UNPO Calls on Vietnamese Authorities to Return Cambodian Passport of Venerable Seun Ty Immediately
The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) informed today [10 February 2020] that the Vietnamese authority of Soc Trang province has confiscated the Cambodian Passport of Venerable Seun Ty, who has been visiting his hometown in Soc Trang province since January 24, 2020. Venerable Seun Ty is a Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk, living in Cambodia since 2003 and holder of Cambodian citizenship.
On 2 February 2020, Venerable Seun Ty was summoned by the Vietnamese authority of Long Phu village under accusations of sharing information about the Khmer-Krom abroad on his Facebook. Claiming that he had violated the Vietnam Cybersecurity Law (Luat An Ninh), a "Stalinist" catch-all law, Vietnamese authorities forced him to sign a confession letter, which he refused. As a result, his passport was confiscated and now his is unable to return to his country, Cambodia. Such impediment represents a violation of Article 12.4 "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country" of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory.
This case is yet another example unrepresented peoples being silenced by UN-member states, in acts of reprisal against their human rights advocacy. UNPO condems Vietnam for the illegit charges against Venerable Seun Ty and calls on its authorities to return his passport immediately and thus allow his safe return to Cambodia.
Below is a press release issued by The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)
Pennsauken, NJ, 9 February 2020 -- The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) condemns the inhuman acts of the Vietnamese authority of Soc Trang province for confiscating the Cambodian Passport of Venerable Seun Ty who has been visiting his hometown in Soc Trang province since January 24, 2020. Venerable Seun Ty, who is a Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk, was born on June 18, 1984, in Kach Chrung (King Ngang) commune, Ang-Dong-Tuk (Long Phu) village, Ang-Dong-Tuk (Long Phu) district, Khleang (Soc Trang) province. He went to live in Cambodia since 2003 and
became a Cambodian citizen, having Cambodian Passport number N01803511.
On February 2, Venerable Seun Ty was summoned to see to the Vietnamese authority of Long Phu village. He was being interrogated and accused of sharing the information about the Khmer-Krom abroad on his Facebook, which violates the Vietnam Cybersecurity Law (Luat An Ninh Mang). The Vietnamese authority forced him to sign the confession letter of violating the Vietnamese law. Venerable Seun Ty refused to sign because the Vietnam Cybersecurity Law cannot be used against him as a tourist visiting Vietnam. He has a right to share whatever info he likes on his Facebook page. The Vietnamese authority has no legitimated reason to force him to sign and then confiscated his Cambodian passport.
Venerable Seun Ty has been staying at a Khmer-Krom temple (Wat Peam Boun) in Tran Thoi district, Soc Trang province, to waiting for the Vietnamese authority to return his Cambodian passport. As of today, the Vietnamese authority has not returned his passport yet. Without a
passport, Venerable Seun Ty becomes stateless because he cannot go back to his country, Cambodia.
In this regard, the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation urgently calls on the international community to urge Vietnam to return the Cambodian passport of Venerable Seun Ty. Vietnam must respect Venerable Seun Ty’s right to going back to Cambodia as enshrined in Article 12.4 (No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that Vietnam signed.
