When the War Was Over
by Elizabeth Becker
also available in Khmer
Excerpts from Chapter 9: Habits of War
Excerpts from Chapter 9: Habits of War
Nearly every country has a rival, usually a neighboring state that is a convenient focus of national fears and prejudices. One week in a foreign country and the most desultory tourist knows who that rival, or enemy, is by the jokes told and the epithets screamed in anger...
That is the character of the problem between Cambodians and Vietnamese. They do not hate each other, nor have they always been at each other's throats. But they had been defined as national rivals for some two centuries and there is national resentment and competition between the two states in the best of times. Their peoples have well-developed respect and fear of each other and well-honed stereotypes...
It was the peculiar nature of Khmer-Vietnamese relations, and especially between the two modern communist states, that led to the Third Indochina War. And in 1977 communist Vietnam was anxious to step forward and force a resolution of the question "What will be the special relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia now that they are both communist states?"
Vietnam was accustomed to being the pivotal actor in modern Indochina. Its fortunes jolted Cambodia like whiplash. In 1977 the fears of the Khmer Rouge were not entirely misplaced. The communists in Hanoi did see Cambodia as a lesser state, one that should accept Vietnam's benevolent influence if not indirect rule...
In January 1976, after the communist victories in Phnom Penh and Saigon in April 1975 and in Vientiane, Laos, in December 1975, all of former French Indochina was under communist rule. There was a real possibility that Vietnam would head a strong Indochinese communist bloc that would serve to improve reconstruction possibilities in Vietnam and assure Hanoi a leading position in Asian politics as head of an important regional group. But the Khmer Rouge were suspicious of all Vietnamese suggestions to form such a grouping...
While it is clear Cambodia started the border war with Vietnam, it is less obvious why Vietnam interpreted that challenge as an invitation to invade and occupy Cambodia.
It was not the atrocious policies of the Khmer Rouge that turned Vietnam against Cambodia, not the slaughter or the slavery. It was a question of domination, control, and territory, of ridding Vietnam of the "problem" of Cambodia once and forever--questions that cannot be arbitrarily relegated to the communist era, the colonial period, or even the Angkor era. But they are questions that can be resolved without full-scale war and occupation. It was Vietnam's resort to total warfare that prompted the inevitable comparisons with their Red River ancestors. The communists in Hanoi had turned a near-disaster into a historic opportunity to realize what their predecessors had attempted centuries earlier: control of the Mekong River...
The Vietnamese expansion had begun in the eleventh century when they won three northern provinces from the Chams in what is now central Vietnam... Their dynasties grew stronger and more effective in raising taxes and enforcing a common, militaristic goal for the society. They looked to China as a model, or yardstick to measure their own accomplishments, while they looked south to the Mekong River for land. That attitude survived to modern times...
... First the Nguyen Vietnamese used divisions within the Khmer court to win favors and territory from Cambodian rivals to the crown. Then they openly interfered with Khmer politics, enforcing their policies on Khmer rulers. The decadent and weak Cambodian rulers encouraged this interference. [Sounds familiar with Hun Sen's CPP?]
The Nguyen Vietnamese settled their newly acquired Khmer territory in a manner that, again, has echoes in modern affairs. First they allowed their least desirable elements to open the territory--vagabonds, deserters, and those banished from their villages... The state then selected formal settlers to farm the land and build new villages [reason why the Hun Sen CPP blatantly criminalized Sam Rainsy for shedding light on the problems in Svay Rieng]... Finally, demobilized soldiers were given land grants in the territory in return for their military service [p. 333]...
...The Vietnamese emperor dispatched a force of 15,000 soldiers, defeated the Siamese, and in 1834 appointed a Khmer princess [for modern equivalent, insert "Hun Sen"] to act as puppet while the Vietnamese tried to absorb what was left of Cambodia into the new Vietnamese Empire.
...The country was divided into new provinces attached to Cochin China's administration. Vietnamese subjects settled in Cambodia and looked to Vietnam as the source of law and authority, not the puppet Cambodian queen...
... Then France intervened and upset the balance achieved by the 1845 compromise. In the name of protecting Cambodia from the Thais, the French created the implausible union of "Indochina" and made Cambodia even weaker and more susceptible to Vietnamese ambitions [p. 334]...
The French rewarded the Vietnamese in several instances. They gave the Vietnamese territorial rights to Cambodia and bureaucratic positions in Cambodia and Laos that enhanced the Vietnamese sense of manifest destiny. Nearly every aspect of the Indochinese union favored the Vietnamese...
Vietnam, however, was the pivotal member of the triangle. And it was Vietnam that stretched the fears to the limit... Moreover, and without a shred of proof, the Vietnamese said the Cambodians were conniving with the Chinese to destroy the Vietnamese race and had agreed to allow China to use Cambodia to invade Vietnam. Given this "life-or-death" scenario, the Vietnamese could justify invading and occupying Cambodia. And that is what they did [p. 347].
... Hanoi created an elaborate blueprint for moving ten million people from the more densely populated north to the south by the year 2000. The mentality of the Red River Vietnamese had not changed. They wanted to push farther south and west--which they did, finally, not through the New Economic Zones but by invading and occupying Cambodia two years later... [p. 355]
... A culprit had to be blamed for this overwhelming disappointment, preferably a foreign enemy. Like Cambodia, the Vietnamese had a preferred candidate--China...
... And Beijing could be blamed for Vietnam's inability to bring communist Cambodia into an Indochinese bloc...
With a new foreign threat Vietnam could return to the more comfortable habits of war... The Vietnamese were supreme experts at mobilizing the people around the issue of survival of the Vietnamese people and nation, as Cambodia was not. And Hanoi was better at manipulating all of the unspoken racial connotations of such an appeal.
Unlike the Cambodians, who when faced with the threat of foreign war ended up fighting among themselves and seeking foreign protectors, the Vietnamese sought unity through war, at least in modern times.
That is the character of the problem between Cambodians and Vietnamese. They do not hate each other, nor have they always been at each other's throats. But they had been defined as national rivals for some two centuries and there is national resentment and competition between the two states in the best of times. Their peoples have well-developed respect and fear of each other and well-honed stereotypes...
It was the peculiar nature of Khmer-Vietnamese relations, and especially between the two modern communist states, that led to the Third Indochina War. And in 1977 communist Vietnam was anxious to step forward and force a resolution of the question "What will be the special relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia now that they are both communist states?"
Vietnam was accustomed to being the pivotal actor in modern Indochina. Its fortunes jolted Cambodia like whiplash. In 1977 the fears of the Khmer Rouge were not entirely misplaced. The communists in Hanoi did see Cambodia as a lesser state, one that should accept Vietnam's benevolent influence if not indirect rule...
In January 1976, after the communist victories in Phnom Penh and Saigon in April 1975 and in Vientiane, Laos, in December 1975, all of former French Indochina was under communist rule. There was a real possibility that Vietnam would head a strong Indochinese communist bloc that would serve to improve reconstruction possibilities in Vietnam and assure Hanoi a leading position in Asian politics as head of an important regional group. But the Khmer Rouge were suspicious of all Vietnamese suggestions to form such a grouping...
While it is clear Cambodia started the border war with Vietnam, it is less obvious why Vietnam interpreted that challenge as an invitation to invade and occupy Cambodia.
It was not the atrocious policies of the Khmer Rouge that turned Vietnam against Cambodia, not the slaughter or the slavery. It was a question of domination, control, and territory, of ridding Vietnam of the "problem" of Cambodia once and forever--questions that cannot be arbitrarily relegated to the communist era, the colonial period, or even the Angkor era. But they are questions that can be resolved without full-scale war and occupation. It was Vietnam's resort to total warfare that prompted the inevitable comparisons with their Red River ancestors. The communists in Hanoi had turned a near-disaster into a historic opportunity to realize what their predecessors had attempted centuries earlier: control of the Mekong River...
The Vietnamese expansion had begun in the eleventh century when they won three northern provinces from the Chams in what is now central Vietnam... Their dynasties grew stronger and more effective in raising taxes and enforcing a common, militaristic goal for the society. They looked to China as a model, or yardstick to measure their own accomplishments, while they looked south to the Mekong River for land. That attitude survived to modern times...
... First the Nguyen Vietnamese used divisions within the Khmer court to win favors and territory from Cambodian rivals to the crown. Then they openly interfered with Khmer politics, enforcing their policies on Khmer rulers. The decadent and weak Cambodian rulers encouraged this interference. [Sounds familiar with Hun Sen's CPP?]
The Nguyen Vietnamese settled their newly acquired Khmer territory in a manner that, again, has echoes in modern affairs. First they allowed their least desirable elements to open the territory--vagabonds, deserters, and those banished from their villages... The state then selected formal settlers to farm the land and build new villages [reason why the Hun Sen CPP blatantly criminalized Sam Rainsy for shedding light on the problems in Svay Rieng]... Finally, demobilized soldiers were given land grants in the territory in return for their military service [p. 333]...
...The Vietnamese emperor dispatched a force of 15,000 soldiers, defeated the Siamese, and in 1834 appointed a Khmer princess [for modern equivalent, insert "Hun Sen"] to act as puppet while the Vietnamese tried to absorb what was left of Cambodia into the new Vietnamese Empire.
