Friday, September 24, 2010

Initial Reactions to Criminal Lawsuit against PM Hun Sen

By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh


I read the "Complaint and Petition Requesting Criminal Investigation and Prosecution of Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia" with great interest and absorption. (I highly recommend reading it through; riveting, like a narrative rather than a legal brief.)

A few initial thoughts surfaced immediately:

1. Brilliant timing. It was obvious and acknowledged as such that the Complaint/Petition is timed to coincide with the visit of Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit to the United Nations General Assembly meeting. This had the dramatic effect and optimal impact of highlighting the Cambodian human rights and justice issues before the world stage when all the world's eyes and media are focused on the UN Summit.

2. US Image as a Rule-of-Law country challenged. The brief indirectly (or maybe directly) challenges the United States as a country which prides itself as a bastion of the rule of law, democracy, human rights principles. "Yeah? Let's see..."

In particular, the Complaint/Petition challenges the esteem of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other US high-vaulted institutions to act to redress the derision and contempt toward them by the Cambodian government. It's like a 6th-grade bully on the playground sticking out his tongue and finger to the US justice system, taunting the FBI with a "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo, we violated your criminal laws; so, what are you going to do about it? Na-na-na... We have China!"

3. Rally against Hun Sen. I can understand the disappointment of Cambodian-Americans and other democracy supporters from other parts of the world who would have liked to join in this demonstration, who find the announcement of the Rally given too late for proper planning.

But in reading the Complaint/Petition and the German-sense of impeccable timing with the release of the Complaint/Petition and the associated Rally, not much could have been be done. It was an issue of triage: which is more important, getting people out there or protecting the secrecy of the lawsuit? Here, the secret timing of the public announcement of this Complaint/Petition, only after making sure the Prime Minister is irreversibly in the air to NYC with no possibility of a return or time to counter-act beforehand, won out.

4. Vindication for Sam Rainsy. The opposition democracy leader knows well his opponent, knows well the Cambodian landscape, knows well his people on the ground inside and outside the government, knows well the geopolitics regionally and internationally. He knows the era he lives in.

Rather than thinking of his ego or succumbing to the taunts for his return to a jail cell - an irresponsible, high risk adventure to his personal security, his political voice, work and mobility--not to mention to the cause of democracy, as at this point, no one can compare to the husband-and-wife team--he opts to take the high ground and stay away (not out of fear, for he has shown to be fearless time and again since the early 1990s, and most tellingly, the grenade assassination attack on him at the Easter Massacre of 1997, and still since, reflected in his continuing to be outspoken 13 years later and going).

But he knows the 21st century of political activism where information communication technology makes "virtual presence" many times more important than physical presence, his presence is still feared and a focus of crackdown by a regime trembling before this kind of intelligence, wherewithal and political force.

For example, if Sam Rainsy had been imprisoned (and who knows what other ill-fated crimes await him if he returns under the present legal conditions), this lawsuit would not have seen the light of day or gain the momentum it is enjoying.


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Very insightful! Thank you very much, Khmer Democrat.

Anonymous said...

Khmer,

Its time to rise up!
Speak your mind, Let the truth set us all free. From Pol pot, from Hanoi, from Thailand, AND from HunXen the traitor.

They all are useless and evil.
Its not the king or the dictator is the owner of cambodia, but KHMER!

RISE UP, SHOW UP, AND SPEAK UP.
NO DEMAND, NO JUSTICE.

for the victims of all khmer

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy is like a mad dog that cornered. He no longer and think logically any more, he just struggle to do his last bark or last bite. The more he dig himself deeper, the less chance that he can compromise with Phnom Penh government for his return. When he lost all hope, he just want to revenge, to get back at HS at all cost.

In my opinion, SR is finished. SRP member should appoint new leader such as Son Chay or Mu Sochua to be the new party chief and change the name of SRP back to its old name the Nationalist Party.

Dara - Devi said...

Rainsy is on the RISE!! The beginning of Peace and Happiness and Prosperity in Cambodia... Jay Yo!! No one ever stands up to Xen Bun before -- Rainsy is our only hope to bring Cambodia back to normalcy. He will work hard for Cambodia. We believe in HIM - Go For It Mister Rainsy - you are the only and only and only hope for Democracy Champion. NOT Xen Bun not no body else.... Long Live Mr. Sam Rainsy!!!

Roth-Moni said...

Yes that rite! Wait till the day your country D I S S A P P E A R from the world map because of the Hun Bun Viet Cong _ No Way! Do not allow them.

I want to send this message to those who care to read them "we should stick together to fight for the right of our people" Be very sure to tell your children about your experience you have had In your life time in Cambodia. Talk to your children about it. So they know what going on and one day one your children will help Cambodia !!!

Anonymous said...

KI is where everybody who love freedom and democracy can exchange thought. Isn't great? Two thumbs up to you Khmer Democrat!

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy must take Hun Sen to court;  Failure to prosecute Hun Sen will result in more innocent Khmer peoples being murder.

Sam Rainsy must not give Hun Sen another option to pick to escape justice.

Which one is better?

1. Hun Sen Death Squad (The Cambodian Organize Crime) go to federal prison for life in the United States for terrorism on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

2. Sam Rainsy get his jail terms drop.

Option 1 will benefit all innocent Khmer peoples and Khmer national.

Option 2 will benefit Sam Rainsy and the Cambodia People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime (Hun Sen Death Squad, assassins, murderers, killers, human rights abusers and land grabbers...).

The last time, Sam Rainsy picked was option 2.

I remember Sam Rainsy said "I'm not doing this for Sam Rainsy, I'm doing this for Khmer national."

Sam Rainsy, please do a favor for the Khmer national, take Hun Sen to court.

I am hopping that Sam Rainsy pick the right option this time so that the same thing will not happen again ever.

Sam Rainsy must not allow Hun Sen to continue to kill more innocent Khmer peoples.

Sam Rainsy is in a position to take Hun Sen to court because Hun Sen was trying to assassinate him on March 30, 1997 Grenade Attack (Terrorism).  This is a rare opportunity.  Only victims have the power.  I wise, I have this power to bring Hun Sen to federal court in the United States.

This is a million times better than spend hundreds of million of dollars to hire a private military contractor (Black Water, now XE etc...) to bring justice to criminals (Hun Sen Death Squad and the Khmer Rouge Regimes) who is responsible for killing almost two million innocent Khmer peoples and counting.

Who ever charge, prosecute, convict and sentence Hun Sen is a Khmer hero.  You will be saving a lot of innocent Khmer peoples life.  Because Hun Sen is responsible for murders his political opponents, leaders of the free trade union, journalists and innocent Khmer peoples.

Hun Sen is the most powerful person in Cambodia.

Sam Rainsy have the power to send the most powerful person in Cambodia (Hun Sen) to federal prison for life in the United States.

By
Victim of
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
&
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime