The Minority Rights Organization and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights on Friday condemned the racist mob killing of a 28-year-old ethnic Vietnamese man in Phnom Penh this week, which came after the destruction of Vietnamese shops last month and months of anti-Vietnamese rhetoric from CNRP leader Sam Rainsy.
In a joint statement, the group said they feared the “cruel killing” was “an act of racially motivated violence,” and noted that Vietnamese shop owners whose businesses were torched and looted have not been compensated.
“As human rights organizations, we strongly object to repeated acts of violence in Cambodian society that apparently are based on racial prejudices,” the groups said.
“Therefore, we urge the authorities to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the killing of Nguyen Vann Chean in order to find justice for the victim and his family.
At the same time, we also call for all Cambodian people to respect the human rights of other ethnicities and refrain from all kinds of racial violence so that we can live together in harmony and peace.”
