Editorial | Articles about Cambodia | Khmer
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Exclusive Hun Sen’s dirty jobs
Comments recorded by Sylvaine Pasquier
L’Express (France)
Translated from French by M. Preuk
Heng Pov was one of the police chiefs [of the city] of Phnom Penh, he was a key witness but also played an active role in the exactions made by the Prime Minister and his regime. Today Heng Pov is on the run, he provides [here] his exclusive testimony.
Yesterday, he was secretary of state at the Cambodian Ministry of Interior and advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Heng Pov was relieved of all his duties at the end of July. Accused of various crimes, he is in hiding overseas, and he is also under a red notice alert broadcasted by Interpol at the demand of [the] Phnom Penh [regime]. The Cambodian authorities never deployed such aggressiveness towards the backers of political assassinations nor the killers on their payroll. Having occupied key positions, such as Phnom Penh police chief, Heng Pov knows the inside of the regime, and most of all, the secrets hidden behind closed doors. In this exclusive interview, he allows us a small peek behind the curtain hiding a universe of violence and mafia-like complicity in which he was one the player. Can he accuse his former peers without incriminating himself? Heng Pov is a time bomb for the Hun Sen regime. Can the regime avoid the shockwave?
Did you run away from Cambodia knowing that you would be charged?
I left the country legally last July 23, with an authorization for the Ministry of Interior, for medical care of my amputated leg. Five days later, some friends called me from Cambodia, warning me not to go back: Prime Minister Hun Sen and Hok Lundy, the national police chief, learnt about my contacts with the opposition and reprisals are expected [to be forthcoming]. They have fabricated entirely an accusation file against me – a process which was routinely used to throw the opponents [of the regime] behind bars. Currently, members of my family are detained at home, and they are kept in the dark. They are even prevented from going out to get food. The Prime Minister wants to catch me at all cost because I know too much about the crimes and corruption of the regime. If I am arrested and sent back to Cambodia, my life will be in danger. Once my security is assured, I will be ready to testify in order to clarify the international community on the practices of the Cambodian regime.
What are you referring to?
In 1995, Hun Sen wanted to put to an end all demonstrations demanding for democracy. To do that, he organized a meeting at his home in Tuol Krasaing, where Hok Lundy participated. The latter asked me to participate also. I know he was present and I have proof of what was said there. Grenades were thrown at the Son Sann [a former Prime Minister] party. I can tell you where these grenades came from and who threw them: they were men under Mok Chito who is nowadays at the head of the criminal police at the Ministry of Interior. In March of 1997, the same method was used against the partisans of Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader, who were gathering in front of the National Assembly. I just arrived at the spot for a few minutes when the explosions started. Suddenly, I saw 4 people running toward the residence of the Prime Minister.
Who were they?
I followed them, and I recognized two officers from Hun Sen’s guard [unit]. Shortly after, I informed General Hoy Piseth of my discovery, he was the commander of this [guard] unit. “Stay still and don’t talk about it to anybody,” he told me. But, I was angry and I told these facts to Hok Lundy who had the same reaction as Hoy Piseth. In 2003, one of those whom I identified during the grenade attack confessed to me that he was indeed one of the grenade launcher. “I obeyed the orders from Hun Sen,” the man added. There is still a recording of this conversation.
Were you informed beforehand of the July 1997 coup d’état?
Before this event, in April, about 7 tons of cannabis [marijuana] were ceased at the Sihanoukville port. The anti-drug trafficking office which I directed, discovered this illegal cargo in two containers shipped to Norway, and belonging to the Mong Reththy group – a businessman close to the Prime Minister. Ho Sok, the state secretary of the [Ministry of] Interior belonging to the royalist [Funcinpec] party, immediately asked for the arrest of Mong Reththy. Hun Sen was furious. Knowing that I was invited shortly thereafter to a seminar in Canada on anti-narcotic fight, the Prime Minister summoned me. “Do you know who is implicated in this [cannabis] traffic?” I replied: “Mong Reththy and some people in your entourage.” Hok Lundy, General Sao Sokha, then the deputy chief of the national police, or General Dom Hak, the leader of the land military army.
How did Hun Sen reacted?
He told me that I cannot go to Canada. Instead, he wanted me to organize a press conference to exonerate Mong Reththy. His orders were to falsify the documents in such a way as to implicate the royalist [Funcinpec] Chao Sokhon as being the culprit. Chao Sokhon was a police officer who was arrested and sent to jail. Freed two years later, he received some financial compensation. Thus Hun Sen put the blame on the royalist [Funcinpec] camp. However, Ho Sok knew that Mong Reththy was the culprit.
Was it why he (Ho Sok) was killed?
Exactly. Taking advantage of the coup d’état which Hun Sen perpetrated with the help of Hok Lundy, and Generals Hoy Piseth and Sao Sokha, as well as Neth Savoeun, his nephew through alliance, who was leading the Phnom Penh municipal police [force]. During the operation, the Prime Minister arranged to leave for Vietnam, but, he was in contact in permanence through satellite telephone with Hok Lundy whom Hun Sen entrusted the leadership. Turned away from the Singapore embassy where he went to look for protection, Ho Sok was arrested and brought to an office at the Ministry of Interior where Hok Lundy asked me to go to. On the spot, I saw six bodyguards belonging to the chief of the police who arrived there before me. They shot Ho Sok in front of my eyes. One of them whom I know well, emptied a whole magazine of AK-47 bullets on Ho Sok. I took him aside: “Why did you kill him? – I don’t know anything, Hok Lundy gave the order to do so, ask him yourself.” That was what I did. “It was necessary, Hok Lundy said, if not Ho Sok would have created problems.” The main worry of the police chief was for me to recover a car from a royalist official on the run: he wanted the car to give as a gift to the most zealous of the killers.
Is this the way the system [regime] operates?
When Hun Sen demanded that I falsified the documents regarding the seized cannabis, he warned me that Mong Reththy would give me a car, a Toyota Land Cruiser. My [official] duty landed me [only] a used Hillux pickup. Whoever executes the crime is a full partner of the system. To buy his silence, he is offered money or a car.
What do you know about the murder of actress Piseth Pilika in 1999?
I was in charge of the investigation as the deputy criminal police chief. I thus discovered that she first had an affair with Hok Lundy who later on presented her to Hun Sen. But Bun Rany, the wife of the Prime Minister, discovered her husband’s affair with the star. She accused Hok Lundy of acting as the go-between. The latter went to see her to make peace, to tell her that it was just a fling … However, I learnt through my investigation that he promised [Bun Rany] to separate Piseth Pilika from Hun Sen. Those who shot the actress were the same killers of Ho Sok. I questioned them and I recorded their testimonies.
You were the Phnom Penh police chief in 2004 when the unionist Chea Vichea was shot. Are the real culprits behind bars?
It was necessary to have a rigorous and transparent investigation, it was what I asked for, whereas the human rights organizations and the international community emphasized their pressure on the authorities. A few days after the murder, I was summoned to go to Hok Lundy’s home. Two generals were present there: Sok Phall and Chay Sinarith. Immediately, he (Hok Lundy) announced to me that the killers were identified and arrested! Based on a simple denunciation made by the Tuol Kork district police … It did not take me long to understand that the two suspects, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, had nothing to do with the murder. During the questioning, Hok Lundy called me, demanding that I went to his home to pick up a gun which he affirmed to be the crime weapon. He claimed that a police officer under the order of General Chay Synarith brought it over to him, and that it belonged to one of the suspect. I then thought of the royalist [Funcinpec] MP Om Radsady who was shot in 2003 in the middle of the street, just like Chea Vichea. I was convinced that the two crimes were organized by the same people. The methods used [in the killing] and the gun – which came from Hok Lundy – are identical.
Did you personally receive the order for murder?
In 2005, Hok Lundy asked me to kill Nuth Saan, secretary of state at the [Ministry of] Interior, with whom he had a conflict regarding a state-owned land and used by the Siem Reap police. Nuth Saan decided to sell it to hotel investors. Hok Lundy was furious about it, it was because the secretary of state took the decision without asking for his approval, and not because Nuth Saan was squandering public properties for his own benefit. Hok Lundy wanted to let everyone know that it is him who is in charge and nobody else. To tell Hok Lundy that I declined to act against the law would expose myself to the same fate as Nuth Saan. I dreamed up an excuse. Several times, I skirted his orders. In December 2005, at a meeting of police officers and commune leaders at the municipality of Phnom Penh, Hok Lundy took it out openly against me. He then ordered the arrest of several of my collaborators.
Can one remain upright in this system?
On several occasions, I gave information to human rights organizations and to the opposition – I was looking for somebody who can publicly divulge them. There is no doubt that I turned a blind eye on the corruption which Hun Sen claims to fight against, but that in fact, he is one of the main beneficiary. The sale of public properties such as the Phnom Penh police headquarter brought in for him, for example, 2 million dollars, Hok Lundy raked in $800,000 … The Prime Minister plays a dangerous game for the country. I am convinced that there will not be democracy in Cambodia as long as the opposition parties cannot succeed in uniting themselves against the current regime. As for the accusations leveled against me, I am ready to answer them in front of a tribunal, under the condition that it is not done either in Cambodia or Vietnam. In these places, there is no justice.
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Who’s Who
By Sylvaine Pasquier
Hok Lundy (1950-): One of the strongmen of the regime, at the head of the national police since 1994. He is linked to Hun Sen, the current Prime Minister, since 1979, whom he met in Vietnam. His son, Hok Lundao, married Hun Chanthah, Hun Sen’s niece, in 1998. He divorced her about a year and a half ago. Hok Chindavy, Hok Lundy’s daughter, is married to one of Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manit.
Ho Sok (1958-1997): Colonel, he was a member of the royalist military faction at the beginning of 1990, He was nominated secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior in 1995. Openly criticizing the corruption and drug trafficking, he was one of the first target during the 1997 coup d’état organized by Hun Sen. It was the only murder of an opponent acknowledged by the regime. The culprits have never been arrested.
Chea Vichea (1968-2004): President of the Free Trade Union of workers of the kingdom of Cambodia, he was by far the most active unionist in the textile industry, the main industry in Cambodia. He was shot and killed in the middle of the street on the morning of January 22, 2004 by unknown killers. Serious doubts remain on the culpability of two suspects accused of the murder and who are condemned to 25-year jail term each during a sham trial.
