"OPINION" published in The Cambodia Daily, October 28, 2013
In "CNRP’s Protest Culminates in 25,000-Strong Street March" (October 26-27) you wrote, « Mr. Rainsy then returned to his old bugbear, pillorying the Vietnamese — or "Yuon" — despite promising before the election he would refrain from stoking racial nationalist sentiment. »
My words were quoted out of their context since you didn’t mention any testimonies from those speakers, among the thousands of demonstrators at Freedom Park, who took the floor before I delivered my closing speech.
Two women from the Cham or Khmer-Islam minority from Kratie province’s Snuol district, came up to the stage to complain about Vietnamese companies confiscating their lands and those belonging to other villagers in the same district (*). Countless similar complaints can be heard from farmers from other provinces all over the country (Prey Lang forest in Kampong Thom province, Boeng Ket rubber plantation in Kampong Cham province, etc.)
One of the most notorious Vietnamese companies involved in land confiscation with the complicity of the Hun Sen government, bears the threatening name of Tan Bien or “New Frontier”, suggesting a borderline well inside Cambodia’s territory.
Actually, I am not pillorying the Vietnamese — there is no historically and linguistically authentic Khmer word, apart from “Yuon”, to designate people from Vietnam — more than the Palestinians are pillorying Israeli/Jewish settlers who confiscate their lands in occupied Palestine.
All Cambodians remember the sad fate of Kampuchea Krom or Southern Cambodia, a former Cambodian territory made up of 21 Khmer provinces, which was annexed by Vietnam in the last century with the complicity of the French colonialists following decades of massive immigration. Eventually Vietnamese largely outnumbered Cambodians and the new demographical balance, as a fait accompli, was the justification for the annexion by Vietnam.
Cambodians are now afraid of another fait accompli which could be under preparation and which would mean, this time, the death of their motherland.
Like the Palestinians fearing Israeli/Jewish settlements as embodying a policy of fait accompli by Israel, we Cambodians have a similar fear vis-a-vis the well-connected Vietnamese companies associated with land confiscation and destabilizing immigration. This legitimate patriotic concern has nothing to do with “stoking racial nationalist sentiment” as some sensationalist cliches in the foreign press tend to distort the reality of our feelings.
Sam Rainsy
CNRP President
(*) Video showing the two women:http://www.youtube.com/
8 comments:
To Khmerican, please don't compare Cambodians to Palestinians whose people support the killing of innocent people and children.
Palestinians government and leader didn't encouraged the Jewish settlers to murder the population and invade the land. The Youn(Vietnam) supported such genocide as per policies with the Champa Civilisation (North Vietnam), moving down to the Prey Nokor city (South Vietnam), then the most recent genocide in the modern history. The genocide of 2 million Khmer.
All a game to the Youn(Vietnamese) government playing with the lives of the Khmer people?
Why ignorant foreigners still think the word "Yuon" as offensive. It is a neutral that means "Vietnamese", nothing else. The Thai, the Laotians, the Burmese and the Cham called the Vietnamese "Yuon" too, but no foreigners condemn them, why only condemn the Khmers? Is this in itself racism?
These foreigners not only are racist, but also opportunist. Many of them understand well of the current situation, even more so, they were also aware of the secret campaign of the B52 carpet bombings.
Why the Foreigners dont say anything about the millions of bombs dropped in Cambodia? and the Vietnamese invasion in the 1960s that lead to the genocide of 2 million lives?
Fale words is a evil and it connect to the soul of evil. Raincy follower you know it yourself right. ? Mike
No doubt you are the smart politician whom physiologically created many common peoples and using sensitive "hatred" words and statements to your advantage. I would reckon and sincerely hope that for the benefit of Cambodia citizen , your intelligence shall put into good use instead of create the "hatred" among the Khmer. Never doubt you stand a bright chance on the next election if you proof your capability and sincerity by serving the peoples where as the strong opposition party , your allies will given time to mature on how to govern the country. Looking back on the historical war torn sacrifice country, it shall recall now is the time the Peace and prosperity comes in for the peoples. Cambodia peoples is by nature love peace and humble after all.
29 October 2013 2:43 pm. You are a hatred person. Sam Rainsy mentioned no hatred toward the Youn, lest not forget his families were born in Southern Cambodia, also a families of Khmer Krom.
Sam Rainsy has million of supports, his allies are Khmer from around the world, and many Khmer Krom who are everyday being prosecuted by the Youn government.
If you think Sam Rainsy is a hatred person and Hun Sen is serving the Khmer people and not the Youn, you have been living under the rock since 1979.
This little kong Chaw "Mice" either live under the rock or in the tiny whole all of his life. If its legs are too short why don't it clime the tree so it can see faraway. There are a lot of pests like that infect Cambodian land for a long time. We, Khmer patriot have the difficult mission to sweep them out of our land.
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