PRESS RELEASE: The Vietnamese Authority Threatens Using Armed Forces to against Khmer-Krom Farmers

PRESS RELEASE: 09 September 2009
Pennsauken, NJ, USA

The Vietnamese Authority Threatens Using Armed Forces to against Khmer-Krom Farmers

Krobao (Tinh Bien) District, An Giang Province, Vietnam – On September 8, 2009, the Vietnamese authority summoned Khmer-Krom farmers to meet the Vietnamese authority representatives at three different temples: Sang Ke Douch temple, Om Pei Swai temple, and Pothi temple.

The Vietnamese Authority representatives told the Khmer-Krom farmers that they will continue their canal construction plan in An Cu commune, Krobao (Tinh Bien) district, Moth Chrouk (An Giang) province, which is a canal construction plan that the Khmer-Krom farmers have been peacefully protesting against it to demand the Vietnamese authority to stop digging canal on their rice fields without paying any compensation. The Vietnamese authority representatives also threatened the Khmer-Krom farmers that they will use armed forces to oppress the protesters if the Khmer-Krom farmers keep protesting.

On September 9, 2009, the Vietnamese Authority summoned three Khmer-Krom women (Neang Vann, Neang Ra, and another woman whose name is unknown) to intimidating and threatening them regarding to their participating in the peaceful protest against digging canal on their rice fields. In the same day, the Vietnamese authority sent two more digging machines to An Cu commune.

Instead of peaceful solving the issues with the Khmer-Krom farmers, the Vietnamese authority threatened that they will continue their construction plan on September 10, 2009.
In this regards, I urgently would like to:

· Urge the Vietnamese government to stop threatening to use armed forces against the armless Khmer-Krom farmers.
· Urge the Vietnamese government to find a peaceful solution to help Khmer-Krom Farmers to keep their rice fields to farm.
· Urge the foreign Embassies and UN Human Rights Agencies in Vietnam to ask Vietnam to respect the land rights of the Indigenous Khmer-Krom farmers.

Thanks for your help in advance.
Respectfully Yours,

[Signature and stamp]

Thach Ngoc Thach
President of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
P.O.Box 193
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
Tel: 856-655-3838 / 856-655-3838
Fax:856-655-1503
Email: giap.tran@khmerkrom.org
www.khmerkrom.org / www.khmerkrom.net