Showing posts with label Sam Rainsy's political life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sam Rainsy's political life. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
Sam Rainsy, the man who defies the current Cambodian regime
Sam Rainsy pray for the victims of the KR regime in Choeung Ek on 17 April 2008 (Photo: Reuters)Close up - This opponent to the regime that rules Cambodia for the past 22 years, used to live in exile in France. He represents a political renewal filled with Western democratic values.
04 June 2008
By Catherine Rebuffel
La Croix (France)
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Son of a well-to-do family, Sam Rainsy wants to bring back to his country its dignity which was lost during the Vietnam war and the subsequent rise of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. An absence of real democracy and of the respect of human rights led him to lead a dispute against the breach of trust brought by the country leaders who only think about enriching themselves. Ranking 131 among 177 countries for human development, Cambodia suffers from all kinds of illnesses. More than one third of the Cambodian families earn less than 1 euro per day, about ¾ of them barely earn 1.25 euro.
While 60% of the population are less than 30-year-old, joblessness is in full swing in the country, 300,000 new graduates reach the job market each year, a truly “time bomb,” Said Sam Rainsy. “Our neighbors in Laos or Vietnam do not have this problem because they are able to attract serious investors,” Sam Rainsy said. “The state loses between $300 to 500 million each year,” he said based on a study performed by USAID, the US agency for development. Furthermore, 40% of the country’s territories, especially forest, are sold to private Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese companies, whereas 80% of the population still lives on agriculture and more than 20% of the farmers were chased out from their lands.
Ending the corruption
That was Sam Rainsy’s fight during his tenure in the first reconciliation government at the beginning of the 90s. King Norodom Sihanouk even nicknamed him: “the deter to the all around pillage.” It was because of this also that he was evicted from the government in 1994. Not stopping there, he took the battle to an opposition party. None of these is new to him. Since his early childhood, confronting the regime in power was what made up his life. He was 9-year-old when Sam Sary, a former minister of Economy under Norodom Sihanouk’s regime and his father, fell from favor. Sam Sary then joined the opposition. One year later, he was forced to flee after he was accused of plotting against the state. It was in 1959, and Sam Rainsy never saw his father again.
Since then, the young boy led of life of wandering and anguish. Following an easy life of Cambodian elite, Sam Rainsy found himself brutally thrown into a precarious life, nevertheless he still had his mother and siblings. “I understood that the existence can turn precarious,” he said. He sunk even further when shortly later, his mother was jailed for one year. “Every morning, on the way to school, I waked pass the jail, “the violin,” located on Pasteur street. I stopped, climbed on some rocks along the wall of the building and I stared at the building for a long time, in the direction of the center court where my mother, grandfather, and several uncles were jailed. I had hoped to see my mother taking her walk, but she was kept in secret inside. I remained there, on the pieces of rocks, while tears flow down my cheeks.”
Such life experience prepared him for what to come. In January 1965, the entire family was expelled to Vietnam which was then in the midst of war. With help from well-placed French friends, the small group landed in Paris a few months later. Finally they found a respite, and started their new life. Education and professional success were Sam Rainsy’s achievements, he also fell in love with the woman of his life, Saumura, a Cambodian woman living in exile like him, the daughter of General Tioulong. The young couple got married in 1971, and they quickly launch themselves in the financial world, with much success.
The arrival of the Khmer Rouge to power in 1975 in Phnom Penh, brought the couple back to the reality of their country. Testimonials collected from the very first Cambodian refugees arriving in France plunge Sam Rainsy and Saumura in an absolute horror for the Pol Pot regime. They decide to set up a small newspaper, The Voice of Free Cambodia, printed in the basement of their home. In 1979, the Vietnamese troops “liberated” Cambodians from the yoke of the Khmer Rouge regime, two million of them were killed. Sam Rainsy, then well known among the Cambodian community in France, was concerned about the annexation of his country by Vietnam. He wrote to Norodom Sihanouk who was then calling for a fight for the independence of Cambodia. Sam Rainsy joined Sihanouk, and in 1982, at the UN headquarters, while accompanying the Cambodian delegation, he met Hun Sen for the first time. Back then, Hun Sen was the minister of Foreign Affairs of the pro-Vietnamese regime installed in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen, his current rival, would become the prime minister 3 years later, and he occupied this position since then.
