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On June 16,2013 Vietnamese police defrocked/tortured Khmer-Krom monk Ven. Ly Chanda of Prey Chop Temple in Lai Hoa, Vinh Chau, Soc Trang province. June 20,2013 Venerable Thach Thuol and Abbot Temple Lieu Ny of Ta Set temple (Soc Trang-Khleang province) defrocked and imprisoned in Prey Nokor (Saigon) city by the Viet authorities. In Phnor Dach (Cau Ngang) district, Preah Trapang/Tra Vinh) Khmer Krom prohibited from watching Cambodian TV signals.

UN body's half-baked half-mast gesture

WHERE are Team America when you need them?

They should have parachuted into Geneva this week and raised the flags at the UN's Human Rights Council where they were flying at half-mast to honour the dead dictator Kim Jong-il.

Then they could have gate-crashed his funeral procession and sent the coffin with the Dear Leader's corpse into a sun-seeking trajectory, the world united cheering as Kim did his bit for global warming.

Trust the UN to honour and respect vile dictators and ignore the human suffering they cause. The human rights group UN Watch called on the UN to show equal sympathy for the victims of Kim's ruthless regime.

"We understand that the UN follows diplomatic protocol, but the world body must not forget that its founding purpose is to defend basic human rights, and sadly that message is at serious risk of being blurred," said Hillel Neuer, UN Watch executive director.

"Today should be a time for the UN to show solidarity with the victims - the millions of North Koreans brutalised by Kim's merciless policies of starvation, torture and oppression - and not with the perpetrator."

Astonishingly, a majority in the general assembly approved a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights record on December 19, just before Kim's death was announced, with 123 countries in favour, 16 against. There were 51 abstentions, while three countries were absent.

The resolution expressed the assembly's "very serious concern at the persistence of continuing reports of systematic, widespread and grave violations of civil, political, economic and social and cultural rights".

Supporting North Korea's murderous regime in opposition to the condemnation were Algeria, Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, Oman, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

There is no indication the anointed heir will be any less ruthless than his father. The world should mourn for the North Koreans who face ongoing oppression under the dynastic dictatorship.

Source:The Telegraph.com.au
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Cambodia: Revise or Abandon Draft NGO Law

(Bangkok) – Donors, who provide approximately half of Cambodia’s national budget, should make clear to the Cambodian government that the fourth draft of the Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) must be revised to protect civil society or be withdrawn, a group of concerned international human rights organizations said today. Any revisions should involve meaningful consultation with civil society organizations and aim to support their activities instead of creating a legal framework allowing for arbitrary closure of organizations or the denial of registration.

The groups involved are Human Rights Watch, Global Witness, Freedom House, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Article 19, Southeast AsianPress Alliance (SEAPA), Civil Rights Defenders, Lawyers’Rights Watch Canada, Centrefor Law and Democracy, Protection International, and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint program of the International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH, and the World Organisation Against Torture - OMCT).

“The Cambodian government is pressing forward with a draft law that grants it broad authority to make arbitrary decisions about which groups can operate and which cannot,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Civil society delivers essential services and acts as a constructive watchdog over government and private sector activities. This law is hardly the sort of ‘reform’ that will benefit Cambodian citizens. Donors should say no to this farce.”

The 4th draft of the LANGO contains vague and unspecified terms that will enable the government to target critics by ordering their closure or denying them registration, the groups said. These terms should be clarified, and new and unnecessary barriers to the registration and operations of international NGOs should be eliminated. Furthermore, protections should be established to ensure that if an organization decides not to register, it is not denied legal status and therefore rendered incapacitated. Provisions placing burdensome notification requirements on community-based organizations should be removed.

Governments have a legitimate regulatory interest in providing benefits to organizations that become legal entities and preventing criminal activity. But such regulations cannot be used as a cover to undermine rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly, which are protected under the Cambodian constitution and international treaties to which Cambodia is a party.

The Cambodian context is critical for understanding the risk to Cambodia’s civil society should the current draft of LANGO pass, the groups said. Cambodian governance is still missing the checks and balances found in functioning democracies that limit arbitrary action by the executive branch of government. Government officials who react most harshly to NGO criticisms frequently are found to have a financial stake in the case at hand. Therefore, to argue that Cambodia should have a specific law on NGOs simply because other countries have one ignores the Cambodian government’s increasing actions to constrict public space for pluralistic debate and peaceful expression of views.