...The country was divided into new provinces attached to Cochin China's administration. Vietnamese subjects settled in Cambodia and looked to Vietnam as the source of law and authority, not the puppet Cambodian queen...
... Then France intervened and upset the balance achieved by the 1845 compromise. In the name of protecting Cambodia from the Thais, the French created the implausible union of "Indochina" and made Cambodia even weaker and more susceptible to Vietnamese ambitions [p. 334]...
The French rewarded the Vietnamese in several instances. They gave the Vietnamese territorial rights to Cambodia and bureaucratic positions in Cambodia and Laos that enhanced the Vietnamese sense of manifest destiny. Nearly every aspect of the Indochinese union favored the Vietnamese...
Vietnam, however, was the pivotal member of the triangle. And it was Vietnam that stretched the fears to the limit... Moreover, and without a shred of proof, the Vietnamese said the Cambodians were conniving with the Chinese to destroy the Vietnamese race and had agreed to allow China to use Cambodia to invade Vietnam. Given this "life-or-death" scenario, the Vietnamese could justify invading and occupying Cambodia. And that is what they did [p. 347].
... Hanoi created an elaborate blueprint for moving ten million people from the more densely populated north to the south by the year 2000. The mentality of the Red River Vietnamese had not changed. They wanted to push farther south and west--which they did, finally, not through the New Economic Zones but by invading and occupying Cambodia two years later... [p. 355]
... A culprit had to be blamed for this overwhelming disappointment, preferably a foreign enemy. Like Cambodia, the Vietnamese had a preferred candidate--China...
... And Beijing could be blamed for Vietnam's inability to bring communist Cambodia into an Indochinese bloc...
With a new foreign threat Vietnam could return to the more comfortable habits of war... The Vietnamese were supreme experts at mobilizing the people around the issue of survival of the Vietnamese people and nation, as Cambodia was not. And Hanoi was better at manipulating all of the unspoken racial connotations of such an appeal.
Unlike the Cambodians, who when faced with the threat of foreign war ended up fighting among themselves and seeking foreign protectors, the Vietnamese sought unity through war, at least in modern times.
124 comments:
When the war was over yuon start influx million of illegal yuon into Cambodia to put Lao and Cambodia under yuon annex and exterminate ethnic Cambodian as part of Indochina Federation.
Cambodia led by the most stupid leaders ever in the world! Even in the modern time, Cambodian leaders still hold on to neutrality as if neutrality can save Cambodia from the Viet and the Siem!
As for the Viet to attack a neutral country like Cambodia and they claim that they are the best in war? This is Viet bullshit at its best! For 10 years after invading Cambodia, the Vietcong armies fail to wipe out the Khmer Rouge from Cambodia!
Cambodia must move away from neutrality as soon as possible and started arming themselves with more modern weapons to deter the Viet and the Siem naked aggression!
Hun Sen is the most disastrous, evil, criminal, dumbest, blindest, foolish bastard in the world. Hun Sen was what Communist Vietnamese bosses selected him to be the Fake Cambodian PM to serve the dirty, evil and bloody Yuon/Vietnamese bosses.
This bastard took the revenges against his own people and Khmer Rouges who are patriotic.
Penn Sovan was very smart, that is why he was not PM for Cambodia.
From 1979, Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi have been looking for the dumb Khmer leader like this idiot Hun Sen. Vietnamese bosses created the fears in Khmer people that without Vietnamese Help, the Khmer Rouges will come back to create a second Killing Fields. That was how the Communist Vietnamese leaders and dumb Hun Sen had won Khmer people's hearts and souls until Vietnamese leaders, CPP Yuon officials (created) and stupid Hun Sen betrayed Khmer people until today. The world is watching now and China is watching over evil Vietnamese bastards in Hanoi.
How smart and evil the Vietnamese leaders are! However, the Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi plus Ho Chi Minh are still extremely evil and cruel people in the world.
It is unbelievable, how evil, hypocrite and sick the Vietnamese leaders and their Yuon/Vietnamese inner circles are today. They will go to the hell. Vietnamese leaders, CPP Yuon officials and cronies are more dangerous than Hun Sen because they will kill Khmer people in the next many years to come. Just like Champa in central Vietnam. Khmer people in Kampuchea Krom are suffering right now because of the cruelty and violence of Communist Vietnamese in Kampuchea Krom (Southern Vietnam).
Khmer people, please wake up. Don't listen how sweet Yuon/Vietnamese leaders and cronies are or don't be deceived by Vietnamese or CPP Yuon officials when they want to be your friends forever and fall in love and get married with them. The Vietnamese leaders, cronies and folks are very dangerous to Khmer people. Also,they are very prejudice. Yes, Vietnamese folks always play the role to be very sweet and friendly to Khmer/Cambodian people in front of gullible Khmer people and Khmer kids.
Vietnamese leaders and some folks (cronies, crooks,comrades) created their how problem.
It is almost like the story about Jewish who killed Jesus Christ as a symbol of people around the regions and a son of GOD.
That is why Jewish people did not live in peace and sadly, there are the discrimination again Jewish people or Hitler killed Jewish people in Germany.
We don't let this happened to Khmer people who are peaceful, but they were suffered by the manslaughter of Vietnamese leaders and cronies. Millions of Khmer people were Killing Fields in the secret plan of Communist Vietcong/Yuon leaders and folks in Hanoi and huge numbers of the secret Vietnamese agents were hiding behind the Khmer Rouges in the Killing Fields. That was why millions of Khmer people were killed by those secret Vietnamese agents in the remote countryside of Cambodia by following secret Angkar Leur/Cap Tren in Hanoi.
So, Vietnamese people will never live in peace just like Jewish people in the United States and Middle East. That is why.
You will never know that China is still going to bang Yuon/Vietnam because of Yuon/Vietnamese hypocrisy and dirt mind.
Dear KI,
Can you post also in khmer text, please,
Correction for 2:05 PM
Hun Sen is the most disastrous, evil, criminal, dumbest, blindest, foolish bastard in the world. Hun Sen was what Communist Vietnamese bosses selected him to be the Fake Cambodian PM to serve the dirty, evil and bloody Yuon/Vietnamese bosses.
This bastard took the revenges against his own people and Khmer Rouges who are patriotic.
Penn Sovan was very smart, that is why he was not PM for Cambodia.
From 1979, Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi have been looking for the dumb Khmer leader like this idiot Hun Sen. Vietnamese bosses created the fears in Khmer people that without Vietnamese Help, the Khmer Rouges will come back to create a second Killing Fields. That was how the Communist Vietnamese leaders and dumb Hun Sen had won Khmer people's hearts and souls until Vietnamese leaders, CPP Yuon officials (created) and stupid Hun Sen betrayed Khmer people until today. The world is watching now and China is watching over evil Vietnamese bastards in Hanoi.
How smart and evil the Vietnamese leaders are! However, the Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi plus Ho Chi Minh are still extremely evil and cruel people in the world.
It is unbelievable, how evil, hypocrite and sick the Vietnamese leaders and their Yuon/Vietnamese inner circles are today. They will go to the hell. Vietnamese leaders, CPP Yuon officials and cronies are more dangerous than Hun Sen because they will kill Khmer people in the next many years to come. Just like Champa in central Vietnam. Khmer people in Kampuchea Krom are suffering right now because of the cruelty and violence of Communist Vietnamese in Kampuchea Krom (Southern Vietnam).
Khmer people, please wake up. Don't listen how sweet Yuon/Vietnamese leaders and cronies are or don't be deceived by Vietnamese or CPP Yuon officials when they want to be your friends forever and fall in love and get married with them. The Vietnamese leaders, cronies and folks are very dangerous to Khmer people. Also,they are very prejudice. Yes, Vietnamese folks always play the role to be very sweet and friendly to Khmer/Cambodian people in front of gullible Khmer people and Khmer kids.
Vietnamese leaders and some folks (cronies, crooks,comrades) created their how problem.
It is almost like the story about Jewish who killed Jesus Christ as a symbol of people around the regions and a son of GOD.
That is why Jewish people did not live in peace and sadly, there are the discrimination again Jewish people or Hitler killed Jewish people in Germany.
We don't let this happened to Khmer people who are peaceful, but they were suffered by the manslaughter of Vietnamese leaders and cronies. Millions of Khmer people were killed in the Killing Fields in the secret plan of Communist Vietcong/Yuon leaders. There were a huge numbers of the secret Vietnamese agents were hiding behind the Khmer Rouges in the Killing Fields. That was why millions of Khmer people were killed by those secret Vietnamese agents in the remote countryside of Cambodia by following secret Angkar Leur/Cap Tren in Hanoi.
So, Vietnamese people will never live in peace just like Jewish people in the United States and Middle East. That is why.
You will never know that China is still going to bang Yuon/Vietnam because of Yuon/Vietnamese hypocrisy and dirt mind.
Khmer people, please don't be fooled with the CPP that is a secret plans or blueprint of the Communist Vietnam in Hanoi.
Khmer people will build their own armies.
FUNCIPEC MILITARY FORCES WERE GONE UNDER THE STUPIDEST BASTARD HUN SEN WHO IS VERY EVIL AND STUBBORN. HE WILL BE KILLED IF CAMBODIA IS IN THE HAND OF HANOI.
