National Police Chief Hok Lundy vowed Thursday to crack down on radicals in the Kampuchea Krom advocacy movement who threaten to take up arms against the Vietnamese government.
The territory referred to by many Cambodians as Kampuchea Krom engulfs much of the Mekong River Delta in southern Vietnam. It has long been claimed as Cambodian land by many ethnic Khmers living in Cambodia and in the region itself.
The loss of Kampuchea Krom to Vietnam was an emotional yet largely background issue until 2,000 people protested in Phnom Penh in June demanding Hanoi end alleged human rights abuses against Vietnam’s ethnic Khmer population. Hanoi reacted angrily and denied the charges. Soon after, a little-known group of Cambodians based in the US announced that the Kampuchea Krom Liberation Front would take up arms to liberate the region.
But on Thursday, Hok Lundy said Cambodian authorities “will crack down on [Kampuchea Krom movements] that violate our Constitution.”
“They have already violated our Constitution because they have set up an armed movement to fight against a neighboring country,” he said. “If any action happens in Cambodia leading to the invasion of another country it would be unforgivable. We must crack down.”
Hok Lundy said the radical Kampuchea Krom group had some supporters in Cambodia but none were involved in criminal offenses.
“We do not see any chargeable action here yet,” Hok Lundy said.
“They have the right to express their views. But they have to have permission from the government. The government is responsible for allowing them or banning them,” he said.
The emergence of the radical fringe group has prompted several Phnom Penh-based Kampuchea Krom advocacy groups to issue statements denying any links to the US group.
Mom Sarin, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Association, said on Thursday his group issued a statement to avoid any misunderstanding.
“Our association just focuses on human rights of Kampuchea Krom people in Cambodia. We are not involved in politics. We follow human rights and government policies,” he said.
