Showing posts with label Nationalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nationalism. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Monday, February 22, 2010
Watch What's Pulling Us Down!
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile -- hoping it will eat him last" - Sir Winston Churchill
February, 2010Op-Ed by Neay K'rudth
COUNTERVAILING FORCE'S FORUM
Originally posted online
Every day, Khmers are waking up to confront relentless waves of internal and external threat to our individual liberty, cultural traditions, political and territorial sovereignty, economical space, last but not least the already weaken environmental resources.
The enemies are masquerading as members of the media, civil servants, law enforcement, political leaders, diplomats, and the vilest of them all are those disguised as businessmen and investors. With so many unguarded routes of entry, these "toxic" agents have been targeting and inflicting serious damage to our social system's vital organs including unity, freedom, peace and security.
The enemies' persistent assaults appear to meet no discernable resistance from the folks at the wheel. Often it looks as if no one is "home" to challenge the aggressors, giving these beasts the audacity and the incentive to strike and plunder at will. The enemies' typical arsenal ranges from simple bribery to brutal silencing of the media and dissidents, deliberate misapplication of economic, legal rights, political, police and military power. The first objective of the enemies, whether foreign or domestic, is the same -- to induce psychological "regression" which ultimately causes Khmers to abandon the will to resist their acts of predation.
Structural Encroachment:
What we are facing is what social scientists call "structural encroachment", a process that is difficult to characterize, but is evident primarily in its consequence, i.e. border disputes, corruptions and impending tyranny, human, labor rights abuse, social inequality and injustice, local land grab, etc. Typically it is associated with the maintenance, development, and institutionalization of systems of "privilege" and the "marginalization" and further "impoverishment" of the under-privilege.
The game of structural encroachment is played by our enemies at two levels:
Amateur level: Local acts of violence and terrorism committed on civil society by paramilitary group, or criminal enterprises sponsored by shady power brokers well-connected to the establishment.
Professional level: Carried out by the business profiteers, the wealthy and the powerful, including the ruling authority, engaging in structural violence through manipulation of social conditions to their own advantage. Still higher, at nation state level, the leverage of concealed or overt economic, political/military power to coerce and subdue a weaker state.
The means and methods employed by our enemies have all the markings of "prisoner of war interrogation" practice using a well-known concept called "conceptual violence". The author had to use some publicized excerpts from the recently controversial "CIA's Interrogation Manual" to illustrate the similarity of context related to our condition as a country under seize.
By now most of us who are current with the events on the international scene are probably very familiar with the Iraq War and the terms used by the American media, such as "enemy combatant", "water-boarding torture", "Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq", and the serious disregards for human rights by the U.S. Military operating in Iraq.
The CIA manual instructs their "interrogators" to deliberately create a context to extract intelligence from the "enemy combatant" through:
The inequality, injustice, and the lack of equal access to opportunity push the majority of our population into grinding poverty and hopelessness, which cause crimes and lawlessness that will eventually break down the existing social orders. Civil society in desperation will resort to animal instinct and starts preying on one another for survival. When people are assaulted by continuous hunger, pain and suffering, they will lose sight of the social norms and become disoriented, as a result anarchy sets in. This is the exact condition that the "interrogators" or the enemies want to achieve. Living example can be found in many countries in Africa, Central and South America.
Living under watchful eyes of the secret police/military, and under constant threats of unlawful arrest, or worst, assassination and disappearance drives powerless citizens under such duress that they are too afraid to exercise their freedom of expression, and keep to themselves. As a consequence they perceive their surrounding environment, even in the privacy of their own home, as utterly oppressive and hostile -- a menace to anyone's psyche. A living example can be found in our neck-of the-wood -- Burma.
Our people are seen going about their daily life on the surface, but there is a undercurrent threat that a certain sector of our compatriots are yet to be aware of due to their selective ignorance, blinded by greed, and fool themselves with a false sense of security-- relying on so-called "friendly outsiders" to come to their rescue the next time around, and perhaps free of "charge"? The reality is we are no different than an "enemy combatant" being hold down and "water-boarded" by the "interrogators". Our enemies are very sophisticated and very determined not to lose their grip on our throat.
