Hun Sen Regime Cautioned Against Suspecting Thais as Makers of 'Angkor' Sandals

25 Jan 08
"Today's Comment" by O Kev
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous

The sandals with the picture of Angkor Wat printed on them have been discovered put on sale in Vietnam's Krayov market in Tay Ninh province. Although it is not yet found out whether these sandals were produced in Vietnam it is seen that these controversial sandals were sold on Vietnamese soil. Therefore, like it or not, the source of these sandals must be in Vietnam. However, according to a report from the information office of Svay Rieng province, it is suspected that these sandals were made in Thailand before they were exported to Vietnam.

Although the report of the Hun Sen authorities placing suspicion on Thailand as the site of the production of these sandals is just a guess it gives the impression that the authorities of the Hun Sen regime do not suspect Vietnam as the venue of the production of these controversial sandals. Is this part of the effort by the Hun Sen authorities to help prevent the Vietnamese company or Vietnamese producers from being accused of printing the image of Angkor Wat on the sandals, which constitutes a gross insult to the Khmer nation?

It is not known on which basis the Hun Sen authority officials have relied in forming this suspicion on Thailand as the country of origin of these controversial sandals. Let us Khmer as a whole ponder a little to see whether these controversial sandals were produced in Thailand before they were placed on sale at a market in Vietnam. Vietnam is a country with an industry almost as developed as Thailand's, and Vietnamese products nowadays are put on sale all over the world, not just on the Cambodian market alone. Therefore, it is capable of producing mere sandals and does not need to import such a product from abroad like Cambodia under Hun Sen's leadership. Therefore, is it reasonable to suspect that these controversial sandals originated from Thailand?

Saying this does not mean that we are trying to protect Thailand. What we want, however, is the truth about which company of which country has made these controversial sandals. The careless suspicion voiced by the Hun Sen authority officials without seeking clear proof not only does not help to expose the one who made fun of Angkor Wat but can also provoke problems with a country that probably has not done it.

It is still fresh in many people's memory that when the anti-Thai demonstration led to the sacking and burning of the Thai embassy and business interests in Cambodia, there were rumors that Vietnam's secret agents were the ones who burned down the Thai embassy to sow conflict between Cambodia and Thailand so as to facilitate the influx of Vietnamese goods into the Cambodian market. It is wondered why at that time the Hun Sen authorities did not have the same suspicion [against Vietnam] as the rumors did? Why the Hun Sen authorities now are so quick at have a suspicion [against Thailand]?

This is not surprising because the controversial sandals came out of Vietnam; therefore, like it or not, the Hun Sen authorities must say anything that would protect Vietnam. The incident in which the image of Angkor Wat was printed on sandals constitutes a big insult to the Khmer. Therefore, the Hun Sen authorities cannot stay mum, saying nothing, for should they take no action it would appear that the Cambodian rulers are siding with those who insult the Khmer. However, because these controversial sandals were seen put on sale on Vietnamese soil and most people have believed that they were produced by a Vietnamese company, the Hun Sen authorities have to pretend to suspect another country because the Vietnamese are their bosses.

We believe that although the Hun Sen authority officials tried their best to shift the suspicion on another country, no one would believe them. If these sandals were made in Thailand, they would not be sold in Vietnam only; they certainly would be seen placed on sale in other countries as well. Vietnam does not share a common land border with Thailand. Therefore, if these sandals were produced in Thailand, they should have come to Cambodia first before reaching Vietnam. This baseless suspicion is proof to show that the officials of the Hun Sen regime dare not seek the truth in order to protect the dignity of Angkor Wat and the dignity of the Khmer nation. The sandals that are insulting to Cambodia were clearly seen on sale in Vietnam, why not suspecting that they were made in Vietnam? This clearly is the nature of the Vietnamese puppets!

