Blind Patriotism

March 2, 2011
Op-Ed by Bouawat Sithi

Dr. A Gaffar Peang-Meth's writings have enlightened many Cambodians who are still living in the blindness to see things clearer, but some Cambodians who live abroad still see things in obscurity. For instance, these recent border clashes between the Thai and the Cambodian troops have created a blind patriotism amongst the opposition SRP and HR parties' members who came out in several US cities' street corners and other parts of the world in a protest against the Thai troops.

I strongly believe that the border conflicts with Thai can only be solved through the International Court of Justices, or has Hun Sen had the will to do it, this would expose a broader border issues with Vietnam. Do not blindly fight for 4.6 square kilometers that is already recognized by the UN in an exchange of several thousand square kilometers that were taken by Vietnam.

This border situations have strategically played out well from the hands of the Vietnamese, as Dr. Peang-Meth mentioned in his writing, "Hun Sen wants the conflict on the western border to distract the people from the more significant encroachment by the Vietnamese on the eastern flank." He also made a valid point in the last sentence of his writing, "One day, the Vietnamese and the Thais will connect at Cambodia's western border." This is what I have been concerned all along witnessing the unstoppable flow of the Vietnamese population and the Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia that one day we would see ourselves living in Vietnam.

A critical analysis comes from thoughtful and valid point of views and facts of a writer. It does not come from an emotion of writer or anyone's propaganda. As the Lord Buddha teaches us " When a person acts with an emotion he acts with an unstable mind." An unstable mind leads us to anger and this anger led Cambodians to kill two and half millions of Khmer people.

Please think with thoughtfulness and open mind. Do not fall as a pawn in the Vietnamese game.

Write him at bouawat@hotmail.com

Nationalism is the reason for Thai-Cambodian rift: experts

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
By Daniel Rook, AFP

BANGKOK -- Nationalist fervor and political grandstanding are stoking a deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia but both sides will be keen to avoid major hostilities, experts say.

Although the exact trigger for a series of armed clashes in recent days is unclear, tensions have grown since seven Thais -- including one lawmaker -- were arrested by Cambodia in December near the frontier for illegal entry.

Two of them were sentenced to lengthy jail terms for spying, outraging nationalist Thais, who have held protests in Bangkok calling on their Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign.

Observers say the recent cross-border fighting, focused on the area surrounding an ancient Khmer temple, is being used in both countries to stir patriotic sentiment with elections on the horizon.

Yet while Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen has unleashed a torrent of fiery rhetoric, accusing Thailand of being an invading aggressor and calling for U.N. intervention, for Abhisit the standoff is seen as another unwanted headache.

"Hun Sen is deliberately playing this to vitalize nationalist sentiment and reinvigorate support for himself," said Professor William Case, director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.

Cambodian Opposition Leader Terms Arrest of Thai Engineer a Plot

15 December 2009
Thai-ASEAN News Network

The exiled Cambodian opposition leader says the arrest of a Thai engineer on charge of spying was plotted by the Cambodian prime minister and the Pheu Thai Party for their own political gains.

Speaking on a phone interview with TAN Network last night, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said the arrest of Thai engineer Siwarak Chutipong for an act of espionage was set up from the start to the conclusion that saw him receiving royal pardon.

Sam Rainsy said the move was a ploy aiming to help Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai opposition party Pheu Thai boost their popularity.

He also said Hun Sen is deliberately inflaming tension with Thailand and advised the Thai government to exercise restraint in dealing with provocative behaviors of the Cambodian leader and refrain from retaliating against him.

His viewpoints were echoed by Cambodians living abroad.

They posed messages on webboards saying the arrest of Siwarak was a collusion between Hun Sen and parties backed by fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to provoke Thailand.

Those Cambodian expats believe the matter aims to divert public attention on Phnom Penh 's inaction against Vietnam's encroachment on thousands of square kilometers of Cambodia's territory.

Meanwhile, Khieu Sothear, public prosecutor of Cambodia's Svay Rieng province, revealed the court on November 24 summoned Sam Rainsy for trial on charges related to his removal of border demarcation posts at the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.

