Immorality & Politics: Who is Nita? Part 2...

Who is Nita? Part 2

"Silence is not necessarily golden"

Cambodian Politics: Where immorality can bite ...

Nita: Who is Nita?

Click here for Samdech Decho's answer where he knows it all!

http://www.khmerlive.tv/archive/20110706_PM_Hun_Sen_Speech_at_the_Groundbreaking_Ceremony_of_Takhmao_Bridge_-_4th_Cambodia-China_Friendship_Bridge.php



Where your money can be wasted!


Click for more on Who is Nita, Who is Nita's Mother? Who is Nita's Father? 
From PM Hun Sen'd Speech on 7-6-2011

http://www.box.com/s/l2bxlab4egsq58o7a0sf

Some people pull teeth, others sell their gold teeth, collect their welfare and social security checks to feed Nita and her mom, hoping that Cambodia can be freed from Vietnam by career politicians.

Economy is tight! Before  taking food away from your children's kitchen table or withdrawing from their education's funds...Please investigate thoroughly.

"Silence is not necessarily golden"

A little leak, a little lie and a little too late for the UNITY

Pictures and comments on the left are from KI-Media blogspot.com.
                                                                      
A secret phone talk between Samdech Hun Sen and Kem Sokha on July 25,  2007 has brought storms of criticisms from all sides.(Click here for Bayon TV's discussion.)

The leak had caused Kem Sokha to become the instant spin doctor for his HRP trying to explain why he had to speak to Premier Hun Sen regarding their strategy to weaken SRP, etc...(click here to read the transcript).

In Cambodian politics, lies can be called maneuvers. When a politician lies and get caught he may get away with it, if he/she can charm his/her way out of such a deception. After all, many voters may have a short memory.

Kem Sokha’s reasons why he needed to talk to Samdech Decho Hun Sen are ridiculous and unreasonable for many of us, but those who are on his side including his yes-men/women will find ways and means to justify Kem Sokha’s actions.

One may question why many other party’s leaders were not given the same opportunity (or didn't need) to talk with the premier to get his green light. However, Kem Sokha believes it is OK to have some candid conversations with different party leaders; after all Samdech is a Khmer, too (!).

It pays to know someone on the top, doesn’t it?

Some HRP’s members might suggest HRP’s Disciplinary Committee to take some actions against Kem Sokha, except they knew too little how HRP operates. The “democratic processes” inside this party exist only on paper. What Kem Sokha wants, Kem Sokha gets it. Nepotism does exist.

Many HRP's founders and key members have left because they had lost confidence in Kem Sokha and his organization. Others, who got smarter, have completely stopped supporting HRP. Nevertheless, other fanatic members will continue to believe in his "maneuvers" hoping some days they will reap personal and political benefits together. Those who knew about the talk (between Samdech and Kha) or other secrets and believed they were misled have already made their decision to jump ship.

It is believed that after this first little leak and little lie; many HRP members will have to reconsider their support. Members who believe that Kem Sokha directly or indirectly deals with Samdech Decho, will probably have to join CPP openly rather than working with its proxy.

SRP on the other hand will reap some immediate benefits from the leak. Many SRP’s leaders have questioned Kem Sokha’s motive and sincerity well ahead of the inception date of HRP.

The relationship between SRP and Kem Sokha turned bitter when SRP boycotted all Kem Sokha’s CCHR public forums in the early part of 2006 claiming that Kem Sokha had repeatedly attacked SRP in the open.

Recently, Kem Sokha stated that the difference between him and Sam Rainsy was like oil to water. If that is the case, what can we say about his relationship with Samdech?

Kem Sokha’s attitude toward SRP seems to be consistent. His conversation with Premier Hun Sen further reveals his true intention: to split SRP.

His primary target was not the CPP but the oppositions. Cambodian professional politicians who live on politics know very well that most members of the CPP are completely loyal to their leaders at all levels. There is little chance any CPP member will jump ship to be with a HRP; therefore, it is obvious that the creation of HRP has only helped weaken SRP as well as other oppositions.

