By Bronwyn Sloan
Anlong Veng, Cambodia (dpa) - Former Khmer Rouge fighters don't care too much about the upcoming trials of their former leaders - but they do care about alleged Thai incursions into Cambodian territory, they said Sunday.
Once fiercely loyal to former Khmer Rouge military commander Ta Mok, who died in 2006 after seven years in jail awaiting trial for genocide, now they say they have embraced democracy.
They are not, however, afraid of war - especially when it comes to Cambodian territory they believe has been violated by hundreds of Thai troops in nearby Preah Vihear, and these northern mountains of Cambodia are almost completely populated by former Khmer Rouge.
Cambodia went to the polls Sunday in five-yearly national elections, but amongst these former fighters, the talk was all about coming out of retirement to serve the government if talks over the disputed Preah Vihear temple, just an hour's drive away, fail.
Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to hold talks over the temple Monday, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site earlier this month and since the focus of troop buildup on both sides.
Former fighters say they would be at war already if Prime Minister Hun Sen had just said the word, but instead he and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), expected to be handsomely returned to office after the elections, have urged restraint. Some are frustrated.
"I only have one leg, and I am old, but my former troops are still in Preah Vihear, and I am willing to give military advice or any other assistance I can to protect Cambodian sovereignty," said former Khmer Rouge fighter Try Nin, 56.
"We are former Khmer Rouge. We are not scared of foreign aggressors. We respect the government's decision to meet the Thais with diplomacy, but if that fails, everyone here is ready to fight."
Former photographer at the Khmer Rouge's infamous Toul Sleng torture centre turned CPP commune leader, Nhem En, 47, who claims Anlong Veng's several thousand voters are 99 percent CPP, agreed.
"I am ready to fight the Thais. All we wait for is an order from Prime Minister Hun Sen," he said. "We don't want war - we want peace and development. But we need tourists, and while the Thais do this, the tourists do not come.
"Thais already have their own problems in their south," he said, referring to Muslim insurgency. "Why do they want an extra problem?"
En's son, Meas Bunlo, aged 20, said that like almost three quarters of the Cambodian population today, he was too young to remember the Khmer Rouge and it's 1975-79 regime and has only ever known the 23-year reign of Hun Sen.
"I went to Ta Mok's funeral, but I don't feel close to the history because I am too young," he said. "However I am Cambodian, so I care about our border and foreign invaders."
Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge fighter who defected before returning to overthrow the regime, has stressed Cambodia will strive to solve the border dispute by diplomatic, not military, means.
All the same, Anlong Veng's former fighters said, they are now his loyal servants and are ready if called upon to fight again.
Once fiercely loyal to former Khmer Rouge military commander Ta Mok, who died in 2006 after seven years in jail awaiting trial for genocide, now they say they have embraced democracy.
They are not, however, afraid of war - especially when it comes to Cambodian territory they believe has been violated by hundreds of Thai troops in nearby Preah Vihear, and these northern mountains of Cambodia are almost completely populated by former Khmer Rouge.
Cambodia went to the polls Sunday in five-yearly national elections, but amongst these former fighters, the talk was all about coming out of retirement to serve the government if talks over the disputed Preah Vihear temple, just an hour's drive away, fail.
Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to hold talks over the temple Monday, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site earlier this month and since the focus of troop buildup on both sides.
Former fighters say they would be at war already if Prime Minister Hun Sen had just said the word, but instead he and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), expected to be handsomely returned to office after the elections, have urged restraint. Some are frustrated.
"I only have one leg, and I am old, but my former troops are still in Preah Vihear, and I am willing to give military advice or any other assistance I can to protect Cambodian sovereignty," said former Khmer Rouge fighter Try Nin, 56.
"We are former Khmer Rouge. We are not scared of foreign aggressors. We respect the government's decision to meet the Thais with diplomacy, but if that fails, everyone here is ready to fight."
Former photographer at the Khmer Rouge's infamous Toul Sleng torture centre turned CPP commune leader, Nhem En, 47, who claims Anlong Veng's several thousand voters are 99 percent CPP, agreed.
"I am ready to fight the Thais. All we wait for is an order from Prime Minister Hun Sen," he said. "We don't want war - we want peace and development. But we need tourists, and while the Thais do this, the tourists do not come.
"Thais already have their own problems in their south," he said, referring to Muslim insurgency. "Why do they want an extra problem?"
En's son, Meas Bunlo, aged 20, said that like almost three quarters of the Cambodian population today, he was too young to remember the Khmer Rouge and it's 1975-79 regime and has only ever known the 23-year reign of Hun Sen.
"I went to Ta Mok's funeral, but I don't feel close to the history because I am too young," he said. "However I am Cambodian, so I care about our border and foreign invaders."
Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge fighter who defected before returning to overthrow the regime, has stressed Cambodia will strive to solve the border dispute by diplomatic, not military, means.
All the same, Anlong Veng's former fighters said, they are now his loyal servants and are ready if called upon to fight again.
