Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (L) with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen (R) during the official inauguration ceremony of Cho Ray-Phnom Penh Hospital in Phnom Penh, Jan. 13, 2014.
AFP
AFP
Vietnamese authorities called Tuesday for an investigation into the beating death of a Vietnamese-Cambodian man following a traffic accident in Phnom Penh that has raised ethnic tensions.
Nguyen Yaing Ngoc, 28, was chased and attacked by a group of Cambodians after he responded to a call for help from a neighbor whose motorbike had been struck by a car, according to Cambodian media reports.
Witnesses said the crowd had been incited to action by shouts of “yuon,” a derogatory term for Vietnamese in Cambodia, where ethnic tensions sometimes rise high amid competing territorial claims and immigration concerns.
Ngoc had scuffled briefly with a Cambodian family unable to move their car past the motorbike, which had been left parked in an alley, before he was pursued and killed, according to a Cambodia Daily report on Tuesday.
Tran Vang Thong, a spokesman for the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh, called for an immediate inquiry into the death.
“We demand that the authorities investigate and bring the killers to justice and hold them accountable according to Cambodian law,” Thong told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.
“Meanwhile, we ask for measures to be taken to prevent such racist activities or any instigation of racism or discrimination against Vietnamese in Cambodia,” he said.
“We want an investigation,” Thong said in a separate interview with RFA’s Khmer Service, adding, “The Cambodian government must ensure that no killing like this ever happens again.”
Killed over a word
Ngoc’s pregnant wife said she was shocked that one derogatory word could lead to her husband’s death.
“I didn’t believe that my husband would be killed over this word,” Ngoc’s wife Men Sinath, eight months’ pregnant, told the Cambodia Daily on Tuesday.
A deputy police chief of Phnom Penh’s Chak Angre Loeu commune said a suspect in the killing, 50-year-old Vong Chanvutha, is now in custody and “will face the law,” the report said.
Speaking to RFA on Tuesday, Cambodian Internal Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gen. Khieu Sopheak blamed ethnic tensions in Cambodia on the policies of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), which have led, he said, to “misunderstandings” between Vietnamese and Cambodians.
“Our [own] government policy is nondiscriminating,” Sopheak told RFA’s Vietnamese Service, calling Vietnam and Cambodia “good neighbors.”
Also speaking to RFA, CNRP spokesperson Nhem Ponharith denied party responsibility for exacerbating tensions between the two groups, blaming the incident instead on the Cambodian public’s “lack of confidence in our court system.”
“The government needs to stop violence on the streets,” he said.
Wary over influence
Many Cambodians are wary of Vietnam’s influence over their country’s affairs.
An estimated 1.7 million people, or one in four Cambodians, died in what came to be called the “Killing Fields” after the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. The regime was unseated when Vietnam invaded the country four years later.
Vietnam occupied the country for a decade before withdrawing its troops and signing the Paris Peace Agreement to restore sovereignty and stability to Cambodia.
Reported by Yeang Socheameata for RFA’s Khmer Service and by Quoc Viet for the Vietnamese Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
19 comments:
Men Sinath is the bitch!
To Vietnamese leader Nguyen Tan Dung,
Why are you so outrageous? You are the one (and previous Hanoi leaders) has interfered with Cambodian affairs and has no respect for 1993 Paris Peace Accord /Agreement. You have committed the crimes against Cambodian people and have no respect Cambodian border as your Vietnamese people and military armies have moved the poles into Cambodia territory. That means you and Vietnamese people have encroached Cambodia country. You (including formers leaders and presidents of Vietnam) have been ordered Mr. Hun Sen what to do to hurt his own people for more that 35 years. Do you think that you have not still done enough to hurt Cambodian people and you created your propaganda to send your Vietnamese people to Cambodia illegally by pushing Mr. Hun Sen to take your order to let your illegal Vietnamese people to settle down in Cambodia, allow the illegal Vietnamese companies to sign illegal contracts to lease Cambodian lands to your illegal Vietnamese firms by grabbing the lands and properties from Cambodian farmers and ethnicity (Phnorn or Hill Tribes) in Cambodia.
Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, how much longer and how far do you want to go to kill, rob, cheat the illegal contracts with Mr. Hun Sen, punish Mr. Hun Sen or want Mr. Hun Sen to be grateful for you all his life until his death at 99 years of his age. This is ridiculous and childish when you, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung. Please think very careful of what you said way beyond your crimes you have committed.
Cambodian people and survivors have learned and know it all about your deadly games and dirty plans toward to Cambodia.