HATE HUN SEN SO MUCH AND SEE WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR HIS BOSSES WHO ARE COMMUNIST VIETNAMESE BASTARDS IN HANOI. WANNA CHOP THIS BASTARD INTO PIECES AND MAKE SEVERAL BOMBS IN HANOI TO DESTROY THOSE BASTARDS WHO ARE VERY SICK AND ALWAYS WANT MORE WEALTH, LAND, NATURAL RESOURCES, POWERS BY KILLING PEOPLE ON THE PLANET. VIET/YUON FOLKS ARE VERY UGLY IN THE WORLD. FUCK YOU, VIET GOOKS AND ASSHOLES.
Oh my ignorant Khmer brethren!
Hear what this white woman from afar - Khmer like to beat each other first before they think about beating their enemies; Youn unite through picking who's the enemy, then proceed to mobilize to fight that enemy first before they beat each other.
I hear this woman clearly - learn from the Youn, and beat them at their own game!
Born -again-Khmer
Elizabeth Becker is a journalist and war correspondent for the Washington Post covering Cambodia civil war when the US B52 drop bombs on Cambodia and the United States ignited the civil war in Cambodia by supporting Lon Nol to overthrow Sihanouk.
Elizabeth Becker is not an international expert in Indochina policy and Indochinese communist movement.
his book is not a history book or theory book about the Indochinese Communist movements but it is a compilation of narratives of journalist.
It is also one of the books written by Americans to forget the responsibility of the united states and U.S. war crimes in Indochina
some excerpts published here are not in his original book.
In an effort to integrate Cambodia into the Indochinese Federation, Vietnam has utilized many tricks in Cambodia, particularly creating the Khmer Vietminh to destabilize Cambodia.
Does the international law allow one Country to abduct the children of its neighbors, brainwash them and later use them to attack their own Country and commit the mass killing of their own people?
Vietnam did exactly like that to Cambodia. That's why approximately 3 million Cambodians have perished from 1975 to 1979 because of Vietnam's bad intention toward Cambodia. In effect, Vietnam has created Khmer Vietminh and brainwashed them to make Khmers fight with Khmers, to make Khmers kill each other.
In addition, hundreds of thousands of Khmer people, mostly men, died in the 80s due to Vietnam’s deployment of the K5 project.
If the killings during the Pol Pot’s era were not so clear that most of the killings were committed by the Khmer Vietminh, the K5 project on the other hand has explicitly reflected Vietnam’s vicious intention toward Cambodia because at the time Cambodia was fully controlled by Vietnam, which was the chief architect of the K5 project.
The United Nations should look into this unique case of Vietnam’s interference in Cambodia. It should examine at the present Vietnam’s dominance in Cambodia as well.
Our people have lamented that why Khmer people always suffer?
Because Vietnam has its own plan of making Cambodian people suffer by initiating war, making Khmer fight with Khmer, making Khmer kill each other, and exploit it.
Vietnam has always found some dumb Khmers such as Hun Sen to carry out strictly its orders – no matter what the costs to Khmer people and Cambodia.
For instance, why did Hun Sen implement those bilateral treaties with Vietnam and defy the 1991 Paris peace accord?
Vietnam was/is and will be the root of Khmer suffering because of its determination to absorb Cambodia and make cambodia as part of Vietnam.
E. Baker is a bitch not a "He" 10:19 and 10:25 PM. That says a lot about what you just wrote there!!!
Please, khmer continues to fight and dumb... soon, khmer will be called :
" ethnic smère " or beoble (ប៊ីប៊ិល)of "Indochinese" :)
THANKS, KI AND ELIZABETH BAKER OR TEAM TO LET'S US KNOWN THE REAL STORY! THIS IS THE ONE IN MILLIONS BOOK I HAVE BEEN SUSPITOUS. KHMER AKMATAK.
true that the author noted that every nation had its competitors or rival, usually the neighboring states, and cambodia as a nation is no exception either. that said, it is important for life to go on in cambodia and cambodia should encourage our people from all walks of life to get a good education, be literate, and learn to adopt and think outside of the box sometime because it is smart philosophy to do so. every educated people do it, so should khmer people in cambodia. as a khmer person, i think cambodia will inevitably change for better or worst, there are more worst in the past, so it is changing for the better of course. i believe nothing can stay the same forever. history shows us all that nation and people do change and situation and condition do change as well. the thing about viet or youn or vietnamese, dream as they may, but let me remind them that cambodia is a nation, not a tribal community, ok. so as nation, there are international law, international interest, etc, believe it or not exists out there. so, i don't think cambodia and khmer majority of khmer people and khmer's interest are tied to viet/youn at all. it may seemed that way because cambodia, viet/youn, even siem or lao are neighboring states, thus it may seem that way, but i think it's all in the thinking of the people, i.e., the way people are thinking and seeing things or are taught, etc. you see, our thought(s) can make a different in how we conduct life, how we see thing or how we think, etc... i think as long as cambodia continue open up the country to the world, we will adapt, adopt, learn, etc from every everyone in the world. nothing is wrong with adopting or learn from the world out there of also preserving some aspect of our khmer identity, culture, tradition, etc. i think the most important thing is to keep a strong khmer language present and even a strong khmer identity, something that everyone can identity and recognize as cambodia, and khmer language and khmer unmistakeable identity are a few of those traits of being cambodia of khmer people, you know. i think as long as khmer people continue to use khmer language and keep certain aspect of khmer identitty, don't have to be all physical aspects, can be abstract, philosophy, social identity, etc, then cambodia will always be ok as cambodia. we just have to learn to balance it all, that's all.
all that said, of course, there will be a certain group of radicalism or extremism nationalism of some khmer people that will always be there, whether we like it or not, it's there. it is naive to that it's not. i think as cambodia becoming more developed and khmer people's standard of living, etc are rising, etc, and education is becoming a norm for majority of khmer people and so on, cambodia will be community of the world, and there are hope, happiness, joy the right state of mind being khmer. i have tremendous hope for cambodia and khmer people. may god always bless my country and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
cambodian history is rich and various like any nation on earth. i like to look at it as now history. yes, life does move on and cambodia is no exception, you know. we are all always a part of the world community whether one like to think so or not, really! cambodia as a nation has a really long history if you study our history. with it comes the ups and downs of being a nation and people of khmer race. i don't think cambodia will stop moving on as a nation. in our long history, we have had our moment of powerful empire to a long decline in the dark age to a brief renaissance to more decline, to more renaissance, etc, etc... yes, it is a part of our long history as a nation, you know. cambodia will always remain cambodia and khmer people. we just have to learn to adopt and survive and live with time, good or bad, really. it's part of life. and of course, no life on earth can live forever, but a nation like cambodia can.
yes, one hundred years from now, people will look at this as just another chapter in the long history of cambodia, really!
Dear smart and patriotic friends who wrote at 2:05, 8:49, and 11:11. You all have done a great job with your analysis and correctly reflect your opinion. We need more Khmer to understand and contribute like you. May you all be blessed with fortune and more knowledge.
Khmer Son
From C. Webb to E. Baker, who were/are they working for actually?
Or are they just another Viet's cash cow like T. Jacobsen from Down Under?
Why the United States has chosen to negotiate with Mao Tse Dong in 1972 for their own interests on the backs of Lon Nol Republican camp and the South VN Republicans after having encouraged and helped Khmer elites and elites of South Vietnam to overthrow their king?
If the united states like cambodia, why they abandoned Republican Lon Nol camp
at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in 1975?
How many Republicans Khmer died for nothing in this dirty war initiated by the United States in indochina between 1970-1975 and for whose interests? Khmers interests or USA interests?
Can we still trust the United States in politics?
This book of E.B can not to forget the crimes of USA in Indochina between 1970 to 1975.
Elizabeth Becker is not an expert on international movements of Cambodian communists.
His book when the war was over is the work of an amateur historian with little historical interest.
His book is not a scoop or a literary event.
By reading this book my thoughts turn to thousands of Cambodian civilians died under the bombs of the United States and I wonder why they died? what crimes they committed?
On the cambodian civil war many of the best books than Elizabeth Becker book were written.
To day people know better than Elizabeth Becker on this Cambodia's tragic period.
For many poor countries where the U.S. had intervened, the United States are not reliable allies.
USA are and remain hypocrites in politics.
United States does not defend one thing their own interests. Cambodia's interests do not concern the United States, if the interests of the United States is not at issue in Cambodia.
Thus this book should not be a tree hiding the forest crimes and the responsibility of the United States in misfortune and tragedy of Cambodia between 1970-1975.
1:29 AM,until when will you start to realize the essence that US was not the origin of March 18th 1970.
Sirimatak was the real source of that fiasco. Now USA try to make all Khmers know this fact and point that that's why US still demanding Khmers need to pay back Lon Nol debt. Khmer Republic created it own demise then borrowed moneys from US who simply so readily to take all advantages that given to them.
Hey Mr. 2:22 AM, please stop using the word "His book". Ms. Baker is a "she" not a "He", ok Mister?
@ 3:22AM - You sound like a shameless clown from the Royal Palace. Go tell you freaking lie/propaganda elsewhere!
We can blame the French for depriving the Khmer to access to the proper or higher education.
