Discussion on the ownership of the island taken away by Vietnam
The Free Press Magazine
Vol. 1, No. 2
January 2008
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
On the busy island which looks like a modern city, no more than 10 families of Cambodian-origin people are living there. Their lives are likened to those of slaves, they do not own lands, have no land titles to survive, unlike the Vietnamese people who settled on the Khmer Koh Tral Island, dubbed Phu Quoc by the Vietnamese.
61-year-old Ly Kim Chin and his family live in a miserable hut next to the beach on the southern side of Koh Tral Island. His livelihood and that his 63-year-old wife, Chau Thi Linh, depends on his fishing labor job, and construction work for a group of rich group of Vietnamese people and businessmen.
60-year-old Chau Si Dorn indicated that he was born and always lived on Koh Tral Island, but he claimed that he does not own lands to grow crops like the Vietnamese people: “I live in a hut along the beach for almost 60-year already, but I don’t own land and I don’t have a steady job besides working as a laborer for the Vietnamese.”
Cambodian people living on the island said that the Vietnamese people who lived there became rich and owned hotels, guesthouses, boats, motorboats, large ships, and they collect incomes from fishing, tourism, and Casinos.
Currently, Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) has a seaport, an airport, and the Duong Dong city was also established here.
A Vietnamese teacher, who provides tourism training in hotels and boat stewardship on the island, told The Free Press Magazine (FPM) that this island is located about 15-km from Kampot province, and 45-km from Ha Tien province (Peam province in Khmer), Vietnam, and about 120-km from Rach Gia (Kramuon Sar in Khmer) port, Vietnam. She added that Koh Tral is currently a district of Kien Giang province, Vietnam (Kramuon Sar province in Khmer).
Cambodian fishermen living along the seas said that Cambodian people not holding the Vietnamese citizenship are prohibited from entering Koh Tral, and they are required to obtain a visa to visit the island.
An anonymous Cambodian navy soldier based in the Cambodian seas in Kampot province, revealed that if someone owns a CPP party membership card, then he/she is allowed to visit the island by Vietnamese border patrol and immigration officers, and that person does not need any visa.
Ly Kim Chin said that Koh Tral Island is really a Cambodian island, he said that several generations of Cambodians living there have passed down this information to their offspring. Originally, there were only 4 to 5 Cambodian families living there, however, starting from the 17th century, a flow of Vietnamese settlers came to occupy the island. “From what I know, Koh Tral is a Cambodian island, but the French gave this Cambodian island to Vietnam in 1939.”
Lawyer Touch Bora from Sydney, Australia, wrote that, in spite of the fact that France gave this island to Vietnam, the sovereignty of the island by Cambodia is not lost yet. He recognized that the Vietnamese people came to settle on this island in the past centuries, however, past Cambodian kings have claimed the ownership of this island, as well as several other territories occupied by Vietnam by force, from one generation to the next.
Touch Bora added that, since the mid-19th century, i.e. starting from 1856, King Ang Duong demanded these lands and island back to Cambodia, and this action continued all the way to his great-grandson, King Norodom Sihanouk.
Sean Pengse, President of the Cambodia’s Border Committee and former Mining, Industry and Energy Minister, indicated that the 01 July 1972 decree issued by Marshall Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic regime claimed anew the sovereignty of Koh Tral Island as being Cambodian territories.
Prince Sisowath Thomico, the former secretary of the king, used to say that, based on recent Cambodian historical documents, Koh Tral was lost in 1982, following the border treaty concluded between Hun Sen, then-foreign minister of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea regime, and Nguyen Co Thach, the Democratic Vietnam minister. The prince was threatened with a lawsuit by the Hun Sen’s regime for expressing this opinion.
The Free Press Magazine
Vol. 1, No. 2
January 2008
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
On the busy island which looks like a modern city, no more than 10 families of Cambodian-origin people are living there. Their lives are likened to those of slaves, they do not own lands, have no land titles to survive, unlike the Vietnamese people who settled on the Khmer Koh Tral Island, dubbed Phu Quoc by the Vietnamese.
