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Conference on
Champa 2007
Socio-cultural Issues of Champa
175 years after its disappearance (1832-2007)
July 7-8, 2007
San Jose, California, USA
Organized by Champa Communities in America
Under the patronage of
The International Office of Champa and The Champaka Journal
PETITION
Preamble
Considering that:
The Conference on Champa 2007, organized by the Champa communities in
America and sponsored by The International Office of Champa USA and the
Champaka journal, was held on July 7-8, 2007, at San Jose, California.
Its aims and purposes were to have academic specialists as well as
community members analyze the Champa people’s current sociocultural
issues in order to help them improve their lives. Professors and
scholars from America, Canada, France, Japan, and Malaysia, as well as
delegates from Champa communities in America, Europe, Malaysia,
Cambodia, and Vietnam, met each other and analyzed both why and how
Champa’s culture and society have been disrupted and proposed measures
to preserve their identities preserve their cultural legacy and protect
their existence.
We, the Organizing Committee of the Conference on Champa 2007, hereby
submit this following petition:
1) Role of the Champa People
Champa, an ancient kingdom that ruled much of present-day central
Vietnam for more then ten centuries, disappeared in 1832. However, many
of its monuments as well as its people remain. The monuments and other
historical artifacts are to be found in Vietnam while the Champa people
can be found there and in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, America, and
various European countries. Regardless of where they live, they have
become citizens of those countries, participate and have done their
parts to help develop socio-cultural activities at the same time enrich
the world with their own unique way of life and past civilization.
The delegates encourage the government of Viet Nam and Cambodia where
majority of their descendants still remains to this day to implement the
history and culture of Champa in its national educational curriculum.
Acknowledging the people’s multifaceted nature and history, as well as
learning from the past and exchanging cultural understanding, will
enable host countries to build a strong and prosperous nations.
2) Historical Champa
Modern research shows that Champa was a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural,
and multi-religious kingdom comprised of two major population groups:
the Cham and the Highlanders (e.g., the Jarai, Edhe, Chru, Raglai,
Bahnar, Sedang, Ma, Kaho, Stieng, and similar groups). Therefore, it is
appropriate that the textbooks and media in Viet Nam should reflect this
truth: Champa’s history and artifacts enrich the overall culture of Viet
Nam. This affirmation will ensure the removal of existing stereotypes
toward the Champa people and enable the Champa and Vietnamese peoples to
foster strong ties of social solidarity and mutual respect.
3) Protecting Human Rights
All people have inalienable rights, among them equality before the law
and the freedom of expression, conscience, and religion. These rights
have not always been observed, with the unfortunate result that peaceful
people sometimes find themselves compelled to protest. The world still
remembers the mass protests of Vietnam’s Highlander populations in 2001
and 2004, which sought a redress of specific long-standing grievances.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 would like to see these
problems resolved in order to prevent such incidents in the future.
Therefore, we earnestly appeal to the Vietnamese government to meet with
Highlander leaders and delegations to resolve these outstanding issues
in a mutually acceptable way that is in compliance with Vietnam’s
existing laws.
4) Equality
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 appeal the Vietnamese
government to extend to the Cham and the Highlanders all rights
currently enjoyed by the majority Vietnamese population, as well as full
equality before the law. We call upon the Vietnamese government to stop
Vietnamese incursions into the Champa peoples’ individual and family
lives so that their honor will not be violated.
We ask the Vietnamese government to establish laws to protect the Champa
people’s ways of life, moral and family code, and traditions. Such laws
compliment national law and vice versa, and promotes harmony between
citizens of various ethnic groups.
5) Land and the Means of Survival
The Champa peoples depend on agriculture. Therefore, the land and
forests are their means of livelihood. After 1975, their land, forests,
fields, and even their livestock and tools, were confiscated and placed
under the control of cooperatives, new economic fields, state-managed
farms, and other bodies. But later on, they passed into Vietnamese
hands. The cooperatives have been dissolved, but the land has not been
returned to its original owners. As a result, the current development
and exploitation of these lands in not benefiting the Cham and the
Highlanders; in fact, it continues to reduce their means of livelihood
and push them deeper into poverty and discontent.
The Champa peoples’ numbers continue to rise, but the amount of land
available for cultivation and other uses continues to shrink. The
migration of large numbers of Vietnamese into the area contributes to
this problem, for they now control huge swaths of land, often obtained
by dispossessing the original owners. Left without any land to call
their own, and thereby deprived of any way to take care of themselves
and their families, the Champa peoples sink into poverty, unemployment,
and despair.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 petition the Vietnamese
government to resolve these problems by returning the lands to their
original pre-1975 owners or to devise a policy of just compensation for
the land and other possessions confiscated after 1975. Another
alternative is to implement special government-sponsored programs or
vocational schools to train those who have lost their land or suffered
economic hardship. This will enable them to acquire the skills for
working in a factory or transition to another economic activity that
supports the growth of Gross National Product as a whole.
