Please stop embarrassing Cambodia!

Friday, November 06, 2009
KI-Media

In a tit-for-tat diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia, several embarrassing moments are taking place among those who are involved in diplomacy:

We will close that closed border

Following Thailand’s threat to seal border between Thailand and Cambodia in retaliation to Hun Xen’s nomination of Thaksin as his personal advisor and government economic advisor, Koy Kuong, spokesman for Cambodia’s ministry of Foreign Affairs, thought that it would be wise to give a tit-for-tat reply back to Thailand. DAP news quoted Koy Kuong as saying: “If Thailand closes its border with Cambodia, Cambodia will also close its border [with Thailand]”. If Thailand closes its border with Cambodia, do we really need to close that closed border also?

Is she there yet?
(or Follow You Ay’s minute-by-minute trek from Bangkok to Phnom Penh)

Somebody at DAP news may think that it is patriotic to announce Mrs. You Ay’s, Cambodia’s ambassador to Thailand, trek from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, following her recall by Sok An. On Thursday 05 November, DAP announced that Mrs. You Ay arrived at the Phnom Penh airport (http://dap-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3988:elakrsi-ekgkaractutexmrrbcamtirkugagkk-anmkdlrblanyntehahehiy&catid=1:dap-news&Itemid=75). However, at 2:57PM on Friday 06 November, DAP announced that You Ay arrived at Banteay Meanchey province after crossing the Poipet international border gate (http://dap-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4011:elakrsi-yu-gy-efvidmenirmkcitdlexttatdmbgehiy&catid=1:dap-news&Itemid=75). One hour later, DAP issued another post indicating that You Ay arrived in Pursat province (http://dap-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4017:elakrsi-yu-gy-mkdlexttebaft-satehiy&catid=1:dap-news&Itemid=75). It appears that, obviously, Mrs. You Ay had to take a road trip to travel from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. Now, couldn’t the Cambodian government afford to pay her one-way plane ticket back? Short of that, couldn’t Mrs. You Ay, the owner of vast amount of lands – some of them grabbed from poor people – in Kampong Speu, afford to buy a plane ticket for herself? Short of that still, could DAP news stop publishing her embarrassing road trip itinerary? ... Maybe, we should shut our mouth also?!?!

07 January: The CPP grooms its image [... while omitting embarassing enormous International aid provided to Cambodia]

05 Jan 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

In the morning of Monday 05 January, thousands of brochures depicting the glory of the ruling party were distributed to passers-by.

The distribution scene looks like an election campaign: a seller giving out brochures bearing the CPP logo with the photo of Chea Sim, Hun Sen and Heng Samrin on the cover, to her customers coming to eat breakfast in her shop.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the KR regime, the CPP distributed to the citizens thousands of copies of this 12-page-brochure boasting the constructions undertaken in the country following the fall of Pol Pot. Everything is included there: from the dark KR period which is illustrated with black and white photos along with piles of skulls, desolated roads, working camps, then came the liberation and finally the reconstruction era which lasts until now.

With loads of color photos of nice roads, oil platforms, buildings under construction, dams and schools, the brochure boasts the major works undertaken during the past few years.

“For 30 years, the CPP has always lived with the people, sharing their joy and hardship. The CPP prevented the return of the genocide regime, put an end to civil war, and rebuilt the country from zero to its current development,” the legend in the brochure stipulated.

One hiccup in all this: the CPP gave the impression of being in charge of the latest developments, while omitting to indicate that the major portion of these constructions was in fact undertaken with International aid.