Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)

The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) is a volunteer-run organization in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the rights of the Khmer-Krom. The federation identifies the Khmer-Krom as the Indigenous people of Vietnam's Mekong Delta, a region it calls by its Khmer name, Kampuchea-Krom. It states that it works for human rights, religious freedom, self-determination and independence through peaceful means and international law.

Organization details
Common name	KKF
Type	Umbrella
Focus areas	indigenous-rights, human-rights, religious-freedom, self-determination
City	Washington
State / province	District of Columbia
Country	United States
Address	4953 E Capitol Street SW, Washington, DC 20019
Founded	1985
Website	Website
Operating status	active

History

The federation was founded in 1985, when the First World Convention on Khmer Krom met in New York City. That year its first chairman, Tan Dara Thach, designed the Khmer Krom flag. It took its present name at the Fifth World Convention in Toronto, Canada. The English Wikipedia dates that convention to 1995 and the Chinese Wikipedia to 1996. The federation's United Nations civil society profile gives 1996 as its year of establishment and 2000 as its year of registration. It has been tax-exempt in the United States since August 2002.

In 2001 the KKF joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and the International Dragon Boat Federation. It has attended the annual session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York since 2004, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in Geneva since 2007. On May 22, 2012, the NGO Committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted it special consultative status. The federation says Vietnam campaigned against that decision and has refused an open dialogue with it. In 2013 it submitted a written statement to that subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives. It became a member of the United Nations Department of Public Information in 2015, and its 2021 submission dates its association with the UN Department of Global Communications to November 2015.

In April 2019, the federation's president, Prak Sereivuth, led a delegation to Washington that met officials of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He said the federation pursues its goals through diplomacy and international law by peaceful means, and he called on Vietnam to end what the federation calls the persecution of the Khmer-Krom. On April 3, 2022, the KKF invited members to its 11th World Convention.

Advocacy

The KKF says it has brought Khmer-Krom human rights violations before the United Nations in New York and Geneva and has made recommendations to the Vietnamese government. On February 26, 2021, it sent EMRIP a submission titled "The Khmer-Krom's Right to Self-Determination in the Mekong Delta." In it the federation described the living conditions of the Khmer-Krom and their right to self-determination on what it calls their ancestral land. The submission made these requests:

• That Vietnam officially recognize the Khmer-Krom as Indigenous Peoples.
• That the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights help create an independent committee to report on land disputes, living conditions, the regulation of Khmer-Krom Theravada Buddhist temples and monks, Khmer-language education, abuse against women, gender disparities, access to higher education, punishments for sharing information on social media, and the exploitation of Khmer-Krom monks and culture.
• That Vietnam comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and ensure the Khmer-Krom's rights to self-determination, a free trial and equal protection.
• That Vietnam repeal its Law on Cybersecurity and Decree No. 15/2020/ND-CP.
• That the Khmer-Krom be free to form associations, and that the Khmer-Krom Theravada Buddhist branch be allowed an association independent of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.
• That public records and forms, including census materials, be available in Khmer.

The same submission recorded that in July 2020 the KKF wrote to a company in Vietnam urging it not to apply discriminatory policies to Khmer-Krom workers.

In July 2023 the KKF published a report on the needs of the Khmer-Krom in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It called on Vietnam to protect Khmer-Krom land rights, respect traditional farming methods rather than compel year-round farming, and offer bilingual education for Khmer-Krom children. It also asked for fair prices and market access for Khmer-Krom farm products, affordable credit, equal access to international scholarships, measures against job discrimination, the right to form independent labor unions, and better roads and internet service in Khmer-Krom areas.

The federation's other public letters and statements include a Remembrance Day open letter to the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (June 2, 2022), a joint letter on Vietnam's candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council (September 14, 2022), a statement on the private sponsorship of refugees (January 25, 2023), and a call to end harassment of Tro Nom Sek Temple in Dai Tho (December 1, 2023). In March 2025 it condemned the arrest of the Venerable Kim Som Rinh, a Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk, and the community advocates Thach Nga and Thach Xuan Dong in Preah Trapeang, known in Vietnamese as Tra Vinh. The federation says the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha had removed Kim Som Rinh from monk status on March 25, 2024, and it called for the release of all three and of other jailed Khmer-Krom activists. The KKF's Canadian chapter has also answered inquiries from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Organization

Members around the world elect the board of directors every four years. Its members come from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. The board includes a chairman, president, vice president, chief of administration, the senior council and representatives council, a secretary and treasurer, and directors of planning, information, women, youth, education and religious affairs. The president leads the executive committee and runs the federation's daily work. Regional, continental and local chapters are led by their own presidents. The federation has five kinds of members: founding, active, support, honorary and youth. The United Nations lists it as an Indigenous Peoples Organization accredited to the Indigenous Forum.

The federation's logo, Rear Hoo Chap Chan, shows a monster-like figure catching the moon (chan means moon in Khmer). In Khmer folklore, this is believed to cause a lunar eclipse. The Khmer Krom flag is blue, yellow and red. Blue stands for freedom and democracy, yellow for Khmer-Krom who love peace and justice, and red for Khmer-Krom bravery and sacrifice for the homeland.

Funding

The KKF's budget comes from donations by Khmer-Krom exiles in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, and from supporters. It also lists membership fees and grants. The IRS classes it as a business league, and donations to it are not tax deductible. For 2023 it reported revenue of $45,952, all from contributions. For 2025 it reported revenue of $199,264, expenses of $75,456 and net assets of $229,282.

Leadership (2025)

Officers listed in the federal filing for 2025, none of whom was paid.

• Son Hua, chairman
• Prak Sereviuth, president
• Moni Mao, vice president
• Son Chau, treasurer

Tran Mannarinh was the federation's director of planning in 2019.

See also

• All organizations

References

Sources

• https://en.vokk.net/a-brief-history-of-the-kampuchea-krom/