THE GREAT RALLY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

By Sokha Ou-Uun 

Washington D.C.

On June 10, 2016, multiple rallies/demonstrations were held at different parts of the world, demanding international communities to put pressure on the government of Cambodia led by dictator Prime Minister Hun Sen and his clan to respect human rights in Cambodia. The protesters also demanded the world signatories of the 1991 Paris agreement to investigate the violations of the agreement by both the Government of Hun Sen  (Cambodia) and the government of Vietnam.

Paris

Since 1993, after the Paris Agreement was implemented, the government of dictator Hun Sen has

violated the agreement and continued to do so with impunity. One of the important articles in the Paris Agreement was that all treaties signed during the Vietnamese occupation were to be nulled and voided because those treaties were signed under pressure from the conquerer.

Prior to 1991, the government of Vietnam and the government of Hun Sen had signed many treaties ceding much of the Cambodian territories to Vietnam, including the Island of Koh Tral (or Phu Quc, name given by Vietnam). That particular island is situated less than 8 miles from Cambodia. Of course, those treaties were nullified in 1991. 

Long Beach, CA

However, in 2005, the government of Hun Sen, in order to maintain its power as a puppet government of Vietnam, resurrected all the old treaties signed between the two governments through some form of executive order or a special law.  The King was believed to have been pressured to put his signature on this new scam therefore ratifying it.  Since then, efforts have been made between Vietnam and Hun Sen to accelerate the border demarcation using maps ratified under the treaties signed prior to 1991, later nullified by the Paris Agreement, but resurrected in 2005.

The Paris Agreement also guarantees Justice, Freedom, Equality to all Cambodian peoples. But since 1993, the government has shown not respect to the basic human rights of its own people.  

Washington State

People are being put in jails for simply speaking out or demanding that they have those basic human rights: freedom and justice. The government of Hun Sen has used its judicial system and trumped up charges against anyone who dares speaking up.

Under the terms listed in the Paris agreement, all foreign troops were to be withdrawn from Cambodia, mainly Vietnamese soldiers. When the Agreement was implemented, Vietnam did pull their troops out, but only a small portion of them. Former and late King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia estimated that hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese troops remained. They simply shed their uniforms  and started wearing civilian clothing. 

Washington D.C.

In July of 1997, when dictator Hun Sen launched a coup d'etat to overthrow his rival co-prime minister, Prince Rannaridh, residences living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia capital, had witnessed in horror, their Vietnamese neighbors coming out wearing their Vietnamese military uniforms and joined Hun Sen troops. Those Vietnamese continue to live and work in Cambodia as of today. In addition, Vietnamese people continue to pour into the tiny Kingdom of Cambodia, and Hun Sen's government has done nothing. 

Bottom line, Vietnam and its puppet government of  dictator Hun Sen have acted as though the Paris Agreement did not exist. The main reason for the rallies held across the globe on June 10, 2016 was to bring awareness as well as to ask all the signatories of the 1991 Paris Agreement to launch an investigation into what Vietnam and its puppet government in Cambodia have done in regard to the Agreement.  The rallies also demanded that the Government of Cambodia respects Human Rights and unconditionally releases all political prisoners. 

Note: Similar rally was held Washington D.C.- Olympia, Washington State - Lowell Massachusetts -  Long Beach, California - Canada - France - and Australia  

I WISH I KNEW
By Sokha Ou-uun

Over thirty years ago I was on vacation with my family in Florida and there was an incident that I could not forget.  Remembering it now makes me feel ashamed of why I did not know any better.

Kampuchea Krom & Koh Trol in Light Blue

My family and I were going through the various attractions within Disney’s World Park.  I had made a reservation for dinner that day at what looked like a fancy Chinese restaurant inside the park; we were all looking forward to sitting down and having a nice and relaxed dinner at the end of the day. The last attraction we went to before dinner was the 180-degree dome theater.  The show was about China, its land, its people, and its beauty.