Piseth Pilika (1965-1999): Royal Ballet dancer and beloved Cambodian star. She had an affair with Prime Minister Hun Sen, which resulted in her being mortally wounded in 1999 near a market in Phnom Penh, by a killer who took off without worry. She died seven days later from her wounds. More than 10,000 people participated to her funeral.
Sam Rainsy (1949-): Former Finance Minister (1993-1994), nowadays, opposition leader, he founded the Khmer Nation Party in 1995, which was renamed Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) in 1998. A virulent critic of the regime and threatened with arrest several times, he was condemned in absentia to 18-month jail term for defamation in December 2005, he was later pardoned by the king.
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By Kok Sap,
August 31, 2006
People have high expectation in each MP as a fellow citizen representative not a yoyo. Please be mindful of people daily chagrins and hardship. If the purposely pending Anti Corruption law enacted accordingly, the polygamy or the offensive speeches especially the grand theft and extortion may take a rest on own initiative. The legislature and Administration kept taken aback about such bill despite of donors and lenders criticisms. All major donors threatened to suspend fund and repayment but that does not bother Saum-dach Hun-Chea- Heng a bit. And the other Saum-dach Prince of Hoods, RRidh, ran off with $30 million.
Recently we all can appreciate Heng Poev in letting public know how evil the current government and its key personalities. Remember, Heng Poev is just a tip of the whole Kahuna corruptive chain. So, the bill is very crucial in reforming the rampant corruption and disenfranchisement in Cambodia. Please stop fooling around and be serious with your high paid salary job. If this law enacted accordingly, the polygamy or the offensive speeches especially the grand theft and extortion might take a rest on own initiative.
The penal codes for corruptive activity ought to be with teeth and might. Then the regular social mischievous drinking, compulsive gambling, brothel visitation, trafficking-smuggling, and selling documents, to build up secret stashes for multiple foxes, as Sihanouk dubbed it, may take caution on own merit. Why all of sudden, monogamy and speech is so urgent? Is it because too close to next election and consultative conference which typically Hun Sen would run his mouth about the corruption law then the donors got soften and forgot all about it.
The National Assembly shall exercise full rights as stated in the Constitution. The Assembly is the Cambodia and its people. It shouldn't have lodged legitimate grievance with the Constitutional Council and King timely since the government head is reneging his duty.
The Constitution stated it so 1/10 of the Assembly can act in the best interest of people and national integrity. It has precedents in the record such as the packaged government vote, the lifting immunity vote, and 50 plus ONE legislation vote, the illegal treaties endorsement etc...
Henceforth, the FUNC and SRP can join force in such nationalistic reformation to curb and limit Prime Minister Office too much of power and authority in implementing policy without conferring the legislatures. Also, the Assembly should limit role in each of MP to hold multi offices while in Parliament. The Prime Minster office is ought to be open to all qualified candidate from participating political party unnecessary only the top echelon leadership. This to prevent dictatorship and conflict of interest before it is gone beyond presently. MP who holds ministerial top post should be excused from MP seat all together. Otherwise the culture of baking and eating cake will still continue unless a new revolution takes place.
The current system is giving too much power to Prime Minister to the degree that he acts belligerently and unilaterally toward the legislatures and Constitution. The Assembly is mandated by people votes to act on their behalf in protecting their interest and national sovereignty. Cambodia got to change the way the government and legislature function in order to balance and check for transparency.
All appear the monarchial and the totalitarian mechanism is still in place. Cambodia is still a corporate since Sihanouk has been studding around his ministers wives in exchange for juicy posts. It had never changed entirely even during the Khmer Republic.
Seemingly so many laws passed with MP showing hands as regularly. There was no forum nor debate or study about any law. That's the violation of privacy. It is coercion and intimidation. Therefore all votes should put into secret ballot for the sake of individual integrity and conscience. This is fundamental rule in democracy. All MP shall act and talk like real people voice not political influenced rubberstamping.
Presently the anarchy in land grabbing and drug smuggling, and social instability may consume Cambodia all together sooner. To uplift morality and transparency, each high office holder must file annual income and asset report with the treasury and national taxation services. If any doubt or suspicion, the legislature moves in with its investigative committee subpoena and court enforcement. The treasury, in turn, takes action in accordance with the laws. Up to this point people may not have to be killed for speaking up against evilness from officials. Daily the government dares to violently manhandling citizens without a flinch, because their representatives neglect duty and allow it. Therefore it is the Assembly job to preserve order and laws. It needs to push hard before next election arrived. The monogamy and draconian laws to intimidate vocal MP can be at ease in the light of the anticorruption law.
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By Kok Sap,
August 31, 2006
The original UNTAC approved Constitution drafted and promulgated in 1993, Article 51 states" The Kingdom of Cambodia adopts policy of Liberal Democracy and pluralism. The Cambodian people are the master of their own country. All powers (power) belong to the people. The people exercise these (the) powers through the national Assembly, the Royal Government and the judiciary. The Legislative (National Assembly),
Executive (loosened term Government, actually the Administration) and
Judiciary Powers shall be separate (correctly separated but exclusively abiding in check and balance)." The clause seems distinctive and indicative of people power. But in reality it is pervasively contrary.
Out of the stated branches, the so called government possesses exclusive power to even dictate the other two. Each verse has no tooth.
Let's look at the staple of the article 51" the Kingdom of Cambodia adapts policy of Liberal Democracy and pluralism." Is this representative? Not likely. The words" adapts policy" is weak and ambiguous. It ought to be "adheres Democracy of Pluralism and Equality", instead. Next verse states" The Cambodian (no distinctive in qualification) people are the master of their own country." This is clearly rubbish. All know who the real master of their country is.
The following verse is more interestingly in term of who is really calling the shot," All powers (power) belong to the people. The people exercise these (the) powers through the national Assembly, the Royal Government and the Judiciary." Not so, if we look at the patterns, the Legislative or Judiciary makes no calling without afraid of Executive reprisal since most are actually subordinates of the government hierarchal. This is paradoxical. The oddity is whether egg or chicken comes first. In record, the head of government was originated from absolutism and authoritarianism. Thus he seems to impose members to heed his personal agendas rather than the people.
Such law is understated the power of people.
Lastly, "The Legislative, Executive and Judiciary Powers shall be separate." Like it or not this is totally a deception and demagogue.
Most MP members are holding multiple roles whether in administration (Executive) or legislative and/or party leadership. The obvious, who dares to risk losing self and fortune in disobedience the communistic permanent standing committee unshakable power. There goes the liberal democracy of customized pluralism. Double jeopardy, isn't it?
Cambodia Constitution has been very deceptive. It is unsubstantial and powerless. It commands no adherence from absolutists. The rulers habitually violate the parliamentarian privacy in hand showing vote on critically important matters especially if something had to do with opposing voice. One can't tell the difference in the government and the legislative or the judiciary. All are same persons in the name of people. So, the definition of people is the master of their country meant the selectively chosen few. The real people have no say so at all.
Finally, this is nothing new to Cambodia. It has been the inheritance from the Demi-God monarchial hypocrisy doctrine to the absolutist liberal democracy from 1975 to date. Therefore the Constitution in
Cambodia is a farce to its rulers. It does not hold esteem as much as expected. Most laws made for the rulers who preferably like to keep people in darkness all time. How can people trust own government that historically had never been respecting the laws?
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Opportunity Lost at Opportunity Cost
By Kok Sap, August 30,2006
In economic sense, Cambodia seems to go through own inner adversary, as each ruler stayed in each regime too long, the break out comes natural. Let's look back during Sihanouk rule especially before he called in Viet Cong to make selves at home along eastern region of Cambodia. What went wrong then?
It was a big news splash in 1967; the trio French educated red parliamentary members Hu Nim, Hou Yun, and Khiev Samphan escaped from Sihanouk arrest but were caught and executed on spot in Pich Nil. Sihanouk himself boasted incessantly and annoyingly on national broadcast just like Hun Sen is doing now about his General Heng Poev. Then the trio opposed Sihanouk economic dependency on foreign donations. Before that, Democratic Party led by Prince Yuthivong and Mr.Iev Keuss won election hands downs but Sihanouk managed to stay on top via violence which ended up killing Democracy movement leader late Mr.Iev Keuss with a hand grenade right inside the parliament chamber. The poor self righteous trio had involved in Democratic Party for extended degree before they, themselves, ended up with no choice but to run fast from Phnom Penh before Sihanouk's Gestapo and SS like agents of Kou Run and Om Manorin put hands on their necks.
Then, in Battambang, coincidentally the Samlaut and Wai Chab generational landowners led the uprising against Sihanouk's greedy governor land grabbing. This unexpectedly escalated to a life time opportunity cost for the leftist ideological revolt to rock Sihanouk stinging Isle of Peace at the opportunity lost. How precise this resemblance took form once again in 1997 for Hun Sen who thought his regime was about to be toppled by the legitimate UN recognized government of Sihanoukists. Not enough, Hun Sen ordered his confidant Generals to greet Sam Rainsy peaceful demonstration with 4-5 hand grenades right in front of the national Assembly, the very symbol of democracy and people. Unfortunately, the opportunity lost at all opportunity cost to all Sihanoukists and Sihanouk own double standard culture.
Now, the reflection is no difference from Sihanouk to Hun Sen dictatorship inclined rule. Both had manipulated and intimidated critics. Some of the hard cores were imprisoned for press coverage and legitimacy. Identically, the neo trio Sam Rainsy, Chea Poch, and Cheam Channy were stripped from positions. Later Cheam Channy was put in prison while Sam Rainsy ran back home in Paris at speed of Boeing for shadow government conspiracy. Moment later, Kem Sokha- the US IRI horse, Rong Chhun, Mam Sonando, and CPP sympathizer Yeng Virak were illegally imprisoned for asking questions about merit of illegal treaties and Viet Nam encroachment. Hun Sen was in madness, he arrested his black sheep Generals who professed in drug smuggling then stripped and attacked Rannridh personally while one hand caressing Sam Rainsy.
