Thursday, July 26, 2007

Nuon Chea’s message: Cambodians should stop considering their compatriots as enemies and they should stop being greedy

Thursday, July 26, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

At a time when the ECCC co-prosecutors have named 5 Khmer Rouge leaders, Nuon Chea, the former president of the Assembly of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime, sent a message through us during our meeting with him at the end of last week. Nuon Chea asked that Cambodians should stop considering their Cambodian compatriots as their enemies as was done before, in order to preserve the Cambodian unity and to prevent the country and the [Cambodian] population from being destroyed. In addition, he also asked all Cambodians nowadays and into the future to stop being greedy and never be satisfied with wealth.

The 82-year-old Nuon Chea was flanked by his wife and children sitting on chairs in a wooden home covered with corrugated metal roof, located not too far from the borderline between Cambodia and Thailand, next to the Prom market, Stung Kach commune, Sala Krav district, Pailin province. On one side of his home, there is a thick growth of bamboo trees, and on the other side of the house is the entrance to the house which is fenced with bamboo sticks and wood. The fence itself does not look solid, but near it, plain clothe policemen are on surveillance. Nevertheless, the surveillance is not as strict as it used to be before.

Surrounding Nuon Chea’s house, the scenery is lush green from the rainy season. The house has a pleasant atmosphere as the hosts are hospitable to the guests who come to visit. In his house, guests are going in an out almost nonstop.

Holding in one hand a commentary dharma book titled “The 28 dharma views” authored by But Savong, Nuon Chea came out to greet us. When we were staring at the book in his hand, he smiled and told us that people who can observe the 5 Buddhist silas and up, are very good, and they should stop being greedy or allow money to control us.” He said: “This dharma book is written in easy to understand words, but it has depth for the general public.”

The conversation with him continued on until we reached the case of the ECCC co-prosecutors who issued the names of 5 Khmer Rouge on 18 July 2007. Nevertheless, the ECCC did not reveal yet the names of the 5 accused to the public yet.

Regarding this issue, Nuon Chea said that if he is charged, he will be glad and he will not be horrified at all to provide clarification on the truth, “it’s the truth that I must tell Cambodian children.” He called the Khmer Rouge tribunal a fighting battlefield for him, and he is not scared about it.

Nuon Chea said: “I will tell them who are the friends and who are the enemies.” The tribunal must evaluate “if the joint tribunal which includes both Cambodians and foreign (judges), like this one, can find justice for Cambodians or not? But, I do not trust it at all.”

Regarding his responsibility in the killing fields of the DK regime, of which he was the president of the Assembly and of which he was nicknamed by foreigners as “Brother No. 2” right after Pol Pot, Nuon Chea reminded that “the Assembly during that period, we didn’t have power, and I did not have the right to be a permanent member of the party either. I did not hold power, and I was far from the party power, the state, and from each zone. Therefore, how can I order anybody and for them to listen to me? How can I lead the troop to the battlefield? How can I move people around and starve them? During that time, I asked for negotiations, and I asked that there be no fight with Vietnam along the border, but who listened to me? The troops didn’t even know me.”

According to Khmer Rouge historical documents, the Khmer Rouge central committee, and Le Duan, the secretary-general of the Vietnamese communist party, all have estimated that Nuon Chea and Son Sen, the vice-prime minister and minister of defense, have sympathy for Vietnam, and in general the Nuon Chea-Son Sen group are easier to talk to as compared to Pol Pot and Ieng Sary.

Regarding the current progress made on the living condition of the population in general, Nuon Chea praised that all this was done for the population.

But when asked as to why the living condition of his family looks so scarce when compared to that of other Khmer Rouge leaders and Khmer Rouge members, Nuon Chea said: “Don’t be excited, when we were struggling, we only had one pair of pants on us only, and we were able to liberate the nation from feudalism, capitalism, and from being a slave of foreigners. It was under this condition (like what he is living right now) that one can be considered as a leader of the popular struggle.” This living condition allows him to have peace of mind and have wellbeing.

Nuon Chea also raised that: “When you money and wealth, it’s good, but it is not good for everything. Some have lust and they contracted AIDS, some met with accidents because of wealth. Therefore, only peace of mind and observation of religion are good paths for human beings.”

