Khmerkroms and Their Homeland Under the Vietnamese Colonization

Geography
Kampuchea-Krom means "Cambodia Below" or "South Cambodia". Kampuchea-Krom was the southernmost territory of the Khmer Empire, and it was once known as (French) Cochin China. It is the southwestern part of Vietnam. It covers an area of some 89,000 km2 with Cambodia to the north, the Gulf of Thailand to the west, the South China Sea to the southeast and the Champa territory to the northeast. Prey Nokor was one of the most important commercial cities of all in Kampuchea-Krom, but the name was first changed to Saigon and then to Ho Chi Minh City by the Vietnamese Communist in 1975.

People
Population:

It is estimated that there are about 8 million Khmers living in Kampuchea-Krom. Approximately 80 percent of them live in the Mekong delta, and a small number is in other provinces throughout the southern part of Vietnam. Besides the Vietnamese, there are other people living in Kampuchea-Krom, including the Chinese, the Chams, the Montagnards, and many other small ethnic groups.

The Khmers-Krom is outnumbered by these population groups. About 70 percent of the Vietnamese and 95 percent of the Chinese live in the cities and fill most of important jobs in government and business. The Khmers-Krom live throughout the country, especially in the Mekong delta.

Culture and language:

Approximately 95 percent of the Khmers-Krom are Buddhists. They practice Hinayanna Buddhism, whereas most Vietnamese practice Mahayanna Buddhism, or Chistianity. The Chams are Muslims, and the Chinese are mostly Buddhists, and some Christians. There are more than 580 temples and more than 10,000 monks throughout Kampuchea-Krom. Some temples were built many centuries ago and are still standing today, but
many others were destroyed during the wars
(The Khmer pagodas, 450 in the delta of Mekong, play a fundamental role as guardians of the Khmer culture and notably in the field of education).

For centuries, Theravada Buddhism has been part of the Khmer identity and culture. Practiced by virtually all Khmers Krom, Theravada Buddhism influences all aspects of life to a much greater extend than do religions in the West.

The Khmer Krom sees Theravada Buddhism as a rational religion, possessing a coherent philosophy, which neither incites violence nor excites passion. Theravada Buddhism shaped the Khmer Krom way of life, guiding the standards of conformity for men, women and children. Religious institutions are responsible for the education and personality formation of the children. (Theravada Buddhism is probably the same as Hinayanna Buddhism).

After 1975 (land reform acts), in the name of the proletariat revolution, no one was allowed to own land. The only means to make a living for Khmer Krom was stolen. Ironically, when the communist government ensured that no Khmer farm land was left for private ownership it started to sell or distribute to farmers. The loser of this deceitful scheme was the Khmer. Khmer Krom had to buy back their own land.

Those who could not afford became tenants on their own land. Furthermore, the government official or their family kept all fertile lands. As a result, most Khmer were left starving. During the 70s virtually all traditional religious activities ceased. They could not even afford to buy a robe for their children to be ordained. Today, the current authority somewhat allowed the Khmer to resume their religious practice and renovate their
temples.

According to the KKF, this gesture is only a trap to attract much needed foreign currency from the Khmer Krom abroad who generously send the money back home.

On the political front, the Vietnamese attacked more directly to dissolve Khmer Krom religion. John Crowley, an officer of the U.S. Embassy to Bangkok wrote about religious repression toward Khmer Krom as follows: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam Government seeks to destroy Khmer culture in Vietnam through other, more subtle means: Repairing or making addittion to temples is forbidden New temples cannot be constructed Ordination of those under 55 years of age is forbidden Temples cannot be used as meeting area All temple donations must be given through government representative, etc.

All of this, and much more, can be seen as a sophisticated campaign to decentralize, fractionalize and reduce the influence of Buddhism on the Khmer Krom in Vietnam. The Khmer language is spoken in all Khmer families and communities.

For official business, however, the Vietnamese language is strictly enforced. About 10 percent of the Khmers-Krom is able to speak and write Vietnamese correctly. The Khmer language is taught at home and in the temples, but it is not permitted in any official business.

The struggle against the Vietnamese government to allow the use of Khmer in school or public place has been advocated for years, but no satisfactory result has ever been achieved. In many of instances, thousands of Khmers-Krom were accused, jailed, tortured, deported, or persecuted for speaking, learning or teaching the Khmer language. The Vietnamese do not allow books or documents to be written or published in Khmer unless they are to be used as propaganda.

