UNPO Condemns Arbitrary Arrests of Khmer-Krom Buddhist Monk and Activists in Vietnam

Arrested in the province of Tra Vinh on charges of “abuse of democratic liberties.” Nearly 1.3 million Khmer Krom live in a part of Vietnam that was once the south-east of Cambodia. The activists at Radio Free Asia: “The Vietnamese government wants to prevent the expression of our cultural identity.”

UNPO Condemns Arbitrary Arrests of Khmer-Krom Buddhist Monk and Activists in Vietnam

According to reports from the Khmer-Krom Federation (KKF), a UNPO member organization, Vietnamese authorities detained the three individuals on March 27 under the accusation of “Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, lawful rights, and interests of organizations and/or citizens” (Article 331 of the Vietnam Criminal Code). This troubling development is not an isolated incident but part of a broader and persistent…