Protesters petition to National Assembly Demanding Release of 15 Boeung Kak Lake Villagers

Petition to French and Indonesian Presidents regarding the application of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements

[KI-Media note: The same petition in French was also sent to French President Nicolas Sarkozy]

PETITION

To Mr. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA,

CO-PRESIDENT OF THE 1991 PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE ON CAMBODIA,

c/o The Republic of Indonesia Embassy

47-49, rue Cortambert, 75116 Paris, France

---------

We, the Representatives of the Cambodian Civil Society in France, who have gathered at the Trocadéro Human Rights Plaza in Paris on October 24th, 2010, to commemorate the October 23rd, 1991 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia,

Considering that the Government of Cambodia led by Mr. Hun Sen and his CPP party:

1. Unscrupulously violates fundamental human rights, the Kingdom's Constitution and democratic principles;
2. Fails to provide justice to hundreds of assassination cases of political opponents, trade unionists, journalists and independent lawyers since 1991;
3. Conducts violent evictions of villagers from their homes and lands throughout the country, and dumping them in isolated and unhealthy locations;
4. Systematically abuses its power to stifle all legitimate criticisms and protests raised by the citizens and the opposition through the use of repressive government police and armed forces and its court system;
5. Acts as an accomplice to Vietnam in the latter’s pursuit of colonization of Cambodia, in spite of the fact that Vietnam is itself a signatory to the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. The number of Vietnamese "immigrants" has now reached more than five million, i.e., more than 35% of the entire fourteen million population of Cambodia, thereby dangerously threatening the identity and the national unity of the Cambodian people;
6. Endangers Cambodia’s independence and neutrality, and the Cambodian people's right to self-determination by accepting growing interferences from the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Cambodia disguised as bilateral ‘cooperation’ in the fields of politics, judicial system, administrative system, economic system, as well as security and national defense;
7. Proceeds with Vietnam to the border demarcation between the two countries on the basis of the illegal 1985 treaty.

• Similarly, Thailand, also a signatory of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, had decided to militarily occupy several locations along Cambodia’s western and northern provinces, including the area of Preah Vihear temple, by publicly rejecting the border delineation established through the 1904-1907 Franco-Siamese treaties and later recognized by The Hague International Court of Justice in its 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple case.

Along with the undersigned, we are denouncing:

• The measures and actions taken by the governments of Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, as they are deemed as a factor that will dash the hope of the Cambodian people to find their freedom and democracy, the independence and territorial integrity of their country, as stipulated in the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements whose aim was to end the indescribable suffering through many years of war, massacre and occupation by Vietnam;
• In fact, up to now, Cambodia still has not yet found peace and security stipulated in the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, and the Cambodian people still continue to live in misery under the terror imposed by those who are power currently, as well as by foreign domination;

Therefore, we urge you, Mr. President, in your distinguished role as Co-Chairman of the Paris Peace Conference on Cambodia, to kindly consider establishing an International Control Commission for the Application of these agreements, a Commission with the mission of engaging the governments of Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand to scrupulously observe the provisions of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia in order to help our Country get out of a dangerous destruction path and also to restore peace, stability and security for the sake of Cambodia’s development.

Done in Paris, October 24, 2010

Representatives of the Demonstrators

SEAN Pengsè,

6 Allée des Frênes,

77420 CHAMPS-SUR-MARNE, France

- Le Comité des Frontières du Cambodge en France et dans le Monde - CFC,

Représentant : (M.) SEAN Pengsè,

6 Allée des Frênes, 77420 Champs-sur-Marne, France

- La Fédération des Khmers du Kampuchea-krom – FKKK France-Europe,

Représentant : (M.) THACH Vien,

46 r Voie des Prés, 93420 Villepinte, France

- L’Association groupant le Parti Sam-Rainsy en France,

Représentant : (M.) (M.) PENG Muny Sara

15 boulevard du Champ-du-Moulin

77700 Serris, France

- L’Association groupant le Parti des Droit de l’Homme en France,

Représentant : (M.) LIM BUN Sidareth,

5 Allée Ravel,

92320 Châtillon, France

- La Ligue Cambodgienne des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen – LCDHC,

