Members
of the United States military deploy parachutes during a US-backed
military training exercise in Kampong Speu province in June. HENG
CHIVOAN
Prime
Minister Hun Sen on Friday called on the US Congress to put its money
where its mouth is, and cut foreign aid to Cambodia if they deemed
elections illegitimate, insinuating that the Kingdom would easily
supplant it with funds from China.
Congressional hearings in Washington in June examined the possibility of cutting off financial support to Cambodia should elections fail to be free and fair, but Hun Sen maintained that he was unfazed by such ultimatums.
Analysts, however, cautioned that turning away from the US in favour of China would not be without consequences.
“This is the word from a few US congressmen and the US Senate, which is not representative of the voice of US citizens and Obama’s government,” Hun Sen said on Friday, before telling Congress “don’t talk so much – cut it off”.
The premier went on to say that the government was uninterested in the aid – which he pegged at $50 million a year – and said that the real victims would be NGOs and beneficiaries of US-funded anti-HIV/AIDS and anti-
tuberculosis programs.
Hun Sen also scoffed at US military aid, which he said amounted to some $1 million per year, and recalled an incident in which the US held off on a promised shipment of 100 military vehicles over human rights concerns about a group of Uighur asylum seekers, “but when China saw it, China gave 257 vehicles instead of the US”.
According to US State Department figures, total US aid to Cambodia hovers closer to $70 million, and Carlyle Thayer, a Cambodia expert and emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, placed US military aid at closer to $6 million.
Broad cuts, he noted in an email, would “impact on the most vulnerable and marginalised members of Cambodian society”, but that “aid could still be channelled to NGOs”.
“Hun Sen’s dare to the US Congress reflects his personal belief that he is in command of Cambodia and can maintain independence from foreign pressures,” Thayer said, noting that the tough talk could have political consequences. “Hun Sen’s rejection of US aid will further polarise Cambodian society.”
Political analyst Lao Mong Hay expressed similar views.
“That kind of posture has contributed to the public’s dissatisfaction with his rule already, as seen through the elections,” he said, noting a historical parallel in Hun Sen’s lambasting of UNTAC after losing UN-run elections in 1993.
Since the 1980s, he continued, “Cambodians have swung towards the West, and especially America”, and despite “massive aid and investment [from] the Chinese, I think many Cambodians cannot yet wipe out from their memory Chinese assistance to the Khmer Rouge”.
The situation, he added, was reminiscent of Aesop’s fable of the fox who, after finding himself unable to reach a bunch of grapes, remarks that they must have been sour anyway.
“I think that might be a bit like our leader,” he said.
កណ្តាលៈ លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី ហ៊ុន សែន
កាលពីថ្ងៃសុក្របានសុំឲ្យសភាអាមេរិកធ្វើតាមសម្តីរបស់
ពួកគេចុះ ហើយកាត់ជំនួយបរទេសចំពោះកម្ពុជា
ប្រសិនបើពួកគេចាត់ទុកថា
ការបោះឆ្នោតជាតិនៅកម្ពុជាជាការបោះឆ្នោតខុសច្បាប់
ដោយហាក់បីបង្ហាញថា
កម្ពុជានឹងងាយស្រួលយកជំនួយពីចិនជំនួសអាមេរិក។
សវនាការសភានៅទីក្រុងវ៉ាស៊ីងតោនកាលពីខែមិថុនាបានពិនិត្យ នៅលើលទ្ធភាពនៃការកាត់ជំនួយហិរញ្ញវត្ថុចំពោះកម្ពុជាប្រសិនបើ ការបោះឆ្នោតនៅកម្ពុជាមិនមានលក្ខណៈសេរីនិងយុត្តិធម៌ ប៉ុន្តែលោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានអះអាងថា លោកមិនភ័យខ្លាចចំពោះឧសានវាទបែបនេះទេ។
ទោះយ៉ាងណាក្តី ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគ បានក្រើនរំលឹកថា ការងាកចេញពីអាមេរិកទៅរកចិនមិនមែនថានឹងមិនមានផលវិបាកនោះ ទេ។
លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានថ្លែងកាលពីថ្ងៃសុក្រថា៖ «នេះគឺជាពាក្យសម្តីពីសមាជិកសភានិងព្រឹទ្ធសមាជិកពីរបីនាក់ ដែលមិនមែនជាតំណាងឲ្យសំឡេងនៃពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិកនិងរដ្ឋាភិបាល របស់អូបាម៉ា»។ លោកបានថ្លែងយ៉ាងដូច្នេះពីមុនពេលប្រាប់សភាអាមេរិកថា៖ «កុំនិយាយច្រើនពេក កាត់វាទៅ»។
សូមរង់ចាំអានព័ត៌មានពិស្តារក្នុងកាសែតភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍
Congressional hearings in Washington in June examined the possibility of cutting off financial support to Cambodia should elections fail to be free and fair, but Hun Sen maintained that he was unfazed by such ultimatums.
Analysts, however, cautioned that turning away from the US in favour of China would not be without consequences.
“This is the word from a few US congressmen and the US Senate, which is not representative of the voice of US citizens and Obama’s government,” Hun Sen said on Friday, before telling Congress “don’t talk so much – cut it off”.
The premier went on to say that the government was uninterested in the aid – which he pegged at $50 million a year – and said that the real victims would be NGOs and beneficiaries of US-funded anti-HIV/AIDS and anti-
tuberculosis programs.
