Five Khmer Buddhist monks and four religious activists were sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison by a court in Vinh Long province on Nov. 26. The head monk Thach Chanh Da Ra, 34, received the longest sentence of six years. Kim Khime was sentenced to three years.
The monks did not have lawyers at the trial. For years, Da Ra has been resisting pressure from the government to merge his ethnic congregation into the state-run Buddhist Church, including harassment, destruction of temple buildings, and cutting down of a 700-year-old tree that’s believed to be part of the Khmer-Krom community’s historical identity. Soon after Da Ra’s arrest, the state appointed a government-friendly monk to replace him.
Kim Khiem is accused of making slanderous posts about the authorities online, particularly in regards to an incident between local police and monks at Dai Tho Pagoda in November 2023.
Profile photo: Cong an Vinh Long
