LOGEZ

An initial interview with Mr. Ang Charith

NOTE: Following is an initial interview with Mr. Ang Chanrith, Executive Director of the Minority Rights Organization (MIRO) by Mr. Nguyen CongBang, Director of The ViDan Foundation (VDF) in March 2014.

1.    What is the motivation for your dedication to the fight for the human rights of the Vietnamese and Khmer Krom people?

Human rights have been my passion since I started working in 1998 with a number of local human rights organizations, including Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Association (KKKHRA), Legal Aid of Cambodia (LAC) and Minority Rights Organization (MIRO). My experience has driven me to consider the plight of marginalized groups both inside and outside Cambodia as one of the most important and underfunded human rights issues today. The terrible suffering of the Khmer Krom and Vietnamese stateless persons in Cambodia is generally overlooked and has been ignored by society for decades. They face severe racial discrimination, hostile political rhetoric, and are not able to benefit from the basic rights and freedoms that the majority of society enjoys.

I cannot ignore such extreme persecution and this inspired me to intervene in order to promote and protect the rights of these vulnerable groups. I believe as a human being and human rights defender, these groups need to be treated equally and fairly by Cambodian society.

2.    What is the history of MIRO, and how does MIRO meet its goals?

The Minority Rights Organization (MIRO) was established in mid-2012 and legally recognized by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) on 28 January 2013. MIRO began its official work in early 2013 and hopes to protect and expand the rights of minority groups in Cambodia. We have four main objectives:

1.    To provide access to justice for the minority victims at the UN Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia/ECCC)

2.    Human rights monitoring and advocacy, especially the empowerment of minority women

3.    Eliminating statelessness of Khmer Krom and Vietnamese in Cambodia

4.    Support of refugees and asylum seekers, Specifically promoting Khmer Krom activists who are sub­ject to political persecution in Vietnam and are seeking asylum in Thailand

To achieve our goals, we use a number of methods such as research and investigation, advocacy and lobbying, workshops, consultations, legal outreach projects, and raising awareness through the mass media.

3.    What are the main challenges that MIRO encounters?

There are a number of significant problems that we encounter. Law enforcement is still weak and has little effect on the actions of government officials. There is also a lack of political will to solve these problems and a lack of education about human rights among the minority groups we work with. However, these problems simply strengthen our resolve to work on their behalf. A more fundamental problem is the lack of funding and we consistently work hard to find support for our organization.

4.    How has the Cambodian government reacted to MIRO’s work?

It is rare for us to receive recognition from the Cambodian government for our hard work; mainly because they don’t want to admit their shortcomings or the problems with human rights protection and law enforcement in Cambodia. Furthermore, as the key perpetrators of human rights violations are government officials, this obviously exacerbates the problems we face. This is one of the major challenges to improving human rights in Cambodia.

So far, we have not received any strong reactions from the Cambodian government, because we try to interact with them peacefully and use soft approaches to address our target groups.

5.    Has the Vietnamese government been supportive of MIRO?

No, MIRO has never received any support from the Vietnamese government for our work in promoting and defending the rights of ethnic Vietnamese and Khmer Krom in Cambodia. MIRO’s only means of support are from charitable donations abroad to conduct investigative research. This lack of funding can limit or even prevent us from conducting our project activities as we regularly require financial support to implement our projects.

6.    What are the current efforts of International NGOs for the Vietnamese and Khmer Krom people in Cambodia?

Very few international organizations or donors pay attention to the problems of the Vietnamese and Khmer Krom in Cambodia. Perhaps they consider their issues to not be critically important and too closely linked with politics. However, their children cannot go to school, they have no clear identity and they are consistently subjected to discrimination and aggression. They also lack education about basic human rights and laws to defend themselves. The international community needs to understand and learn more about these issues in order for those affected to receive the help they need.

7.    What is your ideal relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam?

From my point of view, I see both countries as equals and they must be able to work together to combat human rights problems. Both Cambodia and Vietnam must commit to promoting and protecting the basic human rights of their own people, especially minority groups or indigenous peoples as signed and ratified in the UN Human Rights treaties.

Through allowing freedom of expression, association, and assembly along with freedoms of religion, culture, tradition, and language, Vietnam and Cambodia can grow together. Cooperation over these issues would demonstrate to the peoples of both countries that Cambodia and Vietnam are ready to work together for the common good.

8.    What would be the most supportive factors for the success of your human rights goals?

To achieve our goals, the most supportive factors for success should be the full participation of all relevant parties. Government officials, national and international organizations, along with UN agents should cooperate with the affected community to work towards solutions to the many problems they face. Another supportive factor would be an increase in education about minority human rights issues both globally and locally. Their suffering cannot be reversed without a universal understanding of the problems they face.

9.    What do envision for the Vietnamese and Khmer Krom people in five years?

If the existing laws of Cambodia are not fully enforced, they will remain stateless. Their living conditions will deteriorate because of discrimination and the lack of education or gainful employment. In turn, this perpetuates the cycle of poverty they live in and cause ripples of negative impacts across Cambodian society as a whole. Cambodia could arguably be considered one of the worst countries in the world with regard to discrimination against minority ethnic groups.

10.  What support do you expect from the Overseas Vietnamese Community?

I hope the Vietnamese community feels some solidarity with the Cambodian people regarding basic human rights issues. If the Vietnamese community can help to raise awareness of the plight of the Khmer Krom and Vietnamese stateless peoples, this will help put pressure on the Cambodian government to reduce statelessness in Cambodia.

In addition to this, any humanitarian aid from the Vietnamese community could have positive and dramatic effects on the wellbeing of these minority groups.

 

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