Meet opposition leader Sam Rainsy at his book signing appearance on 08 December 2008

(Photo: Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

Translated from French
Le texte en français se trouve en fin du texte en anglais

When: 08 December 2008 from 6PM
Where: Salle des fêtes de Bussy Saint-Georges (France)

Sam Rainsy will be present for a meeting and book signing on 08 December 2008, starting at 6PM at Salle des fêtes de Bussy Saint-Georges (77600). The meeting is organized by the Bussy Saint-Georges City Hall.

For additional information, call: 64 66 24 24 or 06 72 34 74 69

Excerpts from letters received by Sam Rainsy following the publication of his book “Rooted in the stone – My struggle for the renaissance of Cambodia” (Calman-Levy Editor, May 2008)

“It is with great interest that I learnt about this book which discusses about your fight for the economic reconstruction of Cambodia, and in which you compared the Cambodian people to the stone, an emblem of the Khmer civilization.” – Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“It is a dignified and courageous undertaking that you talked about in this captivating biography. Your struggle for the renaissance of Cambodia always brings much admiration.” – Alain Juppé, Bordeaux Mayor, Former Prime Minister

“I read with great attention your book dealing with this Cambodia that I know that your passion for her encompasses more than the sole political engagement, but also is an act of faith from your part. This act of faith in your country and in democracy which I had the pleasure and the honor to be a witness of, I am proud to support you in these struggles against totalitarianism and barbarity. I know, that once you returned to your country, the tenacity and the pugnacity in which you put yourself into as Minister of Economy, in order to bring orders to the state finances, this knowledge brings in more strength and value to the testimony in favor of the freedom of the people and democracy which in my view surpasses beyond the border of Cambodia.” – Calude Malhuret, Vichy Mayor, Former Minister

“I kept a lively souvenir of our conversations, of your enthusiasm and the ardor of Saumura, your spouse, and you are showing us that courage and perseverance can overcome anything.” – Jérôme Monod, Former CEO of Lyonnaise des Eaux, Former advisor to French President Jacques Chirac
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SEANCE DE RENCONTRE ET DEDICACE LE 8 DECEMBRE 2008

Sam Rainsy participera à une séance de rencontre et dédicace le mercredi 8 décembre 2008 à partir de 18 heures à la Salle des fêtes de Bussy Saint-Georges (77600). Réunion organisée sous le patronage de la Mairie de Bussy Saint-Georges.

Renseignements: 01 64 66 24 24 ou 06 72 34 74 69.

Extraits De Lettres Reçues Par Sam Rainsy Apres La Parution De Son Livre "Des Racines Dans La Pierre - Mon Combat Pour La Renaissance Du Cambodge" (Editions Calmann-Levy - Mai 2008)

"C'est avec un vif intérêt que j'ai pris connaissance de cet ouvrage qui relate votre combat pour la reconstruction économique du Cambodge, et dans lequel vous comparez la persévérance du peuple cambodgien à la pierre, élément emblématique de la civilisation khmère." - Bernard Kouchner, Ministre des Affaires étrangères

"C'est un parcours tout en dignité et en courage que vous relatez dans cette biographie passionnante. Votre combat pour la renaissance du Cambodge suscite toujours autant d'admiration." - Alain Juppé, Maire de Bordeaux, ancien Premier ministre

"J'ai lu avec beaucoup d'attention votre ouvrage qui traite de ce Cambodge pour lequel je sais votre passion qui dépasse largement le strict engagement politique mais relève de l'acte de foi. Cet acte de foi en votre pays et en la démocratie, j'ai eu le plaisir et l'honneur d'en être le témoin et je suis fier de vous avoir soutenu dans ces combats contre le totalitarisme et la barbarie. Je sais, passé le retour au pays, l'énergie et la pugnacité dont vous avez fait preuve au Ministère de l'Economie pour remettre en ordre les finances de l'Etat et combattre la corruption. Je sais aussi les écueils que vous avez rencontrés. Au final, ceci n'en donne que plus de force et de valeur à votre témoignage en faveur de la liberté des peuples et de la démocratie dont le caractère dépasse à mon sens largement les frontières Cambodgiennes." - Claude Malhuret, Maire de Vichy, ancien Ministre

"Je garde un souvenir vivant de nos conversations, de votre enthousiasme et de l'ardeur de votre épouse, Saumura, et vous êtes en train de démontrer que le courage et la persévérance peuvent venir à bout de tout." - Jérôme Monod, ancien PDG de la Lyonnaise des Eaux, ancien conseiller de Jacques Chirac, Président de la République

Witness to Cambodia's birth pangs

September 1 2008
By Raphael Minder
Financial Times (UK)

Among his childhood memories, Sam Rainsy recalls sitting with his father on the rooftop terrace of their beautiful house in Phnom Penh, watching pelicans land next to their water tank. "In Cambodia, which is full of superstitions, friends and neighbours kept telling us that these pelicans would end up by bringing us bad luck," he writes in his autobiography, Des Racines dans la Pierre (Roots in the Stone).