28 comments:
Cambodia didn't start this, if we have to kick the Siam out of our territory we will.
I wish that the ex-Khmer Rouge could be brave as they claim. Are they?
HI FREEDOM KHMER OVERSEAS,
ARE YOU READY TO COME AND FIGHT WITH THE FORMER KHMER ROUGE FIGHTERS AT THE BORDER?
OR ARE YOU JUST STRONG IN FREEDOM OF BARKING ANYTIME... ?
WOULD YOU BARK AGAIN IF SAM RAINSY PARTY LOST THE ELECTION???
GOOD QUESTION RAISED ...NO?
FORMER KHMER ROUGE
ANLONG VENG
Khmer Rouge are the cut thraot, are you kidding that they are not brave. They're that was why the killed millions of their own peple.
These people fought since they were little babies.
Khmer Rouge are the cut thraot, are you kidding that they are not brave. They're that was why they killed millions of their own peple.
These people fought since they were little babies.
Samak has to evcuate Thai people to Bangkok, before these cut throat will drink their blood and eat their livers.
11:20 PM
If you don't know that Hun Sen wins the election even people go to the poll. Than you have a problem.
If you have even a small bit of intelligence, you should understand by now Hun Sen does only care about his pocket.
Rainsy would make your life easier.
To answer your question, yes if a war start there will be Khmer abroad willing to help you.
If you have the time to write comments here I doubt you're a KR soldier.
You are more likely to be a brainless pathetic Hun Sen supporter.
11:20 PM
Base on the time of your posting your are former KR from the US.
Good deduction....NO?
Let's not argue among ourselves who is brave and who is not. Big deal if you fough since you're ababy and cut people throats and their liver whatever. Look where it got us.
Look how much we lost over thye last few hundreds years. Khmer angkoe, Khmer Sihanouk, Khmer Lon Nol, Khmer Rouge and Khmer Hun Sen, they all lost to the a katourb youn, ah kapik siam and to each others. So stop the nonsense who of is brave and who is not. Big deal. We killed each others and for what?
Let's help and encourage each other to beducate ourselves, train ourselves and win this dispute diplomatically. We'll go to war if necessary as a last resort to protect ourselves and takes back what is our. This can only happen if all of us Khmer are united.
How brave and how patriotic are the KR? This are the answers:
- 2M Khmers were Killed like animals.
- 4-5M Vietnamese are living free in Cambodia.
- Cambodia almost disppears.
Now you believe them to fight the thais. Give me a break.
These criminals will kill you for the Thais.
To Khmer Rouge,
Now is the time to pay back your evil doers to the Khmer people. Sacrifice your life for your country and let us reunite. Beside, if we can't come together and fight for this cost, then what's the use of living? This is the cost that we can't afford to loose. Let's march hand and hand and showed them what lands belong to whom.
You stupid idiots are laughable. Soldiers follow orders. Why do you see only the leaders always get put on trials? Use common sense, stupid. Not to mention, most of those Ex-Khmer Rouge are not the ones who were alive and doing the atrocity in from 1975-79. It's been 30 plus years since then. Most of those Ex-Khmer Rouge guys weren't even born yet when that happened. My dad's family were all killed during that time. He is the only one who was able to survived. A few of his relatives joined the Khmer Rouge back then. But, now he doesn't hold any grunge against what they did to their own family. This is much the same on the larger scale on the national level.
Everyone has freedom to express and equality until you start opening your mouth and splitting out ignorant egotistical shit like most of you do on the daily basis on the internet.
11:26 PM, your Khmer Rouge are the cut throat, but they cut throats of their own defenseless people. When it turns to fighting the real enemy, they might not be that brave as they have claimed.
The war have started yet and the siem troops are dieing already.
The war haven't started yet and the siem troops are dieing already.
They are complaining like little girl, that not a good start.
Agree the Thai soldiers are used to comfort.
These guys will all die if a war start.
You know those rockets that the KR brought with them these are worst enemy of a tank.
It's better for the Thai government to withdraw while they still can. Once the war started Sisaket is the first to fall. Their will be massacre there.
I agree.
The Thai troops fears of the KR is palpable.
the whole UN and cambodia is ready to figh thailand if they don't stop disrespecting or violating the international laws i.e. the the treaty of 1907, the icj verdict, unesco's preah vihear world heritage site, etc... god bless cambodia.
The people always said this person is the puppet of another country but through out the khmer history who's the independent leader,,norodom sihanouk? we call the father of national independent?he is a real viet cong puppet.lon nol ,serei mata,,they are a father of democratic,,they're just a slave of US.Pol Pot announces that he is a great leader ,,moharosjar mohar lot plos,,actually he is only the puppet of Mao tse Tong,,China.i don't deny that Hun Sen is the Viet puppet But he is the only person that make cambodia stable like today.
I'm just a full boy,i don't know exactly what is the real democratic is,,i born in small village in Kampong cham.i know the different between the past 20 years and now.
i agree that samrainsy he's a good person nor the good leader.but now his time not come yet to be the PM.
don't ask ur country did sth for you but ask urself what did u do for ur country.