Political Cartoon - Scapegoat: SRP Activist

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

SRP condemns police authority in Bavet commune, Svay Rieng province for illegal interrogation of SRP activist over sandals bearing Angkor picture

SRP activist threatened by Bavet police regarding sandals bearing the picture of Angkor Wat

Source: Sam Rainsy Party
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

At 12:05 PM, on 25 January 2008, the Bavet commune police, located in Chantrea district, Svay Rieng province, arrested and brought in Mr. Sok Sam Ean, a Sam Rainsy Party activist and Bavet commune councilor, to ask for clarification to the Bavet commune police station about the case of sandals bearing the picture of Angkor Wat. The Bavet commune police, under the direction of Mr. Leouk Chamroeun, the deputy police commissioner of the province of Svay Rieng, arrested and threatened Mr. Sok Sam Ean to provide clarifications on the case of sandals bearing the picture of Angkor Wat Temple, in a more than 2-hour questioning session, and the police also confiscated two of his hand phones for searching and checking without court warrant and without authorization from the phones owner.

The arrest and search on the phones of Mr. Sok Sam Ean were done at a time when information is being published about the use of the picture of the Angkor Wat Temple pasted on the soles of sandals. These sandals are suspected to originate from Vietnam, across from Bavet border gate. The above action taken the Bavet police authority is a threat against Mr. Sok Sam Ean who was a witness who saw the sales of these shoes and he bought them from Vietnam to show as proof to the public about the contempt on the Khmer Nation perpetrated by neighboring countries.

The Sam Rainsy Party is condemning this action taken by the Bavet commune police authority, which constitutes as a threat on Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, and the SRP is calling on the authority to immediately end this threat and it should investigate to find the source of the production of these shoes as they constitute a contempt on the entire Khmer Nation, and bring the culprits to face justice according to the law.

Phnom Penh, 25 January 2008
Office of the SRP Secretary-general

For additional information, please contact: 012 731 111

First, insulting sandals are exported to VN by a Khmer seller, next they are produced in Thailand, now authorities blame them on SRP, what's next?

Angkor Wat Sandals Prompt Political Jibes

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 January 2008

The emergence in Vietnam of commercial footwear with the picture of Ankor Wat on the padding has sparked a round of political finger-pointing between provincial authorities and the opposition party.

The sandals, which have an outline of Angkor Wat’s famous spires and Khmer writing, appeared at a market in Tai Ninh, Vietnam, across the border from Svay Rieng province, and Cambodian authorities have blamed the opposition Sam Rainsy Party for their production.

“It’s not Vietnam who marketed the shoes, but it’s probably from the opposition or any group who would raise it up in order to...stir up controversy,” said Leuk Chamreoun, deputy chief of the Svay Rieng provincial police.

Sam Rainsy called the allegations “ridiculous.”

“How can the party be so powerful that it reaches Vietnam?” he said. “No one believes this.”

Angkor Wat, a cultural touchstone for many Cambodians, has in the past stirred nationalistic violence.

In 2003, rumors that a Thai actress made disparaging remarks about Angkor Wat sparked citywide riots in Phnom Penh that left the Thai Embassy burned and gutted and Thai businesses looted and destroyed.

Cambodia in contact with VN to investigate the case of sandals bearing Angkor Wat pictures

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On 23 January, a high-ranking official from the ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the general consul of Cambodia in Vietnam is in contact with the Vietnamese ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate and find the producers of sandals bearing the pictures of Angkor on its soles.

Long Visalo, secretary of state of the ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that such use of Cambodia’s effigy is tantamount to looking down of the Khmer race that cannot be accepted. He added that the Vietnamese ministry of Foreign Affairs is conducting its research, and that it is checking along the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, as well as the Vietnamese-Chinese border.

The printing of the Angkor Wat pictures on the sandals sold in Vietnamese market, led to a strong reaction from Cambodia which considers Angkor Wat as the national effigy. Both Cambodian officials and Cambodian political parties are affected by the printing of the Angkor Wat pictures on the soles of sandals sold at a market in Vietnam. A report from the Svay Rieng department of information indicated that it suspects that these shoes were produce in Thailand before they were brought over to sell in Vietnam.

