Reader’s insights into 5-6 July 1997 Coup

Ex-Funcinpec military commander Nhek Bunchhay in the border region of O'Smach shortly after his narrow escape from the fighting on 5-6 July 1997 in the capital.

អតីត​មេបញ្ជាការ​រំឭក​ពី​មូលហេតុ​នៃ​អំពើ​រដ្ឋប្រហារ​កាលពី​១៩​ឆ្នាំ​មុន

by Anonymous

 

Nhek Bunchhay was right about being unrealistic to go into armed conflict with a much larger enemy but he was a traitor from the beginning. When fighting erupted in July 5 1997 he commanded a very good sizeable FUNCINPEC forces, yet he had chosen to abandon the right flank of our nationalist forces in Phnom Penh, allowing CPP/Youn forces through to kill all patriotic commanders of FUNCINPEC.

Nhek Bunchhay joined Hun Sen since then and will be with him into the future. Not once did he mention CPP’s faults. The CPP at that time lost an election but used intimidations and threatened to cede most of our eastern provinces and to join them with Vietnam, and this in itself was already an act of treason. Most of provincial powers were never handed over to the winners in FUNCINPEC officials. All security and local levels only listened to second in command CPP officials even though FUNCINPEC were the real election winners, and this was a coup d’état from the beginning by CPP grassroots apparatus.

Nhek Bunchhay never once acknowledged that most CPP military commanders were Vietnamese “volunteers” left behind after the UN mandated Vietnamese troops withdrawal in September 1989. There are rumours that many thousands of Vietnamese forces amassed near Svay Rieng province’s border, waiting to roll their tanks in across the border to help CPP forces if their coup attempt had not succeeded.

Nhek Bunchhay never once mentioned that CPP armed wings executed captured FUNCINPEC military commanders, party officials and prisoners, and this in itself fell under UN war crimes laws.

Bunchhay with his earstwhile adversary, and since political patron Hun Sen.

Yes, FUNCINPEC leadership did many wrong moves, but that doesn't allow CPP to execute captured prisoners. It also does not allow the CPP to take over the Royal Government by force. After the fighting was over, the CPP should have gathered evidences against FUNCINPEC leadership, presenting them to UNTAC, and asked the UN body to run government temporarily until things had been straightened out.

My family was living near the FUNCINPEC compounds when CPP thugs attacked, most of whom couldn't speak Khmer or speak fluently in Khmer. Many were Viet soldiers dressed in Royal Cambodian Army uniforms.

When the CNRP by luck will have been able to gain control through election, WE MUST ARREST THIS NEK BUNCHAY AND ALL TRAITORS AND PUT THEM THROUGH A REAL JUDICIAL SYSTEM. WE MUST BRING BACK CAPITAL PUNISHMENT JUST FOR THESE TRAITORS.