Now he is after Heng Poev who was paid $50 monthly salary with the outlandish saving in multi million dollars in Phnom Penh bank and abroad. Remember, the trio reds were Sihanouk decoys who later reunified and returned to kill off real nationalists in 1975. For Heng Poev lure, everyone should pay attention closely; Hun Sen had King in his panty pouch who could pardon Heng Poev any moment after his double agent mission finished abroad. Beware big or tiny fishes, before bite the lure. All must ask own instinct and good sensible judgment before jumping ,in full clothing, into Hun Sen boiling water pot. Remember, Hun Sen is a very good apprentice and talented follower of the Great One known as the Prince of Light and Prince of Darkness as Sir Milton Osborne, the historian and author, titled his book in honor of the Royal Highness.
Each Sihanouk and Hun Sen ploy to garner popularity from public and self perpetuating politic to convince the world is indistinctively. Both are more of hypocrite and despotic to sub degree than the conscionable citizen. During Sihanouk time, Cambodia was bankrupted and let lived by China aids. The governmental offices filled with corruptive and nepotistic clans. Then the Cambodia Universal Human Rights Suffrage under Geneva Convention auspicious was totally contemptible and disregarded. Those who dared to speak up would be penalized jail time or firing squad. My dearly fellows, this is exactly happening in Cambodia now. So what are you going to do to stop it once for all?
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Cambodia Circular Dance
By Kok Sap
Usual spat sarcasms from Sihanouk critics then, reastr ott bai a chhkuot lung chorl madai ram thaun hoy dei,kaen reastr pee sraer paerlaer lok thei, partisans choeung dei aing wai Baraing. I recalled back then, the unrepentant Cambodia's Father of Art and Culture had boasted over radio Phnom Penh and made it his culture proper campaign back in the 60's right after he staged, the invincible bare feet mixed outfits Chivapol (involuntary militia) armed with riffle made of Kapok , grand march on every known national routes. It was a false nostalgia.
For some reasons it was more entertaining for men group play. Especially, for those notable mighty Chivipol officers who had fell in deeply in Sihanouk war game scheme, would pay from own pocket to hire Chinese tailors to supply the black or light sage color outfits donned French male foreskin like beret in green or light red to impress upon fellows who barely could not afford daily meal. Some of these self important officers ego burst out his clothing seams as they were god sent comparable to Nazi SS officers toward fellows.
At the same stroke, his Majesty ordered every young woman, even in far remote hamlets, to learn the dog chasing its tail dance known as Ram Wong, in case of his Majesty visit region. Not every parent was crazy about it but their silent protest did not stop the ex-Chivipol officers who sometimes behaved worst than the Nazi Gestapo. The other few had secret wishes while enthusiastically allowed their blooming daughters to participate in such royal campaign to redeem Khmer art.
Well surely, in every of his royal visitation in the country, the National Radio Band of Manila Spaniard influenced tunes traveled with him at all times. Occasionally, the Pudgy Prince got off stage and led the dance with the hosting delegates own daughters and wives. The Pillsbury dough boy like ruler was beaming under the steaming heat.
Other hand, the poor and the resistant were chastised and fined for not involving in such daily game. My father happened to be one who refused to give in such silly royal games. The argument went what made the entrepreneurial Chinese or lineage so immune from not enlisted for post independence royal force show case? They lived off Cambodia for generation why special treatment still applied to them? My father said he had paid for the corruptive colonial government and Issarak Choar Puth Chhay extortion then, and now the kingdom government officials after Siam and French withdrawal. And now Sihanouk humiliated people with scandalous game ? The chief of village police squad went ahead to fine my father who had scolded the chief of police of his junior for such blindly support of the emotional heightened nonsense ploys of Sihanouk.
Every body seems to think the circular dance was actually the Khmer proper folk dance. Funny later, I had learned from friends from the respective region Laos, Siam, Dai of south China and regional Burma that such proper Khmer dance was also used in social gathering for those ethnic folks entertainment in every important annual event. That alone had confirmed how confused Sihanouk back then in term of national art. The man had no clue of such thing. This may not be important to some, but as ruler of the recovering nation, morally Sihanouk had not been so honest with himself all along. He was and still is the man who is responsible for the Cambodia endless woe. Seemingly his circular dance soon catches up with his hypocrisy.
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By Kok Sap
Victim of Cambodia Heinous Crimes
Hail the Exile National Coalition of Government of the Union of Burma and the Exile Government of Khmer Krom! It is an encouraging sign for Myanmar that we all grown to know it was the formally hermit Burma. In the 60's, it was an aspiration for Sihanouk, the stud Head of State of the Kingdom of Cambodia called the island of Pieces, who wanted himself to model after such a nation that has isolated its socialistic endeavor in the Buddhist saffron robes from outside world influences. It has been transformed slowly into the most absolute chaos and anarchy as the other federation member states such Shan or Mon declared own autonomy against the control of the federation dictatorial military junta organs death grip rule.
Look closely Cambodia had liberated itself from the destructive regime called monarchy once in 1970 but failed to sustain itself as its original culprit returned in April 1975 with massive murderous force to wipe out most of the progressive democratic Republic leaders and followers. Post1979 the remainder of the Republic idealists or fighters reemerged as one of the resistance factions with considerable human resource and number under Son Sann leadership to jointly resist Yuan occupation.
How misfortune to the surviving Republic fighters who had mistakenly joined force at the hypocrite lures of the others so called resistant fronts until most killed off before the demagogue monarch stood triumphantly proclaiming his second kingdom over millions of skull. Actually, Son Sann heart and head was Sihanoukist from the get going. He was the King's snake in the grass. Most of the aspired Republic fighters mistook him as the Republic rescuer. During the 80's, Son Sann secretively ordered the hardcore Republic idealists to be removed from becoming too strong. Eventually in 1993, Son Sann reversed his politic and later sold out the remainder of the Republic fighters to Sihanouk disposal again.
Fortunately some had chances to resettle in the third countries but the Republic network was sporadically and idly inactive. Presently most of the idealist movement leaders are in retiring age and some had died without seeing the dream realizing. It is frightening to think about it, as Cambodia returned to its second time round as monarchic regime at the whims of neo imperialist Hanoi, which the Republic had spilled blood from March 1970 to fend it off up to April 1975.
The handful Republic diehard idealists scattered around the globe, in hope, to reconnect one day soon. Momentarily our kin, from formally Preah Nokor known as Cochin China which was illegally ceded to Yuan Emperor Bao Dai as war trophy from French humiliated defeat in Dien Bien Phu, have courageously formed the Khmer Krom Exile Government as the legitimate voice to defend fellows from Viet suppression since the Cambodia Kingdom ignored their plight for too long of time.
To the surprise of the geopolitical pundits, the Phnom Penh dictatorial regime with its 26 members of Parliament at hand had denounced and demanded the Myanmar present regime in supporting of Dame Suu Kyi true democratic elected government to free people and nation from the despotic militant leaders. Remember not too long ago, the Cambodia own dictator Hun Sen was rubbing elbows with the Myanmar illegal junta Premier, General Soe Win, in his back yard. How could this abrupt reversal be credible since the ruler in Phnom Penh is still the same one who hugged and kissed the Yangoon-Myanmar tyrant?
To the reasonable doubt, suddenly the whirlwind is taking effect on the dictatorial regimes in Southeast Asia at the economic twist of ASEAN club. Seemingly it still has considerable clout and influence to abet the regional opposition legitimate and popular demand. From the courageous examples of Burma of Non Violent Dame Aung San Suu Kyi dream and Elderly Gentleman Thach Chan Khmer Krom of no choice is better to die free than to live the Yuan enslavement. Considering its swinging paradigm momentum, why the Khmer Republic idealists and enthusiasts aren't doing something?
The Cambodia situation is in dire need of reformation and systemic overhaul after Yuan influenced party ruled it for the last 27 years. The world can help but can't do the change for us. Time is essentially running forward as our respected Khmer Republic personalities are aging and yet the duty as the only alternative hope for the Cambodia majority is still dormant. The former Khmer Republic idealists and fighters alike shall join force in forming the exile government of ours to see to the unfinished task for the Cambodia alternative with hope, fraternity, justice, liberty and equality. Who knows may be this is the move that the Republic former ally, the US, is expecting to see happening. Over 30 years is too long enough of rest, the call to reconnect and reconvene for the sake of national respect and dignity for later generations is now. My dearly friends, wake up and listen to your inner calling.
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August 20, 2006
The Cambodia Untouchable Crimes
By Kok Sap
Present Cambodia is at the curse of its revision of proletariat revolutionary henchmen and despotic rulers. People life and hope is no value as highly profitable land at the foreign speculation. What a predicament, Yuan grabbed Khmer country land at its government willful endorsement while ruler Hun Sen agents unruly grabbed poor Khmer only survival patch for the rich foreign investors expansion.
No one seemed to know for certain how the few extra-ordinaires became so rapidly rich after the 1975 proletarian revolution swept Cambodia into apocalypse. Sihanouk’s DRK had abolished and destroyed everything then. 3 out of 7 people were killed during the Great Leap Movement under the Victorious Flag of Red Blood Revolution. That’s Sihanouk Victory. That’s Sihanouk’s pay back to those who dared to face his Viet Cong sponsored Marquis tyrants.
During the vacuum era from 1949 to 1979, the emerging few had wheeled tremendous power to put Cambodia in its present predicament. Seemingly they originated from two distinctive breed: criminal geniuses and dictatorial prodigies. Each seems to belong to one another. Above all, the miniature of Napoleonic complex, Sihanouk has had emerged supremely.
For almost 3/4 of century, all disastrous events weathered Cambodia at the ingenuity of a singular architect who seems to believe he is the indispensable multi façade demi-god. His lifelong Dracula agenda is to wipe out all the remains of his kills while insinuating the International sponsored Tribunal Chamber is a wasteful endeavor. He has portrayed the Tribunal Chamber as so despicably inhumane and atheistic to have kept on seeking justice for the unfortunate ones upon their evidential skeletons. He is totally beside himself when comes to people justice.
