Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Urge Vietnamese Authority to Stop Digging Canal on Khmer-Krom Farmlands

August 25, 2009
www.khmerkrom.net

As previous times, the Vietnamese Authority uses the same tactic to push Khmer-Krom farmers to be landless by digging canals on their farmlands without paying any compensation. This time, the Vietnamese authority plans to dig a canal from Vinh Te canal to Pothy (An Cu) village, Kra-bao (Tinh Bien) District, Moth Chrouk (An Giang) province. The canal is planned to be 30 meters width and 6 Kilometers long.

On 21st July 2009, when the Khmer-Krom farmers saw the Vietnamese authority bringing the tractors and other machines for digging canal on their farmlands, they organized a peaceful protest to demand the Vietnamese authority to stop digging canal. After seeing hundreds of Khmer-Krom farmers protested, the Vietnamese authority delayed its tactic plan.

On August 23, 2009, the Vietnamese Authority brought more tractors and machines, and polices to disperse any peaceful protest by the Khmer-Krom farmers.

On behalf of the unfortunate and voiceless Khmer-Krom farmers in Kampuchea-Krom, we urge the Vietnamese authority to stop confiscated Khmer-Krom farmlands and respect the land rights of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom farmers as stated in the article 26 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples “Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired” which Vietnam signed to adopt it.

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