Sam Rainsy and his family have certainly endured plenty of misfortune. Their ups-and-downs mirror those of a country that ranks among Asia's fastest-growing economies, but that returned to multi-party democracy only 15 years ago, after decades of war and a genocide that wiped out about a quarter of the population.

Sam Rainsy has been an integral part of Cambodia's recovery, now as the leader of the country's main opposition party. But much of his life has been spent in France and other places of exile, first because of his father's political downfall, which ended with his death in mysterious circumstances, and then because of his own clashes with Hun Sen, the country's long-standing prime minister.

Still, that geographic distance in no way reduces the insight this book provides into events that have shaped Cambodia following a century of French colonialism, starting with the 1954 Geneva conference to reconfigure the former Indochina. Sam Rainsy's father was one of Cambodia's lead negotiators there, playing off tensions among more formidable government representatives such as Zhou Enlai and Vyacheslav Molotov to ensure that another foreign power would not fill the void left by the French.

The Geneva agreement guaranteed Cambodia's independence but was followed by the bleakest period in its history, climaxing in the Khmer Rouge's terrifying attempt to establish an agrarian utopia in the late 1970s. While that tragic episode was largely domestic, Sam Rainsy says Cambodia remains the Poland of Asia, sandwiched between two bigger neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam, and prone to being drawn into wider conflicts such as the Vietnam war.

This book is an often touching family history, but it also highlights the broader challenges faced by any war-ravaged country. After a successful banking career in Paris, Sam Rainsy returned to Cambodia in 1992 and within a year was put in charge of the finance ministry. Given the limited pool of talent, his wife Saumura was forced against her wishes to become deputy governor of the central bank.

For somebody with such a strong financial background, Sam Rainsy devotes surprisingly little of his book to Cambodia's economic resurgence, during which it has attracted billions of dollars of foreign investment and achieved average annual growth of 9 per cent over the past decade. Instead, he focuses excessively on the political jockeying in Phnom Penh, complicated by feuding within the royal family.

Sam Rainsy paints a grim picture of corruption in Cambodia, starting with his short-lived crusade, as finance minister, against tax evasion and smuggling. His strategy appears to have been remarkably naive at times. One ill-prepared boat attack against smugglers on the Mekong river, which he led, nearly cost him his life after the accompanying United Nations troops refused to get involved in the gunfight.

He has harsh words for foreign powers, including his otherwise beloved France, which he accuses of turning a blind eye to killings of political associates. Sam Rainsy has himself survived several assassination attempts, including a grenade attack that killed 19 -people.

"Paris preferred to forget the bloodstains on the suits of the ruling leaders in Phnom Penh in order to strike economic and technical co-operation agreements with them," he writes.

This book was published in the run-up to July's general election, which returned Hun Sen to power with a landslide victory. Despite Sam Rainsy's claim that Cambodians "want to get out of this old, neo-communist and mafiosi regime", many pundits believe that the 55-year-old Hun Sen has never had a stronger power base, almost justifying his boast that he would run the country until the age of 90. Rather than repressing opposition in the manner of the Burmese junta, Hun Sen has benefited from Sam Rainsy's challenge, which has been crucial to Cambodia's democratic credentials.

The book's title refers to the blend of architectural and natural beauty found around Angkor Wat, Cambodia's cultural treasure, where trees grow among the ruins. Although Sam Rainsy might not like the idea, it also seems an appropriate symbol for Hun Sen's deep-rooted control over his country.

The writer is the FT's Asia regional correspondent

93.5 FM shut down for boradcasting the reading of Sam Rainsy's book

Cambodian radio station closed down

27 JUL 2008
AFP

An opposition-aligned radio station in Cambodia was shuttered the night before Sunday's general election, which is expected to extend Prime Minister Hun Sen's 23-year rule, officials said.

