The Kiriroom – Kos Tral Range.
Unfortunately Jeff Mudrick of The Diplomat closed down the interesting discussion on the Kos Tral issue (see “Cambodia’s Impossible Dream: Koh Tral“.) There are several comments with different arguments in different tones. My last comment was not published, so I do it here in my own home. I have to clarify that my observations are not along with any political party at all and I understand that any position can be used for political purposes, but sovereignty cannot be an object of political interests, although it is a historical fact in different countries and regions.
My observations are based in a physical evidence: Koh Tral or Phu Quoc is inside the interior Cambodian sea, 10 miles far from any Cambodian coastline. One commenter, answering my observation in The Diplomat to the Mudrick’s article, says:
I haven’t heard of any international law giving the right to claim land from geography. The concept of ancestral (Khmer) land is not a valid reason to claim sovereignty neither in modern law.
If it were true, Thailand has not the right to claim for the 40 kilometers squares around the Preah Vehear Temple and any argument by Thailand to such claim is based in geographical statements. However, the International Court of Justice let that claim to a bilateral agreement with Cambodia that still to be done.
It is true that the argument of ancestral Khmer land is not legally valid to any territorial claim. When I say “remember that historically Cambodia is first in the region than Vietnam & Thailand and any Viet & Thai territorial claim will be always over the ancestral Khmer land,” I meant that any Vietnamese or Thai sovereignty over ancestral Khmer land – although legal by now – must start from that point: it was gained to the Khmer people. Therefore, Vietnam or Thailand need to produce much more evidences of how they came to posses those territories than Cambodia. Weather Vietnam is the actual owner of Koh Tral or Phu Quoc, we must start from the point that it was a Khmer possession in the time. Politicians can say whatever they want. Normally politicians talk without connecting their brains, especially when they work in embassies. But history is science.
Who can deny that Koh Tral is inside the interior Cambodian sea? Try…
Population
The argument of population can have many objections too. Mudrick suggests that there is a continued Vietnamese presence on the land for decades:
The 1989 census found the Khmer population of the island to be approximately 300 (less than 1 percent of the total). Khmers on the island today estimate that approximately 200 Khmer families call Koh Tral home (Jeff Mudrick, 2014)
This fact does not mean Cambodia could not claim sovereignty over Koh Tral, because history teaches us that there has been a program of Vietnamization of Cambodia during the last centuries and the planting of Vietnamese ethnics in Cambodia. It puts a question mark over how the majority of Vietnamese ethnic on Koh Tral came to populate the land.
Now well, in the case Koh Tral becomes a Cambodian island, it might compromise to respect the current population as any other ethnic in Cambodia, as well as there are several Khmer towns in Kampuchea Krom that the Vietnamese State must respect in their identities as full righted Vietnamese citizens.
Claim
As for any possible claim, let us make this resume:
- The International Court of Justice is not the only international platform to make a territorial claim, as Vietnam does not accept the ruling of such Tribunal. However, Vietnam belongs to the international community and it is enough. If a State makes a territorial claim, it is considered already by the international community as that: a claim.
- A territorial claim cannot be used as political reasons. Parties, leaders, ideologies pass and change through history: a territory and its people remain.
- A possible Cambodian claim over Koh Tral would take several decades to reach any real agreement, but every generation can apport to the development of the process.
- History teaches that borders move throughout the centuries, so we cannot say this is a closed case or an “impossible Cambodian dream.”
5 comments:
I've read several articles by Albeiro Rodas regarding khmer sovereignty and every single article he is pro khmer cause. I wonder if he is now a khmer citizen of euro expats or just a true khmer with Spanish name or maybe fillipino? Nonetheless, I am glad that is on our side arguing against the youn and Siem expansionist. Thank you Albeiro Rodas.
I'm very glad to hear this positive outlook on khmer's ancestral islands that yuon had stolen lately with the with of its puppet regime.
Please DO NOT forget that the French never ceded Koh Tral to Hanoi after they widrew the troops out of Indochina,Koh Tral was never been under French controlled,unlike Kampuchea krom was under French controlled in all aspects of life then except Koh Tral,please do whatever its takes to reclaim Koh Tral back by any means necessary,,,May god bless you and Cambodia.
Albeiro Rodas has given Khmer people a recipe for success. Let us all make it a reality. We do not need the support or backing of any politicians at all. Is there a committee in existence that can make a claim for Koh Tral without politics at the United Nations? As far as I know, Koh Tral is already deposited at the United Nations as being a disputed territory/island by the state of Cambodia since the longest time. It is time we act as one to reactivate this claim and let the island's fate be decided by the International Court.
See Albeiro Rodas's suggestion below:
Claim
As for any possible claim, let us make this resume:
The International Court of Justice is not the only international platform to make a territorial claim, as Vietnam does not accept the ruling of such Tribunal. However, Vietnam belongs to the international community and it is enough. If a State makes a territorial claim, it is considered already by the international community as that: a claim.
A territorial claim cannot be used as political reasons. Parties, leaders, ideologies pass and change through history: a territory and its people remain.
A possible Cambodian claim over Koh Tral would take several decades to reach any real agreement, but every generation can apport to the development of the process.
History teaches that borders move throughout the centuries, so we cannot say this is a closed case or an “impossible Cambodian dream.”
Actually, those Vietnamese living on Phu Quoc are not really Vietnamese. They were descendants from the Ming Chinese. They look quite different from the North Vietnamese too.
Further more, I discover a big difference from the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese. I met a North Vietnamese. He told me the secrets in the Vietnamese race. The pure Vietnamese blood are in the North Vietnam. The South Vietnamese are not pure Vietnamese blood but rather a mix pot of so many other race with only about 50% Vietnamese blood.
The reason for the South Vietnamese mixed blood was from the desperate Nguyen Lord who were losing to the Trinh Lord. The Nguyen lord only had 1/5 of the numbers in population under his domain as compared to the Trinh Lord. So the Nguyen Lord would take in any Asians who wanted to take refuge in his domain.
Some Vietnamese even told me the South Vietnamese got dirty blood from Khmer race. Thus, you would rare see any talented Vietnamese from the South Vietnamese. Most if not all the talented Vietnamese are from the North Vietnam.
Phu Quoc (Koh Tral) were mostly populated by the Ming Chinese 300 years ago.
-Drgunzet-
Dear Khmer and worldwide readers online,
-Drgunzet- is a former secret Yuon/Vietcong who used to hide in Khmer Rouges uniform during the Killing Fields from 1975 to 1979 along with hundred of thousands of secret Yuon/Vietnamese agents from Hanoi hiding in Khmer Rouges uniforms to fool gullible innocent Khmer people. They (secret Yuon/Vietcong agents and -Drgunzet-) have created secret "Angkar Leur or Cap Tren to scare helpless and voiceless innocent Khmer people and children. That is why a few millions of innocent Khmer people and children have been varnished or put to death before the evil Yuon/Vietcong and -Drgunzet- tried to steal the land of Cambodia and created false history of Vietnam by saying Cambodia belong to Vietnam along time ago including Southern Cambodia/Khmer Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam), belonging to Vietnam a long time ago or their ancestor. Vietnam is fake, their language was created by French after stealing the Latin alphabets in writing. Vietnam and Vietnamese people are disgusted and hypocrite.
-Drgunzet- and his evil Yuon/Vietnamese agents are so cruel and murderous.
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