Friday, 29 February 2008

Hun Sen Reiterates That He Is Prepared To Have Coffins Made For Those Who Want To Reclaim Khmer Kampuchea Krom Territory

Posted on 29 February 2008.
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 549

“Prime Minister Hun Sen reaffirmed yesterday that regarding those who want to claim back Kampuchea Krom territory to rule it like under the French regime, he is prepared to have coffins made for those strong people. The Prime Minister stated that some people always talk about the loss of the land of hundreds of meters [per day], but it is not true. If it were the truth, the eastern border [with Vietnam] would by now be in the region of Kompong Chhnang, while the western border [with Thailand] would be in the region of Pursat. To say so is misled political demagogy.

“Prime Minister Hun Sen said so in Kandal Province, bordering Vietnam. He also confirmed that he did not want to talk about the issue of Khmer Krom territory. He added that anyone who claims to be strong - “please go ahead.” He is prepared to help to have coffins made for them, and he has sympathy to help to have their corpses buried. It is not the first time that Prime Minister Hun Sen made such statements. The Prime Minister has claimed already many times that there is not any loss of land in relation to Khmer Krom as well as to Khmer territorial integrity. If there is such loss as claimed by some people, the Khmer land would not have remained until now.

“It is noted that this is not the first time that Prime Minister Hun Sen has said so. He also expressed his ‘welcome’ with strong language, such as saying that Prime Minster Hun Sen is sympathetic in helping to have coffins made for those who want to protest and to reclaim Khmer Krom territory.

“For Prime Minister Hun Sen, those who want to protest claiming Khmer Krom territory are ignorant. It is a problem inherited from a previous generation, and Prime Minister Hun Sen claims that he just protects the Khmer territory from being lost.

“In Koh Thom, Kandal, bordering Vietnam, where the Prime Minister conducted demagogy to seek votes yesterday, he said that the people in Koh Thom know whether or not territory was really lost to the Vietnamese who are accused to have occupied some land. According to the Prime Minister, no territory was lost.

“Territorial integrity is a hot topic, and because Prince Norodom Ranariddh raised the territorial issue, he resigned from the position of president of the National Assembly. Until now, Prince Norodom Ranariddh has continued to raise the territorial issue, as he understands that it is a vital issue for the nation, and he continues to mention it again and again. Even though an additional agreement [in addition to the border treaty of 1985 with Vietnam] was signed, it remains a problem, as the ruling party did not allow partners in the government to directly supervise the measuring of the border line. The problem was so serious that Prince Norodom Ranariddh decided to resign from his role as president of the National Assembly. Some Cambodian people understand that it is only Prime Minister Hun Sen who still claims that there is not any loss of Khmer territory. However, many Cambodian people, except Prime Minister Hun Sen, know that the Yuon [Vietnamese] and the Siam [Thai] people never give up. But why keeps the Prime Minister claiming that no Khmer land is lost?

“The issue of Khmer territorial integrity made many Khmer people scared, but they thank those who were arrested when they protested against the ratification of the additional border agreement. Mam Sonando, the director of Sambok Khmum Radio, Kem Sokha, the former president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, and Rong Chhun, the president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, had been arrested and were imprisoned, because they talked about these complementary border agreements, claiming that they result in the cutting off of a piece of land to give it to Yuon. Now, those who formerly had shown a strong attitude turned around and softened their attitude toward Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“However, an unidentified official from the Norodom Ranariddh Party claimed that the issue, which has been raised in the past, is not to send troops to protest and reclaim Kampuchea Krom territory, but to insist that Yuon respects human rights, universally declared values, and the Yuon government is also a signatory to human rights conventions.”

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3258, 28.2.2008

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