Like the "interrogators" they surround us and pin us down to enhance feelings of being cut off from anything known and reassuring, i.e. our dignity, independence, self-reliance, solidarity, cultural and national pride, etc.
Like the "interrogators" they use the "threat" of coercion (economic, politic/military leverage), which is usually more effective than coercion itself, to weaken or destroy our resistance.
Like the "interrogators" they torture our psyche to make us vulnerable to our own internal pain. Pain that we feel we are inflicting on ourselves, pain that is likely to sap our resistance. After a while, we are likely to exhaust our internal motivational strength -- regression is the ultimate result our enemies wish to extract when our resilience has finally worn down. Like the "enemy combatant" after being water-boarded a hundred-plus times the mind and the body basically break and give up what the enemies ultimately want -- our autonomy.
The author wish to leave the discussion for conscientious Khmers to contemplate and hopefully to be able to envision and feel the imminent danger, which keeps on sweeping our nation's freedom and security down under the treacherous water we are crossing at this moment in our sad history. The intent is to forewarn our compatriots from losing sight of the "important" and to stop squandering precious time by engaging in partisan politics, and begin placing things and events in the proper perspective -- do not ever underestimate the enemies. If and when our will to resist has broken, there will be no politics to speak of, but there will surely be "tyranny".
The author personal belief is humbly unsophisticated -- one centimeter of gain in favor of the Khmer mass and Khmer homeland is definitely RIGHTEOUS, no matter who's done it, or what reason or rhyme is being used to justify the gain. Anything on the contrary, whether it's a decree or edict from God, it shall have no merit.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile -- hoping it will eat him last", Sir Winston Churchill.
Peace
The enemies are masquerading as members of the media, civil servants, law enforcement, political leaders, diplomats, and the vilest of them all are those disguised as businessmen and investors. With so many unguarded routes of entry, these "toxic" agents have been targeting and inflicting serious damage to our social system's vital organs including unity, freedom, peace and security.
The enemies' persistent assaults appear to meet no discernable resistance from the folks at the wheel. Often it looks as if no one is "home" to challenge the aggressors, giving these beasts the audacity and the incentive to strike and plunder at will. The enemies' typical arsenal ranges from simple bribery to brutal silencing of the media and dissidents, deliberate misapplication of economic, legal rights, political, police and military power. The first objective of the enemies, whether foreign or domestic, is the same -- to induce psychological "regression" which ultimately causes Khmers to abandon the will to resist their acts of predation.
Structural Encroachment:
What we are facing is what social scientists call "structural encroachment", a process that is difficult to characterize, but is evident primarily in its consequence, i.e. border disputes, corruptions and impending tyranny, human, labor rights abuse, social inequality and injustice, local land grab, etc. Typically it is associated with the maintenance, development, and institutionalization of systems of "privilege" and the "marginalization" and further "impoverishment" of the under-privilege.
The game of structural encroachment is played by our enemies at two levels:
Amateur level: Local acts of violence and terrorism committed on civil society by paramilitary group, or criminal enterprises sponsored by shady power brokers well-connected to the establishment.
Professional level: Carried out by the business profiteers, the wealthy and the powerful, including the ruling authority, engaging in structural violence through manipulation of social conditions to their own advantage. Still higher, at nation state level, the leverage of concealed or overt economic, political/military power to coerce and subdue a weaker state.
The means and methods employed by our enemies have all the markings of "prisoner of war interrogation" practice using a well-known concept called "conceptual violence". The author had to use some publicized excerpts from the recently controversial "CIA's Interrogation Manual" to illustrate the similarity of context related to our condition as a country under seize.
By now most of us who are current with the events on the international scene are probably very familiar with the Iraq War and the terms used by the American media, such as "enemy combatant", "water-boarding torture", "Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq", and the serious disregards for human rights by the U.S. Military operating in Iraq.
The CIA manual instructs their "interrogators" to deliberately create a context to extract intelligence from the "enemy combatant" through:
- Isolation
- Disorientation
- Environment menace
The inequality, injustice, and the lack of equal access to opportunity push the majority of our population into grinding poverty and hopelessness, which cause crimes and lawlessness that will eventually break down the existing social orders. Civil society in desperation will resort to animal instinct and starts preying on one another for survival. When people are assaulted by continuous hunger, pain and suffering, they will lose sight of the social norms and become disoriented, as a result anarchy sets in. This is the exact condition that the "interrogators" or the enemies want to achieve. Living example can be found in many countries in Africa, Central and South America.