Reactions came after these sandals bearing the pictures of Angkor Wat were found on sale at the Go Dau market, located in Tai Ninh province, Vietnam. The Svay Rieng police and the Vietnamese Tai Ninh police bought all the shoes from the sellers, and brought them over to the Svay Rieng police station.

Cambodia seeks halt to sale of sandals bearing image of Angkor Wat

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Kyodo

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia is seeking to bring a halt to the sale in Vietnam of offensive sandals depicting the famed Angkor Wat temple, the country's national symbol, the government's top spokesman said Wednesday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith also said Cambodian authorities are trying to find out where the sandals, which have been sold in recent days in the neighboring Vietnamese province of Tai Ninh, are being produced.

Svay Rieng police suspects the sandals bearing Angkor Wat picture on the soles are made in Thailand even though they are sold exclusively in Vietnam

In spite of all indications pointing to Vietnam, Svay Rieng police suspects that these shoes were made in Thailand instead (Photo: Anonymous)

Sandals with Angkor Wat pictures printed on the soles caused uproar in Cambodia

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper (Mouthpiece of Hun Sen’s regime)
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The sales of sandals bearing the picture of Angkor Wat on the soles in markets in Vietnam led to an uproar in Cambodia which considers these shoes as an insult on Cambodian renown.

Kem Sokha’s Human Rights Party issued a statement on 21 January regarding the production and the sales of sandals bearing the picture of Angkor Wat. The HRP stated: “ The HRP received an extremely shameful and hurtful information when we saw the picture of Angkor Wat – which represents Cambodia’s soul, our national heritage – printed on the soles of sandals sold all over the place at the Bavet market, Svay rieng province.”

“The HRP considers this as a new action taken by the shoe company to hurt Cambodian renown, and to look down on the current Cambodian government, this is a violation of the Cambodian culture and customs. The HRP strongly condemns this shoe company and asks that the Cambodian government, and in particular, the Svay Rieng province authority, to conduct its search and investigate immediately to find out which country this company produced their sandals at, in order to take appropriate measures to stop their productions, and to demand a public apology, as well as levying a fine to pay for compensation to the Cambodian people.”

The department of information in the province of Svay Rieng also conducted its investigation on the sales of these sandals in the Vietnamese province bordering with Cambodia. Based on the information provided to the Ministry of Information on 21 January, Kep Samoeun, the director of the Svay Rieng province department of information, indicated that based on an investigation performed by Chhouk Bandit, the Chantrea district governor, and by Prach Rim, the provincial police commissioner, these sandals are sold at a store located inside the Go Dau market, in the Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province, Vietnam.

The Vietnamese police commissioner of the Tay Ninh province, the police authority in the Tay Ninh province, and the Ben Cau district police authority, indicated that the Vietnamese sandals seller at the Go Dau market claimed that he bought them from Cambodians who took them across the border from Svay Rieng province to sell in Vietnam, and every week, the stock of shoes was re-supplied. The Svay Rieng police force and the Tay Ninh police force bought all the sandals from the merchant and brought them over to the Svay Rieng police station.

The Vietnamese Tay Ninh provincial police authority and the Ben Cau district police force are still looking for sellers of these sandals in the Go Dau market. In every market in Svay Rieng province, no sandals bearing the Angkor Wat picture are being sold. The director of the Svay Rieng information department said that the provincial police department suspects that these shoes came from Thailand.

Sandals bearing Angkor Wat on its soles sold in Vietnam: Adding insult to injury?

The above photos show sandals bearing the Angkor Wat picture on their soles. These sandals are sold in Vietnam where Cambodian visitors bought it from. Above the picture of Angkor Wat you can see the wrong spelling of the word Cambodia, in fact, the typo came from typing "campuchia" (Cambodia spelling in Vietnamese) then converting it using Khmer script without consideration of difference in the spelling. Does the communist Hanoi regime allows the sale of these shoes on purpose to insult Cambodian pride?