In 1992, one year after the Paris Peace Agreements on the Cambodian conflict, Sam Rainsy decided to return home. He asked his second daughter, 14-year-old Muriel, to type a letter sent to his compatriots: “In spite of the recent political attempts and assassinations in Phnom Penh, and in spite of the threat and warnings I received, I have decided to return back to Cambodia to stay close to the Khmer people.” His distraught older daughter also learnt the news. The sorrow of his two oldest daughters, Patrice and Muriel, did not stop the departure of their parents who were then accompanied by their youngest sibling, 7-year-old Rachel. “It’s a daily dilemma for me for not being able to reconcile my political commitment and my responsibility as a father. I wish that my children will never have to make the same painful choice as I did,” he said in a somber tone. He added: “My message is my life.” Furthermore, Rainsy means “light” in Khmer, represented by the candle, the emblem of his party. “It’s the light that must win over death, over the dark forces,” he said.
Said in an innocent atmosphere of a Paris apartment, Sam Rainsy’s metaphor may sound somewhat emphatic. But it was not the case for Sam Rainsy, a man who escaped death several times. Following his eviction from the government in 1994, he founded the Khmer Nation Party (KNP) which will later become the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). Not because of personality cult, but because the original name of his party was stolen from him. His party later earned votes, to the point that it was considered as a serious threat to those who tried to eliminate him physically on several occasions. In 2005, he brought a lawsuit against Hun Sen for the 1997 assassination attempt which he miraculously escaped. Following the lawsuit, he was forced to take the exile road once again.
Returning to Cambodia two years ago, Sam Rainsy continues his fight. This time, he is the target of Hor Namhong, the minister of Foreign Affaris, whom he publicly denounced last April of leading a Khmer Rouge regime “re-education camp.” It seems that nothing is shaking Sam Rainsy up. “Buddhist teaching makes me understand that if I fear death, I would be dying a little bit each morning,” he said. As a testimonial to Sam Rainsy’s words, the flame of the small candle still shines bright.
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(1) Calmann-Lévy Editor, 302 pages, 20 euros.
04 June 2008
By Catherine Rebuffel
La Croix (France)
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
“Buddhist teaching makes me understand that if I fear death, I would be dying a little bit each morning” - Opposition leader Sam RainsyWithin a few weeks from the general election which will take place on 27 July, 60-year-old Sam Rainsy is leading his campaign. The main political opponent to the 57-year-old prime minister Hun Sen, Sam Rainsy speaks French fluently. The reason for this is because he spent 27 years of his life in exile in France. Like all other candidates, Sam Rainsy has his political program, but the book which he just published contains more than a political program. Rooted in the stone (1) is also the story of his life and events that led him to dedicate his life to the “Struggle for the revival of Cambodia.”
Son of a well-to-do family, Sam Rainsy wants to bring back to his country its dignity which was lost during the Vietnam war and the subsequent rise of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. An absence of real democracy and of the respect of human rights led him to lead a dispute against the breach of trust brought by the country leaders who only think about enriching themselves. Ranking 131 among 177 countries for human development, Cambodia suffers from all kinds of illnesses. More than one third of the Cambodian families earn less than 1 euro per day, about ¾ of them barely earn 1.25 euro.
While 60% of the population are less than 30-year-old, joblessness is in full swing in the country, 300,000 new graduates reach the job market each year, a truly “time bomb,” Said Sam Rainsy. “Our neighbors in Laos or Vietnam do not have this problem because they are able to attract serious investors,” Sam Rainsy said. “The state loses between $300 to 500 million each year,” he said based on a study performed by USAID, the US agency for development. Furthermore, 40% of the country’s territories, especially forest, are sold to private Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese companies, whereas 80% of the population still lives on agriculture and more than 20% of the farmers were chased out from their lands.
Ending the corruption
That was Sam Rainsy’s fight during his tenure in the first reconciliation government at the beginning of the 90s. King Norodom Sihanouk even nicknamed him: “the deter to the all around pillage.” It was because of this also that he was evicted from the government in 1994. Not stopping there, he took the battle to an opposition party. None of these is new to him. Since his early childhood, confronting the regime in power was what made up his life. He was 9-year-old when Sam Sary, a former minister of Economy under Norodom Sihanouk’s regime and his father, fell from favor. Sam Sary then joined the opposition. One year later, he was forced to flee after he was accused of plotting against the state. It was in 1959, and Sam Rainsy never saw his father again.