Hun Sen also scoffed at US military aid, which he said amounted to some $1 million per year, and recalled an incident in which the US held off on a promised shipment of 100 military vehicles over human rights concerns about a group of Uighur asylum seekers, “but when China saw it, China gave 257 vehicles instead of the US”.
According to US State Department figures, total US aid to Cambodia hovers closer to $70 million, and Carlyle Thayer, a Cambodia expert and emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, placed US military aid at closer to $6 million.
Broad cuts, he noted in an email, would “impact on the most vulnerable and marginalised members of Cambodian society”, but that “aid could still be channelled to NGOs”.
“Hun Sen’s dare to the US Congress reflects his personal belief that he is in command of Cambodia and can maintain independence from foreign pressures,” Thayer said, noting that the tough talk could have political consequences. “Hun Sen’s rejection of US aid will further polarise Cambodian society.”
Political analyst Lao Mong Hay expressed similar views.
“That kind of posture has contributed to the public’s dissatisfaction with his rule already, as seen through the elections,” he said, noting a historical parallel in Hun Sen’s lambasting of UNTAC after losing UN-run elections in 1993.
Since the 1980s, he continued, “Cambodians have swung towards the West, and especially America”, and despite “massive aid and investment [from] the Chinese, I think many Cambodians cannot yet wipe out from their memory Chinese assistance to the Khmer Rouge”.
The situation, he added, was reminiscent of Aesop’s fable of the fox who, after finding himself unable to reach a bunch of grapes, remarks that they must have been sour anyway.
“I think that might be a bit like our leader,” he said.
- Monday, 05 August 2013
- Phnom Penh Post
- វង្ស សុខេង និង Stuart White
សមយុទ្ធយោធារវាងកងទ័ពកម្ពុជា និងសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកនៅខេត្តកំពង់ស្ពឺពេលកន្លងមក។ រូបថត ហេង ជីវ័ន
សវនាការសភានៅទីក្រុងវ៉ាស៊ីងតោនកាលពីខែមិថុនាបានពិនិត្យ នៅលើលទ្ធភាពនៃការកាត់ជំនួយហិរញ្ញវត្ថុចំពោះកម្ពុជាប្រសិនបើ ការបោះឆ្នោតនៅកម្ពុជាមិនមានលក្ខណៈសេរីនិងយុត្តិធម៌ ប៉ុន្តែលោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានអះអាងថា លោកមិនភ័យខ្លាចចំពោះឧសានវាទបែបនេះទេ។
ទោះយ៉ាងណាក្តី ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគ បានក្រើនរំលឹកថា ការងាកចេញពីអាមេរិកទៅរកចិនមិនមែនថានឹងមិនមានផលវិបាកនោះ ទេ។
លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានថ្លែងកាលពីថ្ងៃសុក្រថា៖ «នេះគឺជាពាក្យសម្តីពីសមាជិកសភានិងព្រឹទ្ធសមាជិកពីរបីនាក់ ដែលមិនមែនជាតំណាងឲ្យសំឡេងនៃពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិកនិងរដ្ឋាភិបាល របស់អូបាម៉ា»។ លោកបានថ្លែងយ៉ាងដូច្នេះពីមុនពេលប្រាប់សភាអាមេរិកថា៖ «កុំនិយាយច្រើនពេក កាត់វាទៅ»។
សូមរង់ចាំអានព័ត៌មានពិស្តារក្នុងកាសែតភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍
6 comments:
China is not cambodia's best friend,learn from Pol pot regime,learn from 1979 invasion by Yuon Hanoi,did China help Cambodia? Answer is NO!
Sit and watch due to fear of Russian interference China didn't stop Yuon invasion srok Khmer suppose to be their close friend.America on the other hand didn't sit and watch when Sadam Husien invaded Kuwait,America acted to stop Iraqi troop from invade occupied her friend Kuwait.You get my point? A friend like China who needs it? A friend like America we must have it,it worth it....History will repeats itself,if we fail to recognized it and Learn form it.
Yobal Khmer
Yobal Khmer, you forget CPP is a left over from Pol Pot.
I agree, China supported the Khmer Rouge to murder 1.7 million Khmers and China did not help Cambodia when Vietnam invaded in 1979. Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, Hor Namhong..Pol Saroeun etc, were part of the KR movement and KR regime from 1970-1979 and they only defected to Vietnam in 1977 when Pol Pot wanted to kill them.
6 August 2013 8:03 am. You are right. There is no evidence that Khmer ROuge murdered 1.7 millions Khmer. Khmer Rouge may be ruling the country for 3 years, but Pol Pot was trying to save Khmer from the American bombings and the Vietnamese invasion. If you study history, you will see the Vietnamese also invaded Laos and were also heavily bombed by the Americans.
Is it fair to say that Laos murdered its own population? The answer is NO. It was an invention of the Vietnamese propaganda to justify its invasion. Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and killed millions of Khmer.
6 August 2013 9:00 am. You are more correct because you study the history. It is very important that you must do your homework first before you spread out this kind of information to readers.
It sounds like whoever come against US will receive the same fate Hussen, Molosovic,.. and more. Especially Cambodia during bombarding to destruction in 1970s'. All Khmers ideally learned from that and ask yourself whether have to put all your trusts on the foreigners or Khmers have to stand tall and on your ground to resolve the differences. If we Khmer depend on foreign to help could lead to the destruction.
Wish We Khmer still in peace.
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