Op-Ed by Khmerization
26th January, 2010
The explosive evidences of Vietnam’s irrefutable encroachments on Cambodian borders exposed by Mr. Sam Rainsy should be a wake up call to all Khmer politicians, in particular political leaders from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
The ruling CPP, instead of cracking down on critics and opposition politicians who had exposed border encroachments by Vietnam, should instead be working with them to brainstorm the means and measures to resolve the issues with Vietnam diplomatically and peacefully. Cracking down on critics of the government’s failed border policies is not going to help resolving the issues and does not reflect well on the reputation of the government in the eyes of the international community. On the contrary, it will complicate the issues further and lead to more exposures of the government’s inability or unwillingness to resolve the issues.
Deep down, the government, especially the CPP leaders, knew that the border encroachments by Vietnam are real. Their draconian measures against border critics are designed to silence dissenting voices and to whitewash its failed border policies. Here is the government’s admission made by Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Commission, in a meeting recently who said that Vietnam's unilateral decision to dig a canal to use as a borderline in 1979 has violated the real locations of the borderlines between the two countries. "One more complicated issue is Vietnam's decision to dig a canal along the borders in 1979 that did not respect the real borderlines drawn on the maps. (Now), the local people who live on both sides of the canal must consider the dike and the canal as the real borderline between the two countries", said Mr. Var Kimhong.
If the government frankly admitted that the border encroachments by Vietnam are facts and not fiction, why then there is a need to crack down on border critics and Mr. Sam Rainsy? The obvious explanations would be that the government is trying to whitewash its failed border protections and it intends to end Mr. Rainsy’s political life. Here is what one of the CPP stalwarts, Mr. Cheam Yiep, said recently in the Phnom Penh Post about a court case against Mr. Rainsy: “If the upcoming trial at the provincial court issues a guilty verdict, he (Rainsy) will have to respect the law … and his political life will end in the country,”. Mr. Cheam Yiep’s comments show that the court case against Mr. Rainsy is not about finding justice and the truth, but about the assassination of Sam Rainsy politically. Here, Mr Cheam Yiep is pre-emptively trying to influence the court’s decision, which will undoubtedly be a guilty verdict.
Some people say that Mr. Rainsy’s case is not a political case, but it is a judicial matter. Many long term observers of the Cambodian legal and judicial affairs, including the UN Human Rights Envoy, Prof. Surya Subedi, doubt the fairness and the independence of the Cambodian court. Here was what he said on 23rd January while visiting Cambodia. “I am coming here to evaluate the independence and justice in the Cambodian judicial system and other issues.” Here, the UN Envoy has put the Cambodian court on notice that it is on trial, at the same as when it is trying Mr. Rainsy and the two villagers.
Mr. Sam Rainsy has now released what he called irrefutable evidences of Vietnam’s encroachments, including pictures and maps drawn by independent cartographical experts. Mr. Rainsy’s evidences, including Cambodian official map deposited at the UN by the Royal Government of Cambodia in 1964, Google Earth map, U.S Army map, French-drawn map and even maps/sketches drawn by the Svay Rieng local authority, have all shown that border markers uprooted by Mr. Sam Rainsy and the villagers are well located inside Cambodian territory.
Critics of the government failed border policies supported Mr. Rainsy’s action in uprooting the borer posts because the posts were planted well within Cambodian territory. They said that evidences show that border violations by Vietnam are real and therefore Mr. Rainsy has not committed any crimes when he uprooted the posts.
Mr. Rainsy’s action of uprooting the border posts had garnered supports from many political circles, including from Cambodian Watchdog Council (CWC) and Democratic Movement for Change. Mr. Rong Chhun’s CWC has released a statement saying "Mr. Sam Rainsy's action in uprooting the border markers was an action for the protection of Cambodian territorial integrity in fulfilling his duty as a member of parliament. Charges levelled against Mr. Sam Rainsy and the arrests and jailing of two villagers was politically-charged and an injustice".