Since then, the young boy led of life of wandering and anguish. Following an easy life of Cambodian elite, Sam Rainsy found himself brutally thrown into a precarious life, nevertheless he still had his mother and siblings. “I understood that the existence can turn precarious,” he said. He sunk even further when shortly later, his mother was jailed for one year. “Every morning, on the way to school, I waked pass the jail, “the violin,” located on Pasteur street. I stopped, climbed on some rocks along the wall of the building and I stared at the building for a long time, in the direction of the center court where my mother, grandfather, and several uncles were jailed. I had hoped to see my mother taking her walk, but she was kept in secret inside. I remained there, on the pieces of rocks, while tears flow down my cheeks.”
Such life experience prepared him for what to come. In January 1965, the entire family was expelled to Vietnam which was then in the midst of war. With help from well-placed French friends, the small group landed in Paris a few months later. Finally they found a respite, and started their new life. Education and professional success were Sam Rainsy’s achievements, he also fell in love with the woman of his life, Saumura, a Cambodian woman living in exile like him, the daughter of General Tioulong. The young couple got married in 1971, and they quickly launch themselves in the financial world, with much success.
The arrival of the Khmer Rouge to power in 1975 in Phnom Penh, brought the couple back to the reality of their country. Testimonials collected from the very first Cambodian refugees arriving in France plunge Sam Rainsy and Saumura in an absolute horror for the Pol Pot regime. They decide to set up a small newspaper, The Voice of Free Cambodia, printed in the basement of their home. In 1979, the Vietnamese troops “liberated” Cambodians from the yoke of the Khmer Rouge regime, two million of them were killed. Sam Rainsy, then well known among the Cambodian community in France, was concerned about the annexation of his country by Vietnam. He wrote to Norodom Sihanouk who was then calling for a fight for the independence of Cambodia. Sam Rainsy joined Sihanouk, and in 1982, at the UN headquarters, while accompanying the Cambodian delegation, he met Hun Sen for the first time. Back then, Hun Sen was the minister of Foreign Affairs of the pro-Vietnamese regime installed in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen, his current rival, would become the prime minister 3 years later, and he occupied this position since then.
In 1992, one year after the Paris Peace Agreements on the Cambodian conflict, Sam Rainsy decided to return home. He asked his second daughter, 14-year-old Muriel, to type a letter sent to his compatriots: “In spite of the recent political attempts and assassinations in Phnom Penh, and in spite of the threat and warnings I received, I have decided to return back to Cambodia to stay close to the Khmer people.” His distraught older daughter also learnt the news. The sorrow of his two oldest daughters, Patrice and Muriel, did not stop the departure of their parents who were then accompanied by their youngest sibling, 7-year-old Rachel. “It’s a daily dilemma for me for not being able to reconcile my political commitment and my responsibility as a father. I wish that my children will never have to make the same painful choice as I did,” he said in a somber tone. He added: “My message is my life.” Furthermore, Rainsy means “light” in Khmer, represented by the candle, the emblem of his party. “It’s the light that must win over death, over the dark forces,” he said.
Said in an innocent atmosphere of a Paris apartment, Sam Rainsy’s metaphor may sound somewhat emphatic. But it was not the case for Sam Rainsy, a man who escaped death several times. Following his eviction from the government in 1994, he founded the Khmer Nation Party (KNP) which will later become the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). Not because of personality cult, but because the original name of his party was stolen from him. His party later earned votes, to the point that it was considered as a serious threat to those who tried to eliminate him physically on several occasions. In 2005, he brought a lawsuit against Hun Sen for the 1997 assassination attempt which he miraculously escaped. Following the lawsuit, he was forced to take the exile road once again.
Returning to Cambodia two years ago, Sam Rainsy continues his fight. This time, he is the target of Hor Namhong, the minister of Foreign Affaris, whom he publicly denounced last April of leading a Khmer Rouge regime “re-education camp.” It seems that nothing is shaking Sam Rainsy up. “Buddhist teaching makes me understand that if I fear death, I would be dying a little bit each morning,” he said. As a testimonial to Sam Rainsy’s words, the flame of the small candle still shines bright.
----------
(1) Calmann-Lévy Editor, 302 pages, 20 euros.
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