Meanwhile, some overseas Khmers are still vulnerable to the belief that many members of the ruling party as well as the other oppositions will switch to support HRP because Kem Sokha’s HRP is “the best and the last choice Cambodians have.”

However, such a theory was just a propaganda aiming to find monetary support from naïve Cambodians abroad. It is unquestionable that the overseas Khmers love Cambodia and its people that is why some shrewd politicians manage to use the pain and suffering of poor Cambodians to squeeze our heart, soul and bank account.

More and more Cambodians in Cambodia now are much better off than they were and yet HRP have not been able to raise enough funds to support its operation. What are they trying to tell us?

Regardless of what Kem Sokha says or swears, the private discussion between him and Hun Sen helps enlighten Cambodian people that both HRP and CPP do have at least one common goal and the same opponent: the Sam Rainsy Party.

With this in mind Cambodians can put an end to their long waiting dream—a unity among the Non-CPP.  At the end the CPP and its affiliates will be the winner(s).

A little leak, a little lie and it is little too late for the UNITY.

Thailand uses Muscle to get "arm-twisting" or bilateral talk with Cambodia

From the very beginning of the conflicts, Thai military did not want to have a third party involved with border issues between Thailand and Cambodia fearing that the world would know the truth about Thailand's naked aggression.

The meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, failed for Thailand refused to send its high officials to meet Gen. Tea Banh and Hor Nam Hong there. Mr. Tea and Hor went home empty-handed.

Since then Thailand has prepared for a bigger war with Cambodia by conducting military exercises instead. New additional war planes freshly purchased from Sweden had also arrived in Thailand. 

Now to prove that Thailand means business, Abhisit is demanding again for the "bilateral talk" while Thailand is flexing its military muscle at the border. Thai military have warned that sophisticated weapons would be used. The CNN report below helps prove that Thailand would do whatever it takes to twist Cambodia's arm.

In addition, Thailand blamed Cambodia that it was Cambodian soldiers who started the fight. Perhaps Thai leaders think that they can fool the world again about their naked aggression.

================

Troops clash in disputed area along Thailand-Cambodia border

By the CNN Wire Staff

April 23, 2011 5:01 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Each side blames the other for the violence
• Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from nearby villages
• Cambodian officials accuse Thai troops of attacking
• Thai officials say Cambodia violated an agreement over weapons and troops

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Renewed clashes in a disputed area along the Thailand-Cambodia border killed at least one Thai soldier and left 11 people injured Saturday, Thailand's MCOT news agency reported.
The skirmish came a day after officials said three Thai soldiers and three Cambodian soldiers were killed in fighting there.

Each side blames the other for the violence, which erupted Friday near two temples in the Phanom Dong Rak district of Thailand's Surin province.

Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from nearby villages.
 Cambodian state-run media described the situation as a "Thai invasion."

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Friday, Cambodia's deputy prime minister said Thai troops had engaged in a "large-scale attack with many types of weapons," targeting areas around temples "deep inside Cambodian territory."

Thai army Lt. Col. Siriya Khuangsirikul accused Cambodia of violating an agreement not to bring weapons or post troops in the disputed area.

Cambodian Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat claimed Thai troops shelled and damaged temples, and flew over Cambodian territory with spy planes, Cambodia's state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse reported.

At least 10 people were killed when renewed fighting flared up in another disputed border area between the two nations in February, prompting the U.N. Security Council to issue a statement calling on both sides to implement a permanent cease-fire and "resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue."

Those clashes, which lasted four days, stemmed from a longstanding conflict related to the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple. Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

At the time, each nation accused the other of firing first, according to a statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.


Conflict over the site has taken place periodically for years. In 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled that the site was in Cambodia, adding that the structure was "an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture."

