Vietnam Leaders Called To Account
The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in partnership with the Unrepresented
Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) will hold a two day demonstration on May
7 and May 8 in Geneva to draw attention to human rights abuses taking place in
Vietnam.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release)
– May 04, 2009 – The demonstrations are timed to coincide with the first
time that Vietnam will undergo their Universal Periodic Review at the U.N Human
Rights Council.
On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human Rights Council convenes to examine
Viet Nam's human rights record for the very first time, 400 indigenous Khmer
Krom people will assemble in front of the Palais des Nations in Geneva to
denounce the distressing situation of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
In a country where a great number of the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights are only an abstract concept, ethnic
minorities find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Sharing the
Vietnamese population's harsh fate, they must also carry the full burden of
their differences. The 8 million indigenous Khmer Krom find themselves in this
situation. An indigenous people having lived in the Mekong delta (in southern
Viet Nam) for over 3000 years, they have since the country's independence been
the target of organised discriminations and expropriations. These state policies
have led to the marginalisation of this population.
In a country where religious practices are subject to severe restrictions, their
special bond to therevada Buddhism (a minority branch of Buddhism in Viet Nam)
catalysed tensions with the regime. The instauration of Vietnamese as the
country's sole language combined with the restrictions imposed on Khmer Krom
temples, the last remaining institutions passing on the Khmer culture and
language, have contributed to exacerbate tensions between indigenous Khmer Krom
people and the regime. The legacy of the Cambodia -Viet Nam war and the current
rivalry between these two countries also weigh heavily on the Khmer Krom. As
Khmers (the majority ethnic group in Cambodia), they are still often perceived
by a fair share of the Vietnamese as "enemies from the inside" and the
authorities see any affirmation of their identity as a threat to national
integrity. Victims of colonialism and of the of territories in the former
French Indochina, the Khmer Krom have been engaged in a non-violent struggle to
assert their rights and protect their culture for sixty years now.
Gathering grassroots organisations as well as Khmer Krom in diaspora, secular
and religious people, personalities of various political affiliations, the Khmer
Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) works to give the Khmer Krom a voice on the
national and international levels. On 08 May 2009, as the United Nations Human
Rights Council convenes to examine for the first time Viet Nam's whole human
rights record, 400 indigenous Khmer Krom will be present in Geneva, both inside
and outside the UN buildings, to remind the international community of the
situation faced by ethnic minorities in Viet Nam.
07 May 2009
16h00 – 18h00: Interview opportunities
18h00 – 20h30: Parc de l'Ariana, Mohandas K. Gandhi statue, Candleit Vigil
and Moment of Silence in memory of the victims of the Vietnamese regime.
08 May 2009
08:00 AM - 01:00 PM: Place des Nations (facing the Palais des Nations)
Demonstration for the rights of the Khmer Krom in Viet Nam.
10h00 Buddhist Rite, Visak Bochea, followed by traditionnal giving of
alms to monks.
11h30 – 12h00: Solemn call to Viet Nam and the international community.
12:00 – 13h00: Reading of the history of Visak Bochea.
13h00 - 16h00: Interview opportunities at the United Nations
Press contact:
Maggie Murphy (UNPO, The Hague)
Tel: +31 703 646 504
Cell : +31 649 864 340
Fax: +31 703 646 608,
Email: maggie.murphy@unpo.org
----------------------------------------------------------
The Unrepresented Nations and
Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international, nonviolent, and democratic
membership organisation. Its members are indigenous peoples, minorities, and
unrecognised or occupied territories who have joined together to protect and
promote their human and cultural rights, to preserve their environments, and to
find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them.
Although the aspirations of UNPO Members differ greatly, they are all united by
one shared condition – they are not adequately represented at major
international fora, such as the United Nations. As a consequence, their
opportunity to participate on the international stage is significantly limited,
as is their ability to access and draw upon the support of the global bodies
mandated to defend their rights, protect their environments, and mitigate the
effects of conflict.