Jesuit Refugee Service Cambodia has released a report on the legal status of ethnic Vietnamese minority populations in Cambodia under domestic and international laws governing nationality and statelessness. Entitled “A Boat Without Anchors”, the report details the history of the Vietnamese in Cambodia and their legal situation. It was released on January 17.
Written by Lyma Nguyen and Christoph Sperfeldt, the report considers the nationality status of a group among the ethnic Vietnamese minority in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia (the focal group), under the applicable nationality laws of Cambodia and Vietnam. In assessing the nationality status of the focal group, the report (1) looks at the status of the focal group under the applicable Cambodian and Vietnamese nationality laws, including any relevant changes to the laws throughout time; (2) examines documentation available among the focal group to establish or prove their civil status; (3) considers how the national authorities of Cambodia and Vietnam view and treat the group under the operation of their respective laws; and (4) discusses whether members of the focal group could be classified as stateless.
“A Boat without Anchors” is the latest in a list of publications by JRS Cambodia, which in 2012 include
- “The Search” – about regional protection for asylum seekers in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, by Nikola Errington and Taya Hunt
- “State of Migration” – on issues of forced displacement in Cambodia, by Madeleine Gleeson
- “People we met along the Way – The story of JRS in Cambodia”, compiled by Tess O’Brien
- “Words from Faith” – small prayer lines from the three religions in Cambodia
In 2011, JRS Cambodia published “Ambassadors before they knew it” – about the landmine campaign in Cambodia through the campaigning of Tun Channareth and Song Kosal.
To read the “A Boat Without Anchors”, click here.
For more information on JRS Cambodia, visit www.jrscambodia.org.