But Thailand says the 1.8-square-mile (4.7-square-kilometer) area around Preah Vihear was never fully demarcated, and blames a map drawn at the beginning of the 20th-century during the French occupation of Cambodia.

CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this repor

====================

Cambodian, Thai armed clashes force 5,000 Cambodian villagers flee home

PHNOM PENH, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Two straight days of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops over the disputed border areas have forced 1,420 Cambodian families to flee their home for safe shelter, said a senior government official on Saturday.

As of Saturday at 4:00 p.m., 1,420 families with 5,000 people have been evacuated to a safe shelter in Banteay Meanchey province' s Samrong district, some 30 kilometers from the fighting zone, Nhim Vanda, the first vice-president of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, said on Saturday.

The two straight days of armed clashes on Friday and Saturday broke out at the Ta Mon Thom temple and Ta Krabey temple in Oddar Meanchey province, left troops on both sides killed and injured, the temples were in damage and villagers' properties were destroyed.

In the villages near the fighting areas, Cambodian soldiers have found shrapnel and craters resulted from the artillery shelling by Thai troops during the clashes.

Cambodia's Ministry of Defense on Saturday afternoon issued a statement to condemn Thailand for its "repeated deliberate acts of aggression against Cambodia."

"Thai side used DK 75 and 105 mm heavy guns loaded with poisonous gas in today's (April 23, 2011) assault," it said. "Thai military aircraft, including reconnaissance planes flew deep into Cambodia's airspace."

"Heavy weapons, including 130 mm, 105 mm and 155 mm artilleries have also been used during this latest military onslaught," the statement said.

The latest military clashes between the two countries'troops reoccurred just more than two months after the deadly clash on Feb. 4-7 at the border disputed area next to the Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage Site.

Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had a border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

Meanwhile, Indonesia, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), strongly called for the immediate cessation of hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand that recommenced since April 22, a press statement said on Saturday.

"Indonesia also calls for the two sides to continue to resolve their differences through peaceful means as has been reflected in addressing the border dispute between the two countries," said Kusuma Habir, a spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry.

She said that Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa is in communication with his Cambodian and Thailand counterparts to address this latest development.

Khmer Rouge Crimes: Can Duch go to Heaven?

Can Duch go to Heaven?

Pictured is a live feed of former Khmer Rouge chief torturer Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, during his trial on the outskirts of Phnom Penh April 1, 2009. (REUTERS/Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia)


“Anicca” or impermanence is the natural law of change--nothing is permanent but change is.

When Duch or Kaing Gech Iev was a school teacher, he probably believed in Buddhism like most Cambodians did.

Then when he turned to communism, Buddhism and all religions were his enemy. Buddhist pagodas and temples were converted to storage rooms, pig sties or destroyed.

After killing thousands of Cambodians at the S21 prison and being haunted by his own past actions or Karma, Duch finally turned Christian. Since he has found peace in God, Duch believes he will go to heaven when he dies.

Other leaders of the Khmer Rouge organization have found their way into believing in some form of religion as well. Khiev Samphan, Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea and Ieng Thirith seem to practice Buddhism. While normal prisoners are treated like animals, the top Khmer Rouge leaders are allowed to be blessed by Buddhist monks.

Below is the image at: www.vitalyogathebook.com/.../

Most communists who were in the same organization (Angkar) as these Khmer Rouge leaders have now turned to Buddhism. Although no one knows for certain what these former communists are thinking as they bow down in front of the image of Buddha, these people know exactly what they have done wrong in the past and present.

 
Below is the image at: www.khmerwitica.com/.../


Let us hope that the change of heart, mind, soul and faith will bring Cambodia to the right track morally, ethically and socially. Furthermore let us hope that the practice of religion by these people is genuine, and not an act to fool the public. After all, as long as a person is true-hearted, like the "thief on the cross” and Angulimala, during Jesus and Buddha’s time, he or she can be saved.

Like an ostrich, Thailand buries its head but the rest...