While he sings ,wines and dines comfortably in his holy like harem in plush quarter of Phnom Penh, thousands of his DRK survivors and offspring who lived nearby on underdeveloped patch lands are molested and chastised, killed, and robbed by his ultra loyal Marquis DRK clique hero namely Hun Sen henchmen. He is supporting the entire regime that is full of DRK atheistic and barbaric. In fact he could not careless but kept boasting and encouraging the hoodlum regime to sustain and suppress the survivors. How heinous and cruelest of a man of such stature.
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The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia
I invoke the genius of Constitution. (William Pitt, Earl of
Chatham - 1777)
Despite present image and discriminatory merits have made Cambodia one of the most stigmatized international actors in the world, this sovereign state still boasts one foundation for her general functioning.
The addressed one foundation for general functioning of the state is the Constitution. The all-out purpose of this article is to analyze the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia; whether it addresses the Constitutional pioneer’s theory and other democratically valid eligibilities.
Constitution is not just about listing from preamble and oath to the final provision, but there must be one or many absolute cores to convert a piece of writing, made by very few, into the Municipal God (Constitution) that the entire population must unconditionally abide by. This article will compare the common elements of the generally accepted Constitution to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The principle of sovereignty has made the Constitution of every world countries not definitively identical, but to be generally accepted, the
Constitution must fulfill all the below criteria (with exception to few countries).
I. Preamble:
Comparing to education, preamble is like an orientation to urge the reader continue to the next page. Administrative functioning, political stance, civil rights and other statesmanship are not addressed in the preamble. Robert L. Maddex states that however, in the case of some Constitutions of communist countries, the preamble may reveal the motives for the document, which otherwise bears little resemblance to how the national political power structure actually operates (Robert L. Maddex, 1995, Constitutions of the World, p. xi).
Preamble of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia states: ... awakened, stood up with a resolute determination to strengthen the national unity, to preserve and defend Cambodia’s territory and its precious sovereignty and the prestige of Angkor civilization, and to restore Cambodia into an Island of Peace ... we inscribe the following as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The selected paragraphs of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia are to orient the readers to the next page. As we can see, the political system and other state of affairs are not mentioned in the Preamble contained in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia has now achieved the first common element of what I call the generally accepted Constitution.
II. Fundamental rights:
Most of the written Constitutions reiterate the list of fundamental rights, obligations and responsibilities of wrongdoing of any citizen, permanent inhabitants or anyone paying sojourn within the territory.
Fundamental right is analogous to the U.S. bill of rights (Maddex).
Fundamental rights and civil rights are usually deployed interchangeably.
The list of fundamental rights is mostly surrounding freedom of expression, faith, assembly, association-establishment, private properties, compensation, economic perspiration and accountabilities.
Referring to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Chapter III, from Article 31 to 50, the rights and obligations of the Cambodian citizens are tabulated. In these articles, from the most basic (physiological) rights to responsibilities before the state of the Cambodian citizens are listed. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia does now fill the second criteria of the theory of generally accepted Constitution. And the last common element of Constitution is the structure of the government.
III. Structure of the government:
In the democratic or democracy-oriented countries, the government is usually divided into three separate branches: executive, legislative and judicial. To be precise, structure of government is the path on which the public affairs of one state is operated.
Structure of government is also different between parliamentary system and presidential-style parliamentary system.
In the case of Cambodia, the three branches of government is, according to the Constitution, separated (Article 51, paragraph 4). Chapter VII, VIII and IX of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia are all about the structure of the government.
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia now reaches the final eligibility to be authentically accepted as the valid Constitution as per the theory of our Constitutional pioneer.
There are still many debates and argument on whether the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia is truly democratic or not. Those interested in public affairs are making the public opinions get confused. Whether the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia is democratic or not, is the matters of politics, not the matters of law. We are doing legal analysis, but our mentality is focusing on politics; this has made the new interested individuals get even more confused and complicated.
I do not dare to say that whether the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia is democratic or not, because I am not doing political analysis, but I dare to say that Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia does possess adequate criteria to be regarded as a generally accepted Constitution.
Constitutional council of the Kingdom of Cambodia is the sole institution responsible for interpreting any law passed by the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The Author of this article recommends those concerned to use the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia for any occasion.
Anyone looking for a World-class Romantic Wedding! Wedding on the luxurious boat on the Mediterranean Sea and it is not as expensive as have wrongly guessed. Contact me Lay Vicheka, for more information: 855 11 268 445, viche...@yahoo.com. Anyone in the world looking for this Imaginary World-class service is welcome.
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One Difference between Law and Politics
By Lay Vicheka
To me, education is not just the matter of financial livelihood and social status, but why education is needed? Whether the provided education is authentic, what the lacks or loopholes of education are and to the final stage: would education make the absorbers immortal? These are some of the questions and rhetoric that make me view education very differently from those of my peers and even my parents and lecturers.
Law and Politics are usually confused with one another and cannot be meticulously separated from each other; as we usually hear the Faculty of Law and Politics, Center for Political and Legal Tuition, Professor of Law and Politics, etc. These are the facts that initiate me an idea to bring the core difference between Law and Politics and put it on a public display. The core difference would help the student to deeper understand the subject matters.
Do you have such the wonder? If no, start to make yourself curious about the core difference between Law and Politics to initiate your mental vocation and if yes, this is an article to unveil you a unique difference between Law and Politics to make you deeply understand.
As a student of Law, newspaper columnist, expert author, media liaison officer, legal and political assistant, I have found one complete differences between Law and Politics. This difference is the interpretation.
Most students of Law and Politics do not know that the most important theme of their education is the interpretation. Why I dare to say this? Up to the present, we have billions of sources ranking from books and international media publication to the abstract sources, but these so-called information will not make us a true political analyst or lawyer.
What we are seeing on these sources is just plain information, so what are these information are. If information is just all about information, University is not needed, because most of these sources are available everywhere and even free. The things that we have not found on these sources are the interpretation or the path to interpretational secretes. Let’s now jump up to the very core of our article.
Legal interpretation must be within: in interpreting the law, the lawyer of any party or the conflicting parties themselves cannot interpret the law out of the law being enforced in the country where the trial is being heard. This may seem very vague and let us bring an example to clarify. If you commit or are accused of committing a crime in the country in which you are residing in, you or your lawyer are not entitled to interpret the law out of the laws being enforced in your residing country. To a stricter extent, the laws being used for interpretation must circumnavigate the crime that you did or are accused of committing.
This case is different from political interpretation.
Law and Politics may be equally broad, but interpretation in politics is much broader than in legal one. Have you ever noticed that a political analyst for a university in America would use approach in political interpretation by drawing examples from any country, any sources and any celebrities in the world. Political interpretation (analysis) is not as within as in law.
Politics is much more flexible and so much softer than law. Other merits why politics allow much broader interpretation, because we even see a huge similarities between socialist and capitalist states (similar political application), but the laws in these two separate kinds of state are totally different. I know the last one sentence is too vague for you, but let’s start the legal and political interpretation.
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Cambodian Song is Contributing to Discrimination
It is exactly our desires to entertain and such the right is stipulated in many internal and international legal instruments. To me, entertainment is not just entertainment, but it does enrich our lives, physically and psychologically.
However, converting into the world of materialism, I have noticed that one evilly negative element which is indirectly and subconsciously stipulated in such the daily entertainment and this bad impact would spread into greater extend if appropriate measure is not taken.
Song, I would say, is the most brainwashed kind of entertainment that we even need before our nightly sleep. And just because it is absolutely ubiquitous, the negative element contained in the song can easily be inserted into our psycho factors. So what is the negative element contained that I am referring to?
Here is the answer: discrimination is widely spreading in most of Cambodian songs. Though most of the discrimination is not of great level and apparent, but such the negative element would spread into the society in particular, youth’s mentality, if sound measure is not timely taken by all of us and the concerned state entities.
Discriminations, as I have noticed, are largely based on ground of family status, skin complexion, gender, appearances and other related social status. Most of the time, the poor, the disabled, the unfit is weak, and they are almost always the losers and the ones who is most likely to fail in competition with another who is better in term of finance and appearance. As I have noticed, the poor, disabled are unlikely to have loyal love and they are likely deprived from social participation. But most of the Cambodian youths can not see this essence and would not agree with my stated idea.
Not only about discrimination, most of Cambodian songs are just plainly about entertainment, and there are nearly no song to contribute to psychological purification. I do not mean that all songs should be about philosophy and other educational favor, but I do need some songs and singers contribute to such the field of the society. I do need entertainment too!!!
Because of the negative points I raised above, Cambodian song has not potential to gain its fame in the national, regional and international stage; the writer and singer should reconsider about this. Another essence of the song is to surprise and make the listeners feel respectful to the singer and author.
As I would like to make this essay short and brief, I would not bring many examples to defense my argument, but I want you, the readers, to observe the matters of fact by yourselves, and see whether my opinion is of value or not.
I am not criticizing Cambodian song alone, this problem is also occurring in other countries around the world, but I just want all of us to take notice before we do analysis or before it is too late.
No matter how the world has developed, discrimination is still ubiquitous and maybe more serious than the bygone past, because it is contained in even our playful element (coined by Lay Vicheka, 2005)
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One Form of Right to Self-Expression Shall be Obstructed
Submitted by Vicheka Lay
Since the world has reached an era of humanity, all persuasion of human rights; the right to life, physiological adequacy, equal pay for equal work, religion, assembly and opinion are protected by the local government with profound encouragement from the international or regional organizations. However, there is one defect found in such the right. This defect is “self-expression through national flag-burning.
National flag-burning has become one of or probably the most common strategies of one group of people to express their views which totally contravene another country's foreign policy. It is because this group of people who burn the national flag of another country, think that another country whose national flag is being burned, is criminal or will take advantage from their own country or making any foreign policy that negatively impacts their country, so burning that country's national flag is the ensign of total contravention.
Indeed, it is not wrong at all, because until today, we do not have any national, regional or even international legal instrument to prohibit national flag-burning in the public yet, but this is a message to the world that We Should Have International Law to Prohibit National Flag Burning in any Circumstance, with No Exception.