Living under watchful eyes of the secret police/military, and under constant threats of unlawful arrest, or worst, assassination and disappearance drives powerless citizens under such duress that they are too afraid to exercise their freedom of expression, and keep to themselves. As a consequence they perceive their surrounding environment, even in the privacy of their own home, as utterly oppressive and hostile -- a menace to anyone's psyche. A living example can be found in our neck-of the-wood -- Burma.
Our people are seen going about their daily life on the surface, but there is a undercurrent threat that a certain sector of our compatriots are yet to be aware of due to their selective ignorance, blinded by greed, and fool themselves with a false sense of security-- relying on so-called "friendly outsiders" to come to their rescue the next time around, and perhaps free of "charge"? The reality is we are no different than an "enemy combatant" being hold down and "water-boarded" by the "interrogators". Our enemies are very sophisticated and very determined not to lose their grip on our throat.
Like the "interrogators" they surround us and pin us down to enhance feelings of being cut off from anything known and reassuring, i.e. our dignity, independence, self-reliance, solidarity, cultural and national pride, etc.
Like the "interrogators" they use the "threat" of coercion (economic, politic/military leverage), which is usually more effective than coercion itself, to weaken or destroy our resistance.
Like the "interrogators" they torture our psyche to make us vulnerable to our own internal pain. Pain that we feel we are inflicting on ourselves, pain that is likely to sap our resistance. After a while, we are likely to exhaust our internal motivational strength -- regression is the ultimate result our enemies wish to extract when our resilience has finally worn down. Like the "enemy combatant" after being water-boarded a hundred-plus times the mind and the body basically break and give up what the enemies ultimately want -- our autonomy.
The author wish to leave the discussion for conscientious Khmers to contemplate and hopefully to be able to envision and feel the imminent danger, which keeps on sweeping our nation's freedom and security down under the treacherous water we are crossing at this moment in our sad history. The intent is to forewarn our compatriots from losing sight of the "important" and to stop squandering precious time by engaging in partisan politics, and begin placing things and events in the proper perspective -- do not ever underestimate the enemies. If and when our will to resist has broken, there will be no politics to speak of, but there will surely be "tyranny".
The author personal belief is humbly unsophisticated -- one centimeter of gain in favor of the Khmer mass and Khmer homeland is definitely RIGHTEOUS, no matter who's done it, or what reason or rhyme is being used to justify the gain. Anything on the contrary, whether it's a decree or edict from God, it shall have no merit.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile -- hoping it will eat him last", Sir Winston Churchill.
Peace
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Kumnith Kh-nhom - "My thought": A Poem in Khmer Chao Monykhemra
Click on the poem in Khmer to zoom in
Friday, November 06, 2009
Sam Rainsy says no
Sam RainsyFriday, November 06, 2009
The Nation
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said on Friday that he would never serve a foreign government, which has problems with his own country.
"It would never cross my mind to serve a foreign government that is at odds with my own country. All my time and resources are, and will be, exclusively devoted to serving and defending my sacred motherland Cambodia," Sam Rainsy said in a statement issued on Friday.
Rainsy's name cropped up during the current conflict between the Thai and Cambodian governments following Cambodia's appointment of convicted ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government.
In October, Hun Sen declared that he would appoint fugitive ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser and criticised the Thai media of inviting Sam Rainsy to Thailand and interviewing him.
Hun Sen said he did not see his plan to appoint Thaksin as interfering in Thai politics, given the fact that Sam Rainsy was invited to appear in a television interview and criticise his own government.
On Thursday, when the Thai government recalled its ambassador in protest at Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as the economic adviser, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban asked what the Hun Sen government would say if Sam Rainsy were appointed as the Thai government's economic adviser.
"I am surprised to see my name associated with that of Mr Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand on his official appointment as an adviser to Cambodia's government led by Mr Hun Sen," Sam Rainsy said in the statement.
