Can Tho (VNA) – Minister - Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Hau A Lenh attended a get-together to celebrate the Chol Chnam Thmay festival of Khmer people held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on April 10.
Lenh extended greetings to Khmer Theravada Buddhist monks and Khmer people, highlighted the Party and State always pay attention to ethnic minority affairs, and asked for drastic implementation of action plans and policies relating to ethnic minority affairs in general and to Khmer people in particular.
Can Tho city is home to 27 ethnic minority groups with over 38,000 people including nearly 23,700 Khmer people. Many Khmer ethnic scholars and intellectuals are living in the city while there are 12 Khmer pagodas and a Khmer Theravada Buddhist Academy here.
Thanks to the attention of the Party and State, the drastic direction by the municipal Party Committee, the People's Council, agencies, departments, localities, and community support, the lives of Khmer people have changed notably, both materially and spiritually.
As difficulties are predicted to come in 2024, Lenh called on Khmer Buddhist dignitaries and people in Can Tho to continue promoting solidarity and overcoming difficulties to join in achieving local socio-economic targets.
At the gathering, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Tran Viet Truong read letter of greetings from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, local authorities, and the city’s Vietnam Father Front to the Khmer people.
Lenh and representatives from local authorities and agencies presented gifts to monks from Khmer Theravada Buddhist pagodas, retired officials, policy families, and prestigious people among the Khmer people. Scholarships were also awarded to Cambodian students studying in the city and local poor Khmer students with good study performance./.