Again, do you think Mr. Hun Sen cannot be grateful enough for your help to rescue Cambodian people from the Killing Fields. That is not the case, but we have caught your secret Vietcong agents have been dressed up as Khmer Rouges soldier uniforms who toppled Pol Pot (Cambodian nationalist) and his Khmer Rouges inner circles during the Killing Fields (1975 to 1975) and ended up killing and murdering millions of Cambodian/Khmer people of all ages in the Killing Fields. We see that you, your former Hanoi leaders have eliminated the Cambodian population in order for you to easily control. You should know that Khmer Rouges soldiers have been accused as the scapegoats as killers of the Killing Fields by you and your former leaders and Vietnamese people. The killers of Killing Fields (1975-1979) were the secret Vietcong/Vietnamese agents hiding in Khmer Rouges uniforms and your criminal Vietnamese agents remain at large and roam free.
Cont'd from 19 February 2014 10:15 pm
Now, you and Hanoi leaders still have the secret Vietnamese agents among CPP to topple Mr. Hun Sen and his inner circle, and you have pushed Mr. Hun Sen to obey you and take your order to punish his own Cambodian people. How far do you want, Mr. Nguyen? Enough is enough. How can your Vietnam country to be our neighbors if you have your words of orders to kill, punish and jail Cambodian people, then you are a real crime committing leader in Hanoi. Mr. Nguyen, you have been cheating by sending your Vietnamese bodyguards (secret agents) to protect Mr. Hun Sen or topple Mr. Hun Sen in the blind eyes of the international community. Your Vietnamese secret agents still hiding in CPP and dressing up like Khmer or Cambodian policemen or military armies to fool the gullible Cambodian people, tourists or international community.
Mr. Hun Sen has been hated by his own Cambodian people because of you, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung (including former Hanoi leaders and presidents) and because you have been manipulating Mr. Hun Sen. We know so well that you and your Vietnamese leaders and illegal Vietnamese firms or companies in Cambodia have been so exposed to clearly just like crystals. You, Mr. Nguyen, and your former leaders in Hanoi along with military commands have committed crimes and broke the peace accord agreement in Paris 1993.
Well, there are so many complaints about your leaders, illegal Vietnamese residents in Cambodia, your accusations without reasons, and beyond.
Survivor of Killing Fields
Cont'd from 19 February 2014 10:15 pm
Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, before your former leader name Mr. Pham Van Dong declared your Vietnamese invasion into Cambodia to oust Pol Pot, you, your Vietcong agents and Hanoi leaders had heard the UN. Envoys who had planed to come to Cambodia during the Killing Fields in 1978 and then 1979 because Cambodian relatives living abroad had complained their frustrations to reach their loved ones in Cambodia during the Killing Fields. Then, your secret Vietcong agents rushed back to Vietnam and changed the uniforms from Khmer Rouges to Vietnamese soldiers in light green uniforms with round helmets and pretended to com back to invade Cambodia to rescue Cambodian people from Khmer Rouges along with Mr. Hun Sen after Mr. Hun Sen was shot in his one eye and fled to Vietnam to save his life. What a hypocrisy!!!
We know that you have played the deadly games with the UN and King Sihanouk.
There are more to tell you, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, and want you to acknowledge what you have done so far to hurt Cambodian people and see what you have done is not acceptable. The world is watching.
Khmer Survivor of Killing Fields.
Vietnam has NO right interfere in Cambodian affairs. Look at what the YUON do to people in Khmer Kampuchea Krom....which the land belongs to Khmer. Hun Sen is a slave of Hanoi dogs. He doesn't care about Khmer Krom people.
Death penalty should be given to any racist Cambodians committing racist crimes against ethnic Vietnamese, order the family of the perpetrators to pay reparation to the victim's family. This will surely put an end to the racist attacks in Cambodia. Vietnam should put incremental pressure on the government of Cambodia to take specific measures to safeguard the Vietnamese in Cambodia who are doing great service for the country.
20 February 2014 6:16 am,
You are so cruel when you accuse innocent Victims as killers. You are phony and childish.
We should bring and your illegal Yuon/Vietcong folks who killed Khmer while living on Khmer/Cambodian land.
All Yuon/Vietnamese folks are not well educated and they are just like wild animals as criminal Hun Sen, reminding us Khmer during the Killing Fields.
The killing of this Vietnamese man born in Scambodia is WRONG. Mob killing is 100% wrong but what leading up to it is what really the questions. A lot of Viets resided in Cambodia are very arrogant and rude because they knew that CPP government is their puppet. Although I still felt sorry for the victim and his pregnant Khmer wife.
The killing is wrong and uncilvilize. The questions should be ask what leading up to the killing.
1. Cambodian police & court are the most corrupted in the world. CPP always favored Viet ethnic because Hanoi is their master.
2. Questions I want to ask Viet PM:
I. Mr. Dung (Viet PM) have your country ever had good intention to Kampuchea ?
II. Have Hanoi grant Cambodia independent yet ?
III. Did your country had any any hand in Pol Pot genocide ?
IV. Did NVA, VC trained and supported KR leading up to 17 April 1975 ?
V. Did your country stole Cambodia territories land border areas and Koh Tral, Koh Krojukses ?
VI. Are you presently interfere in Cambodia politics ?
Cambodian peoples knew and awoken. This is just a frustrations Cambodian peoples let out. If Viets not genuine and give Cambodia fully independent. I'm afraid a lot more worst could happen to Vietnamese in Cambodia. We are fed up with Viets controlled.
