Jan 04, 2004

Khmer Krom Representatives call for self-determination


Press Release from the KKF
Organized by the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) and hosted by the Federation Chapter in Northern California, on January 2-4, 2004 in the city of San Jose,over 100 Khmer Krom Representatives and Buddhist monks, and including 30 Khmer Krom youths of universities levels from Italia, France, Cambodia, India, Canada and over 20 States in the United State have gathered to further their struggle for the rights to self-determination of the Khmer Krom People in Vietnam. Unanimously, they call for:

1. An international inquiries on crimes of genocide against Khmer Krom People by the Vietnamese communist government for the following period:
a) During the WWII in 1945 when ten of thousands ofKhmer Krom have been cremated alive
b) In 1976 through 1979 when thousands of Khmer Krom have been massacred across all Mekong Delta provinces
c) The 1978 systematic forced evacuation and robberies of Khmer properties, Buddhist temples in the entire province of An Giang (Moat Chrouk)
d) In 1984 through 1990 when Venerable Kim Toc Chuong, and many other Buddhist Monks including thousands of Khmer Krom people have been murdered and persecuted inthe province of Travinh and Vinh Long
e) The murder of Venerable Lam Khen in July,2002 in Tuklaok Temple, Vi Thuy district, Can Tho Province

2. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam to exercise the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/146 on 8 December 2000 to de-colonize Kampuchea-Krom, the Motherland of the Khmer-Krom people, composed of 68,600 squared kilometers, forming the southern most part of present Vietnam.

3. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam to place the Kampuchea-Krom territory under the United Nations’ control in accordance withthe Charter of the United Nations, Chapter XI, Chapter XII, and Chapter XIII, in order to create a free and fair political environment allowing the Khmer-Krom people to exercise their right to self-determination.

4. The international community and investors in Vietnam to please aware that the recent government of Vietnam gestures toward Khmer Krom are purely window dressing to obtain more international aids and leads the world community to ignore the following fundamental problems: a) government’s crimes of genocide against Khmer Kromin the past; b) the on going oppression and human rights violation of KhmerKrom; c) the Khmer Krom’s right to self-determination as demanded. Those superficial gestures are not apermanent solution for peace and stability in Vietnam and the region.