The fourth draft of LANGO fails to establish clear provisions to justify denial of registration to associations or NGOs. It violates Cambodia’s obligations under international law, such as under article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Cambodia is party. LANGO also fails to include clear and objective standards in articles 28 and 29 concerning suspension or termination of registration. Article 28 provides that domestic organizations can be “dissolved by court decisions” but no further details are given, leaving matters to the discretion of a judiciary where political interference is common.

There are no provisions for appealing a suspension or termination and the law lacks procedural safeguards such as advance notice of regulatory action, opportunities to resolve problems prior to termination or suspension, or limiting termination to a sanction of last resort. Such provisions are extremely worrisome given the political and governance context of Cambodia, which is characterized by endemic corruption, arbitrary application of punitive legislation, and an absence of judicial independence, the groups said. The Ministry of Interior’s suspension in August of the NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) is a harbinger of the sudden, unilateral, and non-transparent actions this law will legitimize. The government has still failed to adequately indicate the legal basis for STT’s suspension.

“Many officials in the Cambodian government have never accepted that civil society should operate independently or criticize their decisions,” said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, the director of Southeast Asia Program at Freedom House. “A major success of the UNTAC peacekeeping mission 20 years ago was to create this space for civil society. Now it is up to donors to protect it and ensure NGOs can continue to independently provide their essential services to Cambodians.”

Despite promises by the Cambodian government to eliminate mandatory registration, the fourth draft makes legal status dependent on registration, and thus essentially maintains the requirement. The fourth draft represents a bait-and-switch by removing the mandatory clause but then requiring an organization to register if it wants to obtain legal status. Without legal status, it is unclear under the draft law whether an association or NGO will be able to operate in Cambodia since that status is required to enter into legal contracts, open bank accounts, hire staff, import materials, and collaborate with partners “for implementing aid projects according to the existing laws.”

This arrangement effectively undermines respect for the right to freedom of association and cynically presents local associations and NGOs with the choice of either registering or facing constant bureaucratic roadblocks in their work. Although community-based organizations will no longer have to register, under article 5 of the draft law, they will be required to provide prior written notice to local authorities who could be easily used to restrict their work.

The groups also expressed serious concerns that this fourth draft specifically targets international NGOs (INGOs) and would severely hamper both their projects and their advocacy efforts to promote good governance and development approaches that respect human rights. Article 17 of the draft law sets out an overly broad and vague standard that will allow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) to use wide discretion in dealing with INGOs, including terminating a group’s registration if the ministry decides that the INGO has conducted activities that “jeopardize peace, stability and public order…or harm the national security, national unity, culture, customs and traditions of the Cambodian national society.” Moreover, the Memoranda of Understanding that INGOs would have to negotiate with ministry is valid for only three years, resulting in a de facto re-registration process. INGOs also will have no right to appeal any termination of their registration.

“This latest version of the law can be arbitrarily misused to root out international NGOs who employ rights-based development approaches and offer constructive but critical opinions and critiques of the government’s policies and practices,” said Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA).

Finally, passage of this law is not necessary in light of existing Cambodian legislation addressing legitimate regulatory concerns: NGOs can obtain legal status through the newly effective Civil Code. Civil Code sections 46-118 provide details on registration and dissolution of non-profit legal entities, the right to appeal government decisions, and far less burdensome registration requirements. The Penal Code and Anti-Corruption Law address fraud; meanwhile, INGOs already obtain legal standing through Memoranda of Understanding with the government.

“Cambodia’s donors should press the Ministry of Interior to extend the consultation period on the fourthdraft of LANGO so that all viewpoints and voices are heard,” said FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen and OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

Simon Taylor, Director of Global Witness, concluded “At stake now is the last 17 years of development assistance in Cambodia and the extent to which the donors will be remembered for failing to prevent the removal of one of the few instruments of accountability in Cambodia, nurtured to a great extent thanks to their investments.” Source: Human Rights Watch
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Rights group slams Thailand's Lao refugee return