About 20 police officers and soldiers surrounded FM 93.5 radio station Saturday night and forced it to shut down after it broadcast a reading of the book "The Root in the Rock," opposition leader Sam Rainsy's writings about his political life, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

He insisted the government was within its rights to shut down the station, saying its broadcast licence had been revoked Sunday because it had ignored repeated requests to stop broadcasting Sam Rainsy's book.

"The broadcast had a very serious affect on the election. It was the final day for the people to make a decision," Khieu Kanharith said.

"It had influence on the decision of the voters while other parties were quiet," he added.

Kek Galabru, head of rights group Licadho, criticised the closure, which she said was "an intimidation."

"They broadcast a book written by Sam Rainsy, that's why it was closed," she told AFP, adding that the country's National Election Committee should enforce the election law.

Cambodian voters cast ballots Sunday in legislative elections that Hun Sen's ruling party is expected to dominate.

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

“Buddhist teaching makes me understand that if I fear death, I would be dying a little bit each morning” - Opposition leader Sam Rainsy

Within 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.
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(1) Calmann-Lévy Editor, 302 pages, 20 euros.

Sam Rainsy's interview on RFI in Khmer

Rooted in The Stone is the classic biography of Sam Rainsy who is MP and President of largest opposition party in Cambodia. He elaborated his struggle for justice, progress and security of Cambodia. (Posted by Khmer Young, cambodianbrightfuture.blogspot.com)

Sam Rainsy's interview on RFI

Sam Rainsy: former Minister of Economy of Cambodia (Photo: V. Fournier)

Click here to listen to the interview in French

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Radio France Internationale (RFI)
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Sam Rainsy is born to a well-to-do family close to King Norodom Sihanouk. He knew the opulence of power, and downfall when his father, a man close to the King, was brutally dismissed. His father was pushed to take his exile.

Taking refuge in Paris, the Sams lived as refugees.

Following a brilliant education, Sam Rainsy became a well-known financier, just like his wife Saumura who plays an important role in his life. Following the genocide perpetrated by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, little by little, Sam Rainsy dedicated himself to the political life in Cambodia.

In the past years, Sam Rainsy was Minister of Economy and Finance (where he fought against corruption), formed his political party which is becoming more successful ever since the 1999 legislative election.

Now, Sam Rainsy is the opposition leader of Cambodia. Next step for him: The July 2008 general election.

Sam Rainsy wrote: “Rooted in the stone, my struggle for the renaissance of Cambodia,” a book published by Calmann-Levy.

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Sam Rainsy est né dans une famille patricienne proche du roi Norodom Sihanouk. Il a connu l’opulence du pouvoir puis la déchéance quand son père, un proche du roi, a été brutalement limogé. Un père qui a été contraint à l’exil.

Réfugiés à Paris, les Sam vont vivre la vie de réfugiés.

Après des études brillantes, Sam Rainsy est devenu un financier connu, comme son épouse Saumura qui joue un grand rôle dans sa vie.

Après le génocide perpétré par les Khmers rouges de Pol Pot, Sam Rainsy s’est peu à peu consacré à la vie politique au Cambodge.

Ces dernières années, Sam Rainsy a été ministre de l’économie et des finances (il a notamment lutté contre la corruption), crée son parti qui depuis les élections législatives de 1999 connait un succès grandissant.

Aujourd’hui, Sam Rainsy est le chef de l’opposition au Cambodge.

Prochaine échéance pour lui : les élections législatives de juillet 2008.

Sam Rainsy a écrit : «Des racines dans la pierre, mon combat pour la renaissance du Cambodge», un livre publié aux éditions Calmann-Levy.

Khmer Intelligence News - 20 May 2008

20 May 2008

CPP's new strategy: disenfranchisement of non-CPP voters (2)

It has become obvious now that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is implementing a new strategy, which was successfully tested in 2007, to secure another election victory even before Voting Day on 27 July 2008. In the voter list "clean up" process conducted by the CPP-controlled National Election Committee (NEC), some 600,000 names have been deleted from the voter registry. Names which should be deleted (ghost voters, foreigners with no voting right) have been kept on the list whereas names of real and legitimate votes have been deleted because related to those identified by CPP-affiliated village chiefs as non-CPP supporters.

