Son Chhay and the communist Vietnamese domination of Cambodia

Son Chhay and the vietnamese domination

News from Cambodia N° 0733-E
By Khemara Jati

We publish below declarations of the Deputy Son Chhay on the vietnamese domination in Cambodia under the kind of exploitation of the Rubber plant on 100,000 hectares of our lands.

We would like first of all to congratulate Son Chhay on his intervention which answers to the fundamental concerns of our fellow countrymen. However, we like to underline that Son Chhay did not clarify about these former officers and soldiers of the Popular Army of Vietnam who come to settle definitively on our home with their family, women and children. It is a part of Hanoi plan to transform our country into vietnamese province. They are real colonies of populating as during colonial period. It is necessary to clarify also that the rubber production will be exported by the port of Prey Nokor as vietnamese rubber, as it is, already, the case for a million tons of Cambodian rice every year. This rice produces mainly in the eastern part of our country.

On this subject of the vietnamese colonization / settlers, we wish to add that the Vietnamese are widely profitable, even before the exploitation of these 100,000 hectares of our lands, by the sale of the multi-hundred-years-old precious wood productions by plundering of our forests only.

On the other hand, let us call back that the vietnamese Sokimex company already owns immense lands in the big cities of Cambodia, in particular in Phnom Penh and at Sihanouk-ville and their province in the neighborhood; that the Vietnamese yeay Phu alone already swallows about 8% of our territory?

We wish that Son Chhay and/or the other numerous patriotic personalities give us or express their opinion to the public onto a certain number of the other problems, unfortunately regrettably not exhaustive, which make that our country is becoming gradually to a vietnamese province very soon.

1- For the independence of a country, the energy independence is one of the fundamental factors, like the other country around the world.

a. Why attributing to the vietnamese companies of two hydroelectric dams construction in our provinces of the Northeast ? We know on the other hand that in order to build these dams, the Vietnamese are going to come to settle down definitively with their family including women, children and friends. Like already the case for the other constructions for examples of roads coming from Vietnam which continuing on our territory to drain our wealth towards the port of Prey Nokor? More, this electricity will be sold to Cambodians, by the vietnamese company, with big profit, because of the monopoly situation. The electricity on the West, up to Siem Reap is from Thailand. During the conflict with Thailand concerning the tourist exploitation of Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand threatened to cut its electricity. So to depending our energy especially electricity of our neighbors is to take place under the constant threat to be deprived of it. Why voluntarily put ourselves under the energy dependence of our neighbors? Why voluntarily put the independence of Cambodia under the energy dependence of our neighbors?

b. We know now that we have an important quantity of petroleum and natural gas. Why not, from now on, envisaging the construction of an oil refinery? A refinery of petroleum produces the other numerous products beside the gasoline. Let us remind that before 1970, Cambodia has an oil refinery near our first seaport Sihanouk-ville. All the independent countries have access to the sea, possess at least a port. Most of the seaports in the world are among most big cities of the planet. Some are even capitals of the country like London, Bangkok and Tokyo for example. Why, from now on, not envisaging projects to build electric thermal power stations to supply the electricity to the whole country? Instead of building networks lines with high tensions from our neighbors, in particular from Laos and from Vietnam, supplying electricity to our provinces of the North, the Northeast and East? Up to the neighborhood of Phnom Penh?

c. Why does the vietnamese Sokimex company continue to enjoy certain monopolies by importing the gasoline bought from Vietnam? Why, in Cambodia, the gas cost 50 % more expensive than at our neighbors? By plundering our wealth since its creation in 1979, Sokimex has a war treasure of several billions of US dollars, even dozens billions of US dollars! Now it is a State in the State and enjoys a total impunity.

d. Why contracts with foreign companies concerning the research and the exploitation of our wealth in hydrocarbons, remain always secret even for the Members of Parliament ? Is Sokimex associated in the exploitation of our wealth in hydrocarbons? Are there engineers, technicians and Cambodian administrators in the investigations, the exploitations of our petroleum and our gas?

In fact, why placing Cambodia under the total dependence of our neighbors, in particular in the energy matter : electricity and gasoline, while we have all the means for, not only to protect our energy independent but to sell more our energy wealth to our neighbors and in the world?

2- The political independence depends largely on the economic independence. The economic independence passes by the importance of the national scientific and technical staff for all levels and in all subjects, capable of producing and of managing the whole economic device of the country.