The show was spectacular.  We were visiting various parts of China by sitting on a virtual flying carpet.  We were flying from place to place, seeing modern Chinese sky rises, vast landscape, rivers, ancient cities full of past histories, and meeting people of different ethnics and backgrounds.  We saw the hectic life in big cities as well as the peaceful, soothing and calm way of life in the country side.  Then, an even more beautiful landscape appeared just ahead.

“To the West, our country, Tibet …...” said the Chinese film narrator as the beautiful scenery appeared. At that instance, I did not remember what came over, but I felt a burst of pain and screamed out: “Tibet is not China.”

(Detail of Kampuchea Krom and Koh Tral)

I was not sure if anybody could hear me because the sound system was blaring.  I became very upset such that I had to get out from the theater.  I ended up not going to the dinner at the Chinese restaurant as well, and therefore ruining the rest of the day for my family.

Now, whenever I recall that day, I feel so ashamed.  No, it is not because I had ruined that day for my family, but it is because I have realized how ignorant I was.  There I was, feeling the pain of the people of Tibet who had lost their lands and their culture to China, but knew nothing about the plight of Kampuchea Krom and Koh Tral Island.  Kampuchea Krom, home to millions of Khmers, about one third of the present Cambodia, size wise, was given to Vietnam by France in 1949 because Vietnam knew how to manipulate the Colonial France; Koh Tral is the largest island in the Golf of Siam situated within a stone's throw away from Cambodia main land, left undeveloped by Cambodia, but later occupied and renamed to Pho Qoc by Vietnam till the present day.

After some fifteen years of schooling in Cambodia, I knew nothing about my own country except that our ancestors had built Angkor Watt (one of the world's wonder), and we do not need to worry about our future because we were a great country compared to our neighbors.

At least that how we were taught to believe.   I am ashamed because my governments, past and present, do not make any efforts to remind us about our losses, but prefer to poison us with the idea that we are living in the greatest country on earth, while our map keeps shrinking such that the name of our country can no longer fit in, unless a larger-scale map is used.

That is what I am ashamed of.

WHO WAS THE REAL PAWN?

By Sokha Ou-Uun

During the cold war era, North Vietnam (NV) and South Vietnam (SV) were thought to be pawns to the super powers from the East and from the West. However, Ho Chi Minh (NV leader) had a different take. He was using both the East and West blocks to achieve his century-old plan, which is to be the master of Indochina and to be strong enough to stand up against China. During Vietnam war Uncle Ho did not care about what was being perceived, and he did everything including lying, signing treaties with China recognizing the South China sea as Chinese territories. By the end of the war, both brotherly countries (NV and SV) were united and became one country with lots of military equipment left behind, enough for the new Vietnam to be able to bully and secretly take over its neighbors, Laos and Cambodia.

President Barak Obama Visiting Vietnam in May 2016

The notion of Vietnam being a pawn to a foreign country was not clear then, and it is still muddy now. The US is courting Vietnam to stop China's influences in the area. At the same time, I wonder who is the real benefactor. Will this be a repeat of what happened in the past? Are we, the US, being used by Vietnam to fight its war against China?

Vietnamese leaders are very clever, nationalist and patriotic. They will use all means to achieve their goal. 

I remember as I was growing up during Vietnam war era, North Vietnam bribed the little prince of Cambodia and his generals with WOMEN, BOOZES, MONEY, AND PROMISES to return some of the territories back to Cambodia after the war in order for the North Vietnamese soldiers to continue using Cambodia's territories as safe heaven and base where they can launch military operation against the US.

After the victory in 1975, North Vietnamese leaders ignored the little prince, and instead of keeping the promise of returning the territories, they expanded the areas where they had already occupied and used to base their troops during the war. At one point, Vietnamese leader even returned a whining letter from the little prince un-open.

WARNING: Approach with CAUTION when it comes to dealing with Vietnam.