The prosecutor said the Cambodian opposition leader will be charged with inciting an international conflict and vandalism of state property.

The case came after Sam Rainsy led a group of local residents in Svay Rieng province to pull out markers on the border with Vietnam. They said Vietnam has encroached on their country.

The Cambodian parliament has resolved to nullify his parliamentary immunity as an MP. He has then fled to several countries and now lives in France.

Sam Rainsy's clarification letter to The Phnom Penh Post

November 22, 2009

The Editor
The Phnom Penh Post
Phnom Penh

Sir,

The article titled “Sam Rainsy slams VN incursions” in the November 20 edition of the Phnom Penh Post, did not reflect the main point I wanted to stress in my November 19 message to the Cambodian people.

When I said, "Prime Minister Hun Sen is currently playing a dangerous game” affecting Cambodia, I was referring not to his "understating the threat posed by Vietnamese territorial encroachments" as you wrote, but to the fact that he is playing with fire while handling Cambodia’s relations with Thailand.

My message reads, "Mr. Hun Sen is using a classical tactic to divert the Khmer people's attention [from other more serious problems] by exacerbating tensions [with Thailand]."

It concludes, "Cambodia should remain neutral in any internal dispute in any other country. Any spillover from the current tension or unrest in Thailand could be very detrimental to Cambodia, [which could be] set ablaze as past experiences have shown when we unnecessarily and unwisely took side in our neighbours' internal disputes."

Yours sincerely,

Sam Rainsy
Member of Parliament

Men come and go, institutions are forever

"And, sadly, too, naïve nationalist Cambodians fall right into autocratic Sen's political trap as he beats the "nationalism" drum in his dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear temple, exploiting Cambodians' emotional nationalist outburst. Sen benefits from setting up this controversy and ostentatiously vows to "shoot" any Thai transgressor who dares to venture into the disputed area. By so doing, he diverts attention from his internal political rule, condemned by rights groups worldwide, and distracts the public's attention from Vietnam's successful expansionism into Cambodia."

"[Hun] Sen is a "destroyer" of Cambodia's national interests"

November 4, 2009
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News

Nation-states' international relationships have as primary purpose to serve the state's national interest -- which actually means, what benefits the nation -- as defined by the state's national political leaders. These leaders devise and undertake courses of action to achieve short-term objectives and long-term goals and maximize what they believe is of benefit to the citizens.

During this process, leaders have at their disposition national institutions, endowed, constitutionally, with specific roles and functions. Institutions are tools and the state is the agent of the nation -- which means the people. How well these institutions and the state serve the people's interests are measures of the effectiveness of the institutions and the state.

In general, the world's nation-states aspire to common ultimate goals by giving government the task of maintaining independence (free from foreign invasion and outside control), order and stability (domestic peace and tranquility, and justice to the people, conforming to the constitution), and of promoting economic and social well-being of all citizens.

One school of thought teaches that nothing is possible without man, and nothing is lasting without institutions.

Man lives, man builds, man destroys, man dies. In general, men and women in the world aspire to a state of peace and justice in which they can, at a minimum, attain a level of contentment in life, good health, and a capacity to meet life's basic requirements of food, shelter, clothing. Government is to help them fulfill these aspirations.

In the United States 1776 Declaration of Independence, it is asserted that a government which does not serve the people's interests is not worth keeping; it's the people's right to institute a new one.

Another school of thought teaches that since men are not angels and are capable of abusing other men's rights, in order to avoid tyranny "auxiliary precautions" are necessary through the institution of a separation of governing powers (so that each governing department's power does not overlap with the others', allowing tyrants to extend their power) and a system of checks and balances (so that each governing power can check the others' powers from abuses).

As tools to serve national interests, national institutions -- composed of individuals working together toward common goals with agreed-upon rules -- assure that a change in political leadership does not interrupt the march of the state to fulfill its duty, and to help the people attain their aspirations.

This neat arrangement can be perverted by authoritarian leaders. Those concerned with amassing personal power and wealth undertake strategies and methods that not only do not serve the people's aspirations but impede their rights and the development of democratic structures by thwarting accountability processes and encouraging corrupt governance and practices.

