Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Denial of Khmer Rouge Atrocities to Become a Crime


By Luke Hunt, June 4, 2013

Cambodia’s political parties are pushing boundaries in their quest for votes during the lead-up to the July 28 elections. Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned of war if his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) fails to win at the polls, monks are being gagged after making political comments. There is even talk about Facebook being shut down ahead of election day.


The opposition has not fared much better with Kem Sokha, acting president of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), claiming that S-21, the torture and extermination camp from where at least 12,000 people were sent to their mass, unmarked graves, was a Vietnamese conspiracy.

“The Vietnamese created this place with pictures. If this place is truly Khmer Rouge they would have knocked it down before they left,” Sokha said during a political trip into the countryside. “You should know that if the Khmer Rouge killed people, would they keep it to show to everyone? If they knew they killed many people, why would they keep this place?”

Opposition politicians, in particular Sam Rainsy, have a long history of leveling rants against the Vietnamese in a play for easy votes through raw nationalism and old-fashioned enmity between Cambodia and its eastern neighbor.

But this was a truly dreadful call. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal has long since dealt with S21 – also known as Tuol Sleng – and sentenced its former commander Kaing Guek Eav (alias, Duch) to life in prison. The court is currently hearing where he sat within the Khmer Rouge hierarchy and who else is responsible.

Khem Sokha is also on record as saying: “Why would the Khmer Rouge be so stupid as to keep Tuol Sleng after killing many people, and keep it as a museum to show tourists? … This is just staged. I believe it is staged, isn’t it?”

Brother Number Two, Nuon Chea, and former Head of State, Khiea Samphan, even apologized before the court for atrocities committed during their 1975-1979 reign. The court has also heard about how Duch was ordered to destroy the evidence at S21. However, advancing Vietnamese troops thwarted the attempt and Duch fled, angering Nuon Chea.

Hun Sen’s response has been to follow the European example with the Holocaust of World War II by making it an offence to deny atrocities committed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. This is setting off yet another debate: Can governments really legislate what people think?

Regardless, this election campaign is shaping-up to be a closely fought battle in which politicians are being tempted to say anything in a crass bid for votes. Given the fact that the Khmer Rouge was driven from power in 1979 by the invading Vietnamese, and that the ensuing civil wars were finally extinguished 15 years ago, it might be time to leave the ultra-Maoists out of the political equation.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Prodiction of CPP' voting machine says :

CPP 98 seats
VNRP 18 seats
Other 10 seats

Anonymous said...

Who infiltrated in the Khmer Rouge, pretending as Khmer Rouge and Killed Khmer people and put all the blame on the Khmer Rouge?

Sound like the Khmer Vietminh who were created and brainwashed by Vietnam.

Ah Kwack Hun Sen,

Stop allowing yourself to be a tool for Vietnam to use to colonize Cambodia.

Up to this moment, you are the biggest traitor in Khmer history.

I am so sick with a dumb leader like you who rose to power by bringing down another leader, Penn Sovan, who refused to follow Vietnam's order.

Hell is about to suck you in very soon !!

Anonymous said...

Who was Angkar during KR era?

- Khmer Vietminh

Who is Angkar today?

- Hun Sen

Who is Angkar Loeu?

- Yuon Hanoi

Anonymous said...

Who are you PREDICT that Cpp wins 98 seats? Even your English is spelling wrong how in the hell you can PREDICT any thing? Cpp loss that my Prediction!

Yobal Khmer

Anonymous said...

CNRP will win the National Election on July 28, 2013 (51% of total votes) and Sam Rainsy will be the next Prime Minister of Cambodia

The CNRP's seven points are reiterated below:
1)An individual 65 years of age and older would receive monthly assistance of 40,000 riels
2)A worker's minimum monthly wage would be 600,000 riels
3)A public servant's minimum monthly salary would be one million riels
4)A farmer would be guaranteed to receive at least 1,000 riels per kilogram of rice
5)Poor people would receive free medical care
6)Youths would receive equal education opportunity and proper employment
7)The prices of oil, fertilizer, electricity and the interest rate on loans would be reduced

Sam Rainsy is the best Kaun Khmer patriot who dares to declare that Vietnam is the new colonialist that annexed most of Cambodian territory.

That is why he is the only Khmer that Vietnam is afraid of. Vietnam try by all mean to eliminate him from Cambodia by using its puppet government and kangaroo court in Cambodia to deny Sam Rainsy in entering Cambodia.

