Khmer Krom monks helping Khmer Krom villagers harvesting their rice crops.By Khmerization
Source: RFA
17 Khmer Krom families from Kleang (Soc Trang) province have on Monday 28th June protested in front of the Office of Ethnic Minority Committee in Prey Reussy (Can Tho) province after the Vietnamese authority refused to return their lands to them after they were used as collective farms from 1975-1985, reports Radio Free Asia.
They said that in 1975, the Vietnamese authority confiscated their lands, about 3-4 hectares from each family, to use as collective farms, but when the collective farms were dissolved in 1985 they refused to return the lands to them, but instead gave their lands to other people.
A Khmer Krom lady who spoke on condition of anonymity said when they strongly protested against the decision, the Vietnamese authority used criminal gangsters and vigilantes to threaten and terrorise them. "Because of these land issues, they (gangsters) came to kill us at our house. Since 1991, they divided the lands among themselves and they refused to hold any meetings. And they maltreated and threatened us since 1990. They confiscated our lands and they refused to pay compensation. Please (Cambodian authority) come and help us because I'm facing serious harship and they (Vietnamese authority) don't help us", she said.
Ven. Thach savy, spokesman for World Khmer Krom Federation, said many Khmer Krom families have protested since 2000 for the return of their lands and many had been jailed.
A representative of the 17 families have told RFA from the protest site that in the past representatives for 500 families from 4 provinces in southern Vietnam, namely Moat Chrouk (An Giang), Kleang (Soc Trang), Preah Tropeang (Tra Vinh) and Kro-Muon Sor (Ra Gia), have often protested about the Vietnamese confiscation of their lands. After 2009, the numbers of protests had dropped dramatically as many Khmer Krom people seemed to have resign to their fate after many of the protesters have been arrested and jailed.
At the time of this article going to press, the Vietnamese Embassy cannot be reached for comment as many telephone calls to the embassy went unanswered.
Source: RFA
17 Khmer Krom families from Kleang (Soc Trang) province have on Monday 28th June protested in front of the Office of Ethnic Minority Committee in Prey Reussy (Can Tho) province after the Vietnamese authority refused to return their lands to them after they were used as collective farms from 1975-1985, reports Radio Free Asia.
They said that in 1975, the Vietnamese authority confiscated their lands, about 3-4 hectares from each family, to use as collective farms, but when the collective farms were dissolved in 1985 they refused to return the lands to them, but instead gave their lands to other people.
A Khmer Krom lady who spoke on condition of anonymity said when they strongly protested against the decision, the Vietnamese authority used criminal gangsters and vigilantes to threaten and terrorise them. "Because of these land issues, they (gangsters) came to kill us at our house. Since 1991, they divided the lands among themselves and they refused to hold any meetings. And they maltreated and threatened us since 1990. They confiscated our lands and they refused to pay compensation. Please (Cambodian authority) come and help us because I'm facing serious harship and they (Vietnamese authority) don't help us", she said.
Ven. Thach savy, spokesman for World Khmer Krom Federation, said many Khmer Krom families have protested since 2000 for the return of their lands and many had been jailed.
A representative of the 17 families have told RFA from the protest site that in the past representatives for 500 families from 4 provinces in southern Vietnam, namely Moat Chrouk (An Giang), Kleang (Soc Trang), Preah Tropeang (Tra Vinh) and Kro-Muon Sor (Ra Gia), have often protested about the Vietnamese confiscation of their lands. After 2009, the numbers of protests had dropped dramatically as many Khmer Krom people seemed to have resign to their fate after many of the protesters have been arrested and jailed.
At the time of this article going to press, the Vietnamese Embassy cannot be reached for comment as many telephone calls to the embassy went unanswered.
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