Représentante : (Mme) DY HAY Phanny,

56 rue Pouchet,

75017 Paris, France

- L’Association Culturelle Cambodgienne – ACC,

Représentante : (Mme) LONG Kunny,

Boîte 87, Maison des Sociétés,

69500 Bron, France

- Relations avec les Manifestants,

Représentant : (M) LIM Kim-Ya,

26 rue Labbé, 94600 Choisy-le-roi, France

SRP petitions King to drop Rainsy case

Friday, 08 January 2010
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

This is not a request for amnesty because Sam Rainsy has not been found guilty yet.

THE opposition Sam Rainsy Party has been collecting thumbprints for a petition calling on King Norodom Sihamoni and the National Assembly to urge the dropping of a criminal complaint against Sam Rainsy, who faces charges of destroying public property and racial incitement in connection with an October border protest in Svay Rieng province, SRP lawmaker Ho Vann said Thursday.

Ho Vann said the petition had more than 200,000 thumbprints, and that it would also be sent to King Father Norodom Sihanouk. He said he did not know when the petition would be finalised.

King Norodom Sihamoni has the formal authority to grant pardons, though Ho Vann stressed that the petition was not a pardon request.

“This is not a request for amnesty because Sam Rainsy has not been found guilty yet,” he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that he would not ask the King to pardon Sam Rainsy if the Svay Rieng provincial court were to hand down a guilty verdict in his upcoming criminal trial.

The charges against Sam Rainsy stem from an October 25 incident in which he joined villagers in uprooting six wooden border markers in Svay Rieng close to the border with Vietnam, which they said were planted in their rice fields by Vietnamese authorities.

Senior Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap on Thursday dismissed the petition as irrelevant, saying that any decision to drop the criminal complaint would need to be made by the provincial court.

“If the court doesn’t agree to this, then the complaint will continue,” he said. “The National Assembly would not think to intervene because it is up to the court.”

Ly Diep's Statement

The following is a statement issued by Mr. Ly Diep, editor of Angkor Borei News, in response to comments made by some of KI-Media readers regarding the petition opposing Sok An's appearance in Long Beach.

Click on the statement to zoom in

Parade Controversy 2008

December 31, 2007
Op-Ed by Navy Phem
A Writer's Journey - Blogging Reflection

Please post your comments on the author's blog by clicking the link below:
http://navyphim.com/blog/?p=144

There is yet another controversy surrounding the Cambodian New Year parade in Long Beach. In 2005, it was because the chosen date happened to be April 17, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge victory. People who opposed the date protested, held candle vigils and attended the city council meetings to request a date change. Even though, I did not protest the chosen date, I attended the meeting to listen to the opposition and tried to understand their views. The discussions that took place during the conflict were heated and many things could have been handled differently. The community was divided on the issue but the people who opposed the date organized themselves and made their point known. In the end, it was resolved and the community was able to come together to celebrate New Year and made the parade a success.

This year, the controversy is surrounding the invitation that was given to Sok An, a corrupted official in the Hun Sen government, to attend the parade by a delegation from Long Beach visiting Phnom Penh recently. The delegation included representatives from Cambodia Town Inc., Long Beach Sister Cities, the Cambodian Coordinating Council and the Cambodia New Year Parade.

The article can be read on the Press Telegram Website.

It was also posted in KI-Media and you can also read the comment on it.

I first read about it here and it is also being discussed.

Some years ago, after I was over my initial shock that there are Cambodian-Americans who supported the Hun Sen government, I tried to understand why. One of the answers is that it was a lesser evil than the Khmer Rouge regime, but evil is evil whether something else is more evil than it. I also noticed that some of the supporters have relatives in Cambodia who are government officials or rich individuals who greatly benefit from a government that exploits the poor. There are also those who values power and wealth at all cost whether it was obtained through corruption or exploitation. They are opportunists who will turn a blind eye to the suffering of others as long as they benefit. They support high-ranking officials in Cambodia and brag about staying at five-star hotel and how they know people with big mansion who are driven around Cambodia in limousine with bodyguards surrounding them at all times. It never occurred to them that those individuals are the destroyers of Cambodia and many of us do not admire who they know and what they do in Cambodia when we see them as blood-sucking leech.