Over the last five years, from the 2002 commune elections to the 2007 commune elections, the CPP has dramatically lost ground. In 2007 as in 2002, the CPP collected 61 percent of the popular votes. But there is a big difference between the two elections: in 2007, the voter turnout was only 65 percent whereas it was 87 percent in 2002, meaning that support for the CPP computed on the basis of the whole electorate dropped from 53 percent in 2002 to 39 percent in 2007. It was only through a massive disenfranchisement of non-CPP voters that the CPP could maintain its positions. The CPP is resorting to the same strategy in 2008.

Sam Rainsy in Paris, Marseilles, Brussels, Belfast and Berlin (2)

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is currently in Europe to take part in several events. He was in Paris and Brussels for the launch of his book "Des racines dans la pierre " (Rooted in the stone) and gave interviews to several radio and TV stations (*). On May 15 – 17, he attended a conference of Liberal International in Belfast ( Northern Ireland , United Kingdom ). On May 18, he joined the Cambodian community in Marseilles to celebrate Visak Bochea in a Cambodian pagoda where he met with SRP supporters from several towns in the South of France. He is now in Berlin to meet with German government officials and to celebrate with his liberal friends the 50th anniversary of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

(*) Sam Rainsy's book can be ordered online at Amazon by clicking here.

"Hun Sen is Cambodia 's Mugabe" (2)

On May 16, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy and many other prominent politicians from all over the world attended the 55th Congress of Liberal International in Belfast . Sam Rainsy was quoted as saying: "Hun Sen is Cambodia 's Mugabe. Hun Sen and Robert Mugabe are dictators who have been in power for nearly thirty years. Both of them have caused miseries to their peoples and will be defeated by the democratic opposition in the next few months." Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to win the final presidential election in Zimbabwe next month.

[End]

Sam Rainsy's Book available for online ordering in France

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy's book (French edition), Rooted in the Stone (Des racines dans la pierre), is now available for online ordering in France. The book can be ordered through the following links:

1. Amazon (France)
2. FNAC (France)

“Rooted in the stone” by Sam Rainsy

14 May 2008
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Le texte original en français se trouve en bas de la page

Paris (AP) – Born to a well-to-do Cambodian family close to King Norodom Sihanouk, the author lived in opulence before the fall of his father, a high ranking politician and a minister of the King, who was brutally dismissed and had to hide underground before he ended being assassinated.

Taking refuge in Paris, the Sams – in Khmer, the first name follows the family name – had to resign to a life of poor but dignified immigrants. Rainsy, a gifted student, completed brilliant studies which allowed him to become a highly qualified financier.

However, like Saumura, his wife, he could not be happy leading this lifestyle when his country, as we all know, is torn apart in the hands of a regime practicing mass murders. He set up a newspaper to help the victims of the Khmer Rouge, and at the fall of the communist dictatorship, he and his wife returned back to Phnom Penh.

Becoming the minister of Economy in the Hun Sen government, Sam Rainsy undertook the fight against all forms of trafficking, and he kept on lending moral support to all aspects of public life which earned him the popular support and a lot of hostilities as well. He later joined the opposition rank by forming a democrat and liberal political party: the SRP.

Becoming the target of his enemies, he escaped several attempts which saw the killing of many of his followers, but, being the opposition leader, he maintained his course with great courage, while preparing for the upcoming July 2008 election where he, once again, will face Prime Minister Hun Sen who maintains a tight iron grip on the country for the past 22 years.

This is a superb testimonial from an exceptional personality.

Publisher: Calmann-lévy (with the collaboration of Patrice Trapier, 300 pages, cost: euros 20)

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«Des racines dans la pierre» Par Sam Rainsy

14 Mai 2008

PARIS (AP) -- Né dans une famille patricienne cambodgienne proche du roi Norodom Sihanouk, l'auteur a connu l'opulence, puis la déchéance lorsque son père, un homme politique de premier plan, ministre du roi, fut brutalement limogé et forcé de passer dans la clandestinité avant de finir assassiné.