The French collected the tax from the Khmer to build the Universities and good school in Vietnam like the one below:
The École française d'Extrême-Orient (This school was a university) was a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian societies. Translated into English, it approximately means the French School of the Far East. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in what was then French Indochina. After independence, its headquarters were transferred to Paris.
33 years later in Cambodia they just merely converted a middle school into a lycée which was the highest educational establishment:
The Lycée Preah Sisowath (Khmer: វិទ្យាល័យព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ) was a secondary school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The school was founded in 1873 as a collège (middle school) and became a lycée (middle and high school) in 1933.
This lycée offered up to BAC I diploma, if the students wanted to get the BAC II which was the equivalent of high school diploma, they had to continue their study in Vietnam.
Educational and infrastructural wise the French gave all the advantages to the Viet and then they turned around and said that the Viet were smarter than the dumb Khmer.
Just think about the educational gap alone, Vietnam had university in 1900 but Cambodia barely had a high school 33 years later.
In a country where there are a lot of well educated people, they help the nation to be united (unity).
5:08 AM
So what do you think about some people in this forum?
Well, in theory yes 5:08AM, but have we learned anything like that heppened during Sihanouk time if anything at all?
People in this blog (not forum), with the exception of just a few sucks (j/k) lol!!! Most of them cannot write English..and they are obnoxiuous, conceipted..etc..etc..e.g. Heng Soy!
The french sont des trou duc'!!!
5:17 AM
I think we have to go back and read the posting @ 4:52 AM, because that where Sihanouk got part of his education from - Vietnam.
yeah, read that but thought you bragged about how great the Viets are as compared to Khmer because of the gap there...my question again - have any of the highly educated people during Sihanouk time had done anything to unite KHmer?
4:52 AM
Thanks for good info.
5:41 AM your question:
“Have any of the highly educated people during Sihanouk time had done anything to unite Khmer?”
The internet is at your disposal for you to do your own research, good luck.
If you find any people, name them so we can learn from you.
Well, you've asnwered my question, 6:29 AM. Thx a bunch and until next time, have a good one!
answered***
L'organisation Khmer Rouge ( Angkar-leu អង្គការលើ) a baptisé
(Duch) à la place du nom réel (Kaing Gueak Eav ) le chief prison de Tuol Sleng. Le nom (Duch) n'etait pas le nom révolutionnaire comme on le croit mais plutôt pour cacher de la vérité.
L'Organisation Khmer Rouge (Angkar-leu អង្គការលើ) a amplifié et publié le faux nom (Duch) comme le bouc émissaire pour
blanchir leur crime contre de l'humanité.
Le faux nom (Duch) est copié , répété Non-Stop par le média
et particulièrement le cinéma documentaire à continuer tromper
le public et en même temps pour attaquer, déshonorer les noms célèbres tels que ( Duch Sidem; Duch Kimhak; Duch
Som) et le maître de la musique traditionnelle khmère
(Sok Duch) de la province Takèv etc...
Paris V. minuit du 24/02/2012.
អង្គការលើដែលជាក្រុមឃាតករជីវិតខ្មែរប្រមាណបី
លាននាក់ បានប្រឌិតឈ្មោះ(ឌុច)ឲ្យហៅជំនួស
ឈ្មោះពិត(កាំងគ្ហេចអៀវ)ដែលជាប្រធានគុកទួលស្លែង។
អង្គការលើដែលជាក្រុមឃាតករជីវិតខ្មែរប្រមាណបី
លាននាក់ បានផ្សព្វផ្សាយឈ្មោះក្លែងក្លាយ(ឌុច)
ដើម្បីលាក់ការពិតនិងលាក់បាំងឈ្មោះពួកវាដែល
ជាឧក្រិដ្ឋជនប្រឆាំងមនុស្សជាតិ។
ឈ្មោះប្រឌិត(ឌុច)ក្លែងក្លាយនេះត្រូវបានអ្នកកា
សែតជាតិអន្តរជាតិព្រមទាំងអ្នកថតកុនឯកសារ
បន្តបំប៉ោងសម្លេងដើម្បីបំភាន់មតិសកលលោក
ព្រមទាំងវាយប្រហារកិត្តិនាមកិត្តិយសជនណា
ដែលមាននាមត្រកូល(ឌុច) ជាឧទាហរណ៏ៈ
(ឌុចស៊ីឌឹម ឌុចគីមហាក់ សុកឌុច)និង(ឌុចសម)ជីតាអ្នកនាង(សេងធារី)។ល។
ប៉ារីស៍ព្រឹកទី២៤កុម្ភៈ២០១២
The Khmer Rouge Organization (Angkar-leu អង្គការលើ) baptized (Duch) instead of real names (Kaing Guek Eav) is not the revolutionary name as is commonly believed but rather to hide the truth.
The Khmer Rouge Organization (Angkar-leu អង្គការលើ) amplified, and broadcast advertising, the false name (Duch) as the scapegoat to launder their crime against humanity.
The false name (Duch) is copied and repeated Non-Stop by the global media to continue deceive the world and also to attack and dishonor real name famous (Duch) such that (Duch Sidim; Duch Kimhak; Sok Duch) and (Duch Som) grandfather's Ms.Theary Seng etc.
Paris V.February 24,2012
Hah!..Now we got the answer, partial answer at least that none of the educated Khmer people had done any good in uniting Khmer people!! That's sound right!! We can start with Song Ngoc Thanh,Sam Sary......
What's a shame...While Ho Chi Minh was only a cruise ship cook!!!
No wonder Khmer now settle with CPP.I rest my case!
Not too fast my friends:
Samdech Sangha Raj Chourn Nath of Wat Unalorm was the unsung hero, true leader of the Khmer heritage, culture, and history. He silently butt head with the colonial French and Sihanouk to keep the Khmer tradition and culture alive.
He may not dress in suit and tie or look like a typical westernized elite like what you have in mind, but he was the champion in protecting and defending what we Khmer inherit from the ankorian civilization.
He was the one who inspired to create the Kanseign Sar/Khmer Krom movement which fought in Kampuchea Krom as well as during the Khmer Republic war against communist Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge.
Just a crash course in Khmer history for you youngsters to carry on.
I was educated a la francaise, and it took me along time to realize what he was preaching/teaching, and that the wisdom and courage in our country came from an unexpected place like Wat Unalorm PPenh, a stone throw away from Sihanouk royal palace.
Now as you know part of the story, go and research some more from the internet about Samdech Chourn Nath.
Good luck
No need to go so far back to Ho CHi Minh or Chourn Nath. Just look at the modern day Dictator of 32 years, in the modern day slavery(mayalsian maid), modern day child sex world(Gay Sihamoni releasing 3 pedos in one week) modern day land stealing (all lands belongs to the CPP if no land title) Modern day justice (The abuser always win, the victims always loose) Modern day police (aothority can shoot and kill the victims, the victims are to obey the order).
I rest my case. CPP Dog need new tricks
More Vietnamese should continue migrating to Cambodia, eventually turning Cambodian into ethnic minority. Vietnam should annex Cambodia and end Khmer's misery.
I thank Elizabeth Becker for exposing Vietnamese expasionist instinct since its ancient times, long before the Khmer Rouge became the esxcuse for the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.
The United Nations must deploy a permanent peace keeping contingent and military observers along the Cambodia-Vietnam borders, Cambodia-Laos borders and Cambodia-Thailand borders as soon as possible to prevent future borders conflicts....
Increased in Vietnamese "tourist" in recent years,
Thanks AH Kwak!
Why don't you expose the yuon's triks toward Khmer people everyday ? You seem so focus on the American bombing over Cambodia instead . Are you yuon? Yuons are the most dengerous for Khmer not the USA.
The future we have to think of not the pass .
Tourists come to Cambodia to spend money, but the Vietnamese tourists come to make money and some of them to stay.
Hey Heng Soy , they may not write correct English but they also have a brain to think , respect that bro . We were at one time did not even kno a b c .
Becker,"It was the peculiar nature of Khmer-Vietnamese relations, and especially between the two modern communist states, that led to the Third Indochina War."
Peculiar ,indeed, Becker was a guest of honor to Pol Pot regime that was perpetuated by the US bombardment and CIA underling operatives like Becker to visit and schmoozed with DK leadership.
Yuon and Khmer is not so different between the Whites and Natives.
Genocide Convention was not supported and signed by the US just yet. Look too far yet can't sight what's on her nose?!
Peculiar,peculiar !!!
Had read her book but yet unconvinced that in everything, she printed,was koshered.
This book is not a literary event, or policy event, it was written and published, there are over 20 years, in this book over 600 pages, Mrs. Elizabeth Becker put all the responsibility of military defeat on the Khmer Republic of Lon Nol.
It’s against the truth and a lie.
The real reason for the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975 was the betrayal of the United States who decided to abandon its allies Khmer Republicans by negotiating directly with Mao Zedong in 1972 to divide the Communist camp and isolate the Soviet Union.
Beijing helped the United States to counter the Soviet Union, the United States are withdrawing military from the Indochina .
That's the real reason for the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975 and also the Sud VN.
This book as some other writings by some Americans are also intended to exonerate the heavy responsibility of the Nixon and Kissinger administration in the tragedy of the Indochina peoples.
