Showing posts with label Koh Tral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Koh Tral. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Brief History of Koh Tral
Dear Readers,
The history of Koh Tral island has been a mystery to many Khmer people and the loss of this island to Vietnam has been a painful memory for all Khmers.
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today, except the physical administration of it. The misinterpretation of the Brevie Line, called "Ligne Brevie" in French, led to the transfer of administration, and eventually the ownership, of Koh Tral to Vietnam. In 1939, Mr. Brevie, a French colonial officer, was commissioned to draw an administrative line between the Cambodian and Cochinchina's (Kampuchea Krom) maritime borders. As Mr. Brevie's letter below shows, the drawing of the "Ligne Brevie" was for administration purposes only, and not for the delimitation of the borderlines. Mr. Brevie's letter, published below, stated: "The powers of administration and police on these islands will be clearly divided between Cochinchina and Cambodia in order to avoid any disputes in the future. It is understood that this is only the administration and police, and that the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked."
The meaning of Mr. Brevie's letter "the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked" suggested that the territorial dependence of these islands remains fully in the hands of Cambodia as these islands were historically under the administration of Cambodia for generations. Thus, Koh Tral is unquestionably a Cambodian island. Please read facts below and conclude it for yourself. Khmerization.
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(The letter below is translated by Google Translate Tool. The original French text can be found here).
Hanoi, 31 January 1939
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
GOVERNOR GENERAL POLICIES OF INDOCHINA
No. 367-API Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur
to
The Governor of Cochinchina
Saigon
SUBJECT: Islands in the Gulf of Siam
I have the honor to inform you that I have to re-examine the issue of islands in the Gulf of Siam whose possession is disputed between Cambodia and Cochin.
The location of this string of islands, de-seeded along the Cambodian coast and some of which are so close to the coast that atterrissements which currently seem to be welded to the shores of Cambodia in the relatively near future, calls logically geographically and the need for these islands, a matter for the Administration of that country.
If I am not allowed to continue much longer the state of affairs requires that the inhabitants of these islands to address, or the price of a long voyage, is the price of a long detour through the territory of Cambodia, the administration of Cochinchina. Accordingly, I have decided that all the islands north of a line perpendicular to the coast from the border between Cambodia and Cochinchina and forming an angle with 140'c northern Meridien, according to the map attached, will be administered by Cambodia. The protectorate assume, in particular, the burden of policing of these islands.
All the islands south of this line, including the island of Phu Quoc, (called Koh Tral in Cambodian) continue to be administered by Cochinchina. It is understood that the line set by the bypass north of the island of Phu Quoc (Koh Tral) passing 3 kms from the extremes of the north coast of this island.
The powers of administration and police on these islands will be clearly divided between Cochinchina and Cambodia in order to avoid any disputes in the future.
It is understood that this is only the administration and police, and that the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked.
You'd like to make arrangements so that my decision to receive its immediate implementation.
Please accused received the letter.
Signed: BREVIE
------------------------------------------------------------
The facts about Koh Tral below are taken out of CARAWEB website.
Click here for Map of Koh Tral
The history of Koh Tral island has been a mystery to many Khmer people and the loss of this island to Vietnam has been a painful memory for all Khmers.
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today, except the physical administration of it. The misinterpretation of the Brevie Line, called "Ligne Brevie" in French, led to the transfer of administration, and eventually the ownership, of Koh Tral to Vietnam. In 1939, Mr. Brevie, a French colonial officer, was commissioned to draw an administrative line between the Cambodian and Cochinchina's (Kampuchea Krom) maritime borders. As Mr. Brevie's letter below shows, the drawing of the "Ligne Brevie" was for administration purposes only, and not for the delimitation of the borderlines. Mr. Brevie's letter, published below, stated: "The powers of administration and police on these islands will be clearly divided between Cochinchina and Cambodia in order to avoid any disputes in the future. It is understood that this is only the administration and police, and that the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked."
