Vietnam denies false and fake information on Khmer people

Recognizing fabricated information of hostile forces

Vietnam is considered a multi-ethnic country. The Vietnamese ethnic minority groups have been formed and developed along with the thousand-year history of national construction and defense of Vietnam.

However, in recent times, hostile forces, especially the Khmer Kampuchea Krom (KKK) organization, sought to distort the rights of ethnic minorities with the aim of sabotaging the Party and State of Vietnam.

KKK is an international organization that tends to disparage Vietnam and participates in activities against the Party, State and Government of Vietnam. The organization often wrongly accuses Vietnam of taking Cambodia’s land.

In July, as the Tra Vinh province authority had to dismantle the damaged entrance gate to Tra Vinh province, KKK immediately alleged that the Vietnamese government did not allow people to organize folk games on the 2023 Chol Thnam Thmay festival. It irrationally  claimed that the "Vietnamese authorities want to eradicate Khmer culture and implement the "assimilation policy" against the Khmer ethnic group.”

KKK often uses its 3-color flag to propagandize and persuade local people, particularly reactionaries and political opportunists, to join the organization so as to establish and develop KKK branches in Khmer ethnic communities.

The utmost goal of the hostile group is to divide the great national bloc and seek to claim the right of the so-called “self-determined” status for the Khmer people, and then found a “Khmer Krom State.”

In response to a reporter's queries about Khmer Kampuchea Krom’s acts of sabotage and the status of the Khmer people in Vietnam, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang on August 31 said the Khmer people are an integral part of the 54 fraternal ethnic groups in Vietnam, who have been living equally and harmoniously, and jointly contributing to the cause of national construction and defense throughout the country's history.

All ethnic groups in Vietnam are treated equally, she said, adding that the Vietnamese State ensures and creates favorable conditions for the comprehensive development of every ethnic group as well as to continuously improve the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minority people, preserve their ethnic identity while always upholding their fine customs, habits, traditions and cultures, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc.

Consistent policies toward Khmer people

The Khmer are one of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam with many unique cultural identities. Statistics show that the total population of the Khmer in Vietnam is about 1.3 million people, living mainly in the southwestern provinces.

Most of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam are followers of Theravada Buddhism. The pagoda is where Khmer people perform Buddhist rituals, teach Khmer writing, celebrate festivals. It is also the place to preserve and promote the Khmer's unique cultural values.

The pagoda also teaches Khmer people to observe the laws and call on them to participate in preventing crime and social evils and maintaining security and order. The model of "Buddhists and monks participate in preventing and fighting crime, ensuring security and order" in Soc Trang province is a great example of a law-honoring Khmer community in the region.

Over the past time, in implementing the policy of “All ethnic groups are equal, united, mutually respected and progressive”, the Party and State of Vietnam have issued a course of synchronous investment and support policies, prioritizing  resources for socio-economic development in the Khmer ethnic minority area.

Most Venerable Tang No, Head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Soc Trang province, Vice President of the Soc Trang’s Patriotic Clergy Solidarity Association said, thanks to the Party and State's support policies in all aspects, the living standard of the local Khmer people has steadily increased while their spiritual life has been significantly improved over the past years. In particular, the restructuring of agricultural and rural economies has contributed to socio-economic development in the Khmer community.

Venerable Master Tran Van Tha, Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Soc Trang province and the Abbot of Sereytamon pagoda, said, "The authorities in Soc Trang always create favorable conditions for religious sects. Especially, the local-level authority offers financial supports to local pagodas and mobilize local people to send their children to Khmer language summer courses. Such moves of the local authority clearly demonstrate the State's consistent policy on equality and solidarity of all ethnic communities of Vietnam."