Fire Mr. Var Kim Hong And His Team

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Tue, 23 Feb 2010
Op-Ed by Pretty Ma

Unable to control damaging evidences laid out by the opposition lawmakers, and facing new scientific data indicating that there were actual farming land ceded to Vietnam, Mr. Var Kim Hong and the government of Cambodia, instead of answering to legal questions raised by opposition lawmakers, have now threatened to take further legal actions against the right honorable Sam Rainsy, leader of the official opposition. Could this be considered as a desperate attempt on the part of the government to control the damage which has already dealt a blow to its own credibility and inability to protect Cambodian territorial integrity?

It is quite unusual for any country, when dealing with national issue such critically important as border demarcation, to proceed with such a tight control environment, in highly partisan manner, without given considerations to concerns from other segment of the population, including independent organization such as the one represented by HE Seang Peng Se. The CPP-led government shuts out all interest groups, experts on the border issue, and moved ahead with its own hidden agenda to quickly facilitate and implement the border encroachment policy initiated by Vietnam. As a result, Cambodian land has been compromised to Vietnam at the expense of Cambodian farmers. Worst of all, the Cambodian authority has immorally convicted their own people in order to appease the foreign land grabber - that is almost unheard of in any country in the world.

Mr. Var Kim Hong and his entire Border Commission officials owe Cambodian people and their country a real due. Come clean and explain the truth as required under the law. The government of Cambodia must now allow Cambodian and international experts to visit areas as identified by the opposition claimed.

The credibility of the Border Commission is highly tainted and its works are now very questionable since Cambodian territory has been seriously compromised.

The best way to perhaps control the Cambodian government's damage is to either fire Mr. Var Kim Hong and his incompetent team or to simply ask for Mr. Var Kim Hong to turn in his resignation.

Trying to silence the truth by more legal actions would only bring more backlash to this government's own motive and credibility which is now clearly in question.