7th January Monks, Tep Vong, Long Kim Leang, and Sao Chanthol Defrocked Venerable Tim Sakhorn

7th January Hochimonks, from left to right: Comrade Tep Vong, Comrade Long Kim Leang and Comrade Sao Chanthol
"At this time, Long Kim Leang, a 7th January monk, is currently staying at a Khmer temple in San Jose, California because he was sponsored to live in the US at that temple. Tim Sakhorn is already invited to come to San Jose for the year end meeting of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation in December 2009. Let’s see if Long Kim Leang still has power to arrest Tim Sakhorn and deport him again to Vietnam."

After arriving at the third country, a Former Buddhist monk and also an Abbot of the northern Phnom Den pagoda, Kiri Vong district, Takeo province, Tim Sakhorn confirmed that the 7the January Buddhist clergies Tep Vong ordered Long Kim Leang, and Sao Chanthol to strip of his monk’s robe, placed in a car and sent him to imprison in Vietnam.

Tim Sakhorn is a well-known Khmer Krom human rights activist. After being granted a political asylum safely in the third country, he told a PreynokorNew’s Journalist about how he was defrocked and arrested in Takeo province. He confirmed that Long Kim Leang and Sao Chanthol directly defrocked him at Seyha Rattana Ram pagoda in Takeo provincial on 30th June 2007, pushed him into a car, deported to Vietnam to be imprisoned in An Giang province.

The following were the interview between Preynokor News’ Journalist and Tim Sakhorn on Wednesday 8th July 2009:

Preynokor News: When you were in Kampuchea, did you decide to leave from monk hood or you were defrocked?
Tim Sakhorn: When I was in Kampuchea, (the top Buddhist clergies Tep Vong, including Long Kim Leang, Sao Chanthol, and Chea Om…) After I had lunch, Cheas Om phoned me.

Preynokor News: Who was Cheas Om?
Tim Sakhorn: Cheas Om was a high-ranking Buddhist monk in Takeo province in Seyha Rattana Ram pagoda.

Preynorkor News: Why did he call you? What did he say?
Tim Sakhorn: He called me in order to cheat me by saying that just asking me to visit him. In contrast, they planned to meet me, then the Buddhist clergies including Sao Chanthol took the defrocking order letter which already distributed to every pagodas in Kampuchea Krom saying that I undermined the relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam which were signed and stamped by top Buddhist clergy Non Nget and Tep Vong. They defrocked me and forced me to get into a car and sent to the Vietnamese authorities in An Giang province.

7th January Monk, Sao Chanthol was answering the interview while he was conducting his 7th January monks to oppress Khmer Krom Buddhist monks who were protesting to demand releasing Khmer Krom Buddhist monks in Vietnam.

Preynorkor News: They accused you of self-repatriation, in this case, they had a letter and signed by you too, is it true?
Tim Sakhorn: In this case, they forced me to do like that. I’ve never wanted to leave far away from my family, parent, and siblings that all live in Phnom Den district because I used to live there since 1979.

Preynorkor News: What kind of police that sent you to prison in An Giang province?
Tim Sakhorn: This based on high-ranking police cooperated with top Buddhist clergies could send me. Just their car entered Cheas Om’s doorway at Seyha Rattana Ram pagoda, waited for me to leave the building, they pushed me into the car. The four police officers in civilian uniform drove me across the Phnom Den border checkpoint to An Giang province.

Tim Sakhorn – a former defrocked Khmer-Krom Buddhist by 7th January monks in Cambodia

Preynorkor News: Did you remember one of the police that arrest you?
Tim Sakhorn: No, they cooperated with the Khmer Buddhist monks.

Preynorkor News: What was the name of Buddhist clergies who defrocked you?
Tim Sakhorn: At that time I saw Cheas Om, Sao Chanthol and other monks from Tep Vong’s group consisted of six monks led by Long Kim Leang at Unnalom pagoda representative Tep Vong and nearly twenty pagoda boys along with them.

Long Kim Leang, 7th January Monk

Preynorkor News: When they sent you to the border in An Giang province, did anyone come to take you?
Tim Sakhorn: They sent me to Vietnam directly until reaching to Tinh Bien district. After Arriving at police office, they gave me to Vietnam authorities, then the Khmer polices drove back to Cambodia left me to Vietnamese polices.

Before defrocking Tim Sakhorn, Khmer Krom Buddhist monks protested in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia to demand for respecting Khmer Krom Human Rights in Kampuchea Krom because Vietnam authorities defrocked many Khmer Krom Buddhist monks after the demonstration on 8 February 2007 at Pali school in Khleang province.

Long Kim Leang and Sao Chanthol sent his 7th January monks to attack Khmer Krom monks

The non-violence demonstration of Khmer Krom Buddhist monks in Cambodia to demand Vietnamese government to respect Khmer Krom Rights was crack downed by the Cambodian official monks who served Vietnamese political agenda, such as Long Kim Leang the chief of monks that had Khmer body but Vietnamese head. The public opinion called him as the 7th January Buddhist monk. His monks and Hoc Lundy’s polices hit a Khmer Krom monk in his head and caused bleeding seriously and many others wounded.

Long Kim Leang was leading his 7th January monks to oppress Khmer Krom monks

To confirm that Long Kim Leang in Cambodia stayed at Unnalom pagoda along with the top Buddhist monk, “7th January” Tep Vong, has position as deputy high-ranking monk in Don Penh district and Sao Chanthol the abbot of Lankar pagoda. After arrested venerable Tim Sakhorn and defrocked him and also accomplished their tasks from cracked-down on Khmer Krom monks who protested in front of Vietnamese embassy for many times, Long Kim Leang was appointed by Hun Sen government as Preah Putha Khosachar and Sao Chanthol as Preah Arya Vong.

Cambodian polices attacked Khmer Krom Buddhist monks

In 2007, Long Kim Leang went to USA in an attempt to join seima festival at Munisota Ram pagoda located in Minnesota state. There were many Khmers and Khmer Krom living there planed to demonstrate against Long Kim Leang at that time. He heard that so he dared to participate in this festival and hided himself silently in California.

7th January monks

In 2008, Long Kim Leang went to USA for the second time. He stayed at Angkor Borey pagoda, Modesto, California for a short time because lay people did not support him and they knew that he was a monk from the top of Buddhist clergies, Tep Vong, so they did not believe and went back to Cambodia.

Long Kim Leang was answering questions for reporters regarding his 7th January monks cracked down the peaceful protest of Khmer Krom Buddhist monks

At this time, a 7th January monk, Long Kim Leang, is currently staying at a Khmer temple in San Jose, California because he was sponsored to live in the US at that temple. Tim Sakhorn is already invited to come to San Jose for the year end meeting of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation in December 2009. Let’s see if Long Kim Leang still has power to arrest Tim Sakhorn and deport him again to Vietnam.