Why for example, nowadays, does the French-Vietnamese Hospital of Prey Nokor outstrip by far the French-Cambodian Hospital in Phnom Penh? Why are we obliged to go to make analyze report in Vietnam the DNA of Cambodian Ko Prey ? Let us remind that during colonial period, in Cambodia, the Vietnamese had almost the same statutes as the Frenchmen. The Cambodians pay more tax per capita than the Vietnamese in Vietnam. Let us remind also that the Vietnamese in Cambodia did pay almost no tax! Because likened to Frenchmen! So the Vietnamese pupils at the secondary school Sisowath, in Phnom Penh, different from the Cambodian pupils, did not pay tax! It was the reason of the first strike of the Cambodian pupils in 1936! That, during colonial period, the best hospitals, the best secondary schools, all the scientific establishments as Institutes Ministers and the University are all in Vietnam! Built with the cooperation of the taxes raised in Cambodia. During the Japanese occupation, in the countryside, a Cambodian family had only a single dress to go out! Other members of the family, had to cloister themselves at home quite nude! Cambodia had no right to make some salt from the sea water! Cambodia had to buy the salt produced in Vietnam. All the business of Cambodia was run by Prey Nokor! Why do major powers continue to impose us the same policies as during colonial period?

On the other hand, should not we revise profoundly our education system? Besides, to increase the salary of the teachers and professors? Should not we send a delegation, including high-level Cambodian specialists, to investigate on this subject in Vietnam, in Thailand, in Malaysia and in Finland? These countries which, as the Malaysia and Finland, are spent within thirty years from poor countries to become rich countries and full employment? Let us remind that our neighbours already get ready to build nuclear power stations to produce some electricity. In when our turn?

An independent country passes first of all by the existing of the industries of high professional skill, means the industries with high added value, which requires the training of the engineers and the high-level scientists in great number. In Vietnam every year, more than 30,000 engineers of very high level are formed, without adding the technicians of all levels. Proportionally to the populations, it would be necessary to form in Cambodia at least 6,000 engineers of very high level yearly! When will be the case? How can we form quickly these engineers and scientists if the education in university is ruling all in foreign languages? English, French and Chinese? Is it the case to the countries which we have just quoted earlier? And in all other independent country? Comparing our country to Singapore and to India it is to underestimate totally the history and the education situation of these two countries! Why does Japan help Vietnam to develop the Vietnamese scientific and technical language?

3- To develop the countryside, all independent countries develop the internal roads to facilitate the communications of peoples and the circulation of goods. It is the case of the countries that we have just quoted above ? When important projects to remedy this backward situation of our ground communications, in particular towards our cities and villages in our borders? How to defend our borders if the best roads start from our borders towards our neighbors? Already the business at the border is ruling mainly towards our neighbors? For lack of being able to make it in Cambodia!

4- The independence of a country is above all the territorial and maritime integrity of the country. Why Son Chhay and/or the other patriotic personalities are not going any more visiting our fellow countrymen living on our borders? Why not encouraging the national and international tourism towards Angkor Borei, capital of the Fou Nan, one of the cradles of our civilization and our history? Angkor Borei, close to the Vietnamese border, is not it already vietnamized ? Why not asking official questions to delay concerning the installation of border points with Vietnam? Is it the asphalted road towards Preah Vihear is in construction? Otherwise in when? This road is going to irrigate at the same time our provinces of the North, already largely absorbing by the business with Thailand.

5- The tourism develops very fruitfully. Angkor is the main engine of the development of the tourism in our region. This tourism influx benefits mainly our neighbors. Tourists coming from Vietnam, say that there is nothing as tourist in this country. So all the tourists coming in our region want to come to Angkor. So our neighbors and in particular Vietnam is obliged to include Angkor in the tourist journeys to visit Vietnam. Why Cambodia is the only country of the region without any airline company of international capacity? Before 1970, we had «Royal Air Cambodia » which was run well.

6- To protect our territorial waters, it would be needed a navy capable of protecting it. We have military aids of the United States and China. On the other hand American and French warships come to cast anchor at Sihanouk-ville. Why does Cambodia remain, still incapable to prevent our neighbors from coming to plunder freely our halieutic wealth? Who will guarantee of offshore oil installations security? The navies of our neighbors? What are the necessity of having the good military relations with Washington, Paris and Beijing?

We wish that our fellow countrymen mobilize and gather on these questions concerning the future of our country and thus on the future of our children. Even only by the paper and/or by the public meetings.

How can we appreciate the helps value of major powers, if we do not know primarily what we need to defend long-term of our national independence? Our neighbors know very well what they need, of this fact they have good relations at the same time with the United States and China. In Vietnam, the Chinese heavy industries and the giant of the data processing Intel build in Prey Nokor a factory of a billion of US dollars to produce chips. Bill Gates is forming 15,000 vietnamese computer specialists of very high level. Why in Cambodia, there are only factories using, mainly, only the muscular forces and the Cambodian workers? Can Cambodia become, one day, an independent country without high-level industries technique?

Next is the full text of Son Chhay's declaration of RFA.