Another Khmer temple occupied by Thai troops

Dear all,

I am happy to see Khmer people are united in this issue. Preah Vihear (PVH) is not the only piece of land that the Thai have violated. Other areas which had been occupied by former resistance fighters in the 1980s have also been taken over by the Thai, according a Khmer commander who told RFA some time back. As we speak, the news just coming is the Thai have moved in to take another temple - the Ta Moan. And our fishery official had just been shot to death by a yuon patrol boat for apprehending an illegal yuon fishing boat.

Let's remember that our eastern borders have also been encroached upon by the yuon, to the complete silence by the country leadership. We should not allow the PVH affair to overwhelm us to the point that we totally overlook the eastern borders.

It is a sad affair to see our national army in rag-tagged clothing. This is the result of high level and rampant corruption in our society. Khmer people have been accustomed to corruption and exploitation for so long that they see nothing wrong with this, and they are willing to endure this for many more decades to come, perhaps to the end of their lives.

Like in most former eastern European countries, the fall of communism doesn't mean the end of the communists. Election after election, the communists have flooded back into power in droves, taking advantage of the weaknesses of the so-called democrats.. For Khmer people, this is confirmed by last week election results, leaving aside some issues of vote rigging and Khmer people's amnesia to the everlasting barrage of CPP propaganda machine.

For Cambodia to have any chance of being a strong nation state and for its long term survival, the Khmer people must be empowered in a genuine democratic spirit - not be led like sheep. The army must be modernised and well equipped to defend Cambodia's territorial integrity. All national institutions must be independently run - free of domination by political parties.

Ben Nhem