The Khmer language is spoken almost exclusively in rural zones, only the children going to school understand Vietnamese. However, once they re-enter on their premises they exclusively speak Khmer with their parents. Conversely, in the urban zones, where the mixed marriages are very numerous and the exchanges with the Vietnamese and the Chinese are very many, the Khmer language is not any more spoken but by the old ones; the young people speak Vietnamese almost exclusively.

Environmental problems:

There are 2 problems in some of the zones which have strong Cambodian settlement. The salt deposit to the grounds make the coastal areas more and more sterile. In the district of Duyen Hai the rice yield has decreased by 50 to 90% in 30 years. This salt deposit worsens with the increase in the use of water of the Mekong in agriculture.The irrigation canals multiply in the regions of An Giang, Long Xuyen, Can Tho. Worsening factors: destruction of the mangrove, the floods which kill people and destroy the harvests. They are due to the rains of July to October and the resulting swelling of the water of the Mekong, the weak slope of the river, the low dams, the weak drainage and the problem of the deforestation.

Economy:

Agriculture is very important in Vietnam. The industry and services sectors are not very well developed. Agriculture is even more important in the Mekong delta, the area where the Khmer Krom people live. After 1975 (land reform acts), in the name of the proletariat revolution, no one was allowed to own land. The only means to make a living for Khmer Krom was stolen.

Ironically, when the communist government ensured that no Khmer farm land was left for private ownership it started to sell or distribute to farmers. The loser of this deceitful scheme was the Khmer. Khmer Krom had to buy back their own land.
Those who could not effort became tenants on their own land.

Furthermore, the government official or their family kept all fertile lands. As a result, most Khmer were left starving. The economic status of the Khmer Krom is reducing from land-owners to barely physical laborers for less than 1.0 U.S. dollar per working day. They are living ten folds below poverty level but the government of Vietnam constantly prevents any international organisations to observe the facts to help these people.

History:

The Khmer-Krom people have been in existence in this part of the peninsula since the beginning of the first century. The territory was immense compared to the Khmer popularion at that time, creating opportunities for expansionist neighbours to invade.

Therefore, Vietnam moved their people to Kampuchea-Krom using all kinds of tactics. The epoch of the Khmer Empire has been from the start of the 9th century until early 15th century. During this period, the Empire was a major power in South East Asia.

The famous architecture and construction of the ancient Angkor Wat, and many other monuments in the Empire had brought the Khmer artistic to a very high level. The ruined port of Oc-Eo (O-Keo in Khmer) in the province of Rach Gia in today southern Vietnam, was the busiest port in the region, where the Khmers, Chams, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans did their trading.

The township of Prey Nokor was a commercial center for the Khmer Empire, and it was once the most important military garrison against the Vietnamese southward movement. After over one thousand years under Chinese domination, the Vietnamese ambition on territory expansion gained strength in the 11th century. Vietnam moved its southern border further and further to the south and as a result the Khmer Empire declined from the 14th to the 19th century.

The Vietnamese leaders used inter-marriage as another means of manipulation to capture the territory of Kampuchea-Krom. The territory therefore became smaller and smaller as time went by and in 1954, as the French left the territory, Kampuchea-Krom was incorporated into Vietnam, rather than Cambodia. The Khmer-Krom people have been legally separated from the motherland Cambodia since then.

They are now considered as Khmers in Vietnam and, and as Vietnamese in Cambodia. During the presidency of the Republic of South Vietnam (1955-1963), Ngo Dinh Diem ordered that all Khmer names be changed to Vietnamese, and the Khmer-Krom identity was altered by a new and easily identifiable as the Vietnamese of Khmer Origin.

As a result of this decree, some of those who worked for the government, including military officers, lost their Khmer identity.

Organizations:

The Khmer Krom are represented in UNPO by the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation. The three branches of the federation have been elected from the representatives of Khmer Krom constituencies around the world. The officers of the federation from different regions of the world are the legitimate representatives of the Khmer Krom people.The Executive Committee of the Federation is placed under a Steering Committee, after consultation with member organisations of the Federation in each region.

