A Thai woman prays as Thai policemen get ready soon after 3 p.m. deadline at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, May 17, 2010. The Thai government on Monday warned protesters barricaded within their 'occupation zone' in the heart of the capital to leave by 3 p.m., saying anyone who remains there will be violating the law and will face two years in prison. (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup)Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 17 May 2010
“The use of guns to kill the red shirts by the government is not a right or democratic act.”Cambodians in Phnom Penh on Monday said they were watching the unrest and increasing violence in Bangkok, but sympathy between the authorities and anti-government protesters was split.
Violence escalated in Bangkok over the weekend, where at least 36 people have died since Thursday in the worst violence to hit the capital in decades. “Red shirt” protesters have seized a key part of the capital, and Thai security forces have begun to move in on their blockade, with the government calling for protesters to leave their entrenchment.
But who was to blame for the violence was debated in Cambodia, with many supporting the government in what they see as an illegal demonstration.
“I support the crackdown by the government on the red shirts, to avoid the negative effects on the economy, security, order and harmony of Thai society,” Ly Sokheng, a 24-year-old student at the Royal Phnom Penh University, said Monday. “The crackdown was right. The Bangkok government informed the red shirts about the crackdown if they didn’t disperse. On the other hand, the red shirts were armed against the authorities [which is] an illegal act.”
Cambodia is no stranger to street violence. Phnom Penh saw fighting in 1997, when the Cambodian People’s Party seized power from Funcinpec in a violent coup. Lessons from years of war were more apparent in older Cambodians Monday.
“The use of guns to kill the red shirts by the government is not a right or democratic act,” said Chim Rotha, a 43-year-old street sweeper, who was working near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday. However, he said the red shirts bore some responsibility for using weapons against the authorities.
“The authorities and the red shirts must not use weapons to solve the problem,” he said. “They should use peaceful negotiations. The red shirts’ use of weapons is illegal, but the government’s shooting of red shirts violates human rights.”
Others called for calm amid the violence.
“The red shirts should accept the road map composed by the prime minister…to hold a new election in November in exchange for the dispersal of the anti-government rally,” Ngoeum Phally, a 21-year-old student at Phnom Penh University, said. Both sides should sit and talk to resolve their differences, she said. “But right now the government’s use of force to kill the red shirts is shameful.”
Chhet Takk, 25, a student at the Kampuchea Mekong University, blamed both sides for the violence. “The government and the red shirts must now be responsible for the dead,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued its own statement Monday, saying the “severe violence” was “gravely” affecting the image of Thailand and 10 Asean members. The statement called on all parties to resume peaceful talks and “restore peace and normalcy to the Thai people, thus stability to the region.”
20 comments:
To our brave soldiers stationed at the frontlines, be ready for a spillover of hostilities into our territories.
If Khmers are against the red shirts it doesn't mean we support the yellow shirt either for they are the ones aligned with the thai gov't and thai troops which are encroaching on our Khmer border and territories until this day. FUCK all the scumtrash siam/thai!!
IF thailand starting civilwar. and at some point of time those thai armies spill over (take refuge) in cambodia as refugee. I will pay SEN's GENERAL for joining his army. I will buy my own boots for kicking thai armies,thai polices and thai tom rout( boarder patol scumbags)
who kicking. raping. and beatting innocent khmer refugees during cambbodia civil war crisis 1979-1985. I will kick everyone of them and ask questions later. I COULD NOT WAIT.
From past experience at the refugee camp, part of me wants to watch them kill each other.
I know there are good and bad people, but from past experience, most of them are bad!
Most of what they're doing are Karma--looking down on people and teaching their citizen false history.
By the look of things--it's not going to end easily. There's going to be more bloodshed or a civil war.
Lots of Khmer support the red shirt included Hun Sen otherwise no red protester can come to see Taksin in Cambodia.
One of them pushed me down to the ground and ask. if he can sleep with my wife. and when i told him no then he hit me on my head and said. meung na kaeng (in khmer mouk reung) hard head,
I remembered everyone of their face. event 26 after years later
God puts everyone to the test, e.g how we going to response to the poor people? good or bad is based on what you individual had done. By they then you will find out who is going to go to heaven and who is going to hell. So, please do the right thing for the righteous will live forever and the wicked will be terminated. What are the right things? they are the wisdom of life, please read the bible under "Proverbs-Sok Pear Set", after you read this, you will find yourself being enlighten. With this knowledge, it will be good enough to enter the kingdom of God. It is all about love and respect. Aust
The King is the Head of the nation,and boths side are to blame on this growing conflict,But the King need to move in to resolve this terribles situations.
