Published by Human Rights Watch
This report documents ongoing violations of the rights of the Khmer Krom in southern Vietnam and also abuses in Cambodia against Khmer Krom who have fled there for refuge. Wary about possible Khmer Krom nationalist aspirations, Vietnam has suppressed peaceful expressions of dissent and banned Khmer Krom human rights publications. It also tightly controls the Theravada Buddhism practiced by the Khmer Krom, who see this form of Buddhism as the foundation of their distinct culture and ethnic identity.
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Map of Mekong Delta Region Provinces, Vietnam
The crackdown in Vietnam
Cambodia's repression of Khmer Krom activists
Key recommendations
Methodology
Nationalist movements
Engaged Buddhism
After reunification
Landlessness
Poverty
Discrimination
High illiteracy and school drop-out rates
III. Crackdown on Protests in the Mekong Delta
Pressure on Buddhist activists in Tra Vinh
The 2007 Buddhist protest in Soc Trang
IV. Other Rights Problems Faced by Ethnic Khmer in Vietnam
Suppression of land rights protests
Restrictions on religious freedom
Restrictions on freedom of movement
Restrictions on freedom of expression
Statelessness
V. Cambodia Cracks Down on Khmer Krom Activists
Attacks on freedom of assembly
Discrimination against Khmer Krom Monks in Cambodia
Restrictions on travel, association, and expression
The defrocking and arrest of Tim Sakhorn
Cross-border collaboration in suppression of Khmer Krom
Citizens, migrants, or refugees?
To the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
To the Cambodian government
To UNHCR
To Japan, the European Union, United States, and other key donor states to Vietnam and Cambodia
Appendix A: Indictment of the Five Monks
Appendix B: Handwritten Appeals from Khmer Krom in Vietnam
Appendix C: Vietnamese State Press Coverage, Tim Sakhorn
Appendix D: Letter from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Norodom Sihanouk Regarding Tim Sakhorn
Appendix E: Human Rights Watch Letter to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Appendix F: Vietnamese Embassy's Response to Human Rights Watch106
