FORGETFUL IS NOT AN IQ GAUGE,  IT IS A COVER-UP

FORGETFUL IS NOT AN IQ GAUGE

TRUE VALUE OF A PENNY

FIGHTING FOR THE PENNIES

IS THE MOVIE “FIRST THEY KILL MY FATHER” GOOD OR BAD FOR CAMBODIA?

By Sokha Ou-Uun
This was written when I first heard the news about the movie production. I had contacted all parties involved, and some Khmer newspapers, but there was no response. I bring this up again because the movie should hit Netflix anytime now.   

Upcoming Movie "First They Kill My Father"

Since I heard the news about this project, I am having a mixed feeling about what this movie could do to Cambodia and its people.  

On one hand, I am delighted because all parties involved including Mrs. Loung Ung, Mrs. Angelina Pitt, Mr. Rithy Panh, and Netflix CEO have stated that the purpose of the movie is to insure that this kind of tragedy (Genocide Under Pol Pot) would never happen again.

On the other hand, I am afraid that if the movie only concentrates on the human tragedy and not its root cause, the movie could be used as a propaganda weapon by Communist Vietnam (CV), who has been trying, for the last four decades, to legitimize its invasion, its occupation, and its subsequent domination of Cambodia.

Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, and Laos Communist Leader

The truth is, under the direction of Ho Chi Minh, CV created Khmer Rouge (KR) since French era.  The CV supported and fought alongside the KR during Cambodian Civil War from 1970 to 1975.  Without the support of the CV, Pol Pot and his evil gangs of Khmer Rouge would not have won the war, and all the human tragedy that followed would not have happened.  Both COMMUNIST VIETNAM and KHMER ROUGE** bear the same responsibility for this crime against humanity; their hands were soaked with Khmer’s blood.

** Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, and Pen Sovann were once part of the Khmer Rouge cadre.

After the civil war between Khmer Republic and Khmer Rouge/CV ended in 1975, the CV encouraged the idiotic and egoistic Pol Pot to kill his own people by manipulating him to think that he was the first communist leader who could transform Cambodia into a purest communist state that even Vietnam or China could not attain. In reality, CV was simply following its 800-yo expansion plan and tactics.  

The goals were to kill two birds with one stone. The first objective was to reduce Cambodian population, and the second one was to demonize Pol Pot such that no one would support him no matter what, making it easier for Vietnam to conquer Cambodia later. Vietnam used the same tactics of letting their enemy killing each other before conquering and wiping out Champa in 1832.  From 1975 to 1979, orders to commit the atrocity and the killing were received from a mysterious organization called "Angka." Till these days, no one really knows who and what Angka was. Most people believe that it was a Vietnamese clandestine organization that worked and traveled only at night. 

In 1979, after having met all of its objectives and prior to the arrival of the United Nation fact-finding team to investigate what had happened inside Cambodia, Vietnam invaded the country, and declared that the tragedy was over and therefore, there was no need for the UN team to come. Without the knowledge of the root cause of the genocide, and the real reason for the invasion, the world applauded, and the fate of Cambodia was once again left in the hands of its predator, Vietnam.

Cambodians Conscripted to Participate in K-5 Program

Cambodians Clearing Land Under Vietnamese Watch

Did the killing stop after the invasion? I am afraid not. There was no more Angka to order the killing, but Cambodian population continued to suffer.  The conquerer and its puppet government had created a killing plan, masqueraded as an economic and defense plan called K-5 or Bamboo Wall program.

For further reading about K-5:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/cambodia/bamboo-wall.htm

Vietnamese Soldier and K-5 Workers

Under this plan, Vietnam and its puppet government forced hundreds of thousands of Cambodians, at gun point, to go to the jungle to clear lands, knowing that those lands were full of land mines. A new killing field once again took place without too many people knowing it.  For the past several decades, Vietnam and its puppet government have been pulling every tricks in the book trying to convince the world that they were the saviors of Cambodia. Although skepticism has been on the rise, I am afraid to say that the puppet and its master have been somewhat successful in convincing the world that they were the saviors.

Area Landscape Prior To Vietnamese Expansion

Although, there were not supposed to be any Vietnamese troupes remained in Cambodia after the implementation of the 1991 Paris Agreement, reports indicated that a large portion of Vietnamese soldiers did not leave the country; they simply shed their uniforms and stayed on. Today, CV is controlling all aspects of life in Cambodia the same way it did during Khmer Rouge era[1].

If the movie fails to show this truth, I have no doubt that it will become a propaganda tool for the Communist Vietnam and its pawn who, for the past four decades, have been working hard to justify their domination of Cambodia.  As the result, the people of Cambodia will face an even bigger and irreversible tragedy.  They may not just lose their lives this time, but they will lose something even more precious, their nation, their identity, and their way of life as did Champa[2] and Khmer Kampuchea Krom[3].

---

[1] The VC operated secretly and mysteriously behind the scene under the name of ANGKA.

[2] An Empire just South of Annam or Dai Viet (origin of Vietnam) wiped out by Viet in 1832

[3] Cambodia territory (Cambodia South and Southwest coastal area including Prey No Kor or Saigon now changed to Ho Chi Minh City) ceded to Vietnam in 1949 by French to entice Vietnamese King Boa Dai to join French in fighting against the Communists. Once the King got what he wanted for his country, he left the throne and retired in France.

BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR

The Lion Will Do What The Lion Wants

COST CUTTING - TREADMILL SUBSTITUTION

MEDICAL BREAK THROUGH

STILL BE HAUNTED BY O

IMAGINATION - BAD DREAM - REALITY

TWO SIDES OF TAX BREAK

ADDING A SPIN  

"FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER" - GOOD TIMING:

By Sokha Ou-Uun

09-25-2017

Ms. Angelina Jolie, one of the great directors and activists for humanity,  mentioned about her waiting for the right time to produce this movie.

The introduction scene seems to imply that what to follow was the result of the American bombing. Since I already read the book, I stopped watching it once I saw the introduction.

Yes, perfect timing indeed. It may be a coincidence that the propaganda machine of the Cambodian government, for the past few months, has aggressively blamed the US bombing** for the birth of Khmer Rouge, and warned people about the return of the Pol Pot era. What happened under Khmer Rouge was a human tragedy that must be told, and I am glad it was made into a movie.

At the same time I am sad that many remnants of the same Khmer Rouge are still in power, and are using the movie as a propaganda tool to support their agenda, which are to blame the US, and scare the Cambodian people about what could happen if they continue the course of demanding real justice, freedom, and democracy (JFD) from the dictatorship regime.

The lack of JFD had played a role in the downfall of Cambodia, and the history may repeat itself again. The peaceful atmosphere in Cambodia claimed by the dictator is superficial and is no different from the atmosphere at a cemetery where dead people can't talk. 😡

** Only half true. See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwfYG6B7LE

OLD WOUNDS ...BOOK AND MOVIE ABOUT KHMER ROUGE ... THERAPY OR CASH COW

Books About Khmer Rouge

It has been more than 40 years that a large scale atrocity took place in Cambodia under the hands of communist regime lead by Pol Pot and many others who are still in power, and continue to use Khmer Rouge culture to intimidate Cambodians.

“Much had been documented, and much had already been written.”

During the last 40 years or so, the atrocity committed by Khmer Rouge has been written and documented hundreds of times over. The world has become fully aware of what happened, and so have Cambodians. As time passes, victims of this large scale human tragedy have come to term with the past and for the most part, have moved on. They have put the past behind and are looking for their futures and the future of their nation. 

In an interview with ABC Good Morning America, Angelina stated that while shooting the movie " First They Kill My Father" in Cambodia, she was surprised by the easy going attitude of most Cambodians despite having lived through the tragedy. This should not at all be a surprise; it should be a testimony that healing had already been taken place and people are beginning to work toward the future. Bringing up this darkest moment of Khmer history is amount to opening up old wounds, and for what?

Hun Sen Issued Threat

Now a day, references to this dark era of Cambodia are often brought up for either political or financial gain. Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen uses this to put fears into people to vote for his party. Vietnamese government tries to keep this in the mind of people so it can continue to demand gratitude from Cambodians, to justify the invasion, and to redirect Cambodians from realizing the true Vietnamese intention, which is to dominate or colonize the former Indochina which includes Laos and Cambodia.  

Vietnamese Monuments in
Cambodia

As ways to remind Cambodians and to keep Cambodians from moving forward, the Vietnamese, with the help of their puppet government of Cambodia, has built monuments tagged as friendship monuments, all over Cambodia. Through threats and briberies (sticks and carrots), Vietnam has been able to control most of the leadership of its puppet Phnom Penh regime of Hun Sen.  

