “Democracy and Human Rights to the grass root to the suffering people unless people know what Democracy and Human Rights are, and can exercise their rights. We have many suggestions on how to help flow the communication system and so people can start to hear, to learn, to stand on their own feet. Freedom of speech, we are talking at this conference and we have heard great suggestion, solution; but what we do not talk much is how to implement and a start a Democracy network from European Parliament, ALDE, TRP, UNPO and No Peace Without Justice to the people. Khmer-Krom Refugee in Cambodia: Khmer-Krom has escaped to Cambodia because of the communist Vietnamese government’s oppression and systematic driving us out of our homeland by taking our land, property and destroys our culture…etc. January 18th, 2006, the European Parliament Resolution on Cambodia # 12 “ Calls on Cambodia Authorities to fully implement the 1953 UNHCR Convention both with regards to the protection og the Montagnard refugees, refraining from illegal forced deportation to Vietnam, and to granting refugee status to the ethnic Khmer-Krom escaping from Vietnam”. Thank you to the TRP for this resolution! Almost a year now, Cambodian government has not initiated the resettlement program nor made no effort to register to legalize them as the Cambodian citizenship as they claimed. Today many Parliament members attend this conference, we urge you to follow up the European Parliament resolution on Cambodia. The Khmer-Krom escape to Cambodia does not to reunite with Cambodian Family or is the same blood line. It’s because of the Vietnamese government. There are no Human Rights as we all discuss here “Freedom of speech”. We are 99% farmer and if they took our land how can we survive “Land is our life”. Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk were disrobed, jailed and killed. We can not promote democracy by enrich the corrupt government; but direct to the people who are mistreated. How can the democracy be promoted when we, the world, please with one party, one rule government for life. What is the democracy and freedom if only the rich, the high ranking, the top leader family can do, or receive a high class reception? Allow their family travel freely; get all kind of education. We can talk, share experiences of human rights violation and we know that there are million of story untold; but what we are here today would like to appeal to the European Parliament TRP, UNPO and ALDE jointly follow up the EU Resolution on Cambodia on Khmer-Krom Refugee and gross Human Rights violation on Khmer-Krom in Vietnam. Thank you very much and I hope and also my people in Kampuchea Krom (southern part Vietnam or Cochin-china) soon meet the European parliament at their front door. Finally, my Khmer-Krom refugee in Cambodia hopes to hear from you as well. Thank you Mr. Chair