61-year-old Ly Kim Chin and his family live in a miserable hut next to the beach on the southern side of Koh Tral Island. His livelihood and that his 63-year-old wife, Chau Thi Linh, depends on his fishing labor job, and construction work for a group of rich group of Vietnamese people and businessmen.
60-year-old Chau Si Dorn indicated that he was born and always lived on Koh Tral Island, but he claimed that he does not own lands to grow crops like the Vietnamese people: “I live in a hut along the beach for almost 60-year already, but I don’t own land and I don’t have a steady job besides working as a laborer for the Vietnamese.”
Cambodian people living on the island said that the Vietnamese people who lived there became rich and owned hotels, guesthouses, boats, motorboats, large ships, and they collect incomes from fishing, tourism, and Casinos.
Currently, Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) has a seaport, an airport, and the Duong Dong city was also established here.
A Vietnamese teacher, who provides tourism training in hotels and boat stewardship on the island, told The Free Press Magazine (FPM) that this island is located about 15-km from Kampot province, and 45-km from Ha Tien province (Peam province in Khmer), Vietnam, and about 120-km from Rach Gia (Kramuon Sar in Khmer) port, Vietnam. She added that Koh Tral is currently a district of Kien Giang province, Vietnam (Kramuon Sar province in Khmer).
Cambodian fishermen living along the seas said that Cambodian people not holding the Vietnamese citizenship are prohibited from entering Koh Tral, and they are required to obtain a visa to visit the island.
An anonymous Cambodian navy soldier based in the Cambodian seas in Kampot province, revealed that if someone owns a CPP party membership card, then he/she is allowed to visit the island by Vietnamese border patrol and immigration officers, and that person does not need any visa.
Ly Kim Chin said that Koh Tral Island is really a Cambodian island, he said that several generations of Cambodians living there have passed down this information to their offspring. Originally, there were only 4 to 5 Cambodian families living there, however, starting from the 17th century, a flow of Vietnamese settlers came to occupy the island. “From what I know, Koh Tral is a Cambodian island, but the French gave this Cambodian island to Vietnam in 1939.”
Lawyer Touch Bora from Sydney, Australia, wrote that, in spite of the fact that France gave this island to Vietnam, the sovereignty of the island by Cambodia is not lost yet. He recognized that the Vietnamese people came to settle on this island in the past centuries, however, past Cambodian kings have claimed the ownership of this island, as well as several other territories occupied by Vietnam by force, from one generation to the next.
Touch Bora added that, since the mid-19th century, i.e. starting from 1856, King Ang Duong demanded these lands and island back to Cambodia, and this action continued all the way to his great-grandson, King Norodom Sihanouk.
Sean Pengse, President of the Cambodia’s Border Committee and former Mining, Industry and Energy Minister, indicated that the 01 July 1972 decree issued by Marshall Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic regime claimed anew the sovereignty of Koh Tral Island as being Cambodian territories.
Prince Sisowath Thomico, the former secretary of the king, used to say that, based on recent Cambodian historical documents, Koh Tral was lost in 1982, following the border treaty concluded between Hun Sen, then-foreign minister of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea regime, and Nguyen Co Thach, the Democratic Vietnam minister. The prince was threatened with a lawsuit by the Hun Sen’s regime for expressing this opinion.
21 comments:
It's just one word - Viet/Yuon.
CrazyGlue
P.s. Evidentially, the Viet (or commonly referred to by Khmer as YUON) had been and is out to exterminate Khmer race. Get the Viet/Yuon out of Cambodia, anything else is just a collusion or an acceptance of the Viet's annexation and finishing off of Khmer race.
I would love to hear from Sihanouk what does he think about this island. The King is silent on anything related to land gobbling by Vietnam. Where is his territorial integrity of Cambodia which once he claimed he tried to protect? Father, when are you going to do the right thing for your country? How can you sleep at night when you know quite well that Viet is slowly gobbling up your country?