From the author's point of view and analysis, national flag-burning shall not be an authorized or be an acceptable form of self-expression. The author's rationales behind this concept are arisen from two tendencies:
1. Generalization: National flag-burning is the direct generalization that everything; living and material, exist in the country whose national flag is being burned, are totally wrong or criminal. But the generalization concept†is not acceptable in this world; one person found guilty of any crime, only he or she is guilty of that crime, but his or her family members are totally innocent.
This similarly implies that not everyone or everything in the country whose national flag is being burned, are totally wrong or criminal, but may be only the government or any institution is totally wrong or criminal. National flag-burning is the form of generalization which only swells up the problem from a very small scaled problem into a protracted or even uncontrollable crisis.
So please use another form of self-expression against another country, but never deploy self-expression through national flag burning.
2. State is innately perfect in itself: To be short and precise, State is meticulously clean and is totally equal to one another. This means that only individual or a group of people have that State’s nationality are wrong or criminal, but they are just the very small portion of that State. State is always right, enlightened, sovereign, immortal, innocent and perfect, so please burn only the individual or group of people, but not the State.
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Letter Concerning Israeli and Lebanese Crisis to Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dear Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
I am writing you in relation to the events in Lebanon. Today and luckily for humanity the world is increasingly connected and forming a global village. So, despite biased media reports for the benefit of Israel, we as citizens of the world have a clear idea of what is happening in that part of the world and Cambodia.
Israel is destroying Lebanon and any economic viability that it has been struggling to build over the past 16 years. Before that it was unleashing its terror and destruction on the people of Gaza. They are killing children, women and innocent civilians. Israel has been displacing families from their homes in villages ever since its establishment in 1948. In six days since July 12, 2006, it displaced over 700,000 people in Lebanon alone. It also pounded to the ground Lebanese people’s homes and infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, ports, highways, energy plants and communication networks. These are all structures that we may have paid for with our tax money through international aid projects as we know that Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction was partly possible because of foreign aid to the then war-torn country. Israel has torn it away again, an entire country. It has no right to do so. Israel is carrying out the same, if not worse, collective punishment that some of its people suffered during the first half of the 20th century.
We are constantly being told that we should appreciate the fact that we live in democracies, in the free world, where freedom of speech and expression are not an issue. We are also being told that our governments are waging a war against terror to protect us. But today we wonder whether such violent actions carried out by states, which use unrestrained and disproportionate force, clearly breaching international law and justice, are not but exasperating the problem by creating more angry people who are willing to bomb themselves in train stations and skyscrapers in an attempt to turn attention to the injustice they are enduring.
Based on our concern for our own security and based on the fact that we live in democracies where an individual’s freedom of expression holds the power to change and improve, we write to you today requesting the following:
Mobilize all diplomatic efforts to:
1. Stop the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza
2. Pressure the United Nations Security Council to meet immediately and issue a Chapter 7 Resolution condemning the Israeli attacks and imposing sanctions on the Jewish state in an attempt to prevent it from repeating these attacks in the future. The international community’s failure to treat Israel like any other belligerent state has led to its recurrent resorting to violence. Ten years ago, it committed the Qana Massacre in South Lebanon at a UN base. As it remained unpunished for its unlawful acts in Qana, Jenin, Sabra and Shatila etc. Israel allowed itself to commit the mass genocide in Gaza and Lebanon in 2006 using the same argument and justification “self-defense,†“fighting against terror†etc. But killing children and innocent is far from self-defense and fighting against terror unless it is the intention. Israel should face the same treatment as Saddam did when he invaded Kuwait and if it does not, we as citizens of Cambodia need to understand clearly why. Our country pays membership fees to be part of the UN, I presume it is our tax money. We expect and we have the right to request that this money is used effectively. No nation should enjoy the privilege over others to kill and the UN should be able to implement its charter the first article of which is “to Maintain Peace and Security.â€
3. Pressure Israel through the UN or any other effective means to pay compensation for all the destruction it has caused at least since July 12, 2006.
I as a citizen of Cambodia, and the free world, the policies of which supposedly rest on the sum of individual votes of choice, count on you to take my request into consideration and forward to action. Together officials and citizens can make this a better world for all races to enjoy.
Thank you in advance.
Best Regards,
LAY VICHEKA
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Sihanouk Does It Again
message: July 26,2006
By Kok Sap
All were Sihanouk doings and premeditated violations of 1991 Paris Peace Accord. In defending his hypocrisy, he played rabbit fever and screaming fits with Hun Sen. In July 2004 to buy Hun Sen pledge , he decreed Hun Sen to be the Prime Minister of caretaker government while election dispute was in questionable. Then in the following October, Sihanouk threw tantrums and confusions at nation until he got his son appointed King by his adopted son, the colorful Prime Minister. Months afterward to save his son skin and his face, he cheated people to play sick and near death plots to have his new king acquaint with big adopted brother domestic policies.
In 2005, after several outspoken critics joined in Sihanouk fanning flame game Raingsy ended up losing office and running back to his first class citizen country while his poorly fellows were in prison. After losses in rhetoric exchanges, Sihanouk lured all Hun Sen foes out in open over his Supreme Border Council ploy. More adamant than ever, Hun Sen slapped Sihanouk with both hands in the face in exposing his treacherous acts to assist state enemy Viet Cong back in the 70’s. Because of that, Sihanouk raised white flag and left Hun Sen to sign the illegal treaties in October in Hanoi alone. Over all his schematics, Raingsy had lost credibility in foreigner eyes while he bolstered up Hun Sen as the supreme dictator of the Cambodia new millennium.
In 2006,to redeem his losses, Sihanouk had Mr. Raingsy, a humpback Sihanoukist adopted new attitude in order to return to the sender in time to salvage his losing Sihanoukist-FUNC left wing party from Ta Khlaing Moeung suicidal rite. Then followed suit, he cashed in $1,000 per critic to kneel and confess to Hun Sen as a poor choice of words in rhetoric. The four arrested and imprisoned critics were tamely grateful and befriended with singular vision dictator. To please dictator furthermore, then Sihanouk blackened own son RRidh as the screw you all Sihanoukist-FUNC right wing fugitive who cashed out grand $30 million account plus a new suitor of own daughter age before fleeing the country for honeymoon in the first class style.
Anarchy and unruly took toll on both Sihanoukist-FUNC clubs. Out of all Sihanouk maneuvers, Hanoi got new treaties and Hun Sen became absolute dictator. His inept playboy son Sihamoni became I do everything for you King while his imbecile big brother RRidh spoiled club inner circle fortune amassing then ran for comfort with Sros Sroraem Phalla. Lastly Sihanouk had belittled all Sihanoukists while elevated Hanoi lackey Hun Sen to be his first national hero in joining the bloody marquis revolution last month. Had he not blown Hun Sen and Samheang so lowly but Hanoi up his rear in on his every stroke at the same time.
Not enough yet, suddenly the hypocrite father of Cambodia everything is full of energy to harasses UN tribunal in lieu of Hun Sen. He insulted UN tribunal is a waste and all the gruesome evidences are disrespectful for the death in Buddhist rite. Watch him closely, this is his new task from Beijing to derail UN tribunal procedure and destabilize all Hun Sen contenders. As for Prince Thomico ploy ,it is pitiful for his not seeing Sihanouk molestation. Sihanouk is casting net for Hun Sen to see what are the rubbishes remaining in Mekong before 2008 finale. If the wheel turned other direction in 2008, all the screw-ups done by Sihanouk will be unraveled. It is strategically vital that all he is doing now to create confusions and dislodge Viet Cong packaged PRKP/CPP from witness stance and people scrutiny. If politicians had not learned yet, but continue to bow to Sihanouk hypocrisy, there is no need to create any other party since he had declared himself as CPP benefactor for life already. That is his duty call to screw Cambodia justice,morality and conscience for good.
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A group of medical students at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are organizing a film screening of The Angry Skies, a documentary film on the Khmer Rouge regime. We have invited Dr. Blake Kerr, a New York physician who is the writer and producer of the film, along with Dr. Leakhena Nou, a medical sociologist from California State University, Long Beach, to be present. After the conclusion of the film, Dr. Nou will describe her research on the mental health consequences of violence, trauma, and social stress as a result of the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people, both in Cambodia and among the diaspora. After her introduction of Dr. Kerr, there will be a discussion and Q&A session with both our guests.
Date
August 19, 2006 (Saturday)
Time
3:30pm: Social Reception and Refreshments
4:00pm: Film Screening (2 hours)
A discussion and Q&A session with Dr. Kerr and Dr. Nou will immediately follow the conclusion of the film Location Amphitheater I University of Massachusetts Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655
For detailed directions, please visit http://www.umassmed.edu/about/directions/
In order to bring broader awareness to the historical events and the impact of the Khmer Rouge on Cambodia, we would appreciate your help in advertising and promoting this event to those you know who may be interested in attending. The screening is open and free to the public, but we want to particularly encourage survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodian community leaders, human rights activists, scholars of Cambodia, and students to attend.
Again, we would appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about this event. The Angry Skies touches upon subjects that are very much of importance not just to the Cambodian population, but to those concerned with human rights, genocide, and international policy. Please join us, and please pass the word on to anyone you think may be interested.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at allen.chang@umassmed.edu. I can send you an official flyer and press release. Thanks.
Regards,
Allen Chang
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July 11, 2006
Dear Community Members and Friends of Lowell:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, Inc., I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to join us at the 10th annual Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival.
As you may know, the festival celebrates an important aspect of Lowell’s cultural diversity: the Southeast Asian community is Lowell’s third largest ethnic population. This celebration showcases Southeast Asian boat races, traditional and contemporary performances and dances, international foods, and handcrafted arts.
The festival usually draws 40,000 to 50,000 participants to Lowell’s Merrimack River area each year. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, August 19th. Prior to the main event, we will have the Floating Candles Ceremony on Friday evening, August 18th in downtown Lowell at the Middlesex Community College Campus, near the Lower Locks canal. This ceremony, which includes floating candles, incense, and flowers, is dedicated to each of our personal hopes and aspirations for a prosperous, dignified, and healthy life.
Festival admission for both days is free.
The Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival has a number of volunteer opportunities. We are recruiting volunteers to help out on various committees including Entertainment, Fund-raising, Booth and Vendors, Logistics, Branding, Boat Team, and Trash and Recycling. Volunteers will have the opportunity to coordinate and manage different projects and activities. This is a wonderful opportunity for youths looking for volunteer experience. For others, you can both contribute to the community and experience a sense of pride in helping to celebrate your own and other ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and arts. It’s a special opportunity to help others and to build bridges among peoples, cultures, and customs.
If you are interested in volunteering, download a copy of the Southeast Asian Water Festival volunteer form from www.lowellwaterfestival.org and send the completed form to Mr. Tooch Van or Dr. Phala Chea, co-chairs of Volunteer Recruitment at the Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, Inc. c/o CMAA building, 165 Jackson St. Lowell, MA 01852 or Fax the form to 978-454-1806.
Once again, I hope you will join us to explore and experience the cultural enrichment the Southeast Asian Water Festival provides.
Sincerely,
Tooch A. Van
Volunteer
Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival Inc.
Internet_use: Work
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Why Not the National Solidarity Movement, Doable?
July 22, 2006
By Kok Sap
The 2008 general election is within reach; all contenders are in disarray than ever. What is the common goal here? Most agreed on the change of stewardship of the government with a better one and effective one, preferably the commonly democratic one. How to do that? It must be Solidarity from all fronts of opposition to see to a fundamental change in democracy and economy improvement in Cambodia.
Democracy follows suit if economy is in place. Democracy is ought to be a way of living. Economy is a way of energy supplying. People need energy to live. People live or perform effectively when no energy lack meaning stomach is full. It is natural law, no argument to it. This is the must option for success. This will be a coup of the solidarity to allow Cambodia redeem its dignity and integrity once for all. This is what the world wants to see happening in Cambodia from urban to far remote corner of the country. The world has pity for Cambodia already but it has no better option to help resuscitate Cambodia from devious comatose. Therefore, the outsider political personalities must use common sense and goal to reckon the devil.
All opponents see CPP as the source of injustice, inferiority, sub-cultural society, and permanent instability for the nation. The CPP establishment is too big for the target for the moment. It possesses armed forces, banks accounts and immediate benefactor. Yet CPP own infrastructure has flaw, the corruptive culture. Remember, CPP members worship three individuals respectively, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim and Hanoi Chairman of Central Committee, who wheel power exponentially. For Hun Sen is nothing more but a replaceable cutting board at the pleasure of the cooks.
The obvious resolution is at hands of each opponent that each cannot do alone. To invigorate the national sentiment and foundation of hope, all opponents must reconcile to form the formidable National Solidarity Movement, to re-instill hope, peace, democracy, and traditional way of life in accordance with tradition†nov phtias maday tee tai nov prei maday chia muoy norm.â€
May be a wishful thinking but it is doable if only and only inclusively Ram Raingsy, RRidh, Son Soubert, Nhek Bun Chhai, Serei Kosal, Ung Huot, Pen Sovann, Kong Korm, Ieng Mouly, and others appeal for National Solidarity to save the nation from the wholesome consumption of Viet Nam economic and culture. What each have to lose beside dream to do goodness for own birth land while still has last breath. This is the goal that each is out to get and win in the up coming election. Each needs to think harder as time is slipping away in personal flaws and greed. To help redeem Cambodia nobility and integrity, each must do the same to self-first.
To enable people to live free, the regime must belong to free men of dignity and righteous duty. We must see ach of us has devil in own, but let us not be subdued by it. Let us dignifyingly put it aside before Hun Sen turned to be another Lok Mchass of Viet Nam vassal province. As you can see, Viet Nam has already reinforced its dominance upon Heng Samrin recent homage, so each of you should do otherwise.
My fellows, if you wish to do one thing that can affect our people history in years to come; well this is the one thing to consider now. This will forewarn Cambodia historical enemies far or near alike that Khmer land offspring thinks of selfless but beneath the people. Then, nothing will stop us from moving forward once again.
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Khmers Rouge = Vietnamese
Re-Distributed 6/5/2006
Submitted by rok....@yahoo.com
Pol Pot is an abbreviation of the English word "Political Potential"; such is the political nickname of ex-Saloth Sar that Hanoi and China allotted to him. He was a personal selected by Hanoi and China to replace Soeung Ngok Minh and Tout Sa Mut, which had just disappeared under a mysterious condition. From the origin point of view, Pol Pot was nothing Vietnamese, but for the point of view of policy and profile, Pol Pot served incontestably, the interest of Vietnamese.
Born in Prek Sbauv (Kompong Thom) in May 19, 1928, he descended from a comfort farming family. He was the eighth child of a sino-khmer family (half-caste Chinese).
His family entered in the chronicle royal history since 1925, when his aunt (? Cousin) Khun Meak, a royal ballet dancer became a concubine of king Monivong. From this alliance will be born the princess Khun Yeap who will become the last concubine of king Suramarith and mother of prince Sirivutdh. Later, the elder brother (? Uncle) of Saloth Sar, named Saloth Suong became a important employee in the royal palate - He married in 1940 with a dancer of the palate, named Chea Samy. Later, Saroeun, a sister of Sar, a dancer, became a concubine of king Monivong too.
Between 1934-35, the parents of Sar sent him to live at Phnom Penh with his brother and his sister-in-law, Saloth Suong and Chea Samy.
As a teenager, Saloth Sar often worked in the farm and had fact followed teaching Buddhism to become monk. During World War II, Pol Pot joined the anti-French resistance movement of Ho Chi Minh. By 1946, he was a member of the underground Indochinese Communist Party, and in 1949, he won a scholarship to study radio electronics in Paris (Jrgen Wouters ABCNEWS.com) One he reached Paris, Pol Pot joined to the French party communism which one Ho Chi Minh was a founder member. When his return to Cambodia in 1953 without a qualification in hand, he has joined in the Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea and taught the history and geography in a private school "Kampuchaboth " and wrote many articles for the left newspaper. In her book "Who is Angkar" Mrs Kim Thy Ouy named POl Pot as an adept and tool of Ho Chi Minh, the same rank as Tout Sa muth or Achar Sok.
In his article for " For Cambodia freedom" Dr Baphoun reported that; during fifties Pol Pot worked in the rank of Khmero-Vietminh under the directive of a Khmero-Vietmihn leader named "Thab Ngeng" who named Ppl Pot to control over 3000 men in 1957.
In 1954, when the Frenchs left Indo-China, they have appointed Sihanouk on the throne, but Saloth Sar is opposite. He founded 1960 the congresses of the Kampuchea Communist Party. In 1963, he was elected central secretary of committee of the Communist Party Kampuchea. Feared from reprisals of king Sihanouk, the members of the Kampuchea Communist Party refuges in the forests where they met the guerrilla of Khmer Rouge party. In decade 60, the USA reinforced its military campaigns to destroy the Vietnamese Communist Party of H Chi Hinh, but as of decade 70 the war was devastated until the territorial Cambodia where the USA suspected of being hidden the Vietnamese communist forces and which was the case. at January 1968 Mr Chester Bowles Ambassador of USA in India come to meet Sihanouk to have his accord to clean Vietcong sanctuaries on Khmer territory. This accord followed up by two years of massive bombarding to clean up the Vietcong from Cambodia.
Resounding to this policy; even after having support the Vietcong to installed their numerous sanctuaries over Cambodian land ; at Mai 29 1969, Sihanouk regrouped all the media for a press conferring to denounce Vietcong present on Khmer territory. But later Sihanouk changed one more time his position and accepted definitively to help Vietcong and the movement Khmero-yuon followed by a fierce anti-American policy (Article published by Amekhmer Feb 14 2005)
April 17, 1975 , Phnom Penh was fallen in the hand of Khmer Rouge. The reception was however cordial to the odd liberators. Many Cambodians left in the street to acclaim the winners. The white flags floated everywhere. But these strange liberators became suddenly firm, cruel and incomprehensible. The threatening noises of the microphones required the evacuation immediate of the inhabitants of Phnom-Penh from their houses - Those who opposed to this order were immediately killed at once on the spot, it is then, how the hell of the killing field began. In three 3 years 8 months and 20 days, at last 30-45% of the Khmer population were perished, either of massacre, or of programmed famine, of disease, or of tortures
January 7, 1979 when Vietnam invaded Cambodia , there remained about 4 million inhabitants on 7 millions (before the event of April 17 1975 ) The majority of the streets and the villages were almost deserted and one was happy to meet a compatriot survival.
Early of 1979, the first official estimation risen a frightening result - They estimated that more than three million of Cambodian were perished between 1975-1979, but at once this total was unceasingly contradicted. The reason was obvious; the demographic rate raised a suspect incredible risen of the population of Cambodia . In order to justify this doubtful increase, the government of Hun SEN must reduce the number of Khmer deaths to cool down of national opinion around the mass floods of Viet migrants.
To understand the ampler of this disaster mass migration, it is necessary to go in the districts along the length of the river Tonl Basak such as Chba Am-Poe, Kbal Thnal etc in all the other Khmer popular capitals to see the mass of Vietnamese immigrants freely settled in Cambodia with the active cooperation of the government puppet CPP since the official occupation of Vietnamese in 1979.
But what is even more scandalous, is that many of them were not the simple population but they were active martyrs or sleeping agent of Hanoi . They are discrete, and very organised. They are there to control every activity of Khmer people in society. Any suspicious activity or displaced verbal, one will be immediately convoked, questioned and often remove specially the men. And since the existence of the election in Cambodian, many are the Vietnamese who are imported by the cool vietnamisation system to support the government in place. Some of them have infiltrated in the heart of the Khmer political system since long time ago or they were sent, designed by Hanoi to occupy the high function in Khmer society and to control its puppets.
In his article reveals Victims of communism today Mike Benge revealed a terrible method of Viet expansionist tactic : Amoeba-like, communist Vietnam is slowly neo-colonizing Laos and Cambodia by the traditional Vietnamese expansionism termed Don Dien, first by occupying territory with troops, then having their families come in to settle the new territory, then putting the troops into civilian clothes to become "ready reservists" and replacing them with new troops for further expansion
All was prepared, all was set up to trapped the Cambodian people, the least details were meticulously studied, organized and programmed including the scene of the hostility of Pol Pot against Hanoi.
