Po Dharma (9 October 1948 – 22 February 2019) was a
Vietnamese human rights activist and
Cham cultural historian.
Po Dharma was a Cham, born as Quảng Văn Đủ. His birthplace was Chất Thường Village (
Cham: Palei Baoh Dana),
Ninh Phước District,
Ninh Thuận Province. He was a leader of
FULRO during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, being severely injured during the war in December 1970 in
Kampong Cham against
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...
ese
communist forces. He later quit his military career after getting permission to from
Les Kosem, and went to France.
He obtained a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in 1978, a
master’s degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practi ...
in 1980, and
a PhD in 1986. His research was mainly about Champa history and Cham cultures.
Po Dharma and his family were not allowed to return to Vietnam.
Po Dharma died in
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
on 22 February 2019.
[In Memoriam Pho Dharma Quang](_blank)
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References
External links
Po Dharma - WorldCat Identities
{{Authority control
1948 births
2019 deaths
People from Ninh Thuận province
Vietnamese Cham people
People of the Vietnam War
Vietnamese anti-communists
Vietnamese dissidents
Vietnamese expatriates in France
20th-century French historians
Historians of Vietnam