Original image at: thesingularityprinciple.blogspot.com/

May be it is better for Thailand to tell the truth and try to rebuild its reputation by helping to clean up those bombs to avoid fatalities and injuries to innocent Khmer civilians who have nothing to do with Thai warmongers.


With modern technology and up-to-date knowledge, people can learn fast and Thailand cannot hide the truth forever.

Fighting with a mall and weak neighboring country like Cambodia will not demonstrate that Thailand is strong, it only tell the world about its naked aggression toward Cambodia.

The uses of cluster bombs, regardless of what reasons, will further destroy Thailand’s integrity and will make Cambodia become more credible.

Cambodians are 100 percents behind Hun Sen when it comes to Preah Vihear issue and they believe him when he said that, “Thailand signs agreements with its hand and quickly erases them with its foot.”

Timothy S. Chhim
    

========================================                                               

Thai Bomb Talk

By Luke HuntApril 13, 2011


StumbleUpon Digg Delicious Reddit Yahoo Buzz Mixx Google Buzz Plurk When the last round of fighting erupted between Cambodia and Thailand around Preah Vihear Temple earlier this year, vigilant journalists suspected cluster bombs were being used, putting civilian populations at great risk. Cluster munitions are explosives that contain smaller bomblets and are too often detonated by civilians long after battles have subsided.

They’re a favorite for children who unwittingly pick-up what they think are toys.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen initially claimed that Thai soldiers had used cluster bombs; a charge denied by Bangkok, which determined it was in fact the Cambodians who’d used the munitions.

Now, experts from the international group Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC), who visited the Thai-Cambodia border and interviewed people injured by the fighting near the Preah Vihear, have confirmed that almost half of the 12 border sites they recently toured were contaminated by unexploded cluster bombs. More importantly, they’ve pointed the finger of blame at Thailand.

Neither Cambodia nor Thailand has signed an international convention outlawing use of the weapons, which has been agreed to by 108 other countries. Perhaps they think technically, this means they stand on solid ground from an international legal standpoint.

But in a classic case of doublespeak Thailand admits that while it didn’t use actual cluster munitions, it did deploy the also-controversial Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM), in response to Cambodia's attacks with BM-21 rocket launcher systems, which struck at targets indiscriminately.

‘Such attacks had impacted Thai civilians. It was therefore necessary for Thai troops to act in self-defense against such military targets,’ the Thai foreign ministry stated last week. This admission was soon picked up by CMC Director Laura Cheeseman, who said a DPICM is in fact ‘a classic example’ of a cluster munition.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi responded, quickly dismissing CMC's claim by saying the group ‘misinterpreted’ the Thai Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva Sihasak Phuangketkeow who’d confirmed the use of DPICM.

According to latest reports, the Thai defense ministry continues to insist that clusters were not used and its sources are now saying that the weapon in question could be the Caesar self-propelled howitzer—whose artillery also bursts into bomblets. It added the army has suspended its use however, after the border clashes in February. Cheeseman says armies do categorize weapons differently, however, that no country besides Thailand has ever questioned the DPICM as a cluster munition.

CMC investigators are urging both Cambodia and Thailand to ban all cluster munitions by joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs—instead of muddying the waters with questions over definitions.

Importantly, it wants Thailand to release more information about the bombs it’s used so the mess can be cleaned-up and perhaps a few lives can be saved.

Less doublespeak would also be welcomed.

Thank you Supalak Ganjanakhundee. The world have learned long ago who have controlled the Thai Government--the ones who possess cluster bombs. 

The two cases in question--the Thai-Khmer border talk and the deployment of cluster bombs--show the world that Abhisit is just a figurehead, to put it lightly. However, some may say he is just a puppet.

The whole situation is an embarrassment to Thailand and makes the "bully boy next door" more mature.

Now what is the King of Thailand going to do?