BANGKOK, Dec 22, 2011 (AFP) - A leading rights group on Thursday criticised Thailand's “callous disregard” for human rights after it handed a registered refugee back to officials in Laos despite fears of persecution on his return. Ka Yang and his family, of the Hmong ethnic group, were forcibly handed over at the Thai-Laos border on Saturday despite United Nations recognition of his refugee status, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement. He was one of 158 registered Hmong refugees who were forcibly repatriated by Thai troops in December 2009, along with more than 4,000 others whose needs for international protection the UN was never allowed to assess. Thailand said the group were economic migrants but the mass deportation sparked global outrage for violating international refugee law. Ka Yang subsequently fled Laos and returned to Thailand, HRW said, where he was detained with his family earlier this year at Bangkok's immigration centre. A senior immigration policeman in the Thai capital denied they were aware of the refugee status of Ka Yang, who was repatriated at the same time as more than 50 Laotians accused of illegal entry. The Hmong group's fear of retribution from the Laotian regime is a lingering remnant of the Vietnam War, when members of the ethnic hill tribe fought in a US-funded irregular army as the conflict spilled into Laos. The return of the refugee, who has been accepted for resettlement in the United States, went against the requests of the US embassy and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, HRW said. “The Thai government has shown callous disregard for the most basic right of refugees not to be returned to face persecution,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of the rights group. “By twice returning Ka Yang to Laos, which has long mistreated its Hmong population, Thailand is saying it cares little about protecting refugees and respecting their basic rights.”The group has been been unable to establish the location of Ka Yang and his family in Laos. ...Read more>>>

Vietnam's Metfone in Cambodia

Source: RFA Khmer on December 19,2011

Vietnam's Metfone, owned by the Vietnamese Army, has gained 50% of the Cambodia's phone market in the country. This is a clear threat to Khmer's national security whereby Vietnam's Metfone company has taken control of the Cambodian Telecommunication industry, while the remaining percentage are owned by several other phone companies.
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North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il Dies

SEOUL, Dec 19 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported on Monday.

Kim, who was 69 years old, died on Saturday, it said.

Kim was the unchallenged head of the reclusive state whose economy fell deeper into poverty during his years in power as he vexed the world by developing a nuclear arms programme and an arsenal of missiles aimed to hit neighbours Japan and South Korea.

Kim had been portrayed as a criminal mastermind behind deadly bombings, a jovial dinner host, a comic buffoon in Hollywood movies and by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush as the ruler of “an outpost of tyranny”.

He was thought to have suffered a stroke in August 2008.

Known at home as “the Dear Leader”, Kim took over North Korea in 1994 when his father and founder of the reclusive state Kim Il-sung, known as “the Great Leader”, died.

Kim Jong-il, famed for his bouffant hair-do, platform shoes and jump suits, slowly emerged from his father’s shadows to become one of the world’s most enigmatic leaders who put North Korea on the path of becoming a nuclear power.

His state was also frequently cited as a threat to global stability.

EARLY YEARS

Despite being on the world stage longer than most world leaders, little was known about Kim. He rarely spoke in public, almost never travelled abroad and has an official biography that is steeped in propaganda but lacking in concrete substance.

Kim had a host of titles in North Korea, but president was not one of them. Kim Il-sung was given the posthumous title of president for life, while his son’s most powerful posts included the chairman of the National Defence Commission, the real centre of power in North Korea, and Supreme Commander of the Korea People’s Army.

North Korean propaganda said Kim Jong-il was born on Feb. 16, 1942, at a secret camp for rebel fighters led by his father near Korea’s famed Mount Paektu. But analysts say he was likely born in the Soviet Union when his father was with other Korean communist exiles receiving military and other training.

His official biography said that in elementary school he showed his revolutionary spirit by leading marches to battlefields where Korean rebels fought against Japanese occupiers of the peninsula.

By the time he was in middle school he had shown himself to be an exemplary factory worker who could repair trucks and electric motors.

He went to Kim Il-sung University where he studied the great works of communist thinkers as well as his father’s revolutionary theory, in a systematic way, state propaganda said.

North Korea analysts said however, Kim lived a life of privilege in the capital, Pyongyang, when his family returned to the divided peninsula in 1945.

The Soviets later installed Kim Il-sung as the new leader of North Korea and the family lived in a Pyongyang mansion formerly occupied by a Japanese officer.

Kim Jong-il’s younger brother mysteriously drowned in a pool at the residence in 1947.