Dammed!we must join together with the AMERICAN-to take back our Island,man.why are we good at killing each other?but when the real deal come we are a cowerd!stupit khmer people are dumb!they good at taking revenge at each other,we are losing everything left and right man!this our Island.Down ah youn-chong-riay!!"ANANIKUM AMERICA RULES!"
Sihanaouk Father is Vietnames and his Mother is Khmer so he is half Vietnames Blood, Do you think he love Cambodia? If he is help Cambodia why would he hate Lon Nol?
Shut the F up all of you. Blaming the King and other Khmers. That is a Vietnamese tactic to make you believe that your King and Khmer leaders sign away land. That way you attack your own people rather than the real enemy. KOH TRAL BELONGS TO CAMBODIA, AND THE FORMER KING SIHANOUK WOULD NEVER SIGN AWAY LAND. Neither would Hun Sen because he is Khmer too. Unite my Khmer people and stop hating and fighting each other. Dont lose hope, we will regain Koh Tral and KK back.
What an imbecile you are 8:27AM!
Yea!! for the Vietnamese to turn this island into a well respected sea resort. We should be proud.. soon money will pour in from development. Soon the island will flourish and the islander will have joy.
Thank you samdech Hun sen without you Cambodia would have fallen into the hands of aggressor.....
Oh wait! it has fallen.
Why do we so concern about Koh Tral ?
Where is Nom Benh ?
Where is Makowat ?
Good Morning Indochina, Land of Dog eaters !!!
Xank you,Xihanouk & Hun Xen who made our dream became true.
Love from Ho Chi Minh
The Vietcong need to hand over what belong to Cambodia and stop being a fucken thieves!
What if the Vietnamese decided to give this island back to Cambodia -- the what?
I am certain that as soon as we get this island back, this island will go to the hand of the CPP cronies. Therefore, I would not lose any sleep or breath over this island.
What about take care the land that we already have, and not killing each other.
why some comments are removed6
fucking Brevier and it encestors and Nation!
I hate Sihanouk but I think Cambodia cannot abolish the monarchy.
The problem of Koh Tral is a reason : without the king , we will lose this island forever.
We really need our brother chinese to regain our island back.
God damn! I really despise Yuon!
Yuons are fucking our historic and archenemy.
Fuck the Yuon and Vietcong!
Long live Khmer!
I think Samdach Sihanouk is a nationalist as all of us. We have to understand the fact that he becaome King since he was a teenager. And it was not his mistake, nor his ambition to become a King at that tender age.
During his rule, he was playing with his emotion in the tough period. During that era it was hard to make any decision, we were in the cold war. The Vietnam war was at our feet. And after him, we had another leader who knew nothing about leadership in modern world. He only believed in superstitious, how could he lead the country out of disaster?
The worse was brother number 1, 2... who leaded the country with their own concepts. Fear of CIA, KGB or vietnam spies, they killed their own people.
Now we've got a better one, he become leader at the adult age. Everyone know well how he become leader in year 80s. Since 98, he was elected. However to solve frontier problems, I think he must give advantage to his former boss. He even used all his power to crackdown on any protest as he did in 2005 when he signed the agreement to validate the treaties in years 1980s. and he will do again if anyone dare to claim Koh Tral from Vietnam.
The truth of the matter is the Americans had enough war with Vietnam; they'll not help us.
The truth of the matter is the Americans had enough war with Vietnam; they'll not help us.
Only American-can do the big job for us!never dream of thinking that the Chinese-are going to step in and do the dirty job for us!if we don't help our self then no one can do for us!100%"ANANIKUM AMERICA RULES!"
To 4:19 AM
I think you are a dreamer.
Which country had worked with Cambodia?
You say the US?
Maybe.
But the US and most of europeans countries are with Vietnam.
Example: Many big companies like Intel are installed in Hanoi and creat thousands of good jobs : Ingeneers, Techicians, buisnesmen, cadres .
They create schools, universities.
What has Cambodia?
Textile:they just create slaves workers who earn 1$/day.
America's,love to have us!us thier ally.but our dumb gorvernment never take U.S seriously."ANANIKUM AMERICA RULES!"
Dreamer or youn impersonator?
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