Read more about Khmerkroms on UNPO official web site: www.unpo.org

A Letter from Rebecca Sommer

Some background on the Khmer Krom, courtesy of Rebecca Sommer:

Please click on the link or copy the address below into your address box to get to the weblink and watch the video.
www.rebeccasommer.org/documentaries/Khmer-Krom/index.php


“The Khmer Krom, who originated as the "first peoples" in the Mekong River Delta, usually live in villages surrounded by rice fields. The majority of the deeply religious Khmer Krom population sustain themselves with farming, fishing and hunting.”

Letter from Rebecca Sommer:

Dear Mr. Kinchen.

First of all I would like to thank you for writing articles which one usually doesn't find in the mainstream media. You ensure that the voices of many desperate peoples are heard, loud and clear, in the public -- around the globe. The very same peoples, which are silenced by force, intimidation, and misinformation propaganda by powerful entities.

The information which I provided to you and which was included in your recent article on the Khmer Krom in southern Vietnam, is just one example of many - on how indigenous people are oppressed and silenced. I am not astonished that the Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Marine did not find any "heavy" security presence while visiting the scene of the most recent atrocities against the Khmer Krom Buddhist monks.

It’s certain that the military and police presence was ordered to step back into the background while the Ambassador made his prominent visit. Wouldn't you do the same, if you know that someone important is coming to investigate something which you do not want to be visible to the outside world? I am also not astonished that the Ambassador was told in "private" by a senior monk, that there was no government crackdown against Khmer Krom Buddhists.

Let me explain that I visited numerous temples while traveling through the traditional land of the first peoples of southern Vietnam, the Khmer Krom. What struck me during my many conversations, (also in private), with monks, villagers, and refugees outside Vietnam -- was their collective voice explaining that the Buddhist temples, and Buddhist schools, are severely infiltrated and controlled by the Vietnamese authorities.,

I may not have made that clear to you -- the Buddhist temples chief monks are in most cases put in their positions by the governmental authorities. This --- I have been told in so many cases, that I would say -- the claims were countless. In some very few cases, Chief monks are able to hold their positions, by juggling a balance of acting as traitors -- but secretly protecting their very own peoples.

This, Mr. Kinchen, I have been told by the very same chief monks, or senior monks, on filmed tapes -- and heard this with my own ears. It is left to our imagination, who this senior monk was serving. With my eyes I saw the fear of Chief monks -- any monks for that matter -- who informed to be targeted for any whatsoever small issues, and explained to be under constant intimidation by local authorities which do not halt to enter and day and night into the temples for investigations, and placing into the temples their spies.

Yes, "spies", because that is how the Khmer Krom described them, not in one temple, in all temples I visited and in every village I heard this claim, over and over again. Many voices, but one collective voice with the same story. Usually, every monk, and every villager said that they know who the "spies" are, but what can they do? Report them to the governmental authorities? The sad part is that this forced infiltration and surveillance has caused many disappearances and imprisonment of Khmer Krom people -- or simply such intimidation that they are too afraid and silenced.

I met many of them who were released and told me their story. Not one or two stories. Especially those are targeted, which are loved by their Khmer Krom communities --- those who truly engage in social and cultural activities for the betterment of their communities --- the way the communities wants and needs them..

Beautiful, peaceful and kind people- who have committed no crime, but were targeted for their leadership roles and good examples they set within their communities. The Khmer Krom, a deeply religious people, say that they are not to be allowed to truly have their religion. That they are supposed to have another religion, which means, praying and following the communist doctrines of the country in which they live.

That they are not allowed to study certain ancient text of Buddha's teachings, or the pure Sanskrit language in the Pali schools. Everything is controlled, changed, and communist propaganda included, other parts are excluded and if taught in the temples, once again, is arrested.

They are not allowed to transmit their full knowledge of their peoples’ history which goes back to the Funan culture, because it would mean that the future generations of Khmer Krom would remain with their pride and feeling of belonging as an informed people, with their distinct identity as the Khmer Krom.