As for the present conflict in Long Beach, it is providing the Cambodian community an opportunity to voice their opinions and inform our so-called community leaders who they represent. As individuals, if they support the Hun Sen government and want to kowtow or kneel down in front of Hun Sen and their cronies, they have the right to do it. They should do it in the privacy of their own house or when they are visiting Cambodia. In term of inviting them to the parade, this should be a community decision. These representatives should have taken the time to understand the people they represent and know how many of us would appreciate (or not appreciate) seeing members of Hun Sen government at our event. The community leaders may know someone personally and think the person is an inspirational figure, but the greater community may not and in those instance, they should also refrain from forcing these so-called inspirational figure on us.

The invitation has been given but with the petitions being circulated, we will know too how many of us do not want Sok An to be at our event. After seeing the result of the petition, I hope these leaders will amend their actions and listen to the people they represent.

I would be surprised if there is a higher number of people who would condone having Sok An at the parade. We’ll find out. For those who oppose, please sign the petition.

Cham Prasidh's call for Cambodian-Americans help to push for US law eliminating taxes and quotas on Cambodian imports is met with skepticism

Cambodian-Americans’ reaction to Cham Prasidh’s call

23 July 2007
By Sam Borin
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A representative of the Cambodian-American community in the US issued a guarded declaration to the call made by Cham Prasidh, the minister of commerce (MoC), who requested that Cambodian-American communities in the US push their US congressmen and senators to support the law on eliminating taxes on goods imported from Cambodia to the US. The Cambodian-American community representative said that Cambodian-Americans have no difficulties in preparing and sending such petition to their congressmen to ask for their support of such draft law, but only if poor Cambodian people are the true benefactors of such law.

Brian Ben, a Cambodian-American community leader in Long Beach, California – a state which counts more than 100,000 Cambodian-Americans – said that there is no problem if poor Cambodian people really benefit from such action. “Will the benefits go to the large businessmen or will it go to the government which will redistribute them to needy people? This is one issue. For our community, to make copies of such petition and sending them to our local representatives is not a problem, but the most important is: will the benefits really go to Cambodians in general or not?”

Cham Prasidh just completed his visit to the US this week, where he was sounding of US congressmen to agree on a law eliminating tax and quota on products and merchandises imported to the US from poor countries in Asia Pacific.

On Friday morning of last week, during a banquet organized the Cambodian ambassador in Washington DC, Cham Prasidh told RFA’s Kessor Raniya about the importance of support letters from Cambodian-Amercian communities. “There are 250,000 Cambodian-Americans in the US, in all 52 states. They voted for current congressmen and senators. They have the rights to write a letter to those who want their votes, telling them that I will vote for you, but I originally came from Cambodia, and Cambodia needs your help, in return, I will help you back if you help me and my original country. I left my country because of various reasons in my original country, now that my country is at peace, my country needs developments, please help. If (Cambodian-Americans) write such letter, it is very useful, because such letter shows that Cambodia is a poor country just like other countries which need self-sufficient means to survive, through commerce and economic development.”

Chea Kim-Ly, a Cambodian-American community activist from Massachusetts, the second largest Cambodian-American community in the US after California, agreed with Brian Ben’s statement. Chea Kim-Ly said: “I believe that Cambodian(-American) people would send such petition to their state congressmen to help obtain such law. But, once the US grants such law, the Cambodian government will need to distribute benefits from this law. Will these benefits actually reach Cambodian people or not? Especially, (will it benefit) Cambodian workers who are being oppressed by foreign companies operating in Cambodia? If the US grants such law, the benefits must be reaped by the Cambodian people first.”