The meaning of Mr. Brevie's letter "the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked" suggested that the territorial dependence of these islands remains fully in the hands of Cambodia as these islands were historically under the administration of Cambodia for generations. Thus, Koh Tral is unquestionably a Cambodian island. Please read facts below and conclude it for yourself. Khmerization.
----------------------------------
(The letter below is translated by Google Translate Tool. The original French text can be found here).
Hanoi, 31 January 1939
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
GOVERNOR GENERAL POLICIES OF INDOCHINA
No. 367-API Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur
to
The Governor of Cochinchina
Saigon
SUBJECT: Islands in the Gulf of Siam
I have the honor to inform you that I have to re-examine the issue of islands in the Gulf of Siam whose possession is disputed between Cambodia and Cochin.
The location of this string of islands, de-seeded along the Cambodian coast and some of which are so close to the coast that atterrissements which currently seem to be welded to the shores of Cambodia in the relatively near future, calls logically geographically and the need for these islands, a matter for the Administration of that country.
If I am not allowed to continue much longer the state of affairs requires that the inhabitants of these islands to address, or the price of a long voyage, is the price of a long detour through the territory of Cambodia, the administration of Cochinchina. Accordingly, I have decided that all the islands north of a line perpendicular to the coast from the border between Cambodia and Cochinchina and forming an angle with 140'c northern Meridien, according to the map attached, will be administered by Cambodia. The protectorate assume, in particular, the burden of policing of these islands.
All the islands south of this line, including the island of Phu Quoc, (called Koh Tral in Cambodian) continue to be administered by Cochinchina. It is understood that the line set by the bypass north of the island of Phu Quoc (Koh Tral) passing 3 kms from the extremes of the north coast of this island.
The powers of administration and police on these islands will be clearly divided between Cochinchina and Cambodia in order to avoid any disputes in the future.
It is understood that this is only the administration and police, and that the issue of territorial dependence of these islands remains fully booked.
You'd like to make arrangements so that my decision to receive its immediate implementation.
Please accused received the letter.
Signed: BREVIE
------------------------------------------------------------
The facts about Koh Tral below are taken out of CARAWEB website.
Click here for Map of Koh Tral
A note by H.E. Dr. Say Bory
August 16, 2000
The Vietnamese had given this island a Vietnamese name: Phu Quoc
Historical Benchmarks:
# 1856: King Ang Duong apprise Mr. de Montigny, French envoy in visit to Bangkok, through the intermediary of Bishop Miche, his intention to yield Koh Tral to France (cf. “The Second [French] Empire of IndoChina”).
# 1863: Establishing the Protectorate of Cambodia, France annexed Kampuchea Krom, made a French colony out of it, and named it “Cochinchine”.
# May 25, 1874: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) which belonged to Cambodia (under the reign of King Ang Duong) was placed under the administration of the Governor of Cochinchine, i.e. under the administration of France, by the French Protectorate.
# June 16, 1875: Koh Tral is attached to the inspection district of Hatien which was colonized by France. One needs to recall that in 1855, King Ang Duong reminded Napoleon III [first French President (1948-1852), later French Emperor (1852-1870)] that “the territories annexed by Vietnam located between the Western branch of the Mekong [River] and the Gulf of Siam (Hatien area) were “actually Cambodian land” (cf. A. Dolphin-Dauphin-Meunier – “History of Cambodia”, pg. 99). Therefore, Koh Tral always remains a Cambodian island, even though it is under the administration of colonial France.
# January 31, 1939: the “Brévié Line” which is not a maritime border demarcation, but rather a line dividing the police and administrative authority “on the islands along the Gulf of Siam” [was established]. By this act, Koh Tral was placed, as it did in 1875, under the French colonial administration of Cochinchine. Brévié himself specified that “the territorial dependence of these islands (including that of Phu Quoc) remains entirely reserved”.
# June 04, 1949: In spite of Cambodian protests and the Deferre Motion [the Deferre Motion has been part of the Bill of Transfer of French Cochinchine to Vietnam which spelled out specific rights of the Khmer Krom people], France voted a law allowing the attachment of the Cochinchine territory (Khmer territory) to Vietnam.