In this age of globalization everything is interrelated, and the old concept of an absolute, comprehensive, permanent, and inviolable sovereignty is supposedly obsolete. But national leaders in the world's state systems see benefits in the continued practice of sovereignty and non-interference in the affairs of states in international relationships.

So, rights and freedom advocates continue to face proponents of sovereignty, order and security.

The June 2009 study, "Undermining Democracy: 21st Century Authoritarians," about which I wrote earlier in this space, warned against "world's democracies ... (that) fall into the authoritarians' trap," through failure to "safeguard and promote the very qualities (rules-based, accountable, open systems) that set them apart from the authoritarians."

Thus, authoritarian regimes of Burma's Gen. Than Shwe and Cambodia's Hun Sen, use the institutions of the army, the police, and the judicial system to continue their authoritarianism and to ignore the tepid admonishments from democratic states, which appear unable and unwilling to confront them. As a respected Western reader, a former diplomat of long experience, e-mailed me, human rights do not trump other "vital" interests defined by the state's leaders.

And, sadly, too, naïve nationalist Cambodians fall right into autocratic Sen's political trap as he beats the "nationalism" drum in his dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear temple, exploiting Cambodians' emotional nationalist outburst. Sen benefits from setting up this controversy and ostentatiously vows to "shoot" any Thai transgressor who dares to venture into the disputed area. By so doing, he diverts attention from his internal political rule, condemned by rights groups worldwide, and distracts the public's attention from Vietnam's successful expansionism into Cambodia.

Sen has stirred the political pot on his western border by deliberately injecting himself in Thailand's internal turmoil. Arriving at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Cha-am recently, rather than talking about the mutually agreeable ways to resolve the temple dispute based on a memorandum of understanding of 2000, Sen declared his support for Thailand's fallen premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been sentenced to a two-year prison term for helping his former wife buy land on Bangkok's Ratchadaphisek Road, and his offer to Shinawatra as Sen's economic adviser.

The Bangkok Post's editorial called Sen's comments, "a slap in the (Thai) government's face on its own soil," and The Nation editorialized, Sen was "rubbing more salt on open wounds" as his provocative statements 'really ripped at the heart of so many Thais at a time when the country is bogged down with internal strife."

In an e-mail to The Nation, former Cambodian professor at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, Naranhkiri Tith, an economist, reminds that Sen creates "all these problems with Thailand" to show that Thailand, not Vietnam, is "the real enemy of Cambodia."

As Tith says elsewhere, Sen is a "destroyer" of Cambodia's national interests.

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.

Hun Sen's Diversion tactics

02 October 2009
Op-Ed by Ly Diep
Angkor Borey –Khmer voice overseas
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Recently, Hun Sen and his government are playing a game to divert the national and international opinion away from problems that he and his government are facing. These major problems are: (1) the KR Tribunal wants to bring charges on additional KR leaders for their crimes against humanity, and (2) the border issue with Yuon (Vietnam), in particular the conclusion of the “Supplemental border treaty” in order to avoid the annulment of former illegal treaties concluded by the Heng Samrin-Hun Sen regime when Cambodia was still under the colonial boots of the Yuon (these include the 1979, 1982, 1983 and 1985 treaties concluded with Vietnam). In fact, the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia gave the ability to Cambodia to annul all the past illegal treaties that led to the loss of Cambodia’s independence, sovereignty and national integrity.

1- Diversion from charges on additional KR leaders

To divert the attention from this issue, Hun Sen, who was himself the biggest former KR leader governing the eastern shores of the Mekong River – a region that also suffered the most savage killings under the KR regime – (based on Hun Sen’s personal boasting when he was deriding Pen Sovann, the former PM of the State of Kampuchea, broadcasted by RFA on 23 December 2008, stating that there were no KR army leaders that was more senior than him along the eastern shores of the Mekong River in 1977), and his government, which is filled with numerous KR killing leaders, are using the political influence of the ruling party, i.e. the CPP, to put pressure on the hybrid (Cambodian and UN) tribunal in order to prevent that additional KR leaders be brought in beyond the five leaders who are currently being detained. If the tribunal would actually charge additional KR leaders, this could affect him personally, as well as his former comrades (such as Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Keat Chhon, Hor Nam Hong etc…) and also King Sihanouk.