THAI KING DONT GIVE A FUCK THAT OLD FUT....HE JUST WANT MONEY AND POWER FUCKING SCUMBAG MAY HES DEAD BROTHER HUANT HIM AND THAILAND FOR LIFE....FUCK THAILAND.....THAILAND BELONGS TO THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA.....KHMER EMPIRE WILLL RISE AGAIN
As a Khmer, I am with the red shirts because they are not against Cambodia. I would rather side with the red shirts than the dirty corrupt Thai military.
As I said before, Khamen don't need to know what we are doing, go back to your farm and work hard, ok?
We must support the red shirts of our friend Shinawatra. They are the real friends of Cambodia against the yellow fucking PAD, Abbhishit, the Thai military, and the Thai rich who are occupying our border lands including Preah Vihear. The red shirts are fighting against Abhishit who came to power by illegal means.
10:48
You would be an asshole boss. Do not tell us what to do and not to do. If you are my boss, i would kick your ass around for fun.
May be you can come to lick my feed. Come on you poor doggy.
this artical is stupid and the writer even more crazy ,why cambodian support thai goverment when they are invading cambodia soil???
We should do something to stop Thai Govn't from killing the people.
We better do a demonstration in front of Thai Embassy one soon to stop Thai from killing!
Please pray for peace for Thai people!
Lok Pratean Sam Rainsy, where are you?
Please ask your best friend Abhisit, democrate killer, to stop killing the poor people.
Cambodian political parties stay neutral about the situation in Thailand. This is not our business to take side, especially when are not yet strong and mature ourselves to take a stand. It is more safe just to stay neutral. Let the Thais take care of their mess.
As a good friends of Absishit, Comrate Xam Rainxy would do the same when he win the election.
The movement of Red Shirts was founded shortly after the 2006 coup that removed Thaksin from office following his second landslide election victory. The first campaign of the Red Shirts was focused on defending the 1997 people's constitution - the first in Thailand's history that was drafted in a popular, democratic manner with participation of elected officials from all the regions - against the imposition of the new 2007 constitution, drafted by handpicked people appointed by the military junta.
The grassroots growth of the Red Shirts rapidly increased the size and influence of the group following a series of repressive actions by the government. The country's most popular political party, Thai Rak Thai, was banned by a court ruling in 2007. The elected prime minister Samak Sundaravej was ousted from office for appearing on a cooking show. The People's Power Party, successor to Thai Rak Thai, was then also banned in 2008, and more than 100 democratically elected members of parliament were disqualified from politics for five years.
The understandable anger felt by many Thai citizens after seeing their popular will suppressed was underscored by systemic double standards exercised by the country's judicial system. One constitutional court judge who banned Samak also regularly did paid appearances on radio and taught at a private university.
When the pro-government elite movement, People's Alliance for Democracy, held disruptive rallies, invaded government buildings, and illegally occupied Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in 2008, there was not one single arrest, trial or conviction. Instead, these same people are on television every day. In comparison, scores of Red Shirts have already been imprisoned, and those arrested in the most recent protests were processed and convicted in improbably swift trials.
It was all the more impressive that tens of thousands of these activists volunteered to sleep outside at the rally site in obvious discomfort, while risking their lives before the coming violence to make their point. They came to Bangkok to remind the ruling elites and the world that they also have constitutional rights as Thai citizens, that their votes should count too, no matter their level of wealth, class, and education.
But the distractions from these basic facts are numerous. The ruling military elite argues that the killing of almost 70 civilians (only one confirmed death of a military officer) over the past month is justified because they are armed - although most often with slingshots, homemade fireworks and bamboo sticks. The ruling military elite talks about the funding of the Red Shirts, as though these people are risking their lives for some reason other than the anger over having their votes stolen.
The unlawful deployment of force used by the Thai authorities against the protesters, their flip-flopping on the issues of elections and their unwillingness to meet the protesters' pleadings for negotiations to avoid violence speaks volumes about their legitimacy to govern.
But the facts speak for themselves, and the demands by the Red Shirts for new elections and real representative government must be dealt with in a sincere and orderly reconciliation effort.
Above all, the Red Shirts simply want the right to vote, have a say in who runs the country and how.
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