Khmer-Krom: Human Rights Committee Review Vietnam’s Implementation of the ICCPR

 

UNPO | August 8, 2025

In July 2025, the UN Human Rights Committee reviewed Vietnam’s fourth periodic report on its implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As part of the review process, UNPO submitted a report to the Committee, detailing the persistent violations and systemic discrimination faced by the Khmer-Krom, shedding light on Vietnam’s implementation of the ICCPR.

The Khmer-Krom live throughout the Mekong Delta region, known in Khmer as Kampuchea-Krom, an area they have continuously inhabited for thousands of years. Despite being one of the largest Indigenous groups in Vietnam, they are not afforded Indigenous status and instead are labelled by the Government as one of 53 ethnic minority groups. The denial of their Indigenous status deprives the Khmer-Krom of vital legal protections, exacerbating the restrictions on their civil and political rights. 

In the submission to the Committee, UNPO documented a wide range of restrictions and violations of the civil and political rights for the Khmer-Krom, including:

·        Denial of Indigenous Status: Vietnam’s refusal to recognize the Khmer-Krom as Indigenous Peoples denies them access to international protections and laws, undermining their fundamental right to self-determination.

·        Suppression of Fundamental Freedoms: The government actively prohibits the formation of independent organizations, censors internet and social media, and uses police force to suppress political opponents and civil society activists, leading to violations of freedom of expression, association, assembly, religion, and language.

·        Religious Persecution: Khmer Theravada Buddhism, the traditional religion of the Khmer-Krom, is not recognized as an authorized religion, forcing monks into state-controlled associations and restricting religious practices and cultural preservation efforts.

·        Arbitrary Detention and Torture: The report details numerous instances of arbitrary arrests, detentions, and brutal treatment, including torture, against Khmer-Krom activists advocating for their rights.

·        Land and Livelihood Restrictions: Decades of land appropriation and collectivization policies have denied Khmer-Krom access to their traditional lands, leading to endemic poverty and economic inequality.

·        Discrimination and Lack of Representation: Pervasive discrimination against the Khmer-Krom is evident in their limited access to education, political institutions, and economic opportunities, exacerbated by linguistic barriers and lack of representation in public affairs.

In its concluding observations, the Committee echoed several of these concerns, noting with alarm the ‘persistence of discriminatory stereotypes and entrenched patriarchal attitudes relating to the roles and responsibilities of women, which particularly affect women and girls from rural and impoverished areas, especially ethnic minorities such as the Khmer-Krom, Hmong and Montagnards’. In this vein, it recommended that the Vietnamese State take measures to combat patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes about gender roles in the family and society. The Committee also raised concern over increasing reports of ‘discrimination, harassment and intimidation against religious minorities, in particular the Montagnard and Hmong Protestants, Khmer-Krom Buddhists, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao’. 

The UNPO welcomes the Committee’s observations, but remains deeply concerned that the Khmer-Krom and other Indigenous Peoples in Vietnam, such as the Hmong, continue to be referred to merely as ethnic or religious minorities. As noted by the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (and other Indigenous experts), self-identification is an essential component of any determination of Indigenous status, and is fundamental to self-determination. This right is affirmed in Article 33 of the United Nations Declaration on the RIghts of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affording Indigenous Peoples the right to determine their own identity or membership. 

Furthermore, the UN Special Procedures have previously raised concern about ‘the denial of the right of Khmer Krom peoples to identify as Indigenous Peoples, and laws and policies put in place towards their forced assimilation’. Despite these calls and recognised provisions in international law, the Human Rights Committee continues to refer to the Khmer-Krom merely as an ethnic or religious minority, a categorisation that the UNPO argues fails to acknowledge their Indigenous identity, ultimately undermining their rights.

UNPO further echoes broader concerns raised by BPSOS regarding Vietnam’s transnational repression activities, particularly on Thai soil. The Committee accordingly condemned the Vietnamese government’s targeting of dissidents abroad through abductions, politically motivated extraditions, and misuse of INTERPOL mechanisms, posing grave risks to exiled activists and refugees.

While the Committee’s observations regarding the Khmer-Krom are greatly welcomed, the UNPO remains concerned about the continued miscategorisation of the Khmer-Krom and other Indigenous Peoples as ethnic or religious minorities. The UNPO remains committed to supporting the rights of the Khmer-Krom and urges the Vietnamese state to formally recognise their Indigenous status and take concrete steps to ensure the effective protection and realisation of the Khmer-Krom’s rights. 

 

 

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