Thank you "Monsieur à la française" pour avoir contribué cette petite idée concernant Samdech Chuon Nath. Please note the spelling of the name Chuon Nath. Merci!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuon_Nath
Perhaps Monsieur à la française, could contribute a bit more to the link above if not already done so, please? Thx a million in advance!
Khmer people, we must work together to make the voice heard very loud and clear. We have to raise the funds for the UN in order to gain the seats in the UN and so that we can make the voice around the world and let the world can hear our Khmer people very loud and clear. Sometimes, the UN is not always free all the times and UN sometimes want to have us Khmer people abroad to invest the money or contribute the funds to invest in the UN.
There are many Khmer Millionaires out there around the world and at home who love Khmer people and Khmer nation. Please help us to raise the money in order to get help from the UN and international communities to fight against Vietnamese ill-intentions, hypocrisies, CPP (CPP is the Vietnamese secret blueprints and dirty secret to exterminate Khmer ethnics and under the cult and dumbest/stupidest/brainwashed Hun Sen, a Vietnamese dog), and beyond in the next decades to come.
Vietnamese leaders have a secret plans to exterminate Khmer people just like Champa. Evil Vietnamese leaders want to be like the United States to exterminate Native Americans (Indian). How stupid the Evil Vietnamese leaders are. Yeah, right, Fuck You, Vietnamese leaders and Vietnamese Gook. It is not gonna happen in your Vietnamese Gooks's dreams coming from evil and dead Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi.
Can you imagine that, Khmer people, Vietnamese leaders and CPP under the world dumbest and stupidest Hun Sen.
Wake up, Khmer people. Don't ignore the facts about Evil Vietnam!
7:46 PM
The Khmer Republic of Lon Nol started out ok, but as the years went by it was corrupted beyond recognition. The American aids only helped the corrupted generals to enrich themselves with the ghost soldiers’ payroll. They sold the guns and ammunitions in the black market; the KR bought them to fight back against those generals’ soldiers.
The regular foot soldiers in the battlefield did not get paid regularly because their superiors pocketed their salaries, some did not have enough food to eat.
There were wide spread corruptions but it is too long of a list to describe…
The Khmer Republic territories shrank smaller and smaller.
The American knew about the corruption too so they saw no hope of winning the war. And they decided to cut the loss and abandon their corrupted allies Khmer Republicans. They ran like hell.
The Khmer Republic’s corruptions played a major part in helping the KR to win the war.
It has told us very clear that, the Killing Fields happened becauser of the evil Vietnamese leadres who planed to fulfill their dreams to have Indochina as the Vietnamese country.
You have seen that corrupted CPP Yuon officials in Phnom Penh (they are the billionaires and millionairs) to cover up their powerful wealthy people and then they combined the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in order to swallow Cambodia. Next, the combination of three countries, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam into Indochina to fulfill their missions to make Indochina beome Vietnam to compet with China as well as to take over Thailand.
Do you think evil Vietnamese plans are very dangerous and scary to you, Khmer people. Yes, we as Khmer people will be murdered and killed the massive murdered in the blind eyes of UN and erased all Khmer culture and history. The massive killing from Vietnamese secret plans will be the second bigger Killing Fields than the 1975-1979 Killing Fields. They will use our Khmer-vs-Khmer plans as the scapegoat. You have already seen that historical buildings in Phnom Penh have demolised and destroyed after evicting Khmer people (of all races) illegally. How sad!!!
That is why I am here to alert all Khmer people to wake up to protect out Khmer people and Nation. We have to destroy the CPP. Do you know the Vietnamese trick and dirty plans to bring millions illegal Vietnamese settlers in Cambodia? The evil Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi plan to use illegal Vietnamese settlers to fight with Khmer people in Khmer Kingdom or bloodly face off each others just like riots, Egypts, Libya, Sunaisya or Syria.
We are very smart enough and learn a lot of about bitter experiences and deeply understand about bittery Khmer/Cambodia history. There are always new Vietnamese secret plans as I and Khmer people predicts it is coming their way and we can follow and think ahead of Vietnamese dirty secret plans.
Pleaes, Khmer people, think very ahead of the Vietnamese dirty games and trick, knowing why the illegal Vietnamese folks/settelers are here in Khmer territory/Cambodia country. What are they doing here illegally, and what the purpose. You need to tell the UN and international communities. Together we unite and together we fight.
Again and again, learn to think ahead of the Vietnamese games and trick.
You know that, Hun Sen is very dumb and this dumb PM does not know he and all Khmer people and land will be gone to Vietnam after their sussessfullly make Cambodia to be part of Indochina. YOu need to thank to French Colonist at least to save Khmer from more than 200 years ago.
Thank you for being aware and staying alert. Take down CPP and Hun Sen first before it is too late.
Khmer love Khmer and Khmer Yeurng.
9:08 PM,
You are the most corrupted idiot in CPP yourself by making all up about Khmer Republic of Lon Nol. You comment serves your evil thieves coming form your Evil Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Keep dreaming for your fucking Vietnam country.
9:08 PM - Your idea to confuse bloggers to cover up your tyranny wrong doing of evil Vietnam.
Not Nol regime was not corrupted, but the information had been misled by your secret Yuon/Viet hiding in Khmer society, making Cambodia become miserable. There were many Yuon hidden faces during Sihanouk regime and Lon Nol regime. They followed Sihnaouk to defeat Lon Not along with Pol Pol and Vietcong. Your Vietnamese trick and secret plans had already been there before the Killing Fields, destroying Lon Nol as their Vietcong/Yuon top priority plans. No one knew that there were many hidden Yuon/Viet faces in Khmer Kingdom during the Sihanouk and Lon Not periods. I am not blind with your comments and so other intelligent Khmer people do, thinking ahead of your dumb ass comment.
Your Vietnamese leaders abuse the power using the forces to fight the little neutral Cambodia today. Why did we have a neutral Cambodia in this present under the current CPP regime? That is how your Vietnamese and CPP control Hun Sen and Khmer people today. Do you think Hun Sen is so smart? Answer is NO. He is the dumbest person to be PM in the world. Your Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi chose him (Hun Sen) and eliminated the smart one like Penn Sovan.
There are some dumb Khmer who voted for CPP.
Khmer people who voted for SRP are very smart. They don't use military like CPP does and get help the Vietnamese/Yuon military forces the cause the fatalities and violence.
Keep voting for Hun Sen, then keep blaming the Youn for everything. But dont worry, Hun Sen will give back your land after the election!!
9:13 PM, 9:30 PM
What information and how old are you kids?
Did you have to live through like I did in PPenh in the 50s until April 1975 and then with the KR?
I saw with own eyes how the Republic was crumbled because of the corruptions.
If you did, you would agree with me about the corruptions, it was no propaganda but it was the truth.
I know the truth hurts you. But there is no point of calling this person or that person Yuon or CPP just because their opinions are different from yours.
This was the very same reason that there were so many Khmer killed during the KR. It was just like now, when my opinion differs from yours you report to the Angkar that I am a Khmang, CIA or KGB and have me be killed.
Wake up and cool down my boys, don’t be a shit head.
No one is perfect and people make mistakes.
If you keep on blaming the other people for your own mistakes it is not going to help you to better yourself. We have to learn by accepting our mistakes so we can avoid them in future.
11:37 PM,
Hey buddy, who were the KR who killed millions of innocent Khmer people? Who were behind the Khmer Rouges? We would like to know your thoughts and what you have learned and understood. Tell us what party are you with.
We are so blind that Cambodia is under the current CPP regime.
12:19 AM,
Do you mean all of us Khmer are faults because of Hun Sen? Give us a break. Think and learn. If you are one Khmer person killed someone, then all of us are fault? So, you get away with it and you want to find the scapegoat. That is your suggestion in the Khmer society, isn't it?
Who caused the problem from day one, initially, making the Khmer country fail?
Okay Gramps @11:37 PM,
I agree with you as to the Lon Nol regime corruption based on my reasearch and interview with a good number of people left over from the Killing Fields including my Grandma...Having said that, please don't lose your coolness okay Gramps?
BTW,I am not 9:13 PM or 9:30 PM. Thanks and take care, Gramps!
អក
There is no point talking again and again about who is right and who is wrong. We need to put aside our differences, focus on our common goal, the Tiger, the ruler of Iron-fist in South East Asia of 32 years.
Our advantage is, this tiger has only one eyes, together we have millions. So are Khmer cowards?
Yes, absolutely 12:39 AM,
Let's concentrate on defeating that one-eye viper!!!
Together, we all can do it!!!
អក
I will start off by donating $២០០ ក្នុង១ខែ for KI to collect better info...and we all can come here for meeting point...how's that sound? is KI okay with it? Anybody wants to help/participate?
Hope lots of us will join in on this....
អក
pol pot with all that fanatic commy philo all end up old and dead. all that stupid afford for nothing noty! KR's only legacy is killing his own people and destroyed cambodia beyond recognition, you know.
it goes to show an individual can be blinded by his narcisstic, cynical, skeptic, pessimistic, racial, hate, discriminate view, etc!
cambodia should note and learn that a discrimate, prejudice leader like pol pot is a destructive one for sure, you know! leader(s) should not use discrimination, hate, prejudice, ignorance, race, etc to lead the people and country because these bad practices won't last long and a sign of a stupid, ignorant, uneducated individual, you know! leader(s) should be charismatic and loved by all and for all, not judgmental, prejudice, discrimate, hate, etc, ok! people like that should go back to school to continue study leadership skills. yes, leadership requires skills as well!