Hun Sen and his clan are not the only people who are trying to benefit from this dark history of Cambodia; others are trying also. Stories about the atrocity and human sufferings under Khmer Rouge continue to pop up now and then, each claiming that they must be told to help Cambodian victims to cope, although the same stories had been told and documented hundreds of times over, and despite the fact that most Cambodians had already moved on. 

          

While Hun Sen uses it for political benefits, others are using it for financial gain. Recent surges of stories either in book or multimedia format, for the most part, serve as a "cash cow" rather than a real meaningful therapy for the victims. One must always ask: What is the point, and who are the beneficiaries? Does personal and financial gain play a part of this updated revelation? Will this politically benefit Vietnam and its puppet?

Let's stop the milking!

To really help Cambodia and its people, efforts should be made to show how and why the atrocity took place, who else and what foreign countries were involved in the Killing Field? Most importantly, efforts must be made to uncover the remnant of Khmer Rouge who are still in the government and who continue to intimidate Cambodians ala Khmer Rouge. Simply telling the story just is not enough.

LINK: First They Kill My Father - Movie Review

FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER MOVIE

(to sooth or to re-open old wound)

While many Cambodians and people in the movie industry are busy promoting the movie, "First They Killed My Father," poor Cambodians and Democracy in Cambodia continue to be victimized by many other actions of " First they ..."

The new "THEY" are taking advantage of the distraction created by the movie, to quietly work toward setting up scenes for another movie: "They Finally Succeed Their Quest To Commit a More Gentle But Deadly Killing Of Justice, Freedom, and Democracy (JFD) in Cambodia."

In an interview with ABC Good Morning America, Angelina stated that she was surprised by the easy going attitude of most Cambodians despite having lived through the tragedy. Has she ever thought that may be after some 40 years, the wounds have already been healed and people are beginning to work toward the future?

Despite the good intentions claimed by all parties involved in the making of this movie, I still have my doubts. Is it a good idea to reopen old wounds that had already been healed? Would this project be nothing but a cash cow for some? Would this become an unintentional tool/opportunity for people who would like to see the death of JFD in Cambodia.

Are we going to wake up one morning and see this headline: " They Finally Kill JFD in Cambodia?"

I appreciate what Angelina has done to help Cambodians. However, as important as remembering the history, one must also be mindful about the present, or the history will repeat itself.

I sincerely hope that the movie would miraculously make people aware that what is happening in the Kingdom now is very similar to what the Khmer Rouge (all of them - no exception) were doing in 1975.

WE WISH WE HAVE A MAGIC WAND

" President Trump pledged to ‘Make America Great Again’. On the campaign trail he promised when it came to our military, he would rebuild it and return it to one of the finest. Trump promised he would increase the size of our troops – adding 350,000 soldiers to our U.S. Army and adding 10-15 battalians to the U.S. Marine Corps. He also said he would add 1200 figher aircraft to the U.S. Air Force, as well as, 350 Surface Ships and submarines to our U.S. Navy."

Of course, every Presidents, every Americans, all want our military to be all mighty. If we could magically wave our hands and make this happened, we all would. However, there are things called reality. Social, financial, and military components are all intertwined. Balancing these three components are very difficult. Great Presidents are the ones who have the skill, knowledge, and common sense to strike a good balance between these components. I sincerely hope that Donald Trump would be one of them. If only one component were sufficient for the success of our country, a FOOL could do it.

THREE-CARD TRICK 

Speed Is The Essence

Just a few week ago, the push to replace ACA* was dead. Now it has become Johny 5** again. What change during the last few weeks? The official answer is that modifications have been made to the initial proposal. Were the modifications any good? Were there anything hidden from the public? Lets analyze some of the comments made in this video:



1. "ACA has failed": Not in my book. If it was not for the ACA, I would ha...ve been in a deep shit a few years ago. But this is just my personal experience.


2. "All law makers should come out and work together": Nice remark, but how can people work together if the GOP is doing the Mig 17*** thing, putting​ it up for vote only 17 hrs after the modification became public.