====================

BURNING ISSUE

Military should not be allowed to interfere in foreign policy

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on April 13, 2011

The latest statement from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in relation to posting Indonesian observers at the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple clearly reflects that it is the military, not the government, that controls Thailand's foreign policy toward Cambodia.

On his weekly talk show, Abhisit said his government had taken the same stance as the military - to not allow Indonesian observers to be |stationed on the 4.6 square kilometres area near the temple, which |Thailand believes comes under its |sovereignty.

Nobody should have a problem if the area in question really belongs to Thailand. If the area is truly under |Thai sovereignty, then it has the right to decide who does or does not enter it. In reality though, this piece of |land is being clamed by both |Thailand and Cambodia, and it |sits at the core of the conflict |between both neighbours.


The Thai military just raised the issue as a tactic to defer the observation. If the observers are kept out of the disputed area, they will have no knowledge of what really happens. This would make the Indonesia-proposed peace plan meaningless and allow the military to scrap it.


The government was wrong in believing that it has full mandate on the foreign policy involving Cambodia when it authorised the Foreign Ministry to make a deal with Indonesia and Cambodia in February, during which it was decided that observers would be stationed at Preah Vihear to monitor a permanent ceasefire.


Indonesia, as chair of Asean, has to lend a hand in resolving the conflict because Phnom Penh took the February border skirmish to the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council then asked Asean to implement a permanent ceasefire.

Initially, having unarmed Indonesian observers monitoring the border situation sounded fine. Many government officials even claimed |that this was a diplomatic victory to prevent aggressive acts from the |other side.

However, this sweet victory turned into a bitter pill a week later when the military disagreed with the idea of stationing observers, saying involving a third party was unnecessary.


Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who represents the military rather than the government, previously tried to use diplomatic means to defer the deal saying he needed to discuss the terms of reference (TOR) with his Cambodian counterpart in the General Border Commission (GBC). However, when Indonesia called a meeting of the GBC and the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Bogor last week, the Thai military, in a |very undiplomatic response, simply refused to go.

The government pretended to honour the deal that it had already agreed upon and tried to explain that Thailand needed more time to study and negotiate the TOR, when in reality it already had more than a month to read and study the proposal.


Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya should have been the one taking care of negotiations with Indonesia and the TOR on observers. Dealing with other countries is his job, not that of the military. As the foreign minister of an elected government, Kasit has the authority to make deals with other countries and honour them.


The Army should only be consulted on technical matters, such as the terrain in the area and whether it is safe from landmines. If the case of foreign observers is a policy matter, then it's the government's call to make the decision.

 ===============

Bangkok Post

Behind THE NEWS

Unrest stirs between ministry and army

• Published: 13/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Signs of conflict between the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Army emerged when Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said last week that Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter the disputed border area.

Gen Songkitti also said an agreement the Foreign Ministry had reached with Cambodia and Indonesia to send Indonesian observers to the disputed border area "has nothing to do with the military".

The deal was made on Feb 22 when Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta to resolve the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting ended with the two countries accepting an Indonesian observer team be stationed along their common border.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not directly respond to Gen Songkitti's comment but said Thailand is an open society and everybody is free to express their opinions.

Mr Kasit confirmed he held talks with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha over the Thai-Cambodian issue almost every week.

But he could not make public details of the discussion because some issues have not been finalised.
"Although we [the ministry and the army] have different opinions, we can still sit and talk with each other," Mr Kasit said.

Regarding the deployment of Indonesian observers, a ministry source said the only inconclusive section of the terms of reference was the "areas of coverage". This is an important point because it determines where the Indonesian observers team will be stationed.

In fact, the Foreign Ministry and the army have both agreed that the Indonesian observers should not be posted in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.

The army also planned to inform the Cambodian military about the Thai stance regarding the Indonesian observers at the General Border Committee (GBC), which is led by defence ministers from Thailand and Cambodia.

But the army changed its mind and refused to join the GBC meeting when Cambodia, the host of the next GBC meeting, insisted the talks must be held in a third country, which is Indonesia.