6) Preserving Champa’s Cultural Identity
Due to poverty and the high demand for “becoming modern,” along with the
lack of experts who know how to preserve and develop cultural identity,
the essence of Champa culture, from the performance to the essential
rituals (e.g., those associated with funerals, marriages, and birthdays)
to worship and general lifestyle, is in decline.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa request the Vietnamese
government to establish a policy that supports the development of Champa
culture. This does not mean that we have to change the performance in
order to entertain the viewers; rather, we have to preserve the essence
and the traditional performances that make the Champa people who they
are from one generation to the next.
7) Preserving Champa's Artistic Heritage
Champa’s traditional arts, including dance, music, and the musical
instruments, are in decline. Obsessed by trying to please the viewers,
those who are in charge of these arts have changed their traditional
nature by mixing them with alien elements. For example, the Champa arts
include nothing that even remotely resembles the Siva dance performed by
Vietnamese dancers on television and stage and in movies. This sexual
and culturally inappropriate dance, which is unknown to us, is, in fact,
an offense committed against the female Cham dancers and their dignity,
as well as a blasphemy against Siva, the god venerated by the non-Muslim
Cham.
The delegates to the Conference of Champa 2007 request that this and
similar dances be removed from all public venues, especially on stage
and television. We are more than willing to give others an accurate
portrayal of our culture, and would like to propose a meeting with the
government agencies concerned to devise a suitable program.
8) Preserving Champa Writing
Before 1975, the Cham had only one language and one kind of writing:
akhar thrah. After 1975, thanks to the government’s help for continuing
support and preserve Champa language through research institution until
today. However, the committee in charge of Cham writing in Ninh Thuan
province changed its grammar based on local phonetic invention.
Unfortunately, this change turned the writing system used by the Cham
priests and elders, as well as the educated Cham, on its head.
The delegates to the Champa Conference 2007 request that this mistake be
corrected by returning to the traditional akhar thrah system of writing,
which is considered a divine legacy that nobody can change without
providing sufficient scientific evidence. The delegates also request
that the Cham language to be taught not only in Ninh Thuan province, but
also in Binh Thuan province, Ho Chi Minh City, Chau Doc province, and
Tay Ninh province, all of which have major concentrations of Champa
people, as well as wherever Champa people are present.
9) Status of the Cham Cultural Center
The Vietnamese government has sought to develop Champa culture by
establishing a Cham Cultural Center in Ninh Thuan province.
Unfortunately, this center has become no more than an office to find
jobs for various people. For example, it still has no specific program
for researching and developing Champa culture due to the lack of
official concern, insufficient financial support, and the absence of
qualified researchers.
To make this undertaking a success, we call upon the Vietnamese
government to upgrade the center’s status by reclassifying it as a
center devoted to research on Vietnam’s ethnic minorities and locate it
at the top level of the central administration. This change will prove
to the Champa people that the government is genuinely concerned about
Champa culture in general, and not just about the Cham in Ninh Thuan
province. Of course, all Champa people will do their best to support
this effort.
10) Cham Temples and Shrines
The Cham temples in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces are places of
worship for the Cham people. Unfortunately, the local authorities have
reduced them to places of tourism. This has destroyed the beautiful
natural landscapes, the ancient architectural structures, and the divine
atmosphere of worship. Tourism has also obstructed the peoples’ rituals.
The local authorities have opened the temples’ doors for tourists
without any rite and ritual, and without the agreement of the Council of
Cham Priests. This action has harmed the Cham's spiritual life. In
addition, the money collected from the tourists goes to the Department
of Culture; meanwhile, the Cham people have use their own money to hold
the four yearly ceremonies at the temples.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 ask the Vietnamese
government to consider placing these temples and shrines under the
control of the Council of Cham Priests. Otherwise, the spiritual life of
the Cham people will continue to be negatively affected. In short, the
status quo negates the article of freedom of religion articulated by the
government.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 feel that the best
solution to this dilemma is to establish a regional committee
responsible for keeping the Champa tradition in line with what has been
handed down from generation to generation. This umbrella committee will
cover everything related to the freedom of worship to the annual rituals
of the Champa people.
11) Education
The level of education of Cham and Highlander students is still very low
when compared to their Vietnamese counterparts. Although their numbers
in elementary and secondary schools are increasing, their percentage
remains very small. Due to their poverty, plus the large gap of
knowledge between urban and rural students, the students cannot pass the
entrance examinations that allow one to pursue higher education at
universities and similar institutions.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 request the Vietnamese
government to set aside a certain number of quota or special programs
for Champa students so that they can pursue higher education and acquire
the necessary knowledge and skills for helping the country develop
further. If they are helped to find work after graduation, there is no
telling what contributions they will make to the national wellbeing. If
the present situation continues, the indigenous youths will never emerge
from unemployment due to their lack of modern knowledge and skills. As a
result they become an obstacle to progress and a burden for the nation.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 also appeal to
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations
concerned with education to provide scholarships to qualified Champa
students to study abroad so that they can learn the specialties needed
for furthering social development and fighting poverty and hunger. The
existence of many educated minority workers will enable Vietnam to fight
the poverty and other social ills now ravaging minority communities.