First, Hun Sen chased away from the tribunal the International co-prosecutor (Mr. Robert Petit), who was the first instigator to bring charges on additional KR leaders (we would like to stress that the majority of the Cambodian employees at the KR Tribunal were hand-picked by Sok An or they are Sok An’s relatives). Later on, Hun Sen silenced the opposition, including a group of opposition leaders and anti-government newspapers, by accusing them of defamation and disinformation.

Furthermore, Hun Sen issued his intimidation, claiming that if the tribunal dares to charge more than five KR leaders, Cambodia will face war and that up to 200,000 to 300,000 Cambodians could lose their life. We are asking: How could Hun Sen know about this war issue before hand? If he knows about it before hand, why didn’t he take the appropriate measures to destroy these [rebellious] KR leaders in order to prevent them to re-ignite the war again? If this is a major issue, why didn’t Hun Sen and his government present this issue to the UN, which is the partner for the tribunal, to help resolve this issue? We believe that they (UN) could find out how many KR followers still remain … where do they live and what is the strength of their force? We also believe that our Cambodian compatriots, who are also all victims of the KR regime, will surely cooperate with the UN force in this search, as well as preventing all these things from happening, they will do all they can so that this tribunal if truly just and fair. Therefore, is this a diversion tactics used by Hun Sen and his government or not?

Regarding [Hun Sen’s] prayer to see the defeat of the tribunal: isn’t it because of Hun Sen’s concerns about facing his past crimes? Only the criminals and the suspects can panic like this, and even seeing the shadow of a crow flying over the puss on top of their back is a cause of alarm (!!)

In order to avoid being taken “hostage” by Hun Sen and his government, and in particular, in order to avoid having Hun Sen and his government being concerned about the lack of money to provide to the court, we propose that this tribunal be moved out of Cambodia and that it will be completely placed under the sole responsibility of the UN.

2- Diversion from the Cambodian-Yuon border problems

The Preah Vihear border dispute with Thailand is a small issue only. Actually, Hun Sen and his government are making a big fuss out of the Preah Vihear dispute to divert the attention away from the Cambodian-Yuon border problems. If the Preah Vihear dispute grows, the eastern border problem would also shrink or it could even disappear completely.

Let’s take a look … when Hun Sen and his government stir up noises about problems along the western side of the country, the eastern borders are being quietly moved further into [Cambodian territories] and illegal Vietnamese immigrants are flowing into Cambodia nonstop day and night. At the same time, we also observe a number of Cambodian-Yuon cooperation is quickly taking place, in particular in the economic developments in which the Yuons have the largest shares. Other cooperation is merely a subterfuge to hide deeper Yuon’s involvements in Cambodia internal affairs. We can see the Yuons flattering the Cambodian and the army leaders by providing them with huge theatrical diplomas that are valueless. We can also see the Yuons sending in delegations to Cambodia to express their tens of thousands years old friendship. In turn, Hun Sen is also sending his delegations to Vietnam also, and Hun Sen’s delegation even show up their face to the Khmer Kampuchea Krom people to soothe them to abandon the idea of demanding secession from Vietnam (we note that KKF leaders are falling into this political trap. Why would the KKF leaders laud Khieu Kanharith for joining the Pchum Ben festival celebration once at a Kampuchea Krom pagoda? Do they hope that Hun Sen’s government – a puppet government of the Yuon that relies on the Yuon feces – can help them with the Yuon human rights violations in Kampuchea Krom?). Furthermore, the Yuon threw in some minor humanitarian aids to Cambodia, such as a drug rehabilitation center, etc… just to show that they are paying somewhat attention to the Cambodians also.

Hun Sen and his government have no intention of resolving the border dispute with the Siems in Preah Vihear. If they really want to resolve this issue, because Cambodia and Thailand are both members of the UN, Hun Sen and his government should have raised the Preah vihear issue with the UN and ask for a resolution there. To the contrary, Hun Sen turned to use a “thuggish language” as a puppet that he is, while hiding behind his Yuon masters, just like a dog that struts around because of its master.

