Khmer Krom monks helping farmers harvesting their rice crops.By Khmerization
Source: RFA
Many Khmer Krom families in Tinh Bien district of An Giang (Moat Chrouk in Khmer) claimed that Vietnamese authority has cofiscated their lands to dig a canal and build a dike and forbade them from farming in their lands, reports Radio Free Asia.
They said, because they don't have lands in which to farm, many Khmer Krom families have sent their children to work as coolies and labourers in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). "If we go to work in our lands, they (the Vietnamese) will arrest us. They have maltreated us and they are always waiting there to arrest and beat us. The Vietnamese police are guarding the lands everyday. Everyday, they sent 10-20 police to the area and they prevented us from entering our farmlands. Every family has sent their children to work as coolies and labourers in Prey Nokor (Saigon)", one man said.
"Now, they have put too much pressures on us and even all the small hillocks have all been confiscated by them. I can no longer farm in my lands", said another.
In late 2009, 300 Khmer Krom families have stood up to protest against the confiscations of 400 hectares of their lands to dig and build 10 kilometres of canal and dike. Those 300 famililies have since then lost their farmlands permanently.
Mr. Thach Setha, president of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association in Cambodia, said he had intervened to help those 300 families but to no avail. "We have used all means to intervene to help them, but the Vietnamese government still ignore our intervention", he said.
The 300 Khmer Krom families had abandoned their ancestral lands during the fighting in the areas between Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese troops in 1979. In 2007 and 2008, they have protested to reclaim the ownership of those lands but were not successful. Now, many of those 300 families are in hiding to escape arrests by the Vietnamese authority. Some had escaped to Cambodia and Thailand where 24 Khmer Krom people were deported from Thailand to Cambodia on 4th December, 2009.
Source: RFA
Many Khmer Krom families in Tinh Bien district of An Giang (Moat Chrouk in Khmer) claimed that Vietnamese authority has cofiscated their lands to dig a canal and build a dike and forbade them from farming in their lands, reports Radio Free Asia.
They said, because they don't have lands in which to farm, many Khmer Krom families have sent their children to work as coolies and labourers in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). "If we go to work in our lands, they (the Vietnamese) will arrest us. They have maltreated us and they are always waiting there to arrest and beat us. The Vietnamese police are guarding the lands everyday. Everyday, they sent 10-20 police to the area and they prevented us from entering our farmlands. Every family has sent their children to work as coolies and labourers in Prey Nokor (Saigon)", one man said.
"Now, they have put too much pressures on us and even all the small hillocks have all been confiscated by them. I can no longer farm in my lands", said another.
In late 2009, 300 Khmer Krom families have stood up to protest against the confiscations of 400 hectares of their lands to dig and build 10 kilometres of canal and dike. Those 300 famililies have since then lost their farmlands permanently.
Mr. Thach Setha, president of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Association in Cambodia, said he had intervened to help those 300 families but to no avail. "We have used all means to intervene to help them, but the Vietnamese government still ignore our intervention", he said.
The 300 Khmer Krom families had abandoned their ancestral lands during the fighting in the areas between Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese troops in 1979. In 2007 and 2008, they have protested to reclaim the ownership of those lands but were not successful. Now, many of those 300 families are in hiding to escape arrests by the Vietnamese authority. Some had escaped to Cambodia and Thailand where 24 Khmer Krom people were deported from Thailand to Cambodia on 4th December, 2009.
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