12) Health Insurance and Social Assistance
Most of the Cham and Highlanders do not have enough income to cover
their health insurance due to lack of land and resource to develop their
economy efficiently. The poverty has driven them to the substandard of
living.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 earnestly request the
Vietnamese and Cambodia governments to establish a special policy of
health insurance and social assistance to help them out during times of
sickness, unemployment, accidents, food shortages, and medical needs due
to the uncontrollable forces of nature. Local governments, with the help
of foreign aid, should do their best to provide social assistance and
health insurance to them. The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007
also request the NGOs and other international organizations concerned
with social development to help local governments eliminate hunger and
poverty in their communities.
13) Training Managers
The government’s administrative structures, from the top to the bottom,
are currently in the hands of the Vietnamese even in the land where
majority are the Cham or Highlanders. These agents execute the central
authority’s orders without considering their impact upon the Champa
peoples’ customs and traditions. Therefore, traditional Champa familial
and social structures are often disrupted and left open to external
influences.
The delegates to Conference on Champa 2007 request the Vietnamese and
Cambodian governments to train a class of Champa head of district in the
areas where high concentration of Champa people reside, establish
exclusive zones around Champa villages so that they can administer their
own people in the most appropriate manner. Moreover, the government
should create favorable conditions for them to hold meritorious offices
in the universities, centers of research, hospitals, museums, and
similar places. Their presence in the administration will increase the
minority peoples’ trust and affection toward all government officials.
14) Security and Order
The conditions of poverty facing the Champa people, as well as their
complete absence from the administrative system, create conflict between
the minority and the majority populations. For example, the minority
peoples are subjected to such social crimes as theft, robbery,
intimidation, and aggression.
The delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 request the Vietnamese
and Cambodian governments to punish all people who engage in such
illegal activities and to establish security so that the Champa people’s
can live in peace in their localities.
15) Respect for the Champa Peoples' Aspirations
The Cham and the Highlanders of Vietnam are honest, peaceful, and
law-abiding citizens. However, as history has shown, they will struggle
against any injustice and oppression imposed upon them. The government
should do its best to satisfy their legitimate aspirations. It should no
longer label them as “reactionaries” who intend to fight against the
government or demand their independence with the help of foreign aid.
Such allegations, all of which are baseless, only engender feelings of
mutual frustration and distrust.
16) Request support from United States of America
The fall of Phnom Penh in Cambodia in 1974 and Saigon in 1975 create an
enormous human migration from the Indo-Chinese to the western world.
Among them are the people of Champa with the largest number resettled in
America. The total population, estimated to be about 25,000, live
scattered all over United States. Most of them live in the East and West
coasts due to favorable climate. Due to economy hardship and differences
in culture, they are not able to compete in the workforce and assimilate
into America society as easy as other groups.
We earnestly call upon the government of United States of America, from
local to federal, from the government official in the city as well as
the members of high-ranking officers at the federal level to make it
easy for us to apply grant to develop our economic opportunity,
educational venue, grant to help preserving our cultural heritage in
America.
17) Request support from International Communities
Finally, the delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007 appeal to all
Champa peoples in the diaspora, NGOs, and international organizations to
pay attention to these minorities and help them improve their economic,
cultural, and social conditions by ending their current situation and
working for social justice for everyone in order to benefit humanity as
a whole.
This petition is completed and read before the delegations at 1:30 PM,
Sunday July 8, 2007 at San Jose, California, USA.
On behalf of the Delegates to the Conference on Champa 2007, the
organizers of the conference consisted Board of Advisor and The
Executive Committee testify that this petition is true.
Board of Advisor:
Mr. Thanh Phu Ba, Chief Advisor
Mr. Yassin Ba, Assistant Advisor
Mr. An Dai Tai, Secretary of Board of Advisor
Executive Committee:
Mr. Musa Porome, Director of the Executive Committee
Mr. Thu Van Chau, First Assistant Director
Mr. Rohim Abram, Second Assistant Director
Mr. Kevin Van Champa, Treasurer
Mr. Nhuong Cong Tu, Secretary-General
Mr. Vinh Thanh, Assistant Secretary-General
Any questions regarding to the Petition, please send your inquiry to:
The Petition Committee
2647 Senter Road, #118
San Jose, CA 95111, USA
La Committé de Réclamation
56 Square des Bauves
95140, Garge les Gonesse, France
Contact through email:
mporome@cox.net, podharma@pd.jaring.my, thuvanchau@sbcglobal.net
rohimabe@yahoo.com, tucongnhuong@yahoo.com
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