It appears to me, that the Khmer Krom are to be Vietnamized until they vanish as a people, and are simply “Vietnamese.” Therefore, I thank you for reporting on the latest incident, where the Khmer Krom temples and the monks stood up on behalf of their communities and their religious belief system, and peacefully protested against this ongoing oppression. That needed a lot of courage of the monks, and a lot of devotion, as for sure, they have to pay now a heavy price. many are hiding, others fled to Cambodia, some were arrested, some are under surveillance, they all pay a heavy toll. They knew it, but they did it, regardless. Because they want to have the right to their own religion, and traditional way of life.

Sadly, Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Marine was pulled aside by one of those senior monks, who decided for his individual gain and security to play the rules of the game established by Hanoi, by misinforming the Ambassador that there was no government crackdown against Khmer Buddhists.

For sure, this senior monk will walk free, while the others don't. But the good part is, that the outside world can have its own informed opinions, and luckily the Khmer Krom, the poorest of the poor in southern Vietnam, the most marginalized and disadvantaged and oppressed, use these days modern tools, even so they endure raids in their offices, temples, computers are checked on a monthly bases by the authorities, are arrested and imprisoned for having listened to foreign radio such as Radio Free Asia, or Voice of America, or checking in the internet information on human rights laws from the UN -- Some few Khmer Krom have cameras today, they will continue using them, and the internet or phone, messengers and letters, to inform the outside world.

This information flow cannot be stopped, only denied - if at all. Wouldn't the world be a better place, if human rights and the truth would not any longer be pushed aside --- for the sake of diplomacy and globalization interests?

Rebecca Sommer, Representative of the NGO Society for Threatened Peoples International, in consultative status to the United Nations ECOSOC and in participatory status with the Council of Europe. Indigenous Peoples Department, USA website: http://www.gfbv.de e-mail: rebeccasommer@earthlink.net

Portion of the Ultimate Truth About Kampucheakrom

http://www.rebeccasommer.org/documentaries/Khmer-Krom/index.php
Human Right Documentary Film


This Human Right documentary film is portraiting the ultimate truth on Khmer Kampucheakrom situation. These indigenuous people are being oppressed by the Vietnamese Colonialist Government.

Hale to all the heroes who manage to voice up the struggles and injustices inflicted upon the Kampucheakrom people. To watch this video, you can also go to the following web links:

http://www.khmerkrom.ca

http://www.khmerland.net

After accessing into this website, click on Video which is written in Khmer on the menu to view the film.

This video serves as an eye opening to those who have not heard of the Khmer Kampucheakrom. The Kampucheakrom people are struggling to survive from forced assimulation and ethnic cleansing act upon their own homeland. The evil land hungry theft from the North, namely the Vietnamese Colonialist Government, has swallowed these indigenuous Khmerkroms and many others alive with no mercy. The Vietnamese Colonialist Government relentlessly marches southward to expand its little Vietnam on the expenses of the Chams and the Khmers, and set up treacherous strategy to eliminate all these indigenuous peoples from the surface of their homelands.

Watch this video and see how evil evils could be. It is certainly one of most satanous acts taken place in our modern day.

The Red Field

It’s natural in the field
when the the red-glutinous-rice is red.
Autumn arrives before its season
the earth teems with red
isn’t covered with red leaves.

Vultures soar in the sky
eagles are on their glide.
Their shouts disorient the mice
There lay the corpses in sight
Authenticate the solemn calamity.
Population confuse and never flee
In monsoon comes the rainy blood
Now, it’s due to the flood.

See the field attired in black
like seeing the flocks of crows.
See bodies like tiny twigs
they are forced to drudge.
All day and all night
under the sun and in the rain
the field remains black, remains black.
The work is commanded
the force must be sent
the duties must be performed
and have to be done.

Due to the exhuastion
like deserts without water,
bowls without food.
Knees larger then heads
doddering on the dikes.
They never endure in the wind
nor the breeze.

The thatch houses are old and perforated
View from side through side.
Humans lose their resplendent kingdom
like birds lose their flight
and cannot discover the way
back up to their heavenly throne.
Humans who sit upon humans
those are no-hearted humans
that trample on Almighty’s law.
Avoid light doom to all cohert lives.
“Darkness is hidden in darkness
blinding the men’s eyes.”

When darkness blankets the earth,
dignity and humanity are annihilated.
When rightousness is grown weak,
the evil increases, raze down morality
and civility and luxury.
Savage reaches the savage’s height
recurrence of ferocious seiges.

