BEBEU

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Under the terms listed in the Paris agreement, all foreign troops were to be withdrawn from Cambodia, mainly Vietnamese soldiers.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