Cambodia - Preah Vihear - Thailande

News of Cambodia N° 0817-E

CAMBODIA - PREAH VIHEAR - THAILAND

Khemara Jati
Montreal, Quebec
March 20th, 2008

Forces in presence

Before raising the current situation on Preah Vihear, let us focus on the forces entangling the area including the temple itself.

From the Thai side :

1/. The Thai people are educated, united by the language from the day care center up to universities, by the history written by Thai historians and by economic prosperity.

2/. The Thai army, including the navy and the aviation outstrip hundred times our arm forces.

3/. The provinces of Cambodia on the western side, including Siem Reap city, is living depending on the thai electricity. In the monopoly position, this thai electricity is sold in Cambodia with the price 50 % more expensive than in Thailand.

From the Cambodian side :

1/. The Cambodian people still remain in deep ignorant. Only a little more than 50 % of Cambodians knows how to read and write. Even though we are still divided on the way of using our language as current language in universities. There are still neither articles nor popular works in scientific or technic.

2/. Still our history is almost exclusively written by foreigners. These Cambodia histories are not written to unite us, on the contrary.

3/. Cambodia has no aviation in the army. The Cambodian army composes only of generals and officers among whom many of them are Vietnamese. A ceremonial army able of repressing the people only.

4/. The Cambodian navy is not even capable of protecting effectively our territorial waters.

5/. The problem surrounding the media of the major powers are because they are not on our side. As said Kenneth So it is about using the word « Yuon » the word used usually by Cambodians since a millennium, but considered abruptly pejorative by the international media. We reproduce below the arguments made by Kenneth So:

« Reason #2
I believe the misunderstanding on the meaning of the word “Yuon” was caused by foreign advisors to Yasushi Akashi when he was the head of UNTAC in Cambodia. Those so-called foreign experts in Khmer language told Akashi that the word “Yuon” was a derogatory word. This misunderstanding then spread out like a wildfire. Now it is impossible to convince Westerners otherwise. We would have spent too much energy defending the usage of the word “Yuon” and reaching only a small percentage of the western population for our explanation. Do we have to defend our usage of the word “Yuon” every time a Westerner questions our intention? Can our valuable time be put to better use instead ? »
« Reason #4
There are more Westerners and international newspapers and media in the world than in Cambodia. The international newspapers can reach a greater number of audiences in the world than we can. If western newspapers print out in their articles that we are racist because we use the word “Yuon” to label the Vietnamese, it will then reach a very large numbers of readers in the world. It is therefore impossible for us, Khmers, to target that many numbers of readers to counterbalance our view. Additionally, it is very hard to justify our usage of the word “Yuon” or “Chen” to the Westerners when there are acceptable replacements for those words in French or English that are used internationally by every country. »

6/. On the Eastern side of Cambodia, Vietnam is nibbling at our lands. It is necessary to go to the border on the RN 1, at Bavet to see how the Vietnamese use the front door to flow toward Cambodia. Open another doors is to facilitate the vietnamisation advancement on our lands. It is necessary to note that certain major powers finance the construction of the roads in better condition leading from Saigon to different check points at our borders. While the roads from Phnom Penh to our borders remain generally in the very bad condition. Below, the president of the vietnamese company Sokimex, Sok Kong, does not hide any more and announces publicly in vietnamese language that he is proud to be a Vietnamese. In when the other Vietnamese in the political, military or economic power will announce, in their turn, that they are Vietnamese?

From KI Média
« Hun Sen's crony and associate Sok Kong: "I am a Vietnamese. I'm proud of that"
Sok Kong: I am a Vietnamese
20 March 2008
Translated from Vietnamese by Wanna
Originally posted at: http://www.xwanna.com/
Original article in Vietnamese: “Tôi là người Việt Nam!"

May be some people are still skeptical about who is Sok Kong ? Now, believe me and believe him (Sok Kong)! Oknha Sok Kong said...

Tôi sinh ra ở Prey Veng. Ba mẹ tôi là người VN, tôi được sinh ra ở CPC. Năm 1975 sang VN làm ruộng ở Đồng Tháp. Lúc đó tôi 23 tuổi. Năm 1979 tôi trở lại CPC.
Translation: I was born in Prey Veng. My parents are Vietnamese, I was born in Cambodia. In 1975, I backed to VN and do farming at Don Thap province. I was then 23. In 1979, I returned to Cambodia.

Tôi giàu con lắm, có đến sáu đứa: ba trai, ba gái. Con trai đầu làm việc ở TP.HCM, con trai thứ hai quản lý khách sạn và xí nghiệp may số 1, con trai thứ ba quản lý xí nghiệp may 2, ba đứa con gái còn đi học ở Úc.
Translation: I have many children, including 6: 3 sons, 3 daughters. My eldest son works at HCM (Ho Chi Minh) city; My second son is a manager of a hotel and garment factory Number 01; My third son is a manager of garment factory Number 02; My three daughters are all studying in Australia.

Trước đây vì một số lý do tôi không muốn ai biết mình là người VN. Còn bây giờ thì không. Tôi là người VN. Tôi vinh dự về điều đó!
Translation: In the past, from some reasons, I don't want anyone to know that I am a Vietnamese. Now, it's NOT. I am a Vietnamese. I'm proud of that.

7/. In one word, our unique force resides only in our unity and in the struggle. For the moment our force on the international level lies fundamentally on the Cambodian public opinion, in particular from our intellectuals. Still, this opinion remains very divided as we will see below. But when this opinion manages to unite, it becomes a force. It is the case for example to defend Preah Vihear.

