Defending Vietnam’s interests

Op-Ed By Khmerization
17th November, 2009

“By rationale, one would say that their action against Mr. Sam Rainsy constitutes treason as it is defending foreign interests against a defender of Cambodian interests.”

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party had chosen to defend Vietnam’s interests by persecuting a defender of Cambodia’s territorial integrity. The lifting of opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s parliamentary immunity yesterday is yet the latest attempt by the ruling CPP to silence a defender of Cambodia’s territorial integrity. But most importantly, the stripping of Mr. Rainsy’s immunity shows that the ruling party is subservient and defending and serving foreign interests rather than the interests of Cambodia.

Mr. Sam Rainsy’s act of leading villagers to uproot six wooden demarcation poles along the Khmer-Vietnamese borders on 25th October was done with the aim of defending Cambodian territories as the poles were illegally installed in the middle of Cambodian farmers’ rice-fields. His action was able to draw national and international attention to Cambodian border problems and had highlighted the seriousness of violations of Cambodian borders by Vietnam that had embarrassed the ruling CPP and Vietnam and had exposed border violations by Vietnam.

The lifting of Mr. Sam Rainsy immunity is an intimidation and another attempt by the ruling CPP and Prime Minister Hun Sen to silence, not just Mr. Sam Rainsy, but millions of defenders of Cambodia’s territorial integrity. Violations of Cambodian borders by Vietnam are real. It is not fiction, therefore the Cambodian government should address the issues by launching investigations into villagers’ and Mr. Rainsy’s claims of Vietnam’s violations rather than persecute him for defending Cambodia’s territories.

The lifting of his immunity is a diversion from other real problems by the ruling CPP to whitewash its inability to defend Cambodia’s territorial integrity or worst, its connivance with Vietnam to cede Cambodian territories to the latter. And to this effect, all Cambodians should ask whether the ruling CPP, and Prime Minister Hun Sen in particular, is serving Cambodian or defending Vietnam’s interests. By rationale, one would say that their action against Mr. Sam Rainsy constitutes treason as it is defending foreign interests against a defender of Cambodian national interests.