Killing an idividual based on race & ethnicity is barbaric & evil, regardless what the killer's attitude toward the victim's race is justifiable or not. It's the content of one's character that defined that individual, not race. For example, it is evil for a Mexican gangster to kill a young Khmer in Long Beach just because he's Khmer, regardless of what the Mexican gangster's history with Khmers. That is one of the main trait of a civilized & righteous society.
Cambodia is still a very barbaric and violent country. Most foreign investors will prefer to invest in Vietnam instead. They will be willing to pay the Vietnamese workers more for the peace of mind.
Vietnam will always richer, develop much faster and become much more powerful. Vietnam will control Cambodia more and more through economic means.
-Drgunzet-
Vietnam can not interfere or put pressure in Cambodia affair because he is Cambodian. This is road accident that lead to the fighting and someone lost their life. Let reverse that, if the dead one is khmer you think the dog Phay siphan would come out and intervene?
The problem is that too many illegal Vietnamese. It's exactly like in California, too many Mexican could lead to too many problem. If Cambodia is just for Cambodian, i don't think it problematic. The dead man is not Vietnamese, period.
More illegal Viets will die in the future.
Look at the last lines of the article, RFA also speaks the racist language! That is why young cambodian continue to hate their neighbor, while the young Vietnameses go over the historical tragedie of Pol Pot killings to Vietnamese and also chinese at Vietnam border. Born with hate, you will burden yourselves. I wish that Cambodian also can go forward, do like they have done nowadays in forgeting the bitter story of Khmer Rouge, in order to move forward. Racist fired words result in killing Cambodian and especially ethnic Cambodians. I could not believe in reading the comment with cold attitude : something leads to killing and some one died ! just like this. Immagine , one day if chinese Cambodian or other ethnic Cambodian were killed because of race, the burden go back to the head of Cambodian. Please , Cambodian, do re-educate your sense of budhist humanity!
What do you expect from an uncivilized monkeys culture. Lol
First of all, I am appalled at the media for acting like scholars and masters of a language they do not know. They should really ask all Khmer people if the word "yuon" is derogatory. This word simply means Vietnamese, nothing more, nothing less for the millionth time. It is a word much like the word "Mien" in the Vietnamese language which the Vietnamese use to call Khmer people. Even then "Mien or Cao Mien" is a degrading way of calling Khmer people because it means "Highlanders or Hill-tribes" as if the Khmer people are "uncivilized and tribal type of people not fit in modern society." I find this word more offensive than the Khmer word "Yuon" because "Yuon" does not hav any meaning attached to it other than to mean Vietnamese. Sure it is an informal way to call Vietnamese people, but it is in no shape or form derogatory. I believe I can blame the media for assuming such word as derogatory because this word has been denounced by the CPP government and its supporters and Vietnamese resentment in the use of this word because their use of "Mien" (used quite normally by Vietnamese people) carry much more informality than the use of "Yuon" by Khmer people.
And concerning the case at hand, what right does Vietnam have to demand such inquiry in the "racist killing?" The Vietnamese man is a Cambodian by birth. Therefore the incident should be dealth with by the Cambodian people and Cambodian government. It is an internal affair and has nothing to do with Vietnam. For instance, do you ever recall any Asian country demanding such inquiry whenever an Asian-American committing such acts in America? Furthermore, why not look at the situation at hand and not putting "race" into the issue. In many parts of Asia, Cambodia being one of the places, collectivism is an integral part of society. If you disrespect others by stealing or starting fights, you are bound to get attacked by a mob.
Lastly, I find this "justice seeking" ridiculous. If ordinary Cambodians can't find justice for themselves, why is this Cambodian of Vietnamese descent anymore important? Human rights will never be given if the current CPP government does not even respect it and humans while at it. Many innocents have been imprisoned and killed by the government military and not a single of them have been brought to justice and when some isolated incident that may or may not have been linked politically, Vietnam steps in to demand an inquiry. Baloney.
The Vietnamese responses here are just as racist. Vietnamese racism are genuinely racist because it is not politically motivated nor provoked. While many Cambodians harbor such animosity due to illegal immigration, territorial loss, and political reasons. We would like to get along, but Vietnam has too much involvement in our politics.
All you shietnamese stop doing illegal things and maybe people around you will respect you just a little. No wonder you shietnamese only make friends with other shietnamese. I rarely see you shietnamese befriend other Asians. Stop shop lifting, stop dealng drugs, and stop being so rude and loud when others are around you especially when your language sounds like shiet.
Talk about uncivilized monkey culture. How does it feel shietnamese is lower class than all the other Asian countries.
Post a Comment