Réfugié à Paris, les Sam -dans la langue khmère, les prénoms se placent après les noms de famille-, vont se résigner à une vie d'immigrés pauvres, mais dignes. Rainsy, élève surdoué, fait de brillantes études qui lui permettent de devenir un financier hautement qualifié. Mais, tout comme sa femme Saumura, il ne peut se satisfaire de cette vie alors que son pays, aux mains d'un régime qui pratique le meurtre de masse, connaît les déchirements que l'on sait. Ils créent un journal pour aider les victimes des Khmers rouges, et quand la dictature communiste s¹effondre, ils repartent pour Phnom Penh. Devenu ministre de l'Economie du premier gouvernement Hun Sen, Sam Rainsy entreprend de lutter contre toutes les formes de trafics et de moraliser la vie publique, ce qui lui vaut un soutien populaire, mais aussi de solides inimitiés. Il passe alors dans l'opposition et crée un parti démocrate et libéral : le PSR. Devenu la cible de ses adversaires, il échappe à plusieurs attentats qui tuent nombre de ses partisans, mais, chef de file de l'opposition, il garde courageusement le cap, se préparant pour les élections législatives de juillet 2008 qui l¹opposeront une nouvelle fois au Premier ministre Hun Sen qui tient le pays d'une main de fer depuis 22 ans. Superbe témoignage d'une personnalité d'exception.

Calmann-lévy ( avec la collaboration de Patrice Trapier. 300 pages ; 20 euros)

Sam Rainsy publishes his autobiography in Cambodia

Sam Rainsy showing his book: "Sam Rainsy, rooted in the stone" (Photo: Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

12 May 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

During a press conference held on Monday 12 May, at the SRP headquarters, the opposition leader announced the publication of his autobiography book in Cambodia, titled “Sam Rainsy, rooted in the stone.” The book was available a few days earlier in France. In the 300-page-long book, Sam Rainsy also explained that he compared the Cambodian people to the stone, the emblematic material of the Khmer civilization. “The stone has a solid foundation. The Sam Rainsy Party is like a tree rooted in the stone. It represents the people and it must protect the people’s interests. Nowadays, people’s lands are being looted, and these lands are being sold to foreign companies. Cambodia must not be carved out in plots to be sold,” the author said, before adding that the book is available in tow other languages: Khmer and English.

“Sam Rainsy, rooted in the stone,” by Sam Rainsy, French edition by Calman-Lévy.

Sam Rainsy counter attacks on the defection of SRP members to the CPP

Monday, May 12, 2008
By Duong Sokha Ka-Set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy held a press conference on 12 May to denounce the numerous intimidations in which 41 of his party members were victims of. On the eve of the 27 July general election, the defection war is intense. To support his accusations, 9 SRP members came to testify to the fact that they were contacted and greatly encouraged, along with the use of threats, to join the rank of the ruling CPP party.

“Journalists report only about defection cases, they never talk about all our members who displayed their faithfulness to the party by rejecting the CPP offers, and for them, threats did not affect them at all,” Sam Rainsy said before letting his “faithful” party members speak by themselves. “An unknown person approached me on several occasions to convince me to join the CPP, he promised me money for my defection. But, I refused. I will never forget that I lost two of my daughters during the 30 March 1997 grenade attack which was aimed at a demonstration in Phnom Penh led by Sam Rainsy…,” Mrs. Pov Heng declared on the microphone. She is the SRP representative at a commune council in the Kandal province.

Taking advantage of the circumstance, Sam Rainsy was happy to see that the CPP highly values SRP members “because they (SRP members) were the only ones that the CPP wants to attract,” he also thanked Hun Sen for weeding the SRP of its “bad apples.” Nevertheless, Sam Rainsy made a point of thanking the defectors for the past work they performed for the SRP, while saying that these defectors were cheated by the CPP and he is not sure if the CPP would ensure a position for them in the future.

Sam Rainsy also took the opportunity of this press conference to announce the publication in the next two weeks of the Khmer translation of his book “Rooted in the stone” which will be available in France starting 14 May.

Sam Rainsy’s autobiography: Rooted in the stone

La version française se trouve en fin du texte en anglais

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Rooted in the stone - My struggle for the revival of Cambodia
By Sam Rainsy

Ravaged by genocide, coveted by powerful and predatory neighbors, submitted to a corrupt nomenklatura, choked by a neo-feudal regime, Cambodia is a martyr country, and no one knows this better than Sam Rainsy. Born into a patrician family in Phnom Penh, close to King Norodom Sihanouk, a young Rainsy knew opulence and the decline when his father, a major politician, was brutally dismissed and had to live in hiding before being assassinated.

Taking refuge in Paris, the Sam family resigned themselves to live as poor immigrants. However, they never lost their hope or dignity. A gifted student, Rainsy undertook brilliant studies that led him to become an important financier specializing in mergers and acquisitions for the luxury industry…

But, how could one be happy earning money and making money for others, when one’s country is sinking in cruelty in the hands of a regime practicing mass murder? From humanitarian action in Paris for the victims of the Khmer rouge regime to election campaigns on the spot, following the fall of the communist regime, Rainsy and Saumura, his wife, launch themselves into political action, taking over the torch from their respective fathers, both of whom were signatories of the 1954 Geneva agreements on Indochina.