# April 24, 1954: at the Geneva Conference, Cambodia still continued to protest against the unjust and uneven transfer of her Cochinchine lands to Vietnam by France, and reserved her right to litigate the case at the United Nations.
# June 07, 1957: Norodom Sihanouk, President of the Council of Ministers, requested in a letter to Lon Nol, then National Defense Minister, to ensure the protection of all islands located along the Gulf of Siam (thus also including Koh Tral), and in particular, the group of islands of Poulo-Pangjang (Khmer name: Koh Krachak Ses; Vietnamese name: Tho Chu), Koh PouloWai (Khmer name: Koh Ach Ses) and Koh Tang.
# December 30, 1957: In his Kret regarding the delimitation of the Cambodian continental shelf, King Norodom Suramarit clearly reaffirmed that Cambodia reserved her retention on her historical rights to Koh Tral (cf. Article 6 of the Kret).
# 1963: In the book “Cambodia Geography” published in 1963 by Tan Kim Huon, a Khmer scholar who was also an agricultural engineer and forestry expert, [he indicated that] Koh Tral is indeed a Cambodian island (cf. maps no. 3, 12, and 19).
# 1969: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) is included in the official list of Cambodian islands published by the Industry and Mineral Resources Ministry, and was numbered 61 (on a total of 64 islands).
# July 01, 1972: Following the July 1, 1972 Kret, the Khmer Republic Government maintains its reaffirmation of its sovereignty on its continental shelf and warns oil companies against [potential] consequences of any of their actions undertaken in this zone. Koh Tral still remains Cambodian.
# 1975 to End of 1978: Status quo.
# July 07, 1982: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) and Poulo-Pangjang (Tho Chu) appear in the Vietnamese territory, on a map attached to the “Treaty on the Historical Water Zone between the Popular Republic of Kampuchea and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”.
# Therefore, Vietnam annexes 30,000 sq. km. of Khmer maritime territory, and it creates the “historical sea” extending 10,000 sq. km. off of Koh Tral (cf. Cambodia: Oil Research, Continental Shelf - Mr. Sean Pengse, April 1995).
Conclusion:
Based on the facts cited above, a self-conclusion is obvious.
Notes:
1. Several of the Krets referred above are available at: http://www.cfcambodge.org/Anglais/CadreA.htm
2. A map showing the Brevie Line is attached below. It was adapted from a map published on the CBC.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Spratly Islands and Koh Tral កោះត្រល់
04 January 2008Op-Ed by Vanak Thom
On the web at http://blogbykhmer.blogspot.com
Please post your comment at Vanak's web site
The Spratly islands are 800km from Ho Chi Minh City, 1300km from Hong Kong. This archipelago comprised of more than 600 smalls rocks and corral reefs located in the South China Sea. It is hotly in dispute between China and Vietnam which both staked claims to the islands. Lately in 08 December, 2007 Vietnamese organised a demontration protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City. They rallied by shouted slogans against China to "stop invading" their territory.
When this news first came out I didn't have time to write it right away for I was extremely busy helping my mother at the village. Nevertheless, the high tension on high sea between China and Vietnam is still there; hence, it really piqued my interest in region of South China Sea even more. I then began to think the issue in parallel to my Camobodia's Koh Tral island.
Separately in comparison to the incident with the Spratly islands, Cambodia's biggest Koh Tral island is so close to our coastline. It is just 15km from Kampot province. Koh Tral sits right in Cambodia waters. Each time of day when the wind clears away the fog, we can see peaks of our Koh Tral from our coastline Kep or from Mount Bokor in Kampot province.
Yet, the distance of Koh Tral to Vietnam is 3 times more than it is to Cambodia. It's 45km to the closest southern tip Ha Tien province of Vietnam.
Vietnam took our island as 'under their administration'. Vietnam has the tendency to eliminate any trace of Cambodian origin, so they changed the original name Koh Tral to Phu Quoc . The term that the island is 'under Vietnamese administration' are just flowery words to cover up from the international community. I know at the present day there is no direct access to Koh Tral from our Cambodia side. Our Khmer fishermen will be arrested or shot by Vietnamese soldiers if we're straying in waters closer to the island.