This is the 21st century; Vietnam can not colonize Cambodia as the last century. The 1991 Paris Peace Agreement (1991 PPA) signed by 19 signatory countries including Cambodia and Vietnam guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Cambodia. If Cambodia has a new government which is independent of Vietnam, it can ask the signatory countries to reconvene the 1991 PPA to rescind all unequal treaties between Hun Sen Government and Vietnam from 1979 to 2005 and reclaim all lost territory annexed by Vietnam during that period including Kah Tral.

No matter how sneaky Vietnam is, it will not be able to hide its bad intention any more. The world knows that Vietnam is not a honest nation. Vietnam is a thief who never respects its promises. During Vietnam American war, King Sihanouk of Cambodia helped Vietnam by offering a sanctuary or a hiding place near the border of Cambodia and Vietnam to protect Vietnamese and Vietcong from US bombing. In return Vietnam repays the debt by taking a big chunk of Cambodian territory including Kah Tral.

Anonymous said...

ah Yobal Khmer

I know how to spell PREDICTION, but, I meant Pro-Diction do you understood the term???
PRO because you FOE (CON).

Because,

My Samdach Bondet Akkak Maha Sena Padey Techo Hun Sen Varman I said that.

Anonymous said...

នែអាម្នាល ហ៊ុនសែន កុំតែដោយសារខ្លាចអាចៅ
ហ្វាយយួនកន្ទបកាត់ទោសប្រហាជីវិត បើចាញ់ឆ្នោត
នៅពេលខាងមុខនេះ ហើយ មកបង្កើតច្បាប់ព្រៃ
ដើម្បីដាក់ទោសគេឯងនោះ អីក៍ថោកទាបម្ល៉េះ ?។

គេថាក្រយ៉ៅថោក នៅតែថោក មិនអាចកែប្រែឲ
ថ្លៃបាន ទោះក្លាយជាអ្នកមានមហាសេដ្ឋីក៍
ដោយ ។ ល្មមឈប់ប្រើល្បិចថោកទាបនេះ
ទោតទៅ ក្រែងមានសង្ឃឹមថាអាចរកសម្លេងគាំ
ទ្របានខ្លះ ។ បើពុំនោះទេ គឺនឹងចាញ់ហៅមិន
ឮហើយ ព្រោះល្បិចដ៍សែនថោកទាបដដែល
​ៗ នេះវាសាំពេកណាស់ សូម្បីតែកូនក្មេងក៍ដឹង
ដែរ​ កុំថាឡើយមនុស្សធំដែលមានវិចារណញ្ញាន
គ្រប់គ្រាន់នោះ ។

ម្យ៉ាងទៀត កុំចេះតែប្រើអាល្បិច ចោរស្រែកចាប់
ចោរ ខ្លួនឯងជាឃាតករ ជាជនឧក្រិដ្ឋ ដើរចាទ
គេចោទឯងថាជាចោរ ជាជនឧក្រិដ្ឋដើម្បីបំភាន់
ភ្នែកមហាជនទៅវិញ ។

នរណាមិនដឹង មិនស្គាល់ថា ជនឃាតករ ជន
ក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុនសែន ជាមេខ្មែរក្រហមម៉ៅ និង ខ្មែរក្រហមវៀតមិញ ? សូមុំបីតែអន្តរៈជាតិ
ក៍គេដឹងច្បាស់ដែរ ព្រោះវាមាននៅក្នុងឯកសារ
គ្រប់ប្រភេទ ។ មិនចាំបាច់ខំប្រឹងកែឆ្នៃ បំភ្លៃ
អ្វិទាំងអស់ ស្មានថាធ្វើបែបហនឹង វានឹងរួចខ្លួន
ពីសុំណុំរៀង ០០៣ និង ០០៤ ឬ ? ។ វាមិន
រួចខ្លួនទេ ការពិតនៅតែជាការពិត ក្រដាស់មិន
អាចខ្ចប់ភ្លើងបាន ដំរីស្លាប់មិនអាចយកចង្អេរ
ទៅគ្របជិតឡើយ ។

ដូច្នេះ កុំខំប្រឹងការពារពួកអាចៅហ្វាយយួន និង ខ្លួនឯងខ្លាំងពេក ក្រែងលោបាចអង្កាមបញ្រ្ជះ
ខ្យល់ទៅ មានតែពួកជនខ្លៅទើបប្រើល្បិចហ្នឹង ។

បើល្ងង់បែបហ្នឹង ល្មមទៅស្លាប់ទៅ កុំនៅបំ
ផ្លាញជាតិតទៅទៀត ។




Anonymous said...

Hun Sen could have won the election anytime had he allowed more Vietnamese immigrants to Cambodia. Too bad you are a Khmer Hero by not letting youns illegally go to your country. You didn't support them over Khmers. You are a true Khmer hero. Now the Khmers are turing their back on you and will vote you out of office. Pity on you Hun Sen. You could have won 99% if you had allowed Vietnamese illegal immigrants in your country. You see your Prime Minister, you could have 4-5 million Viet votes go to you, all you need is a few more Khmer votes and your won the majority.