I'm just an average Joe, who does not have a clue whom to follow to stop yuons from taking over our country.
Can anyone tell me who is a "capable and dependable" leader, if there is one now, for me and other people like me to follow? Please don’t tell me “this or that person” is a good leader because s/he has a good heart or s/he is a nice person. “Having good heart or being nice” are not enough to save the country from yuons.
1:31 AM,
You still don't know much about the Killing Fields and who are behind the Khmer Rouges. Go back to do research and understand something. Please don't write something that you believe in as scapegoat.
Was the Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi secret Angkar Luer/Cap Tren among Khmer Rouges?
You are still lack of educations, knowing who were behind the Khmer Rouges during the Killing Fields. You have been manipulated by Theary Seng.
You need to know the Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi who wanted to put Cambodia in Indochina that will become Vietnam Country. Then Khmer people will be minority and then Vietnamese leaders will exterminate Khmer people (of all races) just like in the next some years to come.
Please go back to study and do the research so that you will understand. We need to take down CPP (a secret blueprint of Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi) and Hun Sen before it is too late.
so, the question then is why did viet/youn want to have cambodia all to themself? why? is it because cambodia is weak, stupid, stone age, living in the dark hole, uneducated, ignorant, etc? i don't understand the reason why viet/youn want to have cambodia as some people claim? i'm sure this answer required study and research, education, etc. so, you think viet/youn can have cambodia like that? so you think the world is still in the dark ages era or stone ages era? so why? i want to understand the reason why viet/youn want to have cambodia for themself? was it to expand their country? or something else? and why would cambodia and khmer people and the world for that matter let viet/youn do that to cambodia? i don't get it? why why why why????? are people really that ignorant and stupid? maybe something is wrong with their brain cells or something, i say get the doctors to x-ray their brain to see if they are missing some parts or cells in there, don't you think? yes, doctors should x-ray all killers' brains and study it to see what made them became the killer like that? i'm hungry for knowledge, you know!
please enlighten me. i'm so hungry for knowledge and so eager to learn from smart, intelligent, educated people out there. please teach cambodia. thank you and god bless cambodia.
i will, however, please don't use be biased against my country cambodia and use tricky technique to teach, that's all. thank you.
2:15 AM,
You need to join Khmer people to take down CPP (the secret blueprint of Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi) and Hun Sen (Vietnamese dog) who hurt and killed his own Khmer people.
Your comment is nonsense.
1:56 AM,
Don't vote CPP (a part of Vietnamese puppets) and a killer, Hun Sen. They are the most corrupted leaders and thieves. Many Khmer/Cambodian people have been suffered everyday for more 32 years of CPP regime and been illegally evicted by CPP land thieves and natural resources have been destroyed by CPP cronies.
There are opposition parties you will choose. They are real democratic parties against CPP.
don't you think opposition party is incompetent? to me, that's more dangerous than the existing party, you know. show the voters that you are capable, effective and real and competent, etc... maybe that's why people don't favor your party because they see your party as very ineffective, incompetent, have no real agenda, or smart, poltical strategy, etc, etc... your party only chose to make trouble by criticking, etc, why to be competent and effective, you have to be real, smart, educated, unselfish, unbiased, unprejudice, undiscrimating others based on their background, national origin, etc, etc, you see, that what people want, not stupidity, you know! maybe your opposition party needs a time to mature and grow and be educated, etc, etc... because right now, you are incompetent and selfish and biased and very political to the point of no return. maybe it is wiser for your opposition party to choose a middle path, not too extreme, not too passionate or too soft either, a middle path would do just fine when it comes to win the heart and mind of the public, you know! hey, for your information, cambodia changed and time changed and people changed, so get educated for a change and stop start living outside of the box or think outside of the dark box for a change, really. show the people or the public you are learned, enlightened, smarter, etc, not the other way around, ok! and yes, cambodia isn't stupid anymore, so don't assume we are, ok! it's called changes, ok! get used to it, ok!
All Khmers,
During the reign Ang Mei, ourf ancestors in all Sroks, provinces throughout Cambodia REVOLTED TOGETHER in an EIGHT DAYS, and succeeded to chase invading Vietnamese troops (50,000 asking by Ang Chan to protect his throne from his rival brothers) out of Cambodia in 1840.
Why the modern Khmer people did not learn this lesson from our ancestors???
Plus we already have the 1991's Paris Peace Agreement to protect us from Hanoi's colonization of Cambodia.
The matter is that we have to HELP OURSELVES FIRST, then the world community will back us up.
What must ultimately retain about the period of political and military intervention in Cambodia by the United States between 1970-1975, is that, despite billions of dollars spent by the United States, and several thousand American soldiers dead in Indochina, and millions of dead civilians and military Indochinese, the United States have failed against the Communists in Indochina.
The United States has also failed miserably to bring democracy, peace, economic development for Indochinese people who believed the promises of the United States and had chosen the United States side.
When the United States have left indochina, they left behind them
indochina in the chaos, the Indochinese people in tears left to their misfortune and tragedy,
Today the United States are badly come to give democracy lessons to the indochinese peoples and to say how these people should conduct themselves to build a just and lasting peace in Indochina.
The American lessons of democracies are no longer credible in Indochina.
This is not propaganda against the US but it is the teaching of history.
អហឹង្សា...................ចាញ់អាខ្វាក់ !!!
ហឹង្សា ....................ឈ្នះអាខ្វាក់ !!!
ហឹង្សា ....................ឈ្នះអាយួន !!
To 3:02AM
If what you said is true then Cambodia people will have peace without dignity as long as AH HUN SEN give more land to the Viet and to the Siem! As long as AH HUN SEN allowed the Siem military to kill Cambodian civilians without fear of retribution! As long as AH HUN SEN allowed the illegal Viet to settle in the million and million in Cambodia to create more hardship for dirt poor Cambodian people! As long as AH HUN SEN treat Cambodian people as animal and kill them like dog and cat!
Yes...Cambodia has peace without dignity! Is this the peace Cambodian people want? Even North Korea the most isolated nation on Earth has peace! Actually Cambodia has peace is for AH HUN SEN personal enrichment with the Vietcong master! How many billion and million of dollars AH HUN SEN send over sea under fake name? For as Cambodian people they have something to worry about because at the end their children will be indebt to foreigner in billion and million of dollars! Why Cambodian people must wait for debt collector to knock on their front door to know that true peace doesn’t have to billion and million of dollars and by using their vote to buy peace will be cheaper than using real money! Cambodian people will never run out of vote but money they will!
3:34 AM
When the American got into the war in Indochina they thought it was an easy fix. Their main goal was to stop the spread of the communism and the democracy would come later that what they thought anyway.
America was the superpower then and still is now.
Their mighty military was very good in fighting the conventional wars like WWII.
But it was not effective in guerrilla warfare – war without frontlines. That was why they failed big time.
You can blame the American all you want.
But just imagine for moment there were no USA as a country after 1900, what would the world be like today? Or to be more specific what Indochina would be like?
Just give me the answer to these 2 last questions then we will talk about democracy later.
Well, democray or doomsday for Khmer? Your pick!
ខ្មែរស៊ីអាចមន៏ គោ ហើយ ពេលនេះ!
The real cause of why Khmers keep fighting with Khmers.
In 1978, after receiving some complaints from the international communities about the Khmer Rouge’s brutality, the United Nations planned to make a trip to Cambodia on January 15th 1979 to check the Khmer Rouge.
Knowing about this UN’s trip in advance, Vietnam made a full scale attack on Cambodia to deter the United Nations from monitoring the Khmer Rouge.
As we all have known, the Khmer Vietminh were created and brainwashed by Vietnam. These Khmer Vietminh fought for Vietnam and might have committed most of the killings during the Pol Pot's era.
By invading Cambodia, Vietnam was able to put an ignorant, uneducated person named Hun Sen in charge of the country and prevent the international communities from exposing the Khmer Vietminh’s evil acts during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Since Hun Sen is a Vietnam's slave, he would serve only Vietnam's interest. That made Khmer people so mad with Hun Sen. That’s why we have seen like Khmers always fight with Khmers due to Vietnam’s maneuvering of using dumb Khmer leaders to generate social injustice, thus brew hatred between Khmers.
During the Pol Pot regime, Vietnam used a different strategy by creating suspicion between Khmers. By injection the suspicion into Khmer minds, the killings during the Pol Pot’s era were jumping sharply, one was suspicious of another. So they killed one another.
Some might ask why we are so gullible. Because Vietnam is so good at finding some dumb Khmers such as Hun Sen who would do anything to hold his job.
For example, leasing the Khmer’s soul Angkor Wat, implemented the bilateral treaties with Vietnam, defied the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, offered massive land concession to Vietnam, allowed the mass influx of the Vietnamese into Cambodia, allowed Vietnam to encroach the land and maritime borders, etc…
These traitorous acts committed by Hun Sen have generated extreme anger amongst Khmers, but we could not do much against Hun Sen because he has Vietnam back him up.