3. "Afraid of the truth be known": I am not Pelosi's fan, but I believe she is right on this one. Why the Mig 17? Why not giving a week or two for us to understand and may be to write our congressmen about how we see or feel?

ACA is not North Korean missiles. It does not need Mig 17 to resolve it. Is this a three-card shuffling trick where the soul purpose is to cheat with speed?

* Affordable Care Act.
** In reference to a movie about a robot being brought to life.
*** In reference to the speed of a Russian fighter, MIG 17.

HUMOR - America's Fate:

TWO DIFFERENT TALES ABOUT HOW WE GET HERE:

Rumors were that somewhere in a red-planet galaxy thousands of light years away from Earth, a young boy accepted a challenge while everyone else dared not to.

Now becoming an old man, he is fulfilling his promises. Although everyone knew that the old man had made promises, no one knew for sure, whom he had made the promises to.  Yet, others believed that it was a divine person who issued the challenge; therefore, they thought he was a chosen one.

Which story do you believe?

"OOMA," LAWS OF THE JUNGLE
A political satire by Sokha Ou-Uun


The dialogs are in Cambodian language, but the translation or the story goes like this:

Ducks Asking For Help

Once upon a time, there was an animal kingdom  called Thug's Law located some where in Southeast Africa. This kingdom is supposedly ruled by a spiritual rabbit who has been perceived to have been granted by heaven as the supreme leader of the kingdom.  There were also a bunch of small animals who want nothing but to live there freely and equally.  Among these little creatures, there were ducks who often stood up for the rights of all animals living in this Thug's Law kingdom. 

Then, there were a lion and a bear with a bunch of wild dogs roaming and enforcing the laws in  the kingdom. They took whatever they pleased and did whatever thugs do to control everything in the kingdom. They sometimes reached outside the kingdom to recruit new brainless dogs. Small animals often fell victims to the all mighty lion and bear; they were terrorized by them or even terminated by the OOMA** jungle law.

Consultation

In one instance, the lion and the bear decided to ban the ducks from swimming in any lakes, citing an article of the OOMA. For years, the ducks were trying to do everything they could to get back in the lakes. But nothing worked. Then, they thought of the supreme spiritual rabbit and asked him to grant them the permission to swim. For some reason, even though the law of the land had already granted the rabbit the power to decide, the chief went to the lion and the bear to confirm the existence of such law. 

In response, the lion and the bear told the rabbit that the laws of the kingdom, Art. BS.101 does not permit anything with GREEN feathers to swim.  The rabbit accepted the explanation and told the ducks the bad news. 

The ducks had no choice but to accept that explanation because telling the rabbit that their feathers are actually YELLOW and not green could be seen as a challenge to the supreme leader, which is the worst crime anyone could commit in the kingdom.

Bragging About OOMA

The Two Evils

After the rabbit had left, both the lion and the bear started to dance and chant "OOMA ! OOMA ! OOMA !...."

One might ask how did the lion became so powerful, and had more power than the heavenly spiritual rabbit. The answer is, the lion has sold its soul to, and has been supported or controlled by two evils, Mr. Vee and Mr. Chin.   

    

**  OOMA : Out Of  My Ass

MESSAGE TO ALL OEOEU: Stop Whining!
By Sokha Ou-Uun

Not a day goes by that I do not hear moaning and whining from the OEOEU. This is not a scientific sample, but I must say, 60% from the RIGHT and 40% from LEFT. The US election is over. Get over it. Right or wrong, we have to deal with it. Stop the tit-for-tat, stop attacking national problems with finger-pointing, get down and work to find solutions.

For the losers, mostly LOEOEU, whining is not going to change the election result. Work to change things that you feel that is wrong. Look at issues instead of personality. Stop blaming the media for not reporting what you like. Does it matter where you get the news from? You get the info, use your brain,analyze it, and work with it.

For the winners, mostly ROEOEU, there is no need to keep on trying to justify the victory by blowing other people's candles. You have won. Use big stick instead of BIG MOUTH and start working on the promises. It is the end results that will tell whether or not this is for real. Stop blaming the media for not reporting what you like. Does it matter where you get the news from? You get the info, use your brain, analyze it, and work with it.

So stop this childish tantrum just because you did not get what you wanted: not winning or not fully accepted by all. For the sake of this country, please go and prove yourself.

(OEOEU: One Eye One Ear User - R for Right and L for Left)