This has led to the impasse and prompted Mr Kasit to offer to clear the issue during a meeting with Gen Prawit last Wednesday. Although Mr Kasit has decided to take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and the locations along the Thai-Cambodian border where they would be posted, it could not handle the matter alone, the source said.

Citizen Jane of Bangkok: The military is in charge on the border [Really?]

Cambodian Premier Hun Sen usually says that the Thais signs agreements with their hand and quickly erases them with their foot!

The military is in charge on the border


Published on April 13, 2011
One does not have to be an apologist for the less-than-fragrant Phnom Penh regime to recognise the accuracy of the Cambodian foreign minister's complaint that Thailand's government and military speak with different tongues over the border dispute (The Nation news report, April 10).


Anybody with a modicum of experience of Thai affairs realises that ultimately it is the military that calls the shots (excuse the pun). This was shown during the domestic crackdown last May, when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was a "house guest" at Army HQ, and earlier this year, when fighting broke out on the border unbeknown to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who was in Phnom Penh ostensibly negotiating at the time.


Of course, persistent and credible accusations of the inexcusable use of cluster bombs by the Thai side at Preah Vihear in February may well reinforce the reluctance of the Thai authorities, and the Army in particular, to involve outside observers, facilitators or mediators. This topic is very well covered in your editorial of April 11.

It is all a far cry from one of the generally accepted tenets of a functioning democracy, that the military is subject to the authority of an elected executive and has a duty to protect civilians.

To adapt an old saying to the situation here: the government proposes; the army disposes.

Citizen Jane

Bangkok
=========================

Prime Minister for Life

With the current electoral processes where people vote for a party not for an individual candidate, Premier Hun Sen will surely be the next prime minister until or unless: 1) he die, 2) is too old for the CPP, 3) he quits or else-- until he is forced out of the office like other dictators in other countries.


Many people in the oppositions and some observers probably bet or hope that Hun Sen will be forced out of power, but that chance is slim to none.

Looking at the top leaders of the CPP, it is unlikely that any one of them will be able to challenge PM Hun Sen without having a green light from Vietnam first.

Regardless how Cambodians feel about the Vietnamese, Vietnam does have great influences over the Cambodian People's Party. Whoever is skillful enough to promote special ties with Vietnam will have a bright future in this party.

Premier Hun Sen has also made it known that Cambodia owes so much to Vietnam for helping Cambodia from being wiped out by the Khmer Rouge--the former ally of Vietcong and North Vietnamese.

With the principle of virtuous gratitude or “Kunnathor” instilled in Cambodian’s frame of mind for generations, they will always be indebted to the Vietnamese. Likewise, the CPP members are thankful to their respective leaders as well as to Premier Hun Sen for giving them what they have so far.

With gratitude and personal interests in mind, the majority of voters will not mind to have Premier Hun Sen ruled Cambodia as long as he wishes. They deserve him.

Meanwhile, to date, the majority of Cambodian voters don’t see anything in store given by the oppositions; they have seen only empty promises. In additions the news and special events created by the oppositions are more of the same—disunity and disorganize.

The real obstacles to politcal unity

The main reason SRP changed its name was to avoid the internal coup that could split the party. We had seen such a coup in the past when internal fighting within a party split the party into pieces. It has been suspected that the split was the work of the ruling party which had the “ways and means” to buy out some greedy opposition’s leaders. But, you can't buy without a seller, can you?

Whether the work has been done by the ruling party or not, a self-named political entity can only last as long as the person with that name lives provided that he can hold on to his duty.

However, with the entire political arena controlled and monitored by the ruling party, the same can find the way to dismantle its opponents with little or no problems. The important thing is whether politicians truthfully believe in their own principles and are honest with their party and to themselves.

Being a father who is away from home, the family can be shattered; hence the concerns over Sam Rainsy Party without Sam Rainsy being home are understandable. It becomes clearer now that the theory behind naming a political party after one’s own name in order to stay united or to win does not work given that there is no proper democratic process in the political theater.