Kim likely spent many of his younger years in China to receive an education and to keep him safe during the 1950-1953 Korean War, analysts said.

ANOINTED SUCCESSOR

After graduating from college, Kim joined the ruling Worker’s Party of Korea in 1964 and quickly rose through its ranks. By 1973, he was the party’s secretary of organisation and propaganda, and in 1974 his father anointed him as his successor.

Kim gradually increased his power in domestic affairs over the following years and his control within the ruling party greatly increased when the younger Kim was given senior posts in the Politburo and Military Commission in 1980.

Intelligence experts say Kim ordered a 1983 bombing in Myanmar that killed 17 senior South Korean officials and the destruction of a Korean Air jetliner in 1987 that killed 115.

He is also suspected of devising plans to raise cash by kidnapping Japanese, dealing drugs through North Korean embassies and turning the country into a major producer of counterfeit currency.

Kim was known as a womaniser, a drinker and a movie buff, according to those people who had been in close contact with him and later left the country. He enjoyed ogling Russian dancing girls, amassing a wine cellar with more than 10,000 bottles and downing massive amounts of lobster and cognac.

North Korea’s propaganda machine painted a much more different picture.

It said Kim piloted jet fighters — even though he travelled by land for his infrequent trips abroad. He penned operas, had a photographic memory, produced movies and accomplished a feat unmatched in the annals of professional golf, shooting 11 holes-in-one on the first round he ever played.

When he first took power in 1994, many analysts thought Kim’s term as North Korea’s leader would be short-lived and powerful elements in the military would rise up to take control of the state.

The already anaemic economy was in a shambles due to the end of the Cold War and the loss of traditional trading partners. Poor harvests and floods led to about 1 million people to die in a famine in the 1990s after he took power.

Despite the tenuous position from which he started, Kim managed to stay in power. He also installed economic reforms that were designed to bring a small and controlled amount of free-market economics into the state-planned economy.

NUCLEAR POWER

His greatest moment may have come on June 15, 2000, when he hosted the first summit of the leaders of the two Koreas when then South Korean Kim Dae-jung visited Pyongyang.

Kim’s image was transformed from a feared and mysterious leader to a kind-hearted host who had the world knocking on his door. A landmark summit with then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian President Vladimir Putin soon followed the visit by South Korea’s president.

The ray of sunshine out of the North then came to an end.

In 2002, tension rose after Washington said Pyongyang had admitted to pursuing a nuclear arms programme in violation of a 1994 agreement that was to have frozen its atomic ambitions.

North Korea expelled International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in December 2002 and said in January 2003 it was quitting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In February 2005, North Korea said it had nuclear weapons and in October 2006, it rattled the region by exploding a nuclear device. North Korea conducted a second nuclear test in May 2009.

Kim Jong-il reportedly told visitors that it was the dying wish of his father to see the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons and he wanted to work toward that end, but he first wanted to see the United States treat his state with respect.

Tensions heightened to their highest levels in years in 2010 with the torpedoing of a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors. The South blamed the attack on Pyongyang, but North denied responsibility. Later that year, the North bombarded a South Korean island, the first such attack against civilian target since the 1950-53 Korean War.

This year, Kim’s health appeared to have improved and he visibly gained weight. He visited China twice and travelled to Russia for the first time in nearly a decade.

Kim has three known sons. He is believed to have anointed the youngest, Kim Jong-un, to succeed him.

South Korea military placed on emergency alert

South Korea’s military has been put on emergency alert following the report of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death, Yonhap news agency said on Monday.

South Korea’s presidential Blue House has called an emergency National Security Council meeting, Yonhap said.

© Thomson Reuters 2011
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Opinion: Can Vietnam Change?

by Khanh Vu Duc

The greatest obstacle to democratic reform in Vietnam comes from its government.

The Communist Party of Vietnam finds itself at a crossroads. By confronting China over maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, it has inflamed the passions of nationalism and antagonism towards its northerly neighbor.

Citizens have taken to the streets to protest Chinese activities. Yet paradoxically the government has cracked down on protest for fear of jeopardizing their now-fragile relationship with China. In this strange world of Vietnamese politics, nothing is what it seems. Thus the government is both champion and oppressor of anti-China sentiment brewing in the country, an honest reflection of the schizophrenic nature of its leaders.