Best Regards,
Madboy,
This might be a win-lose situation?
Thailand wants to keep UN out of Cambodian row
Reuters | Monday, 28 July 2008
New Thai foreign minister Tej Bunnag says he will try his best to resolve a heated dispute with Cambodia over a 900-year-old temple, urging his counterpart not to take the issue to the United Nations.
With troops and artillery building up on both sides of the border near the Preah Vihear ruins, Tej and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong are due to meet on Monday to try to avert a military clash.
Cambodia, which was awarded sovereignty over the temple in a 1962 World Court ruling, is threatening to take the issue to the United Nations Security Council, although Thailand wants all talks with its smaller neighbour to remain strictly two-way.
"Attempts to bring the bilateral issue to broader frameworks at this stage could complicate the situation, and in turn, produce undesirable repercussions on the good relations and goodwill," Tej said in a statement.
At the heart of the latest row is 4.6 squarekm of scrubland near the temple whose sovereignty has never been resolved.
There have been no major incidents so far, but fears of a military clash are real given the nationalist fervour whipped up on both sides over the ruins, which won listing as a World Heritage site this month at Cambodia's request.
In 2003, a Cambodian mob torched the Thai embassy and several Thai-owned businesses in Phnom Penh over misreported comments from a Thai soap opera star suggesting the famed Angkor Wat temples well inside Cambodia actually belonged to Thailand.
4:14 AM, the words in the last line of your comment are John F. Kennedy's words. Don't use them if don't quote them.
Agree With YOU,,
Madboy,
If nobody decide to punish the thieves because of economy interests, we , kmhmer people , will do it by ourselves.
This is a "the justice Vs the thieves" war.
ពួកយើងឈឺចាប់នូវអ្វីដែលខ្លួនយើងបាត់បង់ អ្វីដែលបរទេសបានធ្វើនិងកំពុងធ្វើចំពោះយើង។តែអ្វីដែលឈឺចាប់ជាងនេះគឺទង្វើដែលយើងធ្វើចំពោះខ្លួនអែង។ឆ្លងតាមប្រវត្តិសាស្រ្តខ្មែរយើងចុះអន់ខ្សោយដោយសារខ្មែរយើងឈ្លោះគ្នា រួចពឺងបរទេសមកវាយប្រហារគ្នាអែង។ការគិតតែប្រយោជន៍ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនរបស់អ្នកដឹកនាំញុះញុងឲ្យប្រជាពលរដ្ឌកាប់សំលាប់គ្នា។សតវត្សទី21យើងជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែរឈប់ល្ធង់ជឿតាមពាក្យបោកប្រាស់របស់ពួកអស់លោកទៀតហើយ។យើងស្រលាញ់គ្នារួបរួមគ្នាជាធ្លុងមួយដើម្បីសុខសន្តិភាពនិងការអភិវឌ្ឍរបស់ប្រទេសយើង។
ខេមរបុត្រ!
អរគុណ!
We sure will.
If they don't withdraw we kick them out.
there will be no war. Hun Sen created the chaos to be sure that he won the election. Now, we know that Hun Sen has hit double home run - 1) Won the election 2) Big business with his Thai buddies/YUON WOULD ALSO GAIN MORE PROFITS.
HANOI/YUON WOULD MAKE SURE THAT HUN SEN WOULD NOT TAKE THE CASE TO ASEAN AND/OR UN. WHY? KHMER WOULD HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY IF WE WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE THE CASE TO UN, BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE WOULD FOLLOW. BUT NO, WE WON'T HAVE THE CHANCE. HUN SEN MAY BE THE PRIME MINISTER BUT THE REAL PERSONS WHO HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL ARE THE YUON HANOI.
Don't believe? You will see in a couple of weeks.
It is so sad that We Khmer are so hyped up with the issue of Preah Vihear Temple. We and the world know that Preah Vihear Temple has been ours. WE SHOULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME ON THE ELECTION.
"IT WAS A CLEAN-CUT POLITICAL MANEUVER HUN SEN AND HIS GOVERNMENT CREATED". TIME AND TIME, HUN SEN AND HIS CRONIES ARE ENJOYING TO FOOL ALL OF YOU.
So what will be next? Bragging, talking, accusing each other, mine, yours, them!
Bragging and bragging! Used to be the older generations and now has spreaded to the younger generation, brag and brag!
We Khmer need more asshole like you so we can progress.
I'm glad the Hun Sen and his boss can solve this problem so easily.
Because those KR soldier is not talking the lost of their territory as answer fro Hun Sen.
Very happy that Hun Sen has planned out everything.
Like the Thai their plan work so well that right now, I'm still wondering if this what they really want?
"The black magic of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom will bring the bad fortune, disaster to he who possess, forever"
Does this anonymous quote real?
vĩnh T.
I have no idea about that quote Vinh Tram Nguyen Ahn DO Troung.
Can you elaborate more Nguyen?
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