With the current electoral procedures, the oppositions have no chance to succeed. The political opportunity is set by the ruling party for the oppositions to play in order to legalize its rules. Many years ago Sam Rainsy said he would not become an alibi to the CPP, but as of today Sam Rainsy still wants to continue the same processes. His party has asked to the King to pardon Sam Rainsy so that he would be able to play again in the same uneven political ground. This reason proves that politicians use whatever tactics they can to stay in politic for it is their lifetime career.

Yim Sovann is rational enough for saying that some SRP defectors would only use other political parties such as HRP as a parking lot to move on. Some politicians have already done that. After all, Premier Hun Sen said he would always welcome more defectors to his party.

Learning from Yim Sovan meandering statements as well as my own experience, it is ashamed to find out that certain politicians are deceitful. A number of politicians are playing game by double-dealing having their family members working in different political parties to secure their family’s businesses and their own profession. Using the pain and suffering of Cambodian people as baits, some leaders mix up political and personal businesses at the expenses of innocent donors.

With regard to a mass defection, if it happens at all; it is not because one party is better than the other democratically. HRP is not democratic. Defection is about whether politicians see their potential in a certain party or not. Some people jump ship to seek a better position and/or for a better opportunity. After a while, when they learn about the new leadership and the lack of opportunity, they would do it again—and the final destination would be at the party that can offer them some money, security and position.

It is therefore reasonably concluded that, it’s not about the name of the party, nor about the democratic processes within a party that are the real obstacles for political unity. It’s about the attitude, level of commitment and moral obligation of many Cambodian politicians toward Cambodia’s national interests and toward their party’s principles.

Cambodian politic nowadays is nothing more than just a form of profession which is banking on the pain and suffering of the Cambodian people. However, if ones are mentally corrupted and blinded by money, sex and nepotism; no types of party on earth can help them win for Cambodia.

Regardless of what many corrupted politicians promise to the people, the smelling is too strong for most of them to believe.

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation

Another boost of the cooperation of the three countries is unfolded. This time they focus on youths--the younger generations. The event held by Ho Chi Minh Communist  Youth Union. 

This reminds us of the creation of the Indochinese Communist Party formed by the Vietnamese great man Ho Chi Minh back in 1930.   Ho Chi Minh Youth Union was founded in 1931.

Some of us may want to learn why Cambodian youths are still interested in communism and what the future of Cambodia will look like.

While the so-called democrats or democracy loving leaders are fighting each other, the communists are united.

Learn from them! Point your arrow on the above red and blue organization then click and learn.

====================

NATIONAL

Thursday ,Mar 24,2011, Posted at: 15:09(GMT+7)

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation

Young people from regional countries of Vietnam, Laos and  Cambodia joined in a friendship meeting in Hanoi on March 23. The event, held by the Hanoi ’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, aims to create a forum for youths from the three countries to meet and exchange experiences in educating the young generation to treasure solidarity, promote traditional friendship as well as maintain peace and boost cooperation in the future. The exchange, taking place on the occasion of the 80 th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Year 2011, is a chance for Vietnamese youths to promote the country’s image as well as introduce their Lao and Cambodian counterparts achievements that Vietnamese young people have contributed to the country’s construction and defence. In the framework of the event, participants will take part in a talk themed “Vietnam- Laos- Cambodia youths promote traditional solidarity and friendship for mutual peace, cooperation and development” to update each other on mobilising youth and promote youth’s roles in cooperation for socio-economic development of the three countries. During the event, which will last till March 30, Lao and Cambodian youths will meet with Vietnamese students and visit the country’s historical sites and landscapes.

Source VNA

Opposition dilemma --The Unity is still in the clouds

Defection is nothing new...

Merging, cooperating, uniting, working together, etc. begin with the right attitude of all parties involved.

Nothing in their work now indicates that the Human Rights