Anonymous said...

12:23 AM

I'm not the poster earlier who criticized you.
But I too can see your English is very bad.

" do you understood the term ??? "

Your Bondit Decho Hun Phuc is a BANDIT, yes the Supreme BANDIT. He steals from Khmers to give to Yuon and for himself !!!!

Anonymous said...

to 10:13 PM,

Ah See Arch, pouk ah aign cham ter mourl tov, the result like 1993 order better. Pouk ah chker eign nis keur mouy kdab toch pon nors.

dong_tien said...

really?

Do you think hun will easily give up his power? SR need to also focus on the "election committees".

who do you think count the votes?

Anonymous said...

CPP traitor clan is doing it again and again for the VC to enjoy hahaha, VC and all their crooks said 'ah Hun is our dog, when we tell him to sit, he sits, and when we tell him to kill, he kills, hahahaha....now, we are trying to create another group to fight against their people like always, hahahaha and in the end, we will have it all like always e.g we took Laos, Champa, Khmer Krom and now the whole srok khmer, hahaha, ah Hun and his clan will be history like always, hahahaha'.

Hun Sen just look into the past and you will see the future e.g where are our predecessors gone to now? Dead! but for some, they went to heaven, while others gone to hell as they were traitors and so are we soon to come too. But before we go, what have we done? they lied to us once, twice but don't make it three times or else, this time, we will be finished. This time, there is no turning back. Please let go of your power for once, for the benefit of our nation. Please, isn't 30 years in power enough already? How many more khmer lives have to go before you are finished?

Time for change is now. therefore, you need to make some sort of agreement for change, that is to help CNRP to win before it is too late. You need to learn to help each other because, together, we are strong!. Please, don't listen to outsiders no more and say enough is enough, you need to look into the past and then, you will see the future, they done before and they will do it again and again until we are finished, but it is not too late yet, so please wake up, because right now, you are being brainwashed by those crooked people and you need to get out now, before it is too late.

We khmers are much better than them, we must not adopt their way of life because they are full of lies, deceiving and manpulation. They make sure we are doomed, so that they can have it all. But God knows, what they are trying to do and is trying to wake us up, by not allowing us to go throught the trapped over and over again. Khmers have suffered for four hundreds years now. Therefore, it is time for unity and forgive each other for all of our past wrong doing, 'Together we stand, but divided we fall', that is all.

Anonymous said...

Kim Sokha may say something about the Khmer Rouge against the people's will. Hun Sen didn't say anything but he was/is the Khmer Rouge. Did Kim Sokha kill anybody? How about Hun Sen? How many people has he killed?

come on Khmer people. don't get fooled by the communist hun sen.

Anonymous said...

Sam Rancy and the CNRP have never killed anyone or stole anyones land by force eviction or by cheating.

Hun Sen killed countless people during the Khmer Rouge and during the 1997 Coup, and stole countless land and sold them to Youn.

Yet, Hun Sen always accuses Kem Sokha or Sam Racy of training terrorist and betraying the Khmer people.

Anonymous said...

Well my view is the the KR tribunal SHOULD not limit it scope to a few high ranking members.
They should expand the scope to include other whom played a key role in the atrocities against Cambodian citizen.
They include Hun Sen, Chea Sim Heng Samrin, Hor NamHong, Keat Chhon and many others currently in the CPP party.

In addition there should also be another tribunal for prosecute the Killing of Cambodian Citizen during Vietnam invasion and 10 year occurpancy

and last but not least a tribunal to review cold cases during the Hun Sen peroid from 1993 until todays where many has been killed but no real criminal has been capture and prosecuted under CPP Hun Sen court.

Just to remind all Cambodian is take a look at Hun Sen during the Khmer Rouge (slim from all the killing work-out) and Hun Sen Today (fat from selling the country to foreigners and eating well).

But being fat DOES NOT mean Hun Sen CANNOT continue with killing people. He is an expert in it...and WAR who with? ist Hun Sen and families versus the people of Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

When hun sen and pol pot kill Khmer people between 1975 1979 he got no paid. After 1993 hun sen has continued to kill Khmer people but with a big reward from the international aid. That is the reason why those Khmer rouge leader trial have never ended.

Anonymous said...

12:23am

Your Decho Hun Nal aka Hai Phuc only finished 6th grades. No wonder he was brainwashed by Youn Hanoi.

Please tell me why you worship him that much?? History don't lie. He is one evils dictator.