However, for these two westernized Cambodians, their return home was rough. Facing with difficulties, aggressions, and even assassination attempts, Rainsy countered them with Buddhist-like pacifism, while constantly seeking for calm and compromise. Becoming the Minister of Economy under Hun Sen’s first mandate government, he was able to bring order to the State finance, and this earned him more hostilities. It was in the opposition that he found his calling when he founded a democratic and liberal party involved in the defense of freedom. Facing the unleashing of violence prompted by such provocation, Rainsy maintains his bearing, unperturbed and smiling, unshakable and frugal, just like those trees deeply rooted in the stones of the Angkor temples.

In April 2008, Sam Rainsy’s 300-page-long autobiography detailing his struggle for the revival of Cambodia, “Rooted in the stone,” will be published in France by Calmann-Lévy. This book can be pre-ordered through SRP-France at a cost of euro 20, or euro 22.97 including shipping.

The Khmer and English version of the book will be published in the following months.

For additional information, please contact munysara@aol.com
or call the following telephone number in France: +33 6 19 31 42 98 or +33 6 13 06 77 00

o O o

Des racines dans la pierre - Mon combat pour la renaissance du Cambodge
Sam Rainsy

Ravagé par un génocide, convoité par des voisins puissants et prédateurs, mis en coupe réglée par une nomenklatura corrompue, asphyxié par un régime néo-féodal, le Cambodge est un pays martyr. Nul ne le sait mieux que Sam Rainsy. Né dans une famille patricienne de Phnom Penh proche du roi Norodom Sihanouk, le jeune Rainsy connaît l'opulence, puis la déchéance lorsque son père, un homme politique de premier plan, est brutalement limogé et doit passer dans la clandestinité avant de finir assassiné.

Réfugiés à Paris, les Sam vont se résigner à une vie d'immigrés pauvres. Mais jamais ils ne perdront l'espoir ni la dignité. Elève surdoué, Rainsy fera des études brillantes qui lui permettront de devenir un financier de haut vol, spécialiste des fusions-acquisitions dans l'industrie du luxe...

Mais comment se contenter de gagner de l'argent et d'en faire gagner, quand son pays s'enfonce dans la barbarie aux mains d'un régime qui pratique le meurtre en masse ? De l'action humanitaire à Paris en faveur des victimes des Khmers rouges aux campagnes électorales sur le terrain après la chute du régime communiste, Rainsy et sa femme Saumura se lancent dans l'action politique, reprenant le flambeau de leurs pères respectifs : ceux-ci n'étaient-ils pas co-signataires des accords de Genève sur l'Indochine en 1954 ?

Mais pour ces deux Cambodgiens occidentalisés, le retour au pays est rude. Aux difficultés, aux agressions, aux attentats, même, Rainsy oppose un pacifisme d'essence bouddhique, cherchant avec constance l'apaisement et le compromis. Ministre de l'Economie du premier gouvernement Hun Sen, il parvient à mettre de l'ordre dans les finances de l'Etat, ce qui lui vaut de nouvelles inimitiés. Mais c'est dans l'opposition qu'il trouvera sa voie, en créant un parti démocrate, libéral et attaché à la défense des libertés. Devant le déchaînement de violence que déclenche une telle provocation, Rainsy maintient le cap, impavide et souriant, inébranlable et frugal, à l'image de ces arbres qui poussent dans la pierre des temples d'Angkor.

Au mois d'avril 2008, un livre autobiographique de Sam Rainsy relatant son combat pour la renaissance du Cambodge, intitulé "Des racines dans la pierre", paraîtra en France aux éditions Calmann-Lévy. Vous trouverez ci-joint la couverture du livre ainsi qu'un résumé de son contenu (300 pages).

Vous pouvez d'ores et déjà commander ce livre auprès de PSR-France qui vous le remettra en main propre au prix de 20 euros (prix public) ou vous l'expédiera par la Poste au prix de 22,97 euros.

Les éditions en khmer et en anglais paraîtront dans les mois suivants.

Prière de contacter munysara@aol.com ou
+33 6 19 31 42 98 ou +33 6 13 06 77 00