Nevertheless, there is some agreement that change is coming to Vietnam in this decade or the next, for better or worse. Its leaders may attempt to stifle change, particularly democratic change, in order to preserve the status quo. Of course, such a decision will only work against Vietnam as a whole, never mind the Communist Party.

Perhaps unknowingly, the government has set into motion events leading to its demise -- that is, political reform. By inflaming the passions of nationalism, its citizens have demanded action against China. When the government is seen wavering and suppressing demonstrations against China, acts that are seen by the people as appeasing China, the Communist Party risks diminishing its status among its citizens (although some democratic and human rights activists would argue the party shouldn’t govern in the first place). The people will begin to question if the communists should be the rightful rulers of their country and will seek democratic reform.

Change is natural

By chance, this year has been the year of the Arab Spring. Old tyrants have fallen and new, albeit troubled, democracies have begun to emerge across Northern Africa and the Middle East. Syria remains a battleground for democratic reform as the government has stood its ground against change, killing perhaps thousands of its citizens.

Vietnam, like much of the world, isn’t living in a vacuum and has witnessed these changes and atrocities taking place. Thanks to the internet and social media, these events can be studied by every Vietnamese citizen with a computer and internet connection.

For the Arab Spring, all that was required for change was an event, a catalyst. In Vietnam, that catalyst has yet to occur, but the South China Sea disputes and the party‘s uncertainty have planted the seeds of reform. When party politics impedes the development of a nation, perhaps it’s time for change.

The leaders of Vietnam can ride this wave of change when it happens, or they can fight against the tide. However, one would hope that the current leaders of Vietnam can see past the short-term pains and embrace what is not only necessary, if not inevitable, but natural.

The authoritative nature of Vietnam’s communism can almost be seen as training wheels for a young nation that, until the departure of the French, had never enjoyed true independence. Like a stern and critical parent, the party has dictated the lives of its citizens, telling them what they may or may not know, and what they can or cannot do. But a nation, much like a person, grows up and matures. This young adult, no longer a child, can see the faults in his or her parent, can determine for him or herself what is right and what is wrong; and when repeatedly treated as an infant, will almost always rebel. For the party to fight against change, it will only harm Vietnam and stifle natural national growth.

The hypothetical next step

How then can the leaders of Vietnam best proceed, assuming of course they are amenable to democratic reform? As we have seen from the Arab Spring, the tearing down of each and every old institution of the previous government has done little to smooth the transition to democracy. If there is to be reform in Vietnam, it must be done with the assistance of current institutions of government. In other words, there must be some level of collaboration between the old and new Vietnam.

Peaceful democratic reform should ideally start at the top with constitutional reform. These new laws should reflect the democratic aspirations of the people and serve as the foundations of the new Vietnam; however, the exact changes required in a constitutional reform are beyond the scope of this paper. Suffice it to say, these changes should respect the rights and dignity of the individual, and provide for the necessary freedoms of the people. Once constitutional reform is resolved, what follows after will hopefully be a gradual transition towards a democratic state, requiring elections at all levels of government.

Agents of change

Of course, in all of this, the crucial role played by Vietnamese citizens has been omitted. Who but individual citizens will hold the most influence in the new Vietnam? Change will happen, but democratic reform will not occur unless the people of Vietnam demand it. Part of growing up is accepting responsibility for one’s actions. You can talk about change but if you don’t act on it, change will never occur. The Vietnamese people, should they truly desire reform, must be the primary agents of change, and they must be willing to accept the consequences of their decisions. The government is unlikely to upset the status quo unless there is pressure from within, and it is up to the citizens to apply said pressure.

And what about the millions of Vietnamese living abroad? A great majority of those were refugees of the former South Vietnam, whose attitude towards the Communist Party in Vietnam is particularly antagonistic. It’s a view that will be passed on to successive generations, especially in the United States, where anti-communist sentiments held by Vietnamese-Americans are high.

Political reform allows for the healing of old wounds, or at least bridging the divide. Vietnamese citizens who have lived and grown up abroad offer a unique perspective towards the building of a new, democratic Vietnam—points of view that native citizens may not have due to having been raised in different environments. During the process of constitutional reform, these overseas Vietnamese can be consulted in an effort to unite all Vietnamese people.

