VZCZCXRO2194
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0905/01 1841141
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031141Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8668
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 2345
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 4016
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH PRIORITY 0103
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1608

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000905 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, BANGKOK FOR REFUGEE COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM CB
SUBJECT: KHMER KROM MONK'S POSSIBLE FORCED RETURN TO VIETNAM 
 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000905  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Over the weekend a Khmer Krom monk in 
Cambodia was reportedly defrocked and carried off by 
uniformed authorities.  While the monk's whereabouts are not 
yet confirmed, Ministry of Interior Spokesperson Kheiu 
Sopheak verified that the monk went to Vietnam.  Whether the 
monk was forced to leave or went of his own free will is 
currently at issue.  Witnesses claim Tim Sakhorn was "forced" 
into a vehicle by uniformed authorities but the MOI insists 
he requested to be taken to Vietnam.  Tim Sakhorn served as 
monk of a pagoda near the Vietnam border for twenty years. 
In addition to doubts about his whereabouts, questions remain 
about the details of the way Tim Sakhorn was removed from his 
village, and whether he has claim to Cambodian citizenship. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organization 
(KKKHRO) reported that a Khmer Krom monk, Tim Sakhorn, was 
sent from Cambodia to Vietnam over the weekend, possibly 
forcibly.  His removal took place immediately after Tim 
Sakhorn was defrocked by three monks under the direction of 
Supreme Patriarch Non Nget.  According to the KKKHRO, some of 
Tim Sakhorn's fellow community members who saw him being 
driven away from his village report he was forced into a car 
by Cambodian uniformed authorities.  Specifically, villagers 
told KKKHRO that some of the uniformed authorities were 
dressed like members of Hun Sen's bodyguard unit.  All 
reports about the incident are sourced to eyewitnesses and 
are not confirmed otherwise.  The Ministry of Interior told 
Polspec that Tim Sakhorn asked the authorities to take him 
back to his village in Vietnam after being defrocked. 
According to KKKHRO, Tim Sakhorn has served as a monk in Kiri 
Vong for 20 years and his parents reside there. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Tim Sakhorn, age 40, was chief of the Northern 
Phnom Din pagoda in Kiri Vong district, Takeo province, near 
the border with Vietnam.  KKKHRO told Poloff he was active in 
distributing information from the Khmer Kampuchea Krom 
Federation, an international organization advocating the 
rights of the Khmer Krom living in Vietnam.  The monk also 
was known for providing shelter and food to Khmer Krom monks 
when they cross the border from Vietnam to Cambodia, 
including those monks fleeing defrocking and clamp-downs in 
Vietnam. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) One problematic aspect of the situation is whether 
Tim Sakhorn has a rightful claim to Cambodian cititzenship. 
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR) in Phnom Penh cites a letter dated two years 
ago from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating 
that the RGC considers Khmer Krom to be "Khmer citizens" and 
that if UNHCR wants to designate an individual who is Khmer 
Krom as a refugee, they need to find a third country for 
resettlement as "Khmer citizens are not able to become 
refugees in their own country."  However, the use in this 
letter of the term "Khmer" citizen instead of "Cambodian" 
citizen makes the citizenship claim debatable.  Both the 
KKKHRO and Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and 
Development Association have complained to us that Khmer Krom 
are often denied Cambodian identity cards by issuing 
authorities.  The Khmer Krom organizations take this as a 
sign that they are not being treated as full Cambodian 
citizens. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The UN Cambodia Office of the High Commissioner for 
Human Rights (UNOHCHR) is supporting a legal complaint and an 
investigation led by the KKKHRO into the process under which 
Tim Sakhorn was forcibly removed, though that investigation 
may be a non-starter given the MOI's statement that the monk 
willingly went to Vietnam.  UNOHCHR told Poloff they are 
offering support to Khmer Krom monks if they decide to go 
into hiding due to fears of deportation.  Many of the monks 
have come together at a pagoda in Phnom Penh telling UNOHCHR 
that they will stay together and not go into hiding as a sign 
of their solidarity and stance against suppression of their 
members. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The KKKHRO says that Khmer Krom monks in Phnom Penh 
are planning a peaceful march to Udong, 15 miles outside of 
the city, to protest the activities against their monks. 
While the plan is for a peaceful assembly, the march could be 
problematic for participants as the Ministry of Cults and 
Religious Affairs and Supreme Patriarch Non Nget recently 
signed a ban on monks participating in marches or 
demonstrations, stating religious figures should not get 
involved in politics.  UNOHCHR confirms that KKKHRO is not 
revealing detailed plans of their march due to fears it will 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000905  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
be publicized and blocked before it takes place. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Comment.  Tim Sakhorn's exact whereabouts in 
Vietnam are still in question.  We are trying to corroborate 
whether the monk was deported or willingly left Cambodia and 
whether he has rightful claim to Cambodian citizenship.  If 
Tim Sakhorn has a valid claim to citizenship, there would be 
no legal basis for his deportation.  UNHCR Protection Officer 
Inna Gladkova told Poloff that if the RGC now decides it has 
the right to deport Khmer Krom to Vietnam, UNHCR may review 
its policy about the refugee status of Khmer Krom fleeing 
Vietnam.  End comment. 
MUSSOMELI