Cambodian Unity, Good or Bad? What is Unity?

Recently there is a disagreement in the Cambodian community in California's new Cambodia town about whether to invite Sok An to Khmer parade or not. This disagreement have led many Khmer to evaluate their values and why they as individuals, whether they live in the Cambodia Town or elsewhere in America, would have disagree/agree with allowing Sok An participating in Cambodian New Year Parade in Cambodia Town or now.

Navy Phim briefly summarizes this new stir in the Cambodian community in her blog, I took a chance to post on her blog today and here's what i post in a reply to another blogger who believe Sok An should be allow to visit Cambodia town because its a Khmer thing to do, because this mean Khmer unity. But what is unity, read my opinion below.

FromNavy's Blog
i disagree with Young Khmer on Khmer unity. That does not mean I don’t want Khmer unity or don’t understand this concept. Every individual has an idea, and not all ideas are conceived equally by their thinkers. There are many Khmer, and so there are many Khmer with different ideas, far better ideas of a vision for Cambodia then the current regime. Unity in this context is just a pretext to suppress those different ideas and ways to progress Cambodia. Having different ideas does not lead to war, but not respecting them does, violently suppressing them those. And today, who are those people who commit such acts? They are the Hun Sen regime, so how can anyone accuse the other Khmer of not wanting unity? Hun Sen regime breaks unity and doesn’t understand unity, they only understand servitude. Unity to them means listen to us! However that is wrong why? Because unity does not occur when one person follows another, according to Khmer Young, if we Khmer don’t have unity then we will always have war and struggle, but i disagree. Khmer can have unity and different ideas and there are no wars. no struggle. Unity in Khmer is loving another Khmer, and taking pity on another Khmer, and acting in compassion for the entire Khmer Nation. As long as we have those unity, the love of our people, then the political parties doesn’t matter, if we have 2 hundred, we are all working for a better Cambodia, the pluraism in governmence means that we have learn to accept our brothers and compete with each other maturely to progress our nation based on our individual values and ideas.

And be grateful that there are people out there, smarter then us, who have far better ideas, because if our ideas aren’t great, we still have hopes. That is unity. Which is humble, tolerance, and pity towards others.

Unity is not following the foot step of others. That is slavery. Just another case, what if everyone of us in the Pol Era decide that the best thing to do was to follow the ruling party of the time just for the sake of this unity concept(applied in the wrong way) then wouldn’t Cambodia be all dead by now? Not all, maybe a few thousand survive. But That’s unity, unity in following without dissent, unity in allowing those to do evil continue doing because to disagree would be fragmentation.

That is a disastrous unity. And again today, we are ask to apply that same concept of unity to be allow the Hun Sen regime to inflict suffering on the rest of our relatives that are survivors or Khmer Rough and still living in Cambodia.

Let unity be in the heart, an act of pity and compassion, not the action of submissive and blind following.

Vibol,
http://khmerarts.blogspot.com

Social Activism or Social Blindness - Vietnamese President Meets American Social Activist

VietNamNet Bridge – President Nguyen Minh Triet on December 27 received Merle Ratner, an American social activist and Co-President of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the US.

Ratner informed the President that the VAORRC plans to submit a bill to the US Congress in support and compensation to Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

She highly appreciated the cooperation of the Viet Nam Agent Orange Victims Association (VAVA) and she will work with the VAVA on activities in order to assist AO victims and to continue the legal struggle in the US in the coming time.

She recommended that Vietnam send delegations of youth, women and scientists to the US to help raise people’s awareness and public support on Agent Orange, as well as to reject the accusation of abusing human rights and democracy.

On behalf of the Vietnamese State and people, President Triet thanked Ratner, an age-old friend of the country, for her support of the Vietnamese people during their struggle for national freedom in the past and the AO victims at present.

President Triet also expressed thanks to the American people, especially to the VAORRC for their active support in Vietnam’s struggle for justice for the Vietnamese AO victims. He also expressed his hope that the VAORRC will continue helping Vietnam in this struggle to help reduce the victims’ pain.
-VietNamNet News

Really?

Okay, great work Ratner. You have found something in your life that calls to you and benefits other people. I couldn't agree more Orange Agent is a terrible chemical and it ruined many lives and America should pay for its own use of biological weapon of cruelty because this weapon not only has a short term instantaneous affect, but it affects the innocent lives of people long past after the war. And Vietnam is not the only country afflicted by this American Policy madness of that era, many Cambodians as well were affected.

Here's what I see where you are wrong though. You say that Mr. Triet should send out delegations "to reject the accusation of abusing human rights and democracy" I initially thought you had a good heart and don't have an agenda for your Orange Agent campaign, now I see its just a ploy. You don't wish to help victims of the war, you don't want to help the Vietnamese people. You are a paid government propagandist, by Triet's own word, an old friend of the government. I'm sorry if i shattered your self-acclaim ego of social worker and social activism. You're not a humanitarian, far from it.