However, for any of this to occur, there must first be a willingness to change. And although change will happen, regardless of the actions of the government or the people, it is up to them to shape their destiny. Ultimately, they are responsible for their future. Change must come from within for it to succeed and endure, for any change from without will be forced and doomed to fail.

(Khanh Vu Duc is a Vietnamese Canadian lawyer in Ottawa, focusing on various areas of law. He researches on International Relations and International Law.)
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Viet Nam: Continuing judicial harassment and sentencing to prison of Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
VNM 001 / 1211 / OBS 140
Sentencing to prison / Arbitrary detention
Viet Nam

December 15, 2011

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Viet Nam.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the continuing judicial harassment and sentencing to prison of Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An, practitioners of an unofficial religious sect who advocate for the respect of the right to religious freedom.

According to the information received, on December 12, 2011, Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An were found guilty of the charges of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State” under Article 258 of the Criminal Code by the People's Court of Cho Moi District in southern An Giang province. They were respectively sentenced to five and three years of prison.

Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An are practitioners of an independent Hoa Hao Buddhist group, which is not recognised by the Government and has been subjected to severe repression since the creation of a State-sponsored Hoa Hao organisation in 1999.

Messrs. Lia and An both have briefed foreign diplomats regarding restrictions and violations of freedom of religion in Viet Nam. In December 2010, Messrs. Lia and An were among four Hoa Hao activists who met with officials of the US Department of State at the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, where in May 2009 Mr. Lia, along with other Hoa Hao followers, also attended a meeting with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. In April 2011, Mr. Lia was arrested with his wife following the discovery by the police of, according to State media, books, CDs, DVDs and documents accusing the Vietnamese authorities of human rights violations, including religious persecution. Mr. An reportedly was arrested by the police on July 2, 2011 in Dong Trap province on his way back from visiting fellow Hoa Hao followers in prison. Since his arrest in April 2011, Mr. Lia's health has reportedly deteriorated considerably. Mr. Lia, who is 71, suffers from high blood pressure and broken ribs from old injuries.

The Observatory considers that the charges against Messrs. Lia and An aim at sanctioning their activities in exposing violations of the right to freedom of religion, which is guaranteed under both the Vietnamese Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and urges the authorities to stop the routine repression of those who advocate for freedom of religion in Viet Nam in violation of the country's international human rights obligations.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities in Viet Nam urging them to:

i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An as well as of all human rights defenders in Viet Nam;

ii. Ensure that Mr. Lia receives immediate and adequate medical treatment for his health conditions;

iii. Release Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An immediately and unconditionally as their detention is arbitrary, as it seems to merely sanction their human rights activities;

iv. Put an end to all acts harassment, including at the judicial level, against Messrs. Nguyen Van Lia and Tran Hoai An as well as against all human rights defenders in Viet Nam;

v. Comply with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, in particular:

- its Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”,

- as well as Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;

vi. More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Viet Nam.

Addresses:

· H.E. Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1 Ton That Dam St., Ba Dinh District

Hanoi, Vietnam; Tel: 84-4-37992000; 080 48235; Fax: 84-4-38231872 – 84-4-37992682

· H.E. Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, Minister of Internal Affairs, 37A Nguyen Binh Khiem St., Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam; Tel: 84-4-39764116 - 84-4-39764278; Fax: 84-4-39781005

· H.E. Mr. Ha Hung Cuong, Minister of Justice, 56-60 Tran Phu St., Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam; Tel: 84-4-37336213 - 84-4-37338068; Fax: 84-4-38431431; E-mail: botuphap@moj.gov.vn

· H.E. Mr. Tran Dai Quang, Minister of Public Security, 44 Yet Kieu St., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam; Tel: 84-4-069 42545 - 84-4-048 226602; Fax: 84-4-9420223

· H.E. Mr. Vu Duc Dam, Minister, Office of the Government (OOG), 1 Hoang Hoa Tham St.

Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam; Tel: 84-4-80 43100 ; 84-4-80 43569; Fax: 84-4-80 44130; E-mail: vpcp@chinhphu.vn

· H.E. Amb. Mr. Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 435, New York, NY 10017, USA; Tel: 212 - 644 - 0594 / 0831; Fax: 212 - 644 - 5732; Email: info@vietnam-un.org

· H.E. Mr Vũ Dũng, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotential, Permanent Representative, 30 chemin des Corbillettes, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland; Tel (Assistant): +41 022-791 85 40; Phone: +41 (0) 22 791 85 40; Fax : +41 (0) 22-798 07 24; Email : info@vnmission-ge.gov.vn

· HE Mr. PHAM Sanh Chau, Ambassador, Boulevard Général Jacques 1, 1050 Brussels; Tel: +32 (0)2. 379 27 37 ; Fax : +32 (0)2. 374 93 76; Email : vnemb.brussels@skynet.be - unescochau@yahoo.com

Please also write to the embassies of Viet Nam in your respective country.
***

Paris-Geneva, December 15, 2011

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
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WEEKLY KHMER KROM CULTURAL SHOWCASE

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Khmer Krom Music - Sept 24,2012
Khmer Krom Perfomers from Kramuon Sar and Teuk Khmao

Khmer Krom Music - April 12,2012 
SUASDEY CHNAM THMEY--CHNAM RUORNG!
HAPPY KHMER NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Khmer Krom Music - April 7,2012
Khmer Krom songs to greet upcoming Chuol Chnam Thmey (Khmer New Year) from 
April 13 to April 16. It is the year of Dragon (Chnam Rorng)

Khmer Krom Music - March 30, 2012

This music is performed by mainly artists from the Khmer Krom Drama Troop
"Raksmey Pro-Teip" in Preah Trapang (Tra Vinh) city.

Khmer Krom Music - March 24, 2012

The music is entertained by many singers from Khleang (Soc Trang), 
Poleov (Bac Lieu), and Preah Trapang (Tra Vinh)

Khmer Krom Music March 15, 2012

The music is entertained mainly by a Khmer Krom Drama Troop 
named "RakSmey Pro-Teip" based in Preah Trapang(Tra Vinh) city 
near Wat Ang  temple and Sras Ku Srey site.  The scenery is taken at "Sras Ku Srey", 
Khmer Krom ancient site based in Preah Trapang city.



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Experts urge care of Khmer delta pagodas

Several of these pagodas were built hundreds of years ago. Some of them have been poorly restored or rebuilt, as different materials and decorative styles have been used.

The water from the delta’s 50,000 rivers and canals and the delta’s soft, low-lying land has affected the life-span of these old pagodas, which are closely tied to the community’s cultural life.

Several pagodas bombed during the American War have not been fully restored to their original condition.
The 350-year-old Khmer Hang Pagoda in Tra Vinh Province was bombed in 1968 and underwent restoration 10 times.

Cultural experts, meeting at a recent seminar, said that proper preservation methods should be applied immediately to keep the invaluable heritage.

The famous Doi (Bat) Pagoda in Soc Trang, which was set on fire in 2007, has been partly restored to its original shape as several materials had to be replaced.

Rare wood used for building the 400-year-old pagoda could not be found, and the carving on the wood was not done well.

Recently, several other pagodas and temples in the region have been restored, but the architecture has been changed and the materials replaced. But overall, the fundamentals remain.

Hung Khu, an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who spoke during a recent semimar on protecting cultural heritage in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, urged that the pagodas be restored because of their significance during the wars against the French and the Americans.

Several monks who lived at the pagodas have been acknowledged as martyrs for their sacrifice to the country’s liberation.

“It is urgent to preserve the pagodas as well as other cultural heritage in the delta to develop the tourism sector in the region,” he said.

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta’s Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Kien Giang and An Giang provinces are home to most of Viet Nam’s Khmer community.

The region has roughly 500 Khmer pagodas which reflect the aesthetic characteristics of the Khmer community, as well as the thoughts, feelings and culture of the Khmer community in southern Viet Nam.

Most of the pagodas are scattered in these four provinces. Tra Vinh has 141, Soc Trang 90, Kien Giang 73, and An Giang 65. Seven of them have been recognised as national cultural heritage sites. Khmer pagodas, which are always painted yellow, are appealing to tourists, especially when they are viewed under the sunlight and palm trees.

The Khmer view the pagodas as responsible for moral education and the preservation of traditional arts and culture. 

source: VietNamNet/Viet Nam News 13/12/2011 01:27:35 PM (GMT+7)
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