Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Donation & The Free-Gift

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Hun Sen: Free Coffins For Anyone Who Dare To Protect Cambodia’s Borders

(Inspired by Worth1000.com)

Friday, February 29, 2008
Editorial by Khmerization

"Those who are not protecting one’s own lands and are allowing neighbouring countries to encroach on one’s own borders are called traitors, including the prime minister of a country. I am not calling Mr. Hun Sen a traitor here. I just call him a betrayer of the Cambodian nation."

I have been called “a retarded gorilla bastard” by Mr. Hun Sen’s supporters for writing critical editorials criticising him. With what I am going to say in the following editorial, I am bracing for more lynchings. But I am fortunate enough to have lived in a free country and, with the advance of internet technology, I am able to speak my mind freely without fears and without having to suffer the same fate as many Khmer journalists working inside Cambodia who have been murdered and physically harmed every year. It is with conviction that, when it comes to Cambodia’s national interests, I will not be silenced.

Coming back to the topic, I read with dismay about Prime Minister Hun Sen’s reactions to claims of border violations by our neighbours. It is sad to hear a prime minister of my country dismissing claims of border encroachments as “stupid lies”. It is also irresponsible and insulting of the prime minister of a country to declare that he will provide “free coffins” to those who wanted to protect and defend Cambodia’s own borders (click here to read the article).

Border problems and border encroachments by our neighbours is not a myth but are real. A responsible prime minister would have ordered an investigation on the grounds every time there is a claim of border encroachments. Most of the encroachments are not reported by armchair analysts writing from their office in New York or Sydney. Most encroachments were reported by villagers living in the encroached areas who have been robbed of their ancestral lands everyday by the Vietnamese and the Thai authorities.

Claims of encroachments in Phum Dong and Bavet in Svay Rieng have been in the public domain for years as well as in Takeo, Kandal, at O’Yadao in Rattanakiri and Kampong Cham. On the Thai side, encroachments occurred at Anlong Veng, O’Smach, O’Bei Choan and in the Dangrek Ranges region and probably at Preah Vihear temple too. These are encroachments which have been reported by the villagers living in the areas of the encroachments.

There are suggestions that Vietnam and the Vietnamese villagers have claimed that they have lost their lands as well- meaning that Cambodia or the Cambodian villagers had encroached on Vietnam’s borders, stolen their lands to be exact. These suggestions are baseless and absurd. Cambodia cannot even protect its current borders let alone trying to encroach on the borders of a powerful neighbours, especially Vietnam.

Those who are not protecting one’s own lands and are allowing neighbouring countries to encroach on one’s own borders are called traitors, including the prime minister of a country. I am not calling Mr. Hun Sen a traitor here. I just call him a betrayer of the Cambodian nation.

Supporters of Mr. Hun Sen, who refused to believe that border encroachments had occurred, believed that Mr. Hun Sen is a Khmer patriot who will do anything to protect Cambodia’s borders. The fact that Mr. Hun Sen is in denial and did not utter a word of protest means that there is no encroachments. Those who are in this category are trying to whitewash Mr. Hun Sen’s irresponsibility. And a responsible Prime Minister would not have dismissed claims of border encroachments as “stupid lies”. A responsible prime minister would not have tried to intimidate those who want to protect their borders by offering to provide them with “free coffins” if they dare to do so. Such irresponsible behaviours would only have come from “a betrayer of the Cambodian nation”.

Political Cartoon: Free Coffins

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)