In April 1975 and April 1977, Pol Pot hided and saved not less than 20000 of Vietnamese from the massacre to Vietnam . Pol.-Pot had gathered them and taken them safety to Vietnam . The scene was however perfect - Pol Pot leaded a hostile policy with his old Master and has even killed some of them, a well astonishing way to thanks an old Master whom he always submitted, admired and maintained of the underground relations more than suspect.
We wonders, if Pol Pot was really hostile with Vietnamese as many pro-viet people what to make it appear why he did not massacre all those Viets instead he saved them from the massacre and brought them out of danger while the Angkar leu killed millions of Khmer people.
More shocking, while Vietnam took officially took over Cambodia , those Viets were at one imported back to Cambodia , some occupied the high function in the government and others continue to be activists and Viet sleeping agents.... In a press conference whole a Cambodian asked why there are too many of the Vietnamese came freely to Cambodia , Hun SEN answers they are the Vietnamese evacuated in year 1975 and 1979 and they are back to Cambodia
And what is even more conspicuous is that, during his reign, Pol Pot ordered to gather, collect all the richness of Cambodia and stored by categories in the many surest stocks in Phnom Penh - And when the Vietnamese arrived at 1979 in Phnom-Penh, they knew exactly where all these ammunition were hided and they have nothing to do else than to transport it to Vietnam, by boats, plane, trucks (especially on national I) A mass operation of emptying of Cambodia richness that took appearance of a mass national burglary which goes from simple material of recovery, pieces of metal, diverse machines, exchanging pieces, perfume, until the Khmer cultural inheritance, such as the old low-relief or statutes or the gold from the national Cambodian bank (red bank Bank Krohorm)Etc. But those are not the only that Vietnamese plundered Cambodia in 1979, millions tones of humanitarian aids from International community intended for Cambodians who were dying of hunger, of all kind of sickness and poverty were all plundered by Hanoi - all those ammunition were indeed stationed at Kompong Som port for registration then they are all left for Vietnam.. Cambodian did received nothing and needed to survive with the collated average. The rice was yet so expensive and necessary.
According to Franois Ponchaud, author of "Year zero ", the pillage of Cambodia started as soon as when Khmer rouge arrived in Phnom-Pehn, but this author portrayed this operation as cleaning of the occidental symbol by the Khmer rouge. Then if Khmer Rouge wanted to empty the so-called occidental symbol do they need to automatically empty it in Vietnam ?!!!!!!!
Whatever let quote " You Kim Lanh, referred to above, testifies some: " I remained one month in Phnom Penh to work for the Khmer Rouges. I was to excavate all the houses and to collect remained the rice there, to store the drugs coming from various pharmacies. We charged all that in boats whose crew was Vietnamese. Time with other, a fire burst downtown, but we did not do anything to extinguish it. Sometimes, the Khmer Rouges made us demolish the houses out of wooden, then to put the beams and the boards in heap."
Yeri Savannary, professor, taken refuge in Thailand about 15.10.1975, confirm the preceding account indirectly: " From the end April, of the trucks made ceaseless rotations on the road "National 1" driving to Saigon; they transported the television-radio, motor bikes, cycles of all marks, bicycles, drugs packed up and weapons of all categories. Close to Neak Luong, approximately two hundred vehicles waited to cross the Mekong ; there was in particular of Mercds and the 404. There were also three or four guns of 105 mm and three trucks of drugs. The whole apparently left for Vietnam . "
Lao Bun Thai, mechanic, vingt-trois years, taken refuge in October 1975, have worked until May 15 in Phnom Penh , confirmed : I saw, of my own eyes, several trucks, filled to the brim with books, to pass in front of the embassy of France and to gain north indeed. I also saw burning on the lawn volumes of the library of the cathedral. The library of the French School of the Far East , located at a few hundred meters of the embassy underwent a fate similar on May 5 in morning. It did not contain much any more of treasures, because essence had been put in safety in France ( It is important to emphasize that the destruction of human or material resource which are the symbols of Khmer is a part of Vietnamese expansionist tactic because cultural historical and human resource removed mean extinction of a human race and all its culture to be replace by a new one )
Several refugees crossed Phnom Penh last months (1975) they estimate that the city hardly counts more than 20 000 inhabitants, including only Khmer Rouges and their families. The workmen lived in the peripheral districts, close to their factories, but cannot enter in the downtown. The unmarried Khmer Rouges are grouped: the boys lived on a side of the street, the girls of the other. Various ministries of the government revolutionary personnel are reduced to the bare minimum; the majority, do not even have offices.
The few diplomats of accredited socialist countries with Phnom Penh find the life hard: they cannot leave their embassy. Three times per day, a jeep bring the meal to them; they have any distraction, no personnel with their service, have to wash themselves their linen, etc " Every two weeks, Friday, a plane of the Chinese CCAC makes its possible to the foreign diplomat to take a bowl of air and freedom in Peking... Since September 1976, they can also use the new air line connecting Phnom Penh to Hanoi . Only one newspaper in Khmer language of four pages, Padvath (Revolution), appears every fifteen and diffused only the news conceiving the construction of the country. And those who live in the East, the border Vietnamese, often saw the numerous planes making its back and forth from Cambodia to Vietnam and inversely.
At December 9, 1978 to December 23, 1978 , the few journalists, Mrs Elizabeth BECKER, author of book "Tear of Kampuchea" and her two other colleges, Richard DZIMAN and Malcolm CALD WELL , were invited to Phnom-Penh. They were accompanied to visit Toul-Sleng, but as Mrs Elizabeth BECKER saw the register of the prisoners, she was very surprised to see the names of the leaders of the Communist Party Kampuchea who were also imprisoned, tortured, forced to confess then massacred. In May 1977, 400 Khmers Rouge were captures and sent to Toul Sleng, they were been forced to confess as the Vietnamese agents secretes - The visit of Mrs Elizabeth and her colleges ended by the assassination of the Malcolm CALD WELL at December 22, 1978 in his hotel in Phnom-Penh. This mysterious assassination of May be Malcolm CALD WELL followed after his meeting with Pol Pot. He probably saw what one should not want him to see, and which quicken besides the departure of Elizabeth BECKER and Richard DZIMAN.
Pol Pot was not a pupil shining but he was a pleasant and correct companion, nothing to see with the dictator of a horrible genocide regime which he directed. All his life turned around a horrible myth and mystery. He was a most mysterious man on earth. Everything happened in his life is about mystery. His behaviours whatever policies or relational remain thus unintelligible and contradictory. For many, Pol Pot is of a radical nationalist and xenophobe, especially with Vietnamese. But in reality and incontestably, Pol Pot served the Vietnamese expansionist policy in Cambodia and this until his last breath.
Why decided to join Khmero-Vietminh movement to save Vietnamese expansionist policy? Was he been manipulated by Hanoi ? Which are the promises that he obtained and concluded with Hanoi for his role?
According to David P. Chandler, Hanoi seemed to grant the cordial confidence to Pol Pot. This secrecy remains total until now, however these mysteries could be to clear up if Pol Pot would have been judged and questioned by the International Court . We supposed that Pol Pot has probably concluded many accords with the Vietnamese leaders. Many Khmer rouge leaders of pronounced that Vietnamese never respected its engagement and promise but what kind of promise then? In an interview accorded to ABC Pol Pot even revealed "Hitler killed the Jewish and those who opposed to him but the Vietnamese killed those who opposed to them and the innocents who refused to join them (Pol Pot)
But all is doubtful, including the behaviour of international community. But who they tried to protect if not the victims of the genocide? Which is the application of UNO in this crime?
Logically if Pol Pot is a Khmer, a Khmer nationalist, he has no interest to serve Hanoi, neither on the religious level, nor on the ethnic level and even less on the relational level, because Vietnam and Cambodia was always the hereditary foes " number one since centuries. But Pol Pot did, contrary of what he claimed.
Looked at them, these few peoples can destroy the lives of a whole country
Pol Pot (Saloth Sar), sino-khmer, ex-associate of Yuon Hanoi, 3 million dead among the civil innocent. Manipulated or misled, he will always the responsible of the genocide on the Khmer people.
Hun Sen, current associate of Yuon Hanoi. A simple replaced piece of Hanoi after Hanoi had withdrew away the old tool Pol Pot . In 23 years of the power, Hun sen/CPP transfoms Cambodia into a kingdom of misery and chaos. Whether there is no more mass killing as in Pol Pot time but the indirect kills are numerous and disaster.
Ta Mok, a simple killing tool............. His kind is numerous in Cambodia
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We may believe in freedom a deceiving deception it is free only when a nation called for an election of it parliament once in power -people are enslaved it is nothing.
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The New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur
After the killing fields, a time for retribution
19 May 2006
VERGHESE MATHEWS
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After 27 years, Cambodians will get a taste of justice when the Khmer Rouge Tribunal tries suspects charged with committing crimes against humanity, reports VERGHESE MATHEWS.
MORE people in Cambodia have heard about Dame Silvia Cartwright in the last fortnight than at any time before, arguably, more than even when she was appointed the Governor-General of New Zealand in 2001, a position she will hold until August.
Unexpectedly, quietly and slowly, Cartwright is coming into the lives of the Cambodian people, the kingdom's robust media and its fractious politics, with her appointment as one of the international judges for the forthcoming Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
Snippets in the media and the chat lines speak highly of her distinguished career as a lawyer and jurist, in fact the first woman to be appointed to that high post in New Zealand. Mention is also made of her prominent role in the fight to eliminate discrimination against women a celebrated cause in Cambodia.
There are 12 other judges and prosecutors from Asia, Europe and North America, all nominated by the United Nations, about whom also little is known in Cambodia.
There is, therefore, increasing curiosity and a resultant awareness about the international judges for the first ever trial of this nature in Asia. However, in sharp contrast, rather harsh words have been reserved for at least one of the 17 Cambodian judges and prosecutors chosen by the country's highest judicial body, the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, headed by King Norodom Sihamoni. This reaction is neither unexpected nor surprising.
Still, it is a remarkable achievement that the proposed tribunal has finally reached this far since its genesis in 1997 when the then co-prime ministers, Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Samdech Hun Sen, wrote to the UN Secretary- General for assistance in establishing a trial to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes committed during the ultra- Maoist Pol Pot regime.