Democratic Movement for Change has also issued a statement saying that "all actions that protect Cambodian territorial integrity, including actions of MP Sam Rainsy in the uprooting of border markers from Border Pillar number 185, were not illegal actions. On the contrary, they were not only actions that protect farmers' lands, but they were actions of the highest patriotism in the defence of Cambodian territorial integrity which is facing encroachments/violations through border demarcations."
The government said Mr. Sam Rainsy's actions were wrong and inappropriate. Mr. Tith Sothea, a government advisor, suggested that Mr. Rainsy should bring the alleged border encroachments to the attention of the parliament, instead of uprooting the posts. He said: "If Mr. Sam Rainsy was not happy with the demarcation posts, he should make a request to the chairman of the National assembly to summon the government to explain the issues", he said.
Parliamentary debates in a fully functional democracy is very effective in bringing the government to account. However, parliamentary debates in Cambodia have never in the past resulted in any concrete steps taken by the government to remedy the opposition’s concerns. Mr. Rainsy, out of frustration perhaps, in a spontaneous response to villagers’ outcry, reacted out of an instinct by uprooting border markers. This resulted in the lifting of his parliamentary immunity that will see the potential end of his political career as predicted by the ruling CPP stalwart Mr Cheam Yiep. Some people called Mr. Rainsy’s action short-sighted and politically immature. However, he has resurrected with a vengeance by presenting irrefutable evidences of Vietnam’s encroachments.
26th January, 2010
"One more complicated issue is Vietnam's decision to dig a canal along the borders in 1979 that did not respect the real borderlines drawn on the maps. (Now), the local people who live on both sides of the canal must consider the dike and the canal as the real borderline between the two countries", said Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Commission.”
The explosive evidences of Vietnam’s irrefutable encroachments on Cambodian borders exposed by Mr. Sam Rainsy should be a wake up call to all Khmer politicians, in particular political leaders from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
The ruling CPP, instead of cracking down on critics and opposition politicians who had exposed border encroachments by Vietnam, should instead be working with them to brainstorm the means and measures to resolve the issues with Vietnam diplomatically and peacefully. Cracking down on critics of the government’s failed border policies is not going to help resolving the issues and does not reflect well on the reputation of the government in the eyes of the international community. On the contrary, it will complicate the issues further and lead to more exposures of the government’s inability or unwillingness to resolve the issues.
Deep down, the government, especially the CPP leaders, knew that the border encroachments by Vietnam are real. Their draconian measures against border critics are designed to silence dissenting voices and to whitewash its failed border policies. Here is the government’s admission made by Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Commission, in a meeting recently who said that Vietnam's unilateral decision to dig a canal to use as a borderline in 1979 has violated the real locations of the borderlines between the two countries. "One more complicated issue is Vietnam's decision to dig a canal along the borders in 1979 that did not respect the real borderlines drawn on the maps. (Now), the local people who live on both sides of the canal must consider the dike and the canal as the real borderline between the two countries", said Mr. Var Kimhong.
If the government frankly admitted that the border encroachments by Vietnam are facts and not fiction, why then there is a need to crack down on border critics and Mr. Sam Rainsy? The obvious explanations would be that the government is trying to whitewash its failed border protections and it intends to end Mr. Rainsy’s political life. Here is what one of the CPP stalwarts, Mr. Cheam Yiep, said recently in the Phnom Penh Post about a court case against Mr. Rainsy: “If the upcoming trial at the provincial court issues a guilty verdict, he (Rainsy) will have to respect the law … and his political life will end in the country,”. Mr. Cheam Yiep’s comments show that the court case against Mr. Rainsy is not about finding justice and the truth, but about the assassination of Sam Rainsy politically. Here, Mr Cheam Yiep is pre-emptively trying to influence the court’s decision, which will undoubtedly be a guilty verdict.
