Vietnam Must Release Venerable Tim Sakhorn Unconditionally

To:  Secretary General of the United Nations, President of the United States, President of the European Parliament, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, U.S. Congress

To:
His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations
His Excellency Mr. George W. Bush, the President of the United States
His Excellency Mr. Hans-Gert Poettering, President of the European Parliament
United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
U.S. Congress


On behalf of the Cambodian people and the undersigned conscious, we respectfully submit this petition to implore Your Highness Excellency and Distinguished Members to use your diplomatic pressure on Vietnam for the greater power of Human Rights and Justice to release a Cambodian Buddhist monk, Venerable Tim Sakhorn, who has been unjustly imprisoned by Vietnam.

Ven. Tim Sakhorn, an Abbot of North Phnom-Denh Temple, is a Cambodian, but he was born in 1968, at Swai-Ton (Tri Ton) district, Moth-Chrouk (Chau Doc) province, Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam). Because His family could not live under the oppression of the Vietnamese government, they escaped their lovely hometown to live at Phnom-Denh village, Karivong district, Takeo province, Cambodia since 1979. He became ordained as a Buddhist monk on July 9, 1991 and was promoted to be an Abbot at North Phnom-Denh temple in 2000.

Despite the fact that Cambodia is a sovereign country and that all her citizens are protected by her constitution and NOT any of Vietnam’s affairs; Vietnam worked secretly with two Cambodian top monks, Ven. Tep Vong and Ven. Noun Nget, to fabricate a story by accusing Ven. Tim Sakhorn for “conducting activities that are harmful to the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship.” With this alleged crime, Ven. Tim Sakhorn was arrested and defrocked on June 30, 2007. After defrocked, Ven. Tim Sakhorn disappeared. The spokesmen of the Cambodian authorities were flip-flopping with the whereabouts of Ven. Tim Sakhorn. The spokesman of the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom-Penh, Trinh Ba Cam, had previously denied any knowledge of Ven. Tim Sakhorn’s whereabouts after his disappearance from Cambodia.

On August 1, 2007, the Hanoi regime, admits through its official website (www.vovnews.vn and www.vov.org.vn), the Voice of Vietnam News (VOV News) that Vietnam authority just arrested a person who is a “disappeared monk”, Ven. Tim Sakhorn, for attempting to enter Vietnam illegally. Instead of charging Ven. Tim Sakhorn with the initial alleged crime of entering Vietnam illegally, he is being detained and will be tried for the crime of “sabotaging the unification policy” under Article 87 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.

Ven. Tim Sakhorn has no relatives living at his hometown in Vietnam. It is ashamed for Vietnam to claim that Ven. Tim Sakhorn was trying to enter Vietnam illegally, because he escaped Vietnam to live in Cambodia since 1979. Moreover, Ven. Tim Sakhorn is a Cambodian citizen by blood because he is KHMER. Vietnam ONLY could arrest Ven. Tim Sakhorn by coming to Cambodia to KIDNAP him inside of the Cambodia’s territory. According to the International Law, Vietnam has violated the sovereignty of Cambodia and Vietnam has no rights to imprison a Cambodian citizen.

Based on the aforementioned information, we would be greatly indebted for your consideration and assistance to use your diplomatic influence to pressure Vietnam to release Ven. Tim Sakhorn back safely to Cambodia.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Vietnam Must Release Venerable Tim Sakhorn Unconditionally Petition to Secretary General of the United Nations, President of the United States, President of the European Parliament, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, U.S. Congress was created by OK and written by Serey Chau (msk4567@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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