"It would never cross my mind to serve a foreign government that is at odds with my own country. All my time and resources are, and will be, exclusively devoted to serving and defending my sacred motherland Cambodia," Sam Rainsy said in a statement issued on Friday.
Rainsy's name cropped up during the current conflict between the Thai and Cambodian governments following Cambodia's appointment of convicted ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government.
In October, Hun Sen declared that he would appoint fugitive ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser and criticised the Thai media of inviting Sam Rainsy to Thailand and interviewing him.
Hun Sen said he did not see his plan to appoint Thaksin as interfering in Thai politics, given the fact that Sam Rainsy was invited to appear in a television interview and criticise his own government.
On Thursday, when the Thai government recalled its ambassador in protest at Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as the economic adviser, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban asked what the Hun Sen government would say if Sam Rainsy were appointed as the Thai government's economic adviser.
"I am surprised to see my name associated with that of Mr Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand on his official appointment as an adviser to Cambodia's government led by Mr Hun Sen," Sam Rainsy said in the statement.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Strength Through Unity
By Son SocheatPrey Nokor News Vision
Vol. 2, No. 93
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
“When Khmer unite, Khmer survive, when Khmer are divided, Khmer die!”For a country to be able to display its culture, civilization, developing economy, political stability, independence, freedom, and that its people is living in peace, depends on the unity between the people and the national leaders for such unity is the strength to protect the country’s national interest and to provide true nationalist ideal and conscience.
This factor leads to progress in the society and no foreign powers could lead any aggression against such country. Among the many populations in the world, the Khmer people are as well known as any other nationalities, we used to be a powerful nation and a superpower in Southeast Asia during the Angkor era. Our Khmer empire used to have a brilliant civilization, our lands were vast, we built magnificent temples throughout our lands, and Angkor Wat is one of such marvels. Furthermore, the Khmer people practice our own customs and traditions and we maintain them until now. Because of our plentiful cultural heritage, other countries acclaim the Khmer people and our renown spread far and wide throughout the world.
The reason such condition took place during that era was the fact that Khmer people were united with their leaders who have high nationalistic ideals. Furthermore, contributions from the Khmer people in the development of their country and their strong commitment to national defense made it such no country was able to undermine our society.
Therefore, the unity strength plays a major role in our accomplishments. Unity strength can take many forms in a human society, however, philosophers tend to distinguish two types of human unity strength: (1) the unity strength to build a country and (2) the unity strength to destroy a country.
It is quite regrettable that our Khmer kingdom has significantly changed from its original state through the invasions and aggressions from neighboring countries, as well as the occupations of Khmer lands and provinces by the Siamese and Yuons. With the lack of unity among the Khmer society and a leadership that is no longer in tune with our population, corruptions, briberies, personal interests led to disputes, struggles for power and genocide among our own people. Currently, our Khmer people are furthermore disunited, we do not trust our own people and we tend to trust foreigners instead. A group of Khmer leaders even went on to ask for help from the Yuons, while another group went to fetch help from the Siamese force to fight one another. In the end, only the Siamese and Yuons were the ones who benefited from our discord, meanwhile, our Khmer people only knew deaths and foreign occupations and rulings, and our lands were also divided among the Siamese and the Yuons.
A portion of our lands along the west is under the Siamese occupation, whereas our lands along the east, the current Kampuchea Krom, are under the colonial occupation of the Yuons. Gradually, our lands shrunk and our people soon lost our rights to administer a large portion of our lands. Just as the saying goes: No foreigner will love Khmer more the Khmer people.