So when the Vietnamese shouted to China "stop invading" on the Spratly islands, I was wondering if those demonstrators have any conscience of what they or their government did to our Cambodia Koh Tral island.
To me, Koh Tral is always ours. I am so sad for the lost of this island at this present time. As Vietnam always claimed they are friends of Cambodia. Friends don't take personal properties from one another. So I hope one day and soon, Vietnam would relinquish Koh Tral administration duty and hand it back to us wholeheartedly.
From me, Vanak
Phnom Penh City,
04 January 2008
Vanak
Sources:
http://www.cfcambodge.org/doc/Kohtral.pdf
http://www.khmerinstitute.org/articles/art09.html
http://www.caraweb.org/articles/koh_trol.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IL20Ad01.html
http://www.travelnotes.org/Asia/spratlys.htm
http://www.countrywatch.com/facts/facts_default.aspx?type=text&topic=SESPI
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=175296&p=2
When this news first came out I didn't have time to write it right away for I was extremely busy helping my mother at the village. Nevertheless, the high tension on high sea between China and Vietnam is still there; hence, it really piqued my interest in region of South China Sea even more. I then began to think the issue in parallel to my Camobodia's Koh Tral island.
Separately in comparison to the incident with the Spratly islands, Cambodia's biggest Koh Tral island is so close to our coastline. It is just 15km from Kampot province. Koh Tral sits right in Cambodia waters. Each time of day when the wind clears away the fog, we can see peaks of our Koh Tral from our coastline Kep or from Mount Bokor in Kampot province.
Yet, the distance of Koh Tral to Vietnam is 3 times more than it is to Cambodia. It's 45km to the closest southern tip Ha Tien province of Vietnam.
Vietnam took our island as 'under their administration'. Vietnam has the tendency to eliminate any trace of Cambodian origin, so they changed the original name Koh Tral to Phu Quoc . The term that the island is 'under Vietnamese administration' are just flowery words to cover up from the international community. I know at the present day there is no direct access to Koh Tral from our Cambodia side. Our Khmer fishermen will be arrested or shot by Vietnamese soldiers if we're straying in waters closer to the island.
So when the Vietnamese shouted to China "stop invading" on the Spratly islands, I was wondering if those demonstrators have any conscience of what they or their government did to our Cambodia Koh Tral island.
To me, Koh Tral is always ours. I am so sad for the lost of this island at this present time. As Vietnam always claimed they are friends of Cambodia. Friends don't take personal properties from one another. So I hope one day and soon, Vietnam would relinquish Koh Tral administration duty and hand it back to us wholeheartedly.
From me, Vanak
Phnom Penh City,
04 January 2008
Vanak
Sources:
http://www.cfcambodge.org/doc/Kohtral.pdf
http://www.khmerinstitute.org/articles/art09.html
http://www.caraweb.org/articles/koh_trol.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IL20Ad01.html
http://www.travelnotes.org/Asia/spratlys.htm
http://www.countrywatch.com/facts/facts_default.aspx?type=text&topic=SESPI
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=175296&p=2
Friday, August 10, 2007
Navy sent to guard the secret oil fields ... they should be sent to guard Cambodia's Koh Tral also
Cambodia to expand navy in gulf to guard oil fields
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense is planning to significantly expand the Royal Cambodian Navy's presence in the Gulf of Thailand to provide security for companies searching for and extracting oil, local media said on Friday.
The navy will triple its size and increase patrols to defend Cambodia's offshore oil fields and maritime integrity, Minister of Defense Tea Banh was quoted by English-language newspaper the Cambodian Daily as saying.
He declined to comment further on the plan, which has not been officially approved.
The details of the naval expansion will be decided next month at a Ministry of Defense seminar, the paper quoted another source as saying.
The seminar will be co-sponsored by the Germany-based Friedrich Naumann Foundation, said lawmaker Yim Sovann, chairman of the National Assembly commission on national defense.