In brief, the turbulence, the suffering, and the friction between Khmers were largely emanated from Vietnam’s tricks.
It is imperative that Khmer people must find ways to remove Vietnam’s dominance in Cambodia if we want our grand children to see Cambodia in the world map or if we don’t want to see Khmer people become a tiny minority in Cambodia.
2:15 AM
Dumb Ass,
Vietnam does not take Cambodia to Vietnam, they brought Vietnamewse to take over Cambodia like Champa or Kampuchea Krom or Koh trol.
Get the Doctor X Ray your bull shit head first.
2:15 AM
His head is full of Viet shit.
His writing style always has one of these:
you know!
really!
ok!
etc!
I told him many times to go and get a real job.
Don’t be a paid ass kisser to the Hun Sen’s gang.
Regarding his questions he can go and ask his bosses Viet/Yuon.
I think he already knows the answers but he pretends to not knowing them to protect his bosses’ innocence.
He is either a Yuon or a Yuon’s dog.
6:03 AM
To be on the safe side I pick both, because the sky is falling!!!
the reality is nobody give khmer land to anybody. if they did, history will judge them like theh past incompetent leaders such as king chetta II, etc who reputed to be very incompetent that cost khmer territories dearly. i'm sure history will judge them whoever are incompetent and weak and ignorant or uneducated, etc. anyway, do see the reality though, don't just accuse someone of something without proper evidence or concrete evidence, etc because khmer people in this day and age are better educated and have access to equal opportunity for education, business, justice, etc, etc, you know. so, don't make anymore lame excuses to trick or instill fear or manipulate khmer people again, ok! people can see who is bad and who is good and who is competent, who is educated, who is ethical and professional, etc, etc, you know. so, don't try to trick people again by thinking people are so stupid and gullible, etc, ok! it may work once in the past, but don't assume it'll work again in this modern era of cambodian history, ok! of course, keep in mind that there are more to cambodia than you and i, so stop hurting khmer people and cambodia, ok! enough already! keep your political view to yourself, ok because not everybody is interested in your political biase and unprofessional view, etc, ok!
the historical lesson for cambodia is to trust no foreign power or no one because what if they abandon us like during the lon nol era? it is up to khmer people of cambodia to be educated, competent, ethical, professional, enligthened, wised up, smarten up, learned, etc so we can avoid similar path from the destructive past, ok! actually, to borrow president reagon's advice to the american people, "trust but verify." if you depend on somebody or something too much, think wisely about what if they abandon us to struggle for ourselves? what if they failed to keep their promise with to give us help, etc? what if they no longer have an interest with us? i mean the list goes on and on... we have to have a backup strategy in case something like this goes wrong, you know... that's the historical lesson all khmer people should learn from and keep in mind always, ok! i encourage all khmer students and people to learn to think analytically and critically and logically as well, of course. and learn to be independent and think for ourself, ok! we can never go wrong when we are wiser and smarter, you know! i don't care who you are, just keep learning, learning is a life time work, it never stop until it is our last breath, you know! and of course we can learn from everybody, good or bad, from from it, ok!
Thank for all the comment ! before you blame HUN HEN or VIET blame yourself first
11:12 AM, 11:23 AM, 11:42 AM are CPP supporter and the same.
Hey, you are making nonsense. You are silly and strange by falling in love in CPP and Hun Sen. You are still sick. Keep dreaming about Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi to fulfill your desires. You are a brainwashed with a full of Yuon/Viet CPP shit. Your lovely evil killer Hun Sen can't wait to kiss you and make love with you in bed every night. Don't tell his Yuon wife Bun Rany that you and Hun Sen have a sex.
11:12 AM and 11:23 AM are Cheam Yuon (Cheam Yeep).
11:12 AM, 11:23 AM, 11:42 AM are CPP supporter and the same person.
Hun Sen does not give land to anybody he just let the Viet take it and he also allows millions of Viet to come and settle in Cambodia.
It is good that you know about king Chetta II story; can you see the trend Mr. Smart Ass?
If you want to wait until history judge Hun Sen it will be too late for Cambodia and her people. And that is you, the Viet, want.
You brag about being very well educated and professional. Shame is on you for not being patriotic for a change
If you are a Khmer like you claim, why you are so blind by not seeing the current govt abuse to its people and the corruption, but instead you always praise that the country is in progress because of them.
You cannot deny it because of your writing style:
you know!
really!
ok!
etc!
tells it all even though your name is “Anonymous”.
And oh yes you are very well educated and professional among the dumb CPP.
Who is this person @ 11:12 AM? He claims to be very well educated and professional. I just want to quote his writing below:
“the reality is nobody give khmer land to anybody. if they did, history will judge them like the past incompetent leaders such as king chetta II.”
Ok, we judge that king Chetta II gave the land to the Viet and he was guilty, but now who the hell are going to get the land back?
Now you are the judges.
Is this person @ 11:12 AM very well educated and professional like he claims?
I think that he is just plain stupid.
Learn to write English properly since you are very well educated.
Why a part Hun Sen and CCP to gain?I'm confused!Why CCP to vote for Hun Sen wining?May a ccp not a realkhms 100/100!!Indeed,All khms has knew yet a part Hun Sen is slave veitnam;chiness and the reast nastion other too.They are accompllice or not???If is a real,Is not talented from khms.What a shame!Okay!Ah chmoul Hun Sen,Your part is grand and has a lot hope.A grand job that your must to END!Now,Is to eliminate the nastion khms for veitnam and chiness...!!So well,You are a play boy,The world has knew.So you contonue a game to shoot tha the rest till.Because,Me want to know will has a happen in the futur.If all khms will to die by you hand!!At END you will rest sole,So done you not will to follow you own CCP that da suport you a long time at HELL?? Oh ho,Or May you wait a veitnam and other nastion you to cut up an piece!!!!!!HiHiHiHiHiHi!If is true!!I would like to taste your FLESH!!!!!!!!!I CAn???? Aller play boy!Aller play boy!!And,Aller beaux gosse.......Shit!From me,Kolab-Sor,EN FRANCE.BISE,MY ADRESS IS Kolab-Sor
Yes, when the war was over (E.B), Khmer is over!
Everything had started in Vietnam (North & South), tested in Vietnam, and went kaboom in Khmer ass and race!!!
Everybody is so happy, clapping and pointing finger(s) at each other with a big smirk...
អក
អក,
if I may add:
The rest is history, the winner(s) will be rewriting it to their heart and content!
That's how it goes, Saturday February 25th, 2012.
Bourg-la-Reine, France
It is not new that this evil country called Vietnam has tried to finish cambodia off, but we survive.
This evil doer Vietnam will naturally be taken care by China before its ambition could be materialized.
Qui seme le vent, recolte la tempete.
it's not like king chey chetta II gave khmer lands and territories to viet/youn. it was during his reign that the viet/youn first settled into the mekong delta area of then khmer empire and territories. it is right to say that the king failed to act smartly and cleverly to stop the viet/youn from illegally settling into khmer territories, then. it's not like the king gave the land to them, it was his policy that failed miserably. you see, so cambodia should smarten up and enlightened and wised up and learn from that dark history of our. it is wrong to say khmer gave khmer territories away, it's not given, it's the failed policy that cost us dearly then, so know the difference, ok!
USA DID NOT IGNITE WAR IN CAMBODIA !!! USA WAS IN SOUTH VIETNAM JUST TO DETER THE WIDESPREAD OF COMMUNISM , AFTER
GENEVA CONVENTION . SIHANOUK LOST HIS NEUTRALITY BY HELPING
COMMUNIST VIETNAM ( TRANSPORT ARMS SUPPLY AND LET VIET CONG CREATED SUNCTUARIES IN CAMBODIA THEN ATTACK AMERICAN TROUPS ) . WITHOUT VC INSIDE CAMBODIA , USA RESPECTED , ALWAYS, CAMBODIAN SOVEREIGNTY . LON NOL WAS
PRODUCTION OF SIHANOUK . SIHANOUK WAS OVERTHROWN , DUE TO CAMBODIAN INTERNAL AFFAIR . LON NOL ENTERED THE GAME OF
INDOCHINA WAR JUST THE TIME THAT USA PLANNED TO PULL OUT AND SIHANOUK WAS A COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA TOOL THAT HELP THE KHMER ROUGE' POL POT TO POWER . THEREFORE , YOU KNOW
WHO WAS THE REAL KHMER KILLER - NOT USA .
Kown Khmer who loves history
Il n'ya pas du vent ni de tempête depuis quand, M. à la française!
Qu'est-ce qui arrive à votre petite expression là? Et Khmer est mourant, n'est-ce pas?
A+
that's right, cambodia enter the vietnam war just when the US was about to withdraw all their troops from the vietnam war. that's wasn't smart of cambodia then to enter the war right when the US was about to pull out completely. no wonder the KR had the advantage to kill and then take over easily. of course, they used sihanouk, the unwise and greedy prince who live in fairyland only! i told you, cambodia must learn from history next time, think and analyze before getting involve in someone else's war, ok! the mistake cost cambodia dearly! someone else's stupidity, you know!
cambodia then not thinking wisely!why would you want to enter the war when you know the US will pull out completely?
