How the marionnette regime rules Cambodia ?

News from Cambodia N° 0622-E

HOW THE MARIONNETTE REGIME RULES CAMBODIA ?

Khemara Jati
Montreal, Quebec
May 15th, 2006

We diffuse below the article of Cambodge Soir of Monday, May 8th, 2006 entitled « Comment tirer profit de l’OMC et de l’ASEAN - How to take benefit from the WTO and from ASEAN ? ». This article shows that the marionette regime makes everything to set up only men flooded in dollars and incapable in everything and nil in all the points of view.

Indeed, Chea Samnang, an economist to the Economic Institute of Cambodia: « consider that Cambodia should get involved within the "the Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS), an instance gathering six countries (China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia), created in 1993 on the initiative of the Asian Development Bank[1] (ADB) with the aim of strengthening the economic relations between the countries of the Mekong. The GMS concentrates its action on eleven sectors, among which the intensification of the production capacity and the development of infrastructures.

« The GMS can help us to develop our infrastructures via the ADB loans. And it corresponds exactly to our needs » assert Chea Samnang. But these loans do not come from the sky: to be eligible, Cambodia has to have the solid projects. Now, according to the economist, the civil servants who know the GMS's existence are rare[2]. « As long as we ignore the GMS, we cannot benefit from it[3]. In Vietnam, the provincial authorities (at least with the assistants, indirectly Japanese[4]) are already very implied there », regret Chea Samnang.

« Then Cambodia should rather defend new projects with the GMS, notably in the electric production's field. At least 13 hydroelectric sites could be developed for a capacity of more than 4 700 megawatts. We have this potential. We could thus in the future export some electricity, wishes the responsible.

« From the point of view of the road infrastructures, Cambodia also has a card to play, benefiting from a strategic position which would allow the country to take advantage completely of its membership with WTO and ASEAN. But the good roads between the countries of the GMS are not enough: they can indeed stimulate the exports of the neighbor countries without any benefits for our economy. « It would mean that Cambodia borrows money from ADB to build roads but this money favors only the business of the other member countries », the economist warns. Only solution thus : increase production capacities to be capable of exporting on the vast international market which opens to Cambodia. »

OUR REMARKS :

Finally, a distinguished Cambodian economist issues sensible opinions to defend the fundamental interests of Cambodia. We do never stop repeating these ideas since more than ten years. We thus agree with the propositions issued by Chea Samnang. But Chea Samnang works in Cambodia. He cannot say all everything. It is normal. Chea Samnang informs us that two roads Phnom Penh - Saigon with two very expensive bridges on Mekong are built with capital borrowed by Cambodia. It is incredible. It shows that:

A/. Cambodia is capable of presenting valid projects when it is in the interests of Japan and Vietnam. But is incapable of making any project in the interests of only Cambodia as thinks Chea Samnang! Look for the reason.

B/. More these roads are built by Japanese and Vietnamese companies. No any Cambodian engineer nor any technician. It is necessary to underline also that the cement, the metal etc. are also imported by Vietnam and by Japan via Saigon! So the construction of these two strategic roads for the exports of the Vietnamese products to flood the Cambodian market and also to favor the massive arrival of the Vietnamese settlers toward Cambodia, is financed by the Cambodian people. Then it seems that Cambodia pay the rope to hang herself ?

C/. We also mention that with Vietnamese companies, Japan is building a road West-East connecting our provinces of the North-East to the Vietnamese port of Da-Nang, to drain our resources of this region towards Vietnam. Probably financed also by the ADB as Cambodia’s loan ?

D/. Now, we know that from 2009, Cambodia is going to receive an oil pension of at least 4 billions of US a year. It is the Japanese company which will have supreme control « to advise » the use of this pension!

Of this pension, how much will Japan and the USA get benefits ? How much in the pockets of the Vietnamese company Sokimex? Or more or less directly in the Vietnamese’s pockets? How much in the pockets of the men of the marionette regime ? How much will stay to finance the education? The modernization of our agriculture? To finance the industrialization of Cambodia? To modernize our internal roads? Why this opaqueness concerning the use of this oil pension? Are there Cambodian engineers and technicians employed by the American company Chevron for the research and the production of our hydrocarbons?

Presently our country forms hardly 25 engineers a year, of low level and in French. Vietnam forms a year 30 000 high-level engineers, in Vietnamese language and capable of frequenting the best American universities and the best high schools of France. Bill Gates promises to form quickly 15 000 Vietnamese computer specialists of international level.

The 4 billions of US dollars are going to create heavy industries as oil refineries, shipyards, other industries? Where to find Cambodian engineers and qualified personnel ? Are the Cambodians condemned to work only as manual manpower? To be beggars in her own country? The wealth being reserved for the foreigners, in particular for the Vietnamese?

Above all, can we speak about the Cambodia situation, without speaking of major power’s interventions?

Only our convergent struggles against the Vietnamese domination, against the ignorance, the disease and the poverty, against the monopolies of the Vietnamese company Sokimex and the Vietnamese bank Canadia, for the national Independence in our territorial and maritime Integrity, for the prosperity for the whole people, for the democracy and the freedom, will be rather strong to oblige great powers to consider our fundamental and justifiable aspiration.

Note : Cet article est aussi disponible en français sur demande.

[1] The BAD was always created and controlled by Japan since the end of 1960s.
[2] Underlined by Khemara Jati
[3] Why since 1991 Japan supports such a power in Phnom Penh which is so incapable? Why Japan does not make any effort to help Cambodians to present valid projects? We do not confuse the Japanese government interests and the helps of certain Japanese organizations as the Toyota Foundation for example as well as Japanese personalities who bring us cultural helps.
[4] Read « Japan – Vietnam, History of a relation under influence » (unofficial translated by Khemara Jati), by Guy Faure and Laurent Schwab, Ed. IRASEC, Bangkok and Paris 2004, in particular on the page 56 this book teaches us that Tokyo came to establish in connection with Hanoi since February 8th, 1972 and that Japan considers Vietnam as the « evident leader of three Indo-Chinese countries (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), indispensable region to the prosperity and to the stability of East Asia and the South-East ».
The same book tells us, at page XIV, that the USA has established a relation directly with the marionette Hun Sen from September 5th, 1990, that is more than year before the Paris Agreements : « Hanoi is satisfied by the American decision ». Later, it is necessary to wonder that Clinton authorized the marionette Hun Sen son in the prestigious Military Academy of West Point? Since then did the US interests evolve?