"We need to post patrols along the coast in order to provide security to oil exploration companies. We want to protect the property of investors from terrorism," he added.
Along the southwestern coast of the kingdom, several companies from the United States, South Korea and Cambodia itself have been searching for oil in the past years. The concerned sides have confirmed rich reservation of oil and natural gas and production is expected to start in 2008.
The navy will triple its size and increase patrols to defend Cambodia's offshore oil fields and maritime integrity, Minister of Defense Tea Banh was quoted by English-language newspaper the Cambodian Daily as saying.
He declined to comment further on the plan, which has not been officially approved.
The details of the naval expansion will be decided next month at a Ministry of Defense seminar, the paper quoted another source as saying.
The seminar will be co-sponsored by the Germany-based Friedrich Naumann Foundation, said lawmaker Yim Sovann, chairman of the National Assembly commission on national defense.
"We need to post patrols along the coast in order to provide security to oil exploration companies. We want to protect the property of investors from terrorism," he added.
Along the southwestern coast of the kingdom, several companies from the United States, South Korea and Cambodia itself have been searching for oil in the past years. The concerned sides have confirmed rich reservation of oil and natural gas and production is expected to start in 2008.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
If VN can claim the ownership of the Spratly Islands, why can't Cambodia claim the ownership of Koh Tral Island (Phu Quoc island)?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
‘Vietnam objecting to gas pipeline plan’
Reuters
‘Vietnam objecting to gas pipeline plan’
Reuters
BEIJING: Vietnam is stiring up trouble by agreeing with BP and its partners to build a gas pipeline in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday of an area disputed by Hanoi and Beijing.
The Spratly Islands, a string of rocky outcrops suspected of containing large oil and gas deposits, are also claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The $2 billion pipeline will bring gas from two new fields to Vietnam’s south coast, though details are still being worked out.
“China has irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and neighbouring marine areas,” spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference. “With everyone’s hard work, at present the situation in the South China Sea is stable.
“Vietnam’s series of new actions infringing on China’s sovereignty, sovereign power and administrative rights in the Spratly Islands, goes against the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on the maritime issue,” he added.
Qin had been asked by a reporter from China’s state-run media to comment on the pipeline scheme, and about Vietnam’s plan to hold local elections on the islands.
“It is not beneficial to stability in the South China Sea area. The Chinese side is paying close attention and we have already made serious representations to the Vietnamese side,” Qin said.
Vietnam has traditionally been wary of its larger Asian neighbour and in 1979 the two countries fought a brief border war after Vietnam occupied Cambodia and overthrew the murderous Khmer Rouge regime backed by Beijing.
Beijing and Hanoi normalised relations in 1991.
In 1988, China and Vietnam fought a brief naval battle near one of the Spratly Island reefs in which more than 70 Vietnamese sailors died. But tensions have eased considerably in recent years as relations improve.
The Spratly Islands, a string of rocky outcrops suspected of containing large oil and gas deposits, are also claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The $2 billion pipeline will bring gas from two new fields to Vietnam’s south coast, though details are still being worked out.
“China has irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and neighbouring marine areas,” spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference. “With everyone’s hard work, at present the situation in the South China Sea is stable.
“Vietnam’s series of new actions infringing on China’s sovereignty, sovereign power and administrative rights in the Spratly Islands, goes against the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on the maritime issue,” he added.
Qin had been asked by a reporter from China’s state-run media to comment on the pipeline scheme, and about Vietnam’s plan to hold local elections on the islands.
“It is not beneficial to stability in the South China Sea area. The Chinese side is paying close attention and we have already made serious representations to the Vietnamese side,” Qin said.
Vietnam has traditionally been wary of its larger Asian neighbour and in 1979 the two countries fought a brief border war after Vietnam occupied Cambodia and overthrew the murderous Khmer Rouge regime backed by Beijing.
Beijing and Hanoi normalised relations in 1991.
In 1988, China and Vietnam fought a brief naval battle near one of the Spratly Island reefs in which more than 70 Vietnamese sailors died. But tensions have eased considerably in recent years as relations improve.
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