4:25AM
Dumb Ass A+,
When the French l'adage said: Qui seme le vent, recolte la tempete, means whoever commits the bad deeds would receive the worse result. It does not talk about wind or hurricane,...like you think, stupid.
Like your evil country Vietnam kept doing bad thing to Cambodia, it will receive shit in the future.
Tsk Tsk Tsk...Mister 6:14 AM,
First, A+ (Short for à la prochaine = later in English) is not a signature.
Secondly, it's just a question, there is no need to get ticked off about it? What's wrong with you? Taking the wrong medication or wrong dosage of it?
Cool it Mister...I ain't no Yuon like you've said there, ok? And, yeah, keep citing an old/obselete adage in French of yours, you'll get somewhere soon in your lifetime, ok?
Take care Grandpa! If you cannot take the heat, it's probably best to saty out of the kitchen, okay Grandpa?
This applies also to all of you "School of Mice" here on KI-Media...
Be good and if you all cannot be good, be good at it!
To: Kown Khmer who loves history @ 3:50 AM
“ SIHANOUK LOST HIS NEUTRALITY BY HELPING COMMUNIST VIETNAM “
I first thought you meant:
“ SIHANOUK LOST HIS virginity BY HELPING COMMUNIST VIETNAM “
DAMN. Hehehe…
6:46 AM (cont'd)
stay out*
P.s. And if you are too old for it just hit the temple/pagoda and pray hard for your next life before any of your bad karma catches up with you, ok? Merde!
Hope it helps.
Good one there, 6:48AM!
3:09 AM, History is repeating it self.
United Khmer Republics!
When the war was over, the Viets cleaned house! How dumb you Khmer!
10:45AM
Ah Kantorb is smart at committing act of evil.
Has Ah Kantorb race been invented anything to serve the world?
The south China sea might be the result of this evil nation's bad deeds.
We got to wait and see what will happen to this evil nation.
6:46AM
Little boy,
I might be old enough to be the father of your grand father. I am 94 years old.
Thank You for teaching me the meaning of A+ (a la prochaine).
If you are Khmer, try to read more Khmer history. I don't know if you can read Khmer or not. You sound like an 11 years old boy.
But Cambodia needs help from every Khmer to expel the expansionist Vietnam.
Just remember a good adage will fit every moment, every circumstance.
There is a first book on “When The war WAS Over” , it is written by a French F. Ponchaud in 1977 "Cambodia year zero", this is a good book, a living witness that described the beginning of the tipping of Pol Pot to political and ideological dementia and it is also the beginning of the end of Democratic Kampuchea.
All Pol Pot's team members were trained in France, in Paris, then France and the French were familiar with of what they speak when they spoke of delirium Pol Pot and his supporters.
Ms. E.Becker does not know anything about the history of the first movements of the Indochinese communism because she has not lived within these movements and their divisions. Ms. E.Becker met Pol Pot once for an interview, it is not enough to know the true personality Pol Pot personality.
The Book of Elizabeth Becker was written only 10 years after the french book F. Ponchaud.
French's book is a historical book and so objective while Elizabeth Becker's book is a political book and so partisan.
ជំរាបសួរ លោកតា ១២:៥៤PM (12:54 PM),
លោកតាតាំងចិត្តអោយបាន ស្ងប់ស្ងៀម ដល់យើង
ទប់ទល់នឹងពួកអាកន្តបបាន យើងនឹងសរសេរ dissertation ជាខ្មែរជជែកគ្នាលេង ok លោកតា, deal? Until then take good care of yourself.
Soyez sage!
Good documentary books are based on long and good researches. It does not matter who wrote them first. The books of the same subject written by many well researched authors help to compensate each other by filling the voids.
But for the readers, the more they read the more they understand the subject from different angles. They can keep what they think are true and throw away what they think are false.
Remember one person opinion is not always right unless you live in dictatorship societies.
Today a very well educated author can write the documentary of WWII through long and thorough researches even though he/she did not live through it.
One perspective to this "When the War Was Over" by E. Baker, when it's still somewhat fresh and while we can, is to question and minimize the chances that history will record the false opinion and insights of those so-called winners and collaborators that are in the process of constantly re-writing the Killing Fields and Khmer race history!
អក
i don't care what others are saying, when we read other's opinions or writings, we must be selective in what we want to keep and throw away. you have to do this, call it bias, it is wise to do so, i think.
even some non-fiction writings, how do we know that the previous writers are not biased? even tons of evidence and facts presented in the research, there's always more room for more research/dissertation, etc on the same subject or topic, the choice is unlimited, like the universe, it is indefinite; it is the work that is recognizeable, not the subject or topic itself. that's how one earned their doctorate, through lots of research in their writings on a subjects/topics/themes or what have you, really. research into the field of social sciences is unlimited, same with other humanity topic. in the fields of science, that maybe different such as math, statistics, physics, etc, for instance.
អង្គការលើដែលជាក្រុមឃាដករជីវិតខ្មែរប្រមាណបី
លាននាក់បានបន្សល់ទុកនៅផ្លែផ្កាគឺរាជនិងរដ្ឋអំណាចខ្មែរសព្វថ្ងៃនេះ។
អាស្រ៍យហេតុដូច្នេះហើយទើបបានជាសាលាក្តី
ខ្មែរក្រហមត្រូវបានពួកវារំខានយកជើងរាទឹក
គ្រប់ពេលដើម្បីលាក់ការពិតលាក់ឈ្មោះ លាក់មុខមាត់ក្រុមពួកវាដែលជាឃាដករ ប្រឆាំងមនុស្សជាតិ។
ដើម្បីសង្រ្គោះជាតិខ្មែរឲ្យរុងរឿងមានយុត្តិធម៌ បានសុខសន្តិភាពពិតប្រាកដ គឺត្រូវតែមានអគ្គមគ្គុទេសខ្មែរថ្មីដែលដុះចេញអំពីខ្មែររងគ្រោះគឺផ្ទុយអំពី រាជនិងរដ្ឋអំណាចសព្វថ្ងៃដែលដុះចេញអំពី អង្គការលើខ្មែរក្រហម។
ប៉ារីស៍ព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី២៦កុម្ភៈ២០១២
អក្សរភាសាខ្មែរ
Elizabeth Becker vociferously condemns American policy towards China, as one major reason the world ignored Pol Pot's massive deportations and slaughter, after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. Yet, it was Elizabeth Becker (along with many others in the antiwar U.S. media) in her Washington Post articles who mocked those who were trying to tell the world about the communist genocide. When Lon Nol came to Washington, D.C. in October 1978, asking for American aid in hopes of stopping the Khmer Rouge genocide against their own people, it was Elizabeth Becker who called his visit "an embarrassment." And two months later, Becker was invited to visit Pol Pot's Cambodia (one of very few journalists) where she eluded her eyes to Cambodia's destruction, and even wrote that Pol Pot's "system was working." Western academics and the liberal media denied the brutality of the Khmer Rouge before and after 1975. If Elizabeth Becker and others within the media did their job, instead of denouncing those who tried to tell us the truth before, during and after Pol Pot's communist struggle, history may have been very different.
By Joseph Pacelli from Amazon book review.
Another reviewer wrote:
My book club chose this book, in part because of the great reviews it has received. But we were all very disappointed, because we (unanimously) found it to be terrible! I made it through about 150 pages before I had to stop reading. I just could not force myself to continue. Many of fellow book-clubbers could not make it past the first chapter. Becker is an absolutely awful writer. The story of the Khmer Revolution could have been really interesting if done right. But Becker gets bogged down, detailing every single meeting, every single move of the key players. She also jumps around chronologically, discussing the events of 1973, then jumping to the events of 1969, then coming back to 1972. It's very hard for the reader to keep track of what's going on. One of the things that seemed most interesting to me was that readers noted the use of anecdotes to explain the events from the perspective of those who lived through it. But I found her use of anecdotes to be completely undeveloped. Rather than focus on the human interest aspect of her story, Becker's book reads like a (bad) poli-sci textbook. Yawn.
***Note: the book is over 500 pages long, so maybe it gets much better after the first 150. I'll never know.
I read many books about contemporary Cambodia and the best one is:
Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia by William Shawcross
It was first published in 1978. I read it once in 1980 in the refugees’ camp in Thailand but my English was not good enough then.
I read it a few more times when I have settled in the US.
There are so many revised editions ever since I stopped reading it.
Of course this is just a one man’s opinion, but you would agree with me when you check it reviews rating on Amazon.com.
6:48 AM, Thanks.
11:37 PM,
9:13PM & 9:30PM was right about what was going on during the Khmer Republic.
It doesn't matter how old people are, as long as they can understand how histories was written by Westerner not Khmer. Your style of talking between young and old is only works in Cambodia.
If you can understand English, you should do more research instead of talking between young & old. But I think you play dumb and put all blames on Lon Nol, because you're pro royal right?
In my opinion, I blame everything on king shit Sihanuak. Why? Because as you already knew how much our Khmer peoples love Sihanuak until now. So Sihanuak the one that brougth the Khmer Rough to power.
Sihanuak is nothing but a communist mindset. And communist never allow any body to take over their power. Just look at his son Ah Hun Shit. And this communist mindset got a lots of communist freinds, such as China and North Korea, etc..
So next time do more research before put your blame on any body just because you think you're older.
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