Some people say that Mr. Rainsy’s case is not a political case, but it is a judicial matter. Many long term observers of the Cambodian legal and judicial affairs, including the UN Human Rights Envoy, Prof. Surya Subedi, doubt the fairness and the independence of the Cambodian court. Here was what he said on 23rd January while visiting Cambodia. “I am coming here to evaluate the independence and justice in the Cambodian judicial system and other issues.” Here, the UN Envoy has put the Cambodian court on notice that it is on trial, at the same as when it is trying Mr. Rainsy and the two villagers.
Mr. Sam Rainsy has now released what he called irrefutable evidences of Vietnam’s encroachments, including pictures and maps drawn by independent cartographical experts. Mr. Rainsy’s evidences, including Cambodian official map deposited at the UN by the Royal Government of Cambodia in 1964, Google Earth map, U.S Army map, French-drawn map and even maps/sketches drawn by the Svay Rieng local authority, have all shown that border markers uprooted by Mr. Sam Rainsy and the villagers are well located inside Cambodian territory.
Critics of the government failed border policies supported Mr. Rainsy’s action in uprooting the borer posts because the posts were planted well within Cambodian territory. They said that evidences show that border violations by Vietnam are real and therefore Mr. Rainsy has not committed any crimes when he uprooted the posts.
Mr. Rainsy’s action of uprooting the border posts had garnered supports from many political circles, including from Cambodian Watchdog Council (CWC) and Democratic Movement for Change. Mr. Rong Chhun’s CWC has released a statement saying "Mr. Sam Rainsy's action in uprooting the border markers was an action for the protection of Cambodian territorial integrity in fulfilling his duty as a member of parliament. Charges levelled against Mr. Sam Rainsy and the arrests and jailing of two villagers was politically-charged and an injustice".
Democratic Movement for Change has also issued a statement saying that "all actions that protect Cambodian territorial integrity, including actions of MP Sam Rainsy in the uprooting of border markers from Border Pillar number 185, were not illegal actions. On the contrary, they were not only actions that protect farmers' lands, but they were actions of the highest patriotism in the defence of Cambodian territorial integrity which is facing encroachments/violations through border demarcations."
The government said Mr. Sam Rainsy's actions were wrong and inappropriate. Mr. Tith Sothea, a government advisor, suggested that Mr. Rainsy should bring the alleged border encroachments to the attention of the parliament, instead of uprooting the posts. He said: "If Mr. Sam Rainsy was not happy with the demarcation posts, he should make a request to the chairman of the National assembly to summon the government to explain the issues", he said.
Parliamentary debates in a fully functional democracy is very effective in bringing the government to account. However, parliamentary debates in Cambodia have never in the past resulted in any concrete steps taken by the government to remedy the opposition’s concerns. Mr. Rainsy, out of frustration perhaps, in a spontaneous response to villagers’ outcry, reacted out of an instinct by uprooting border markers. This resulted in the lifting of his parliamentary immunity that will see the potential end of his political career as predicted by the ruling CPP stalwart Mr Cheam Yiep. Some people called Mr. Rainsy’s action short-sighted and politically immature. However, he has resurrected with a vengeance by presenting irrefutable evidences of Vietnam’s encroachments.
4 comments:
ah cheam yiep vea sralanh youn cheang me eouv ves ah kbotcheat khlon eng deumbeiy youn koun prasar vea sang rothsaphea thmeiy kap chheur ros prey moha pokrolouy douch nis vea pommean khoukbal sralanh brates khlon eng taltesos
Why you bark but nobody can understand, lol
With these evidences, the CPP cannot deny the encroachments anymore. But, the CPP, a party that loves Vietnam more than Cambodia, will still deny it, despite undeniable proof.
Cheam Yiep is a CPP spin doctor who will go all the way to defend Vietnam because, to him, Vietnam was the one that given him jobs, power and wealth. Cambodia means nothing to him.
What Cheam Yiep cares the most is how much Ly Yuong, his son-in-law can make per day... He could help Ly Yuong Co. LTD becomes a big company by getting the project to build National Assembly.
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