The negotiations about Preah Vihear

Recently Thailand recognizes officially that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia according to the decisions of the International Court of the Hague and to the whole will expressed by the Cambodian people, in particular the intellectuals. It shows that the public opinion and in particular that of the politicians and the intellectuals, is a force. But what are the concessions of the current regime?

1/. The land around Preah Vihear monument belongs to Cambodia and to Thailand. According to the principle imposed by the strongest: « what is mine is mine says Thailand. But what belongs to you we share it together. Waiting for the favorable moment to appropriate it totally.

2/. Neglecting to build asphalted roads from Phnom Penh to Preah Vihear and from Angkor to Preah Vihear. Chea Sophara has tried to build one. He was suddently dismissed on February 11th, 2003, on Hoc Lundy order and replaced by the current mayor of Phnom Penh, Kep Chuktema that we all know. Nowadays, with a good car 4X4 all wheel drive, it needs a day to go there and other one day for return. Those who tried it consider this road of hellish or of dancing road according to the travelers humor. It is clear that only Thailand can exploit the tourism in Preah Vihear. It is likely Thailand comes to occupy our house. On pressure of our public opinion, Thailand agrees to declare publicly that Preah Vihear monument belongs to Cambodia. But for the moment only Thailand which occupies it and exploits it as one pleases. A group of Cambodians, who defied the infernal road, with a good car all wheel drive was able to notice that even by coming from Cambodia side, it is necessary to pay in "bath" to be able to visit "our" Preah Vihear monument. They gave up paying and returned back. But they were able to notice the misery of our fellow countrymen who are obliged to live next to the thai prosperity. They cannot do anything. According to Chea Sophara's project, besides one safe asphalted road to reach Preah Vihear from the Cambodian side, he was there planned to build a railway cable for those who cannot or do not want to reach Preah Vihear by the stair. It is necessary also to build good roads to open up all this region the North of Cambodia as well as for the tourism for the economic development of this region along the border. It is the most important solution to defend our borders.

In the latest news, it seems that the construction of a safe road to Preah Vihear is in the agenda. Finally! But for how long?

3/. The important angkorian monument Ta Mean is now occupied militarily by the thai army and is a place of tourist of the thai side. Thailand claims one-sidedly that the French and Cambodian maps had made a mistake by including Ta Mean on the Cambodia side. Might is right says the proverb.

4/. Banning to build an asphalted road of Sisophon to Siem Reap Ville, so that the Thai Airway airline company can keep the monopoly of Bangkok-Siem Reap Ville and practicing the exaggerated rate which we all know.

5/. In August 1997, one month after the coup d'état of July 5th 1997, Vietnam and Thailand agreed to share more than a half of our continental shelf then signed a treaty on the back of Cambodian. According to this treaty, Vietnam occupies our island called Way. Now the American company Chevron finds petroleum and natural gas under our continental shelf a part of which claimed by Thailand in the name of the above treaty. Thus Thailand says again : « what belongs to you let us share together ». Because it has just been signed by the power settled by Hanoi since January 1979.

6/.Thailand wants to build a very big central power fed with the coal or more exactly with brown coal, a kind of fuel ten times more polluted than the coal. This central was refused by the thai people. Then the current regime installed in Phnom Penh curved the head then accepts this project, with in addition, a superpollution, unacceptable and refused by the thai people. It is necessary to clarify that this electricity will be used, first and foremost in Thailand then sold to Cambodians 50 % more expensive. Not only the pollution is for Cambodians but more the Cambodian people is obliged to pay this electricity 50 % more expensive than in Thailand. More this dependence in electrical energy, does not it become an enormous means of unacceptable political pressure for any power to defend the national interests? Why certain major powers do prefer to finance the construction of the electric lines with high tension to feed our country in electricity, paid 50 % more expensive ? In the Eastern part from Vietnam and on the Western part from Thailand ?

7/. Soon our country produces some petroleum and some natural gas. It is inadmissible that the current regime in Phnom Penh still has no projects to build an oil refinery and central powers fed by our gas and the fuel oil produces by our refinery. Why continue to pay oil productions as essence for example 50 % more expensive than in Vietnam ? Is it also as another condition for the gratitude that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia?

8/. Is not in the name of the treaty of August 1997, Vietnam is going, also, to ask its part in sharing of our wealth in hydrocarbons under our continental shelf, but claimed also by Hanoi? As it has just obtained by Thailand ? It is not still: « What belongs to me it belongs to me, what belongs to you we share it together »?

Conclusion

In any negotiation with Vietnam and Thailand, the current regime installed by Hanoi since January 1979 and with the complicity of certain major powers, is always in a position of weakness. Informations say that there is an economic development in Cambodia, but the great majority of Cambodians are still living in the ignorance, the disease and the misery. Announcement speaks about the increase of our business with our neighbours. But it never said what is the balance of this business. How much is our exports towards our neighbours? In the exportation equation what we sell and their value? Similarly in importation program what we buy and their value? Is it not true that our economy based only on the tourism and the textile industry ? Do we know that it is extremely vulnerable ?

Our only force relaying on the public opinion, as we have just seen it about Preah Vihear and maybe about the construction of one safe asphalted road to reach easily Preah Vihear from the Cambodian side. Why this deafening silence on the numerous subjects that we have just mentionned? Do not we smell that our sisters, brothers and fellow countrymen of Thailand and Kampuchea Krom count on our struggle to be able to protect their cultural identity based on our writing? Does not the current generation is responsible for the future of our children?

Pour lire l'article en français ou :
http://khemara-jati.blogspot.com/2008/03/cambodge-preah-vihear-thailande.html