We are asking: If Cambodia has the advantage in the Preah Vihear issue already, based on the decision handed over by The Hague International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962, why Cambodia does not bring up this issue to the ICJ again?

Hun Sen and his government did not choose this legal path because his Yuon masters do not allow him: if he were to take this path for the western borders, this issue will also affect the eastern borders as well, in particular at a time when the Yuons are successfully expanding their territories into Cambodia under the pretext of the Development Triangle and the flow of Yuon immigrants to live in Cambodia.

The demand for a review of the 1962 ICJ decision will surely lead to a review of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia also.

The 1991 Paris Peace Agreements provided the respect of Cambodia’s independence, sovereignty and national integrity. The signatory countries of these agreements also included both the Siem and the Yuon. In particular, these agreements gave Cambodia the ability to annul all past illegal treaties concluded with her neighbors that affected Cambodia’s independence, sovereignty and national integrity. Hun Sen and his government did not use these agreements as stepping stones to protect Cambodia’s interests, quite to the contrary, Hun Sen went on to conclude a “Supplemental border treaty” to protect the Yuon interests. He does not dare oppose the Yuon interest because that could affect his personal interest, the interest of his gang, as well as the interest of the king. Simply put, the Yuons have the ability to remove any of the above out just like they pull weeds out of the ground.

This is the tragedy that Cambodians have to face with due to such inept leaders and king.

Sam Rainsy: Hun Sen's political buyout diverts the public attention from actual major problems faced by the country

7 SRP candidates defect at Sam Rainsy’s return to Cambodia

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy returned back to Cambodia on 26 May while Hun Sen announced a large defection of 7 SRP candidates to the CPP.

During a distribution of diplomas to 2,259 students, in the morning of 26 may 2008, at the University of Human Resources, Hun Sen said that 6 SRP candidates for the 4th legislative mandate and a current SRP MP defected to join the CPP.

The 6 SRP candidates are: Mey Bun Vithya, a member of the steering committee, Chap Rithy, Bean Thul, Heang Soriyeak, Heang Rasmei, and Em Chantha. The 6 are all SRP candidates for the province of Kandal. Nou Sovath, the current SRP MP in Phnom Penh city has also decided to defect the SRP to join the CPP also.

Hun Sen presented his apologies to the SRP for these departures, however, he still claims that he will continue to accept all opposition officials who want to defect to the CPP. Hun Sen said: “I still accept them, if they are still coming, we will still be accepting them. I am certain that there will be more SRP defectors who will come, the CPP will accept them again because they are all Cambodians, we do not discriminate.” Hun Sen said that the issue that must be clarified is why they keep on leaving the SRP, this problem must be resolved.

Hun Sen added that he nominated Nou Sovath to become the chairman of the CPP workgroup in charge of helping Phnom Penh city. At the same time, Hun Sen also announced that Phauk Sovannrith, the Funcinpec secretary of state for the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mine, had also defected the Funcinpec to join the CPP.

Hun Sen’s announce about the defection of the 7 SRP party member coincides with the Sam Rainsy’s return back from Europe where he was visiting as part of his overseas political activities, as well as for the publication of his book “Rooted in the Stone” which depicts his life and struggle for democracy in Cambodia.

In his interview, Sam Rainsy accused: “This is a trick to divert the attention of the population from the real problems they are facing, such as land disputes, deforestation, joblessness, and inflation, etc…” Sam Rainsy said that the government does not resolve these major issues, but instead, it is using a trick to divert the population’s attention by buying such and such politicians.

Even though he is facing with the defection flow of important party officials, Sam Rainsy still believes that these defections would not affect the popularity and the votes for the SRP. He explained that people do not vote for individuals, but they support the STP standing and policy. He added that some people do not even know who the candidates for the election are.

Nevertheless, political commentators said that the defection of SRP candidates is not a minor issue, and it could hassle the SRP election campaign, and this could affect the attraction of supporters.