O’ Lord, how austere!
Dogs eating dogs never are fair.
Death upon soul, O despair.
When worse is worse
slaying reaches its peak.
Bullets are cast aside
now, bamboos and hoes prove their prize.

The lions show their fangs at the sheep
and devour their flesh in hatred,
ignore the pity that eyes implore.
There the famine and the outcry
dwelling in the ocean-tear;
who has been relieved from pang and fear?
There lay the corpses
in the excavation and on the field;
no flesh in earth, only bones abide.
The red field still red
the profuse massacre still here.
How long until the red shall disappear!

Map: Kampucheakrom Provinces

The geographical map of Kampucheakrom shows details of provinces in Kampucheakrom.

Kampucheakrom territory is 89,000 km sqaure, but presend day the size is bigger due to the fact that the Vietnamese Colonialist Government incroached upon the proper Cambodia territorial sovereignty. Every inch the Vietnamese Colonialist Government infringes and sets its demarcation into the proper Cambodia territorial jurisdiction, Kampucheakrom proportionally grows larger in size. The Capital of Kampucheakrom is known locally as Prei Nokor located in the province with the same name.

Two isle of Kampucheakrom: Kos Tralaj (variation spelling of Koh Tralach) is located in the Gulf of Khmer (present day is called Gulf of China) south of Kampucheakrom mainland, and Kos Tral (variation spelling of Koh Tral) is located Southwest near Peam province.

Map: Kampucheakrom, Champa, Vietnam

Above is the map of Kampucheakrom of which the Vietnamese gradually colonized after it swallowed Champa. The estimate of Khmers Kampucheakrom is more then 12 millions living upon their homeland, who are being oppressed by the Vietnamese Colonialist Government. Many human rights activists and intellectuals are systematically assassinated and imprisoned.

The Past & Present Vietnamese Colonialist Government

Evil Is What Evil Does

All you Khmers know that when Youns come they never have good intention toward you. History has shown you about the Southward Movement of the Youns as they thirstily moved from the north into Champa and eventually into Kampucheakrom. They did so with a sole purpose: to eliminate you all and take control of your homeland. That has been their purpose and policy.
Have you seen the Chams? What have they become? Have you seen the Khmerkroms? What have they become? Now, they are working on the proper Cambodia by putting the Puppet on the show!

Some Youns/Youn-Khmers have the intention to come to the website:

1. To distort the information/ something that you write
2. To falsify the history of the Khmers/Khmerkroms
3. To insult you because they see that the work that you are doing around the
world yield fruitage
4. To humiliate you the same way that their ancestors had done upon the Khmers
when they colonized the Khmers and Chams.

Some have come to you and your website here with hot anger and hatred toward you Khmers and ignorantly say injurious things about you to discourage you from doing your good work. All Khmers don’t need to make any responses to the Youn or the so called Youn-Khmer; for doing so is a waste of time and energy. All Khmers, both Khmer kandal and Khmer krom should devote time and energy in writing and doing useful things other than responding to the messages of the “Hanoi’s ideology drunkards”. All of us Khmer should use all of our God given talent, intelligence and freedom to struggle against the youn Hanoi evilness, for the youn Hanoi’s dirty trick and its ferocious strategy in implementing ethnic cleansing policy toward the Khmer, including the Khmer krom, the Cham, and many other indigenous groups upon their own land, are disgusting to US ALL, and are abomination to God. We must continue to put an END to the CRIME against humanity that Hanoi and its puppets have been committing. Its ambitious dream to build an INDOCHINA EMPIRE shall end now.
All the Khmers must wake up from a nightmare and be united in one. YOU must not point your fingers at each other saying INJURIOUS things---regardless of what part of the land you come from---whether you from Kampuchea krom or Kampuchea kandal or leur. Apparently, some of the Khmers have wakened and others still have drunken with the Youn Hanoi toxic ideology even to the point of no return.
Also, the Chams need to wake up. When talking about the “Chams”, we refer to the montagnards, chams, and other indigenous ethnic groups in champa and in part of Kampuchea krom. ALL need to work side by side, hand in hand, and shoulder to shoulder, to decolonize OUR HOME; and liberate from Hanoi’s iron cage.
So, let US ALL wake up and work hard to accomplish OUR MISSION. We must come out working shoulder to shoulder to make beautiful things happen!!!