What is probably long forgotten is that the prime reason for seeking UN assistance was not merely because the crimes had an international dimension or relevance but more because of the explicit admission that the Cambodian judiciary had neither the expertise nor the resources to conduct such a complex trial.
Under the Khmer Rouge, most of the judiciary either died or were killed, along with an estimated 1.7 million other Cambodians. The more fortunate escaped the clutches of the regime and resettled in third countries. The net result was that when the Khmer Rouge was finally ousted from Phnom Penh in 1979 by invading Vietnamese forces, the newly installed Cambodian Government had to build the judiciary from scratch. That was necessarily a painfully slow process for a cash- strapped and inadequately- trained Government that was simultaneously working at building an education service, a health service, an administrative service all also from scratch.
Trusted community elders and senior party officials were chosen by the new Government's politburo to carry out primary judicial functions though, undoubtedly in the earlier years, the main objective of the emerging judiciary was to ensure the social stability of the fledgling regime.
This then was how the present Cambodian judiciary began some 27 years ago. In the interim, students were sent overseas for training, particularly to Vietnam, and gradually an adequately trained coterie has taken its place in the judiciary though there are still some from the earlier intakes awaiting retirement.
Detractors point out that the judiciary is not among the more respected institutions in the country. This unfortunately is so. However, there are those who counter that it is still grossly unfair to paint the whole institution with one broad brush because of a few. Where the tribunal is concerned, given its structure and transparency, the Cambodian judges will invariably come under greater scrutiny and will be benchmarked against the best among international judges. The hope is that the total experience will contribute to and accelerate the maturity of the Cambodian judiciary.
The tribunal comes with a long name Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea. It is popularly known by the shorter name, Extraordinary Chambers or EC.
The EC will have the power to try suspects charged with committing crimes under both Cambodian and international laws, i.e. genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in addition to murder, torture and religious persecution.
The EC will have two chambers, the first being the trial court made up of three Cambodian and two international judges. For a decision to be reached, the principle of a "super majority" will apply, i.e. four of the five judges must support the decision. This means that every decision must have both Cambodian and international support.
The other chamber, the Supreme Court, an appeals chamber, will comprise four Cambodian and three international judges and will require five judges to uphold an appeal decision.
If a super majority decision cannot be arrived at, at either of the courts, the accused is released as his guilt would not have been established. If the accused is found guilty, the maximum sentence will be life imprisonment. The accused will escape the gallows as Cambodia has abolished the death penalty. Likewise, in a country where pardons and amnesties are not uncommon, the Government has indicated that neither will be granted to persons found guilty.
The courts will only try crimes committed between April 17, 1975 and Jan 6, 1979, all of three years, eight months and 20 days. Only those "most responsible for serious crimes" will be tried a number envisaged to be fewer than 10. The actual trial is expected to begin early next year though prosecuting judges are expected to start work from the middle of this year.
The Cambodian people have now waited for almost a generation for the trials. While there will be different expectations, there must surely be some unspoken pride that the trial is conducted in Cambodia where the crimes took place, under Cambodian and international laws and with Cambodian and international judges such as Dame Silvia Cartwright.
The writer was the former Singapore Ambassador to Cambodia. He is presently Non-Resident Ambassador to Bangladesh and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. He may be contacted at math...@iseas.edu.sg
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By Kok Sap
Present Khmer border problems brought back my refugee day memory. During those days, I had learnt that Thai unlike the counterpart Khmer royal family as they had always been in spirit to aid national rural development program especially to those who were willing to make homestead along border with either side of present Thai territory. Seldom Thai royalty does not individually hand out packs of bottle of Yuan nuoc mam or a bag of donated rice or Yuan imported instant noodles to subjects for TV cameras appetizing. Obviously, the royalty is moral and religious devoted as not disingenuous and pretentious as other words.
Other hand Thai government and societal culture was not so immune of corruption or exploitation either. However, remarkably they were so unreadily to sell their national interest for a few ounces of gold from rich refugees. They were much obliged to national policy while making tons from UNHCR already. Nevertheless, one can notice on adjacent border to Cambodia, Thai have been supportive and keen of using ethnic Khmers as opposed to kin refugees for its strategic security. Apparently, most ethnic Khmers were either brainwashed or reluctant to admit their origin and refused to help refugees. That was smart of Thai policy manipulation to prevent unwanted infiltration and grafting.
The same scenario as Cambodia became permanent home for millions of Yuan refugee. Unlike Thai, Cambodian government had not only allowed illegal foreigners to settle anywhere without control but recently signed the illegal treaties in October 2005 to give in to Yuan further advantages. Khmer royalty set stage and choreographic gestures in handing out days of groceries or clothing to poor citizens instead of secured subsidizing livelihood and poor homes along borders. That is the same for government functionaries who are voluntary hostages of illegal settlers. In lieu of enforcing national security priority, impoverish functionaries are yearned to scandalous and whimsy national laissez- faire security and yet the central government is no less excusable as well.
Nonetheless, Khmer royalty had never even stepped close to the dispute area to see for self-awareness but hide out behind concrete walls in capital city. This may seem a marginal gesture to them but it is the worldly meaning to subjects. This is where the difference why Thai royalty continues to garnish support even from people whom it has suppressed rules on for hundreds of year. This is the real down side that rural Khmer people are lack of resource, economic fluidity and worst no confidence in their royalty. The royalty is preoccupied with self-image and propelled pawning to powerful manipulators. Clearly the very national symbol is at the whims of governmental officials who are readily and complacent in greed and self-agendas.
Thereby, with a few dollar bribery, the settlers are left to roam and sack Cambodia natural and almost untouched resources for own prosperity in uncontrollable illegal activities such as logging, fishing, smuggling, prostitution, gambling, and grafting. The mid level official peddlers are in careless attitude why bother if the king is so content with people rages and outcries already. Most tycoons or wealthy class in Cambodia are not necessary Khmer descendents by birth or domicile. However, they wield unsurpassed power over poor Khmers even at the scoff of own government. This is where the scale tipping as the national security is very vulnerable under the affluent nouveau and exploitative riches. We all can see this is the root cause, not necessary done by the outsiders but the malevolence of selfish insiders from sala khum up to the royal palace.
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September 20, 2002
Dear Sir:
I am writing this letter in response to your Washington Times article of Dr. David Roberts (Lecturer from the School of History and International Affairs, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland) dated 09/13/02, who accused the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy as undemocratic and authoritarian. In addition, he implied that Mr. Sam Rainsy was a racist, when he used the word "Youn" to refer to the Vietnamese.
First, the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy is a true patriot and democrat. He is well deserving of the award that was given to him by Senator John McCain.
Dr. Roberts may be an expert in his field but he is no expert in Khmer language. In the Khmer dictionary, it says "Youn" means Vietnamese and is possibly related to the Sanskrit word "Yavana" that means savage. However, this possibility of a link between the words "Youn" and "Yavana" is just pure speculation and has no basis for it.
Anyhow, my own research indicates that the word "Youn" came from the word "Yueh". The Mandarin Chinese calls Vietnam, Yueh Nam. The word "Nam" means south in Chinese. "Yueh" indicates the name of the people of that region. Therefore, "Yueh" means Viet or Vietnamese in Chinese and "Yueh Nam" means the "Yueh" people of the south. In this case, south means south of China. The North pronounces it Yeknam (with a "Y" sound).
Chou Ta-Kuan (Zhou Daguan), the celebrated Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia in the 13th century, indicated in his report that there was already a large population of Chinese settling in Cambodia at that time. He said that the Chinese preferred life in the Khmer Empire because it was easier than in China. There were a lot of Chinese men marrying the native Cambodian women. I don't know when Khmer started to call the Vietnamese "Youn", but the habit may have been picked up from the Chinese settlers who lived in Cambodia at the time. The word "Youn" may have derived from the Chinese word "Yueh" to indicate the Vietnamese. If one starts to think about it, "Viet" (as pronounced by the North Vietnamese) or "Yeak" (as pronounced by the South Vietnamese) sounds very similar to "Yueh"; and "Yueh", meaning Vietnamese, in turn sounds very similar to "Youn". George Coedes, the French expert on the Southeast Asian classical study, found an earlier evidence of the word "Yuon" inscribed in Khmer on a stele dating to the time of the Khmer King Suryavarman I (1002-1050.)
Why do the so-called Western scholars and journalists keep on perpetrating this kind of misinformation about the word "Yuon"? "Youn" does not mean savage as Dr. Roberts had mistakenly indicated in his writing. Savage in Cambodian means "Pourk Prey" or "Phnong". Cambodians calls Vietnamese "Youn" the same way they call Indian "Khleung", Burmese "Phoumea", Chinese "Chen", and French "Barang".
When the Vietnamese calls Cambodian "Mien" why did the Western press and scholars not report it to be a derogatory word also? If I were to follow the logical thinking of the Western press and scholars, then "Mien" must be a derogatory word also. In the late 17th century, the Vietnamese court of Hue had indiscriminately changed the names of the Cambodian princesses Ang Mei, Ang Pen, Ang Peou, and Ang Snguon to the Vietnamese sounding names of Ngoc-van, Ngoc-bien, Ngoc-tu, and Ngoc-nguyen, respectively. Also they changed the name of Phnom Penh to Nam Vang. Why do scholars and press stay silent on these subjects.
It is very dangerous for foreigners, like Dr. Roberts, to interpret the meaning of certain native words when they do not fully understand the languages and customs of those natives. It is people like Dr. Roberts who helps perpetrate the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the word "Youn" to mean savage. aggravate the mistrust and hate between Cambodian and Vietnamese.
Cambodians have been using the word "Youn" to refer to the Vietnameses before the word Vietnamese had even existed. Because of the ignorance of some scholars and journalists about the meaning of this word, are we therefore supposed to abandon using this word that we have done from time immemorial?
If Dr. Roberts insists on saying that the word "Youn" means savage, then I would ask him to prove to Cambodians how it is so. How does he know that this word means savage? What did he base his knowledge from? If he is a true scholar, then he must not base his understanding on hearsay. Otherwise, his credibility is at risk.
Sincerely,
Kenneth T. So
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