How can you be in Vietnam and not know the situation? Do you know how many prisoners of conscious are in Vietnam jail right? How many real social activism are being bind, under house arrest, and abused because they spoke for democracy? Fought for religious freedom, and seek to introduce a multi-party, diverse and democratic Vietnam?

Do you know about the Montagnards, the Khmer-Krom? Khmer-Krom have at least 5 monks imprison and Vietnam even go to make order and arrest a citizen monk of Cambodia Tim Sakhorn. Not only is Vietnam violate the rights of its own citizen but it does not even care for international protocols and play into its weaker neighbors internal affair anytime it wants to. Also what about Father Le, Thich Quang Do, and other people who write from Vietnam and were jailed. I guess their words and suffering didn't count, what do they know, they live in Vietnam right! They're not visitors. They won't see Vietnam with an unbiased eye. Too much influenced and partiality.

Only people like you can see the truth. And I hope your truth set you free, free of your conscious that is.

Sonando: Government Responsibility to the Public and Lack Of

Listen to Mr. Sonando's speech on Cambodian government
Human Rights forum, Mr. Mom Sonando, Beehive Radio Director points out to government corruption of a party-based leadership within the executive department rather then an elective official of people's wish.

He also addresses issues of land ownership, government responsibilities towards citizens.

Here are key points of his speech:
1. Government is a body elected to represent the people, must stay neutral in the obligation of its duty to the nation, not distinguishing who to help based on party loyalty

2. Government duties should not been seen as acts of generosity of certain individuals, citizens must not see it as invitation to pledge loyalty. Government should not use state resource to sponsor political propaganda and reward relief and assistance based on allegiance. It should represent and help all citizen.

3. Government should be responsible for ushering in proper and genuinely helpful development for the citizens rather then to steal their land and accuse them of not being useful with them. Governments should have development based programs and education for poor citizens.

4. The government's land, national asset, does not "belong" to the government.. They are a national asset of the entire citizens and must be shared by all citizens for enhancement of their living.

Nation - Religion - King [-Cambodia is not an independent state]

Kampuchea Krom Buddhist monks clash with riot police during a protest near the Vietnam embassy in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh December 17, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

By Charlie Thach
Posted at KKFYC

On December 17, 2007, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, about 50 Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks with a petition marched to Vietnamese Embassy. The petition called to the government of Vietnam to firstly, release Venerable Tim Sakhorn who was defrocked and deported from Cambodia and imprisoned in Vietnam; secondly, release five Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who are imprisoned in Khleang (Soc Trang) province, thirdly, resolve the conflicts of Khmer Krom land confiscated by the Vietnam government in the post 1978; lastly, for the Vietnam government to respect the rights of indigenous people. The monks were abruptly stopped by sixty Cambodian police armed with shields, wooden and electrical batons, and some armed with pistols and assaulted Ak-47 rifles.

Since the Vietnamese Embassy refused to take the petition, the determined monks then seated in front of the embassy and began to chant, after awhile the monks seeing that it is hopeless to wait any longer and decided to return to their pagoda. But for some of the monks they did not want to relinquish so they tried to move closer to the embassy. Unfortunately, the monks were stopped aggressively by Polices, beaten and electrocuted with the batons. The helpless monks tried to depart back to their pagoda as fast as they could run. The police chased the monks for more than four blocks, along the way the police either kicked the monks with their boots or beat them with their batons.

According to Article 4 of Cambodia Constitution “The Motto of the Kingdom of Cambodia is: Nation, Religion, King” and in Article 43 “Buddhism shall be the State religion.” Even when the King of Cambodia meets a monk; he still has to show his respect because it is a state religion. Unfortunately, on December 17, 2007, Cambodia Police violently broke the motto of the nation to deliberately beat the Buddhist monks.

It is appalling to see pictures of Cambodian armed police kick a powerless monk trying to escape so hard that he ascended into the air and to see monks electrocuted so severely that caused them to faint. Is it true that in Cambodia, the law enforcers are allowed to beat helpless Buddhist monks?

Surprisingly, according to Radio Free Asia, on the same day, there were 39 Vietnamese who live in Cambodia without permission from Cambodian government came to protest in front of Chinese Embassy because China just took over the Spratly and Paracel islands. None of the Vietnamese protestors were harmed by Cambodian law enforcers. The question is why did the Cambodia polices just stop and beat the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who just tried to submit the petition to the Vietnamese Embassy, but they did not do anything to the Vietnamese who protested against China in front of the Chinese Embassy?

The Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks escaped Vietnam to seek refuge in our brother country, Cambodia, hoping that they will have their rights protected. Unfortunately, they even got beat-up by their own Khmer polices who tried to please the Vietnamese Embassy. With this heartbreaking incident, it seems that Cambodia is not an independent state.

More Khmer Krom Monks Being Targetted

The case for Venerable Tim Sakhorn has not been resolved yet. Cambodian National Assembly delegation officials had made a trip last week in hopes to meet the monk and secure his release. They were thwarted from having contact with the monk for some reasons and now in Cambodia we have news of more monks being targetted by authorities.

Much for the same reason they have accused former Ven. Tim Sakhorn, they are accusing these four Khmer Krom monks of holding activities propagated by Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation(KKF) world wide and they have been warned of arrest. Now these monks have gone into hiding.

First, let give some background into KKF. KKF was set up to provide a voice to the unrepresented Khmers living in under Vietnam colonial rule. They call themselves Khmer Krom because they were once part of South Cambodia. The repression against them are not new.

Only surprising to me is why the government of Khmer in Cambodia would aid the government of Hanoi to torture and imprison its own brethren. The Khmer Krom people are a stateless people. No where to go, no where to turn. And soon the entire Cambodia will be the same way with Hun Sen government bowing down to every Hanoi demand.

Essentially Cambodia is not a living democracy. The rule of Cambodia today is not the result of democracy but a deliberate and careful plan of foreign domination by its more powerful neighbor who has been pulling the string in Cambodian politic.

If the words of shadow government should suggest any meaning of secret or conspiracy, then that conspiracy needs no far place to look then Cambodia.

What is going on in Cambodia is a shadow show with master puppeteer pulling the joints and strings of Cambodia.

I am very sadden to see that Cambodia has totally lost its sovereignty and Independence. I am very sad to have a King who thinks his thrown means anything or have any symbolic meaning when his country is under a foreign domination.

Cambodia today is not free. Cambodia today is the beginning stage of a new Kampuchea-hyphenated.
Phnom Penh will be Nam Giang like or not. If we don't become active in our own national interest and protection by striving above apathy and fear or the work for short term reach, we will see our country become a full-fledge vassal of Vietnam very soon.


At least the country citizens will realized it, when the world governments turn a blind eye to Cambodia again like it did in 1979.

Everything will seem legitimate and free. Cambodia is an independent state, from the distant.

Economic Achievents under Prime Minister Hun Sen

Face of Progress

Cambodia's Fast Pace Economy

Father and Son

The love of Premiere Hun Sen, to the Cambodian people, is like father and son. He and his friends will provide us the Cambodian people with warmth compassion, protection, and shelter with gilded walls and tiled roof. No one suffers within Hun Sen's reach and rule. Only the outside world would see cruelty, unpitied pain and suffering.

The Almighty Power of our Great Savior

Round like herds, we our the people of Cambodia, the Khmer. We are the follower of Hun Sen, our herder, our Sheppard and savior. He restores the Kingdom to peace and gives prosperity to all. He sits on the thrown to the right hand side of the King. No one comes to the king but through our great comrade hero and savior, Moha Sena Deko Hun Sen

Our gifts

The gift from our wonderful CPP party

All Hail Great Leader, Comarade Hun Sen

Under the auspices rule of the great Hun Sen and his clan of powerful Okhnas and benevolent
national developments, we the people of Cambodia are happy and proud to kneel before your excellencies and this great government, and prostrate ourselves before civils servants and beg for mercy to not do their job so well by from time to time we invite them to burn our house, shoot our family and steal our land. We are the proud destitute citizen of Cambodia. We are the Khmer people.

Deaths by Starvation- State funded

Mother and children in front of grave of family's first victim of starvation, the father. Cambodia, land of economic growth and booming wealth!

Talking about police brutality; not even New York can compare to Cambodia

Where elsewhere in the world police are public servant, hired to protect the people and enforce justice, in Cambodia they are hired to protect personal rights and wishes of dignitaries and low-life officials. This is Cambodian justice. Justice by death.

The justice which were rendered unto these citizens were caused by greed of of a commune chief. This is a common case for poor Cambodians who have unfortunate karma to face with a government low-life that wants to resolve land disputes, in their favor, at all cost..including human lives-without a blink!

How can people act without such remorse and compassion? What a pity that wealth cripple men's heart like this.

Chroy Changvar - The Uniform of Greeds

Explaining my motion of this picture will ruin it for you. But maybe the background will help enraged you about the injustice committed against these villagers, and this family.

They are victims of land grab by the growing middle class in Cambodia. This family refused to move away from their land. This is the result of standing for your rights in Cambodia!