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Derachharnn Nuon Chea must understood that anyone dare to kill one Cambodian, that person is already qualify to Cambodia ennemy. We do not your advice. If you have this kind of mentality before, Cambodia would have spared 3.50 millions of lives. I do not to loose all my relatives and friends. Cambodia would be far better than Youn Hanoi and Thailand.

Anonymous said...

Yes,you motherfucker after you motherfucker killed my parent and all my siblings.We should hang you and your familly now bastard....

Anonymous said...

In the position of National Assembly in the regime, you guys killed millions of people and you tell us to stop considering about you guys as enemies???? It is rediculous! You killed people for what reason? Now, you become to what? You'll die or be executed without bringing anything with.

This apply to current Hun Sen govn't. You'll be in the same shoes.

Mo

Anonymous said...

I wonder if he saying this to Hun Sen's gov't; which is true because his officials are greedy and only care of their wealth, not the country. He's warning them that it may happen again if the rich are too powerful and poor might rise up and we all kill each other.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry my fellow Khmer people. Ah Noun Chea will soon join his brother # 1 down in hell. They can suck each other cock while get burn in hell for ethernithy. Then he'll know what he did wrong to our defensless Khmer during that dark era. His dark era will come to him once he soul decended into Hell.

Anonymous said...

They had already been roaming around inside Cambodia since the 60's. Let the "All mighty Sihanouk" testify the truth in court. They were all waiting to the right time to slaughter us and they did.

Since the invasion, they had been working vigorously to paint the picture that we [Khmer] killed Khmer. The enemies have been incessantly trying to convince the UN to believe them. And they even made it happened this far "ECCC / KR Tribunal".

Now, it is the "golden opportunity" for the Khmer, so-called then "Leaders of Democratic of Kampuchea" to testify the truth in court about the political implications that led to 1.7 million innocent Khmer got dirt soul.

I feel your pain. I also had family members and relatives got executed. But I spend time doing research on foreign policy and foreigners influences on Cambodia. I know that "IT" will not leave us a lone. We have to stand up together and show "IT" that we are not going to "tolerate" this kind of low life, vicious, barbarian, and bottom feeding tactics anymore.

Have a good day.

2L

Anonymous said...

Where was Noun Chea's current peaceful state of mind during Khmer Rouge Regime?

ANKALIMEAR changed his spots.

Too much blood had been spilled to forgive him and his comrades.

He walked or/and rode on the streets of Phnom Penh not wandered where all the people gone. He may blame to dead comrade Pol Pot for all sins.

90% of people commit either small or big crimes (including genocide) always trying to shift the blame and beg for forgiveness(especially in Buddhist religious countries)

Hitler was brave to kill himself.

Anonymous said...

AH NUON CHEA, KR bother No 2, has the arrogance to give advices to Cambodian people.
Personally I am thinking what to do with Nuon Chea's bones after hi death. Put them in the Excrement picth or throw them in the volcano? There are no volcano in Cambodia, but a lot of gabbage dumping sites..He desrve this.

Anonymous said...

That tells how much stupidity went to his head ( or Mr. Noun Chea's head ) and he just have to pay for the price of being a dumb ass leader.

You ran the country, you'd better know what was going on. Sending your secret police to find out the truth. Why are those killing, disappearing and starvation were going on? and how did it happen? or how would an ordinary citizen handling such rotten treatment?

You weren't asking question. You weren't caring. You weren't doing anything, but just sitting your big behind down and looked away.

They showed pictures of a million lies and you believed them. Those meetings and those happy faces during the holidays happened one in the great while. What about an everyday lives or 350 other days that our people were facing? You weren't giving a damm to know. You were ignorant! and you should pay for the price of your negligent.

Go to court and defense yourself! because right now, almost all of us whose still alive and were witnessing such real horror of your regime want you to die in the lake of fire! just so you know and don't care, if you are sick and old. You need to go to hell for your ownself this time! It's your truely turn.

People were sending down to hell out of their homes and away from their loved. Where was this guy? He went along with it and it was fun and glory to him! He was crazy! Crazy man, just go to hell with the rest of your dumb croonies!

Anonymous said...

Look at the rest of The Communist Leaders. See any similarity? All were self inflaters.

North Korean was the best example. They all thought, they were the best in world!, but barely have anything to eat. fool!

If they were smart, they would have getting up and finishing those Kim Jung Shit off along time ago.....and agian, there were gun and the none gun people and who will win? Those people didn't have any choise, but went along with their blood sucker leaders.