Tim Sakhorn (middle) being sentenced in a Vietnamese jail.Source: Radio Free Asia
Reported in English by Khmerization
Tim Sakhorn, former abbot of Wat Phnom Daun pagoda in Takeo province, has arrived in Sweden on 4th July after being accepted as a political asylee by the Swedish government.
Tim Sakhorn was accused of inciting the Khmer Krom people to protest against the Vietnamese government in their fights against land confiscations. He was forcibly defrocked, arrested and dported to Vietnam in which he was sentenced to 12 month imprisonment in a Vietnamese jail. In April this year, he was allowed to visit relatives in Cambodia and he was secretly re-ordained, smuggled out to Thailand and sought political sylum in a third country.
He said he has to leave the monkhood because there is no Khmer Buddhist temple in Sweden for him to stay, but he said he wish to become a monk again when the opportunity arrived. He said: "When I arrived in Sweden I still wish to become a Buddhist monk again."
Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, executive director of World Khmer Krom Federation, said he will consult with the Khmer Krom Buddhist Patriarch on how to re-ordain Tim Sakhorn.
Tim Sakhorn said he is very happy but felt sorry for his fellow Khmer Krom who still face persecution by the Vietnamese authority. He said: "I am very happy that I have been accepted to live in a third country and I wish to thank the UN for helping me to escape arrest and persecution from the Vietnamese authority. When staying in Thailand the last 3 months I wash so scared. I dare not go out anywhere and have to live in hiding in a very difficult situation. When the international community helped me to be settled in a third country, I am so happy. But I felt sorry for those Khmer Krom people who are still in hiding in Thailand in hardship. So, I wish to appeal to the UN to help those people to be able to come to a third country like me."
At the same time, more than 40 Khmer Krom people sent back to Cambodia by the Thai authority about a week ago, who still stay at the border town of Poipet, are facing hardship and food shortages.
Mr. Ang Chanrith, executive director of Khmer Krom Association in Phnom Penh , said these people are facing hardship because they don't have relatives to support them.
Mr. Yang Son, one of the returnee, said: "First, we don't have a place to stay. Secondly, we don't have food and we don't who can provide us with food. We don't know anything about all of these yet because all NGOs are still making contacts, we welcome all help from them."
On 3rd July, 56 Khmer Krom asylum-seekers have been sent back by Thai authority, where most of them are now facing hardship because they don't have any relatives to support them. Only the minority have relatives to support them.
Reported in English by Khmerization
Tim Sakhorn, former abbot of Wat Phnom Daun pagoda in Takeo province, has arrived in Sweden on 4th July after being accepted as a political asylee by the Swedish government.
Tim Sakhorn was accused of inciting the Khmer Krom people to protest against the Vietnamese government in their fights against land confiscations. He was forcibly defrocked, arrested and dported to Vietnam in which he was sentenced to 12 month imprisonment in a Vietnamese jail. In April this year, he was allowed to visit relatives in Cambodia and he was secretly re-ordained, smuggled out to Thailand and sought political sylum in a third country.
He said he has to leave the monkhood because there is no Khmer Buddhist temple in Sweden for him to stay, but he said he wish to become a monk again when the opportunity arrived. He said: "When I arrived in Sweden I still wish to become a Buddhist monk again."
Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, executive director of World Khmer Krom Federation, said he will consult with the Khmer Krom Buddhist Patriarch on how to re-ordain Tim Sakhorn.
Tim Sakhorn said he is very happy but felt sorry for his fellow Khmer Krom who still face persecution by the Vietnamese authority. He said: "I am very happy that I have been accepted to live in a third country and I wish to thank the UN for helping me to escape arrest and persecution from the Vietnamese authority. When staying in Thailand the last 3 months I wash so scared. I dare not go out anywhere and have to live in hiding in a very difficult situation. When the international community helped me to be settled in a third country, I am so happy. But I felt sorry for those Khmer Krom people who are still in hiding in Thailand in hardship. So, I wish to appeal to the UN to help those people to be able to come to a third country like me."
At the same time, more than 40 Khmer Krom people sent back to Cambodia by the Thai authority about a week ago, who still stay at the border town of Poipet, are facing hardship and food shortages.
Mr. Ang Chanrith, executive director of Khmer Krom Association in Phnom Penh , said these people are facing hardship because they don't have relatives to support them.
Mr. Yang Son, one of the returnee, said: "First, we don't have a place to stay. Secondly, we don't have food and we don't who can provide us with food. We don't know anything about all of these yet because all NGOs are still making contacts, we welcome all help from them."
On 3rd July, 56 Khmer Krom asylum-seekers have been sent back by Thai authority, where most of them are now facing hardship because they don't have any relatives to support them. Only the minority have relatives to support them.
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