Khmer Krom
Encyclopedia
The Khmer Krom are Khmer people
living in the Mekong Delta
and the Lower Mekong River area. Under the Khmer Rouge regime- according to the conservative estimates are that 150,000. Under the rule of Vietnam from 1979-93, Cambodia may have lost 20,000 Khmer Krom. Today, they are regarded as the indigenous ethnic Khmer minority living in southern Vietnam
.
In the Vietnamese language
, they are known as Khơ-me Crộm or Khơ-me dưới, which literally means "Khmer
from below" ("below" referring to the lower areas of the Mekong Delta
).
who inhabit Kampuchea Krom, an area in southern Vietnam that was once part of the Khmer Empire
.
According to Vietnamese government figures (1999 census), there are 1,055,174 Khmer Krom in Vietnam.
Prey Nokor was the most important commercial seaport to the Khmers. The city's name was changed by Vietnam to Sài Gòn and then Hồ Chí Minh City
. The loss of the city prevented the Cambodians access to the South China Sea
. Subsequently, the Khmers' access to the sea was now limited to the Gulf of Thailand
. It began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II
of Cambodia (1618–1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trịnh-Nguyễn War in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house
at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh
, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyễn rulers of Huế
to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. Since 1698, the area has been firmly under Vietnamese administration. The Vietnamese became the majority population in most places.
In 1802 Nguyễn Ánh crowned himself emperor Gia Long
and had unified all territories which are now modern Vietnam, including the Khmer Krom territory. In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge
regime attacked Vietnam in an attempt to reconquer those areas of the delta still predominantly inhabited by Khmer Krom people, but this military adventure was a total disaster and precipitated the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese army and subsequent downfall of the Khmer Rouge
, with Vietnam occupying Cambodia.
Son Ngoc Thanh
, the nationalist Cambodian, was a Khmer krom, born in Trà Vinh
, Vietnam. Cambodia got independence in Geneva, 1954, through the Vietnamese struggle in the First Indochina War
.
In 1757, the Vietnamese colonized the provinces of Psar Dèk (renamed Sa Đéc
in Vietnamese) and Moat Chrouk (vietnamized to Châu Đốc
).
Many independent NGO
s report that the human rights of the Khmer Krom are being violated by the Vietnamese government. Khmer Krom are reportedly forced to adopt Vietnamese family names and speak the Vietnamese language
. Unlike other minority people groups of Vietnam, the Khmer Krom are largely unknown in the Western world, despite efforts by associations of exiled Khmer Krom such as the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation to publicize their plight with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation. No Western government has yet raised the matter of the Khmer Krom's human rights with the Vietnamese government.
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
living in the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
and the Lower Mekong River area. Under the Khmer Rouge regime- according to the conservative estimates are that 150,000. Under the rule of Vietnam from 1979-93, Cambodia may have lost 20,000 Khmer Krom. Today, they are regarded as the indigenous ethnic Khmer minority living in southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
In the Vietnamese language
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, they are known as Khơ-me Crộm or Khơ-me dưới, which literally means "Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
from below" ("below" referring to the lower areas of the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
).
Origins
The Khmer Krom are ethnic KhmerKhmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
who inhabit Kampuchea Krom, an area in southern Vietnam that was once part of the Khmer Empire
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...
.
According to Vietnamese government figures (1999 census), there are 1,055,174 Khmer Krom in Vietnam.
History
Beginning in the early 17th century, colonization of the area by Vietnamese settlers gradually isolated the Khmer of the Mekong Delta from their brethren in Cambodia proper and resulted in their becoming a minority in the delta.Prey Nokor was the most important commercial seaport to the Khmers. The city's name was changed by Vietnam to Sài Gòn and then Hồ Chí Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
. The loss of the city prevented the Cambodians access to the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. Subsequently, the Khmers' access to the sea was now limited to the Gulf of Thailand
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...
. It began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II
Chey Chettha II
Chey Chettha II was a king of Cambodia who reigned from Oudong, about 40 km northwest of modern-day Phnom Penh, from 1618 to 1628. He was the son of King Borommaracha VIII...
of Cambodia (1618–1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trịnh-Nguyễn War in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh
Nguyen Huu Canh
Lễ Thành Hầu Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh or Nguyễn Hữu Kính, Hán tự:阮有鏡, was a general of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu. He is considered the one who established territorial sovereignty for Vietnam in Saigon and Gia Dinh regions in 1698...
, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyễn rulers of Huế
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. Since 1698, the area has been firmly under Vietnamese administration. The Vietnamese became the majority population in most places.
In 1802 Nguyễn Ánh crowned himself emperor Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
and had unified all territories which are now modern Vietnam, including the Khmer Krom territory. In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
regime attacked Vietnam in an attempt to reconquer those areas of the delta still predominantly inhabited by Khmer Krom people, but this military adventure was a total disaster and precipitated the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese army and subsequent downfall of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
, with Vietnam occupying Cambodia.
Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh was a Cambodian nationalist and republican policitian, with a long history as a rebel and a government minister.-Early life:...
, the nationalist Cambodian, was a Khmer krom, born in Trà Vinh
Tra Vinh
Trà Vinh is a town in Vietnam. It is the capital of the Tra Vinh province. It located in the Mekong Delta region, which is in the Southern part of Vietnam. The city has many famous Khmer pagodas, due to the large number of Khmer Krom, Cambodian people there. Under the Republic of Vietnam, it was...
, Vietnam. Cambodia got independence in Geneva, 1954, through the Vietnamese struggle in the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
.
In 1757, the Vietnamese colonized the provinces of Psar Dèk (renamed Sa Đéc
Sa Dec
Sa Đéc is a city in Đồng Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. It is a river port and agricultural and industrial trading center. During the Vietnam War in 1966 and 1967, it was the site of an American PBR Patrol Boat, River base...
in Vietnamese) and Moat Chrouk (vietnamized to Châu Đốc
Chau Doc
Châu Đốc is a district and town in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 112,155. The district covers an area of 100 km²....
).
Human Rights
Many independent NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s report that the human rights of the Khmer Krom are being violated by the Vietnamese government. Khmer Krom are reportedly forced to adopt Vietnamese family names and speak the Vietnamese language
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
. Unlike other minority people groups of Vietnam, the Khmer Krom are largely unknown in the Western world, despite efforts by associations of exiled Khmer Krom such as the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation to publicize their plight with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation. No Western government has yet raised the matter of the Khmer Krom's human rights with the Vietnamese government.
External links
- Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)
- Khmer Krom news and information network
- Khmer Krom news and information in Khmer language
- Khmer Krom: A Royal Solution for a Nationalist Vietnam reported by Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation
- Video clips of Rebecca Sommer's film "Eliminated without Bleeding" documenting human rights violation claims of the Khmer Krom in Vietnam
- March 2007- Article on religious oppression by Vietnam