Therefore, we, as the Khmer people, must reflect and wonder why a number of countries in the world are moving forward? Why these countries can maintain political stability, security, economic progress, independence, territorial integrity, freedom and true democracy? I believe that happiness in the society happens when the country’s leadership and the people are united in order to maintain a perpetual protection of the national interests. As indicated above, in the past, our Khmer society used to have a renown civilization and morality, and we used to be a superpower in Southeast Asia, but later on, due to our unsettling political status, a number of Khmer leaders, government officials and people, as well as Khmer Buddhist monks, sold their ideals to foreigners, i.e., while they are still Khmer in name, their national conscience was bought out to serve the foreign interests. Even as we speak, a number of Khmer people, including some Khmer Buddhist monks, have lost their conscience, they are drunk with power, titles, money, the ranks conferred to them by the foreigners, and they unashamedly bring suffering on their own Khmer people. Such is the case for example of the so-called 7 Makara monks led by Tep Vong, Non Nget, Sao Chanthol, Long Kim Leang, Am Lim Heng, Noy Chreuk and Chies Om. The 7 Makara monks have no qualms in defrocking Venerable Tim Sakhorn, the former abbot of the Phnom Den North Pagoda, located in Kirivong district, Takeo province, and they even handed the venerable to the Yuon authority to have him jailed in Vietnam on 30 June 2007.
It should be noted also that, among the 7 Makara monks who defrocked Venerable Tim Sakhorn, Long Kim Leang is currently staying at a Khmer pagoda located in San Jose, California, USA.
Our Khmer people have learned our lessons through the misdeeds we suffered in the hands of our neighbors. Which nation is always bringing suffering on our people? Which nation always wants to eliminate our people? Isn’t it Communist Vietnam???
The Yuons use psychology to attract our people, to buy our conscience, to make us spy on our society, they divide us, i.e. the Yuons have their own plan: they will do all they can not to let us live in peace, because if we, the Khmer people, live with full independence and true social security, then we must revisit our national history.
In spite of the fact that communist Vietnam is using its conniving strategy on our society, a large number of Khmer people still love their nation, they are not willing to betray their conscience, and they will never forget the tragic history imposed on us, both Khmer and Khmer Krom people, by the communist Yuons.
Furthermore, in these days and age of the 21st century, our Khmer and Khmer Krom people throughout the world must remain alert, we must unite with each other through our idealism, we must not be defeated, nor will we fall into the Yuon’s tricks, and more importantly, we will never believe the Yuon propaganda.
In these days and age, our Khmer people all over the world must love each other, we must understand each other, we must not discriminate against each other, we must seek to understand our goals in the construction of our society and religious centers. Moreover, as sons and daughters of the Khmer people, we must be good citizens serving our nation, we must learn to cooperate with one another to serve our national interest with the aim of protecting and perpetually preserving our culture, tradition, customs, our Buddhist religion and our national identity, as well as raising up our civilization.
I believe that colonialist Vietnam which is currently occupying Kampuchea Krom will face defeat in the near future for now is the era of international human rights, and our indigenous Khmer Krom people, both inside and outside our lands, are rising up to demand for our freedoms and our religious belief through non-violent protests in order to be able to decide our own destiny as the Khmer Kampuchea Krom community.
Khmer people understand Khmer feelings, Khmer people love each others, Khmer people cooperate with one another, Khmer people do not instigate disunity among ourselves, we truly serve the interest of the Khmer nation, just as the following saying goes: “When Khmer unite, Khmer survive, when Khmer are divided, Khmer die!”
Friday, October 02, 2009
Ka-pea Prum Den - "Protect the border": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Click to zoom inPoem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Kaun Khmer - "Khmer Children": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Click on each page of the poem to zoom inPoem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Roeung Keo Noeung Koy - "Keo and Koy's tale": A story-poem in Khmer by Sre Sra'em
Click on each of the 4 pages to zoom inPoem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Nationalism is Good; Blind Nationalism is Bad
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Op-Ed by Chanda Chhay
Op-Ed by Chanda Chhay
Ignorance of history is a sad fact. But, twisting history to satisfy a political goal is a foolish act. With utmost due respect to Thai people in general, it is unbelievable and outright disgusting to see and hear Thai politicians and political activists barking all kind of nonsense concerning the Khmer Temple of Preah Vihear.
Without listing every detail of who is accusing whom of violating whose national sovereignty, the entire conflict over a parcel of land near Preah Vihear Temple could be summed up as a case of a grown man trying to steal a candy from a kid and accusing the kid of stealing the candy from him. What is so repulsive about this affair is that the whole world knew that the candy is rightfully belonged to the innocent kid.
It is unfortunate and truly sad to see some Thai politicians and leaders behaving like thugs. The whole country should seriously re-examine itself whether it is worth it to lose its honor and integrity within the international community over a desperately hopeless campaign to grab a piece of land which should belong to the sacred ground of Preah Vihear. In this information age, people are much better informed than anyone could have guessed. Along with information, the factual truth will always come out regardless of the efforts to twist or hide it.
Based on the often neglected historical facts, the majority of Thai and Cambodian people have many things in common, culturally. For example, the Thai language, as we know it, is a derivative of the Khmer, the Mon, and the Sanskrit languages. The royal court etiquettes, which are the grace of the Thai nation, are a replica of the Cambodian tradition. These are some of the factual realities. Whether we like them or not, they are here to stay with us for as long as we care to learn the truth. As for those Thais, who continue to fabricate facts with fictions, this myopic action will lead to nothing but humiliation. The fiasco of Thai’s objection over the Preah Vihear’s registration as World Heritage site should serve as a good lesson for moving beyond irrational nationalism.
When King Rama Kamhaeng, and some of his successors, adapted and modified the Khmer language and customs to bestow upon his subjects, the idea of seeing the descendants of his beloved subjects behaving like ingrates toward their cultural benefactor was probably beyond his wildest imagination. Unfortunately, animal behaviors in human beings always prevail when rational thinking is being replaced by blind ambition.
The images of a Thai woman lying in the middle of the road to block a convoy of Thai trouble-makers and a man whose face was cover in blood after an altercation with the trouble-makers spoke volumes of how the local people think: People on both sides of the borders want to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. Any government or politician that fails to see this simple truth is a disgrace to the nation.
Prasat Preah Vihear and the Buddhist temple in its premise are, first and foremost, the sanctuary of the gods. Second, they are the cultural sanctuary of humankind. For armed soldiers to trample on these sacred sites is not only an affront to humankind but also a disgrace and a despicable act on the part of the instigator.
Chanda Chhay
Washington, DC (USA)
Without listing every detail of who is accusing whom of violating whose national sovereignty, the entire conflict over a parcel of land near Preah Vihear Temple could be summed up as a case of a grown man trying to steal a candy from a kid and accusing the kid of stealing the candy from him. What is so repulsive about this affair is that the whole world knew that the candy is rightfully belonged to the innocent kid.
It is unfortunate and truly sad to see some Thai politicians and leaders behaving like thugs. The whole country should seriously re-examine itself whether it is worth it to lose its honor and integrity within the international community over a desperately hopeless campaign to grab a piece of land which should belong to the sacred ground of Preah Vihear. In this information age, people are much better informed than anyone could have guessed. Along with information, the factual truth will always come out regardless of the efforts to twist or hide it.
Based on the often neglected historical facts, the majority of Thai and Cambodian people have many things in common, culturally. For example, the Thai language, as we know it, is a derivative of the Khmer, the Mon, and the Sanskrit languages. The royal court etiquettes, which are the grace of the Thai nation, are a replica of the Cambodian tradition. These are some of the factual realities. Whether we like them or not, they are here to stay with us for as long as we care to learn the truth. As for those Thais, who continue to fabricate facts with fictions, this myopic action will lead to nothing but humiliation. The fiasco of Thai’s objection over the Preah Vihear’s registration as World Heritage site should serve as a good lesson for moving beyond irrational nationalism.
When King Rama Kamhaeng, and some of his successors, adapted and modified the Khmer language and customs to bestow upon his subjects, the idea of seeing the descendants of his beloved subjects behaving like ingrates toward their cultural benefactor was probably beyond his wildest imagination. Unfortunately, animal behaviors in human beings always prevail when rational thinking is being replaced by blind ambition.
The images of a Thai woman lying in the middle of the road to block a convoy of Thai trouble-makers and a man whose face was cover in blood after an altercation with the trouble-makers spoke volumes of how the local people think: People on both sides of the borders want to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. Any government or politician that fails to see this simple truth is a disgrace to the nation.
Prasat Preah Vihear and the Buddhist temple in its premise are, first and foremost, the sanctuary of the gods. Second, they are the cultural sanctuary of humankind. For armed soldiers to trample on these sacred sites is not only an affront to humankind but also a disgrace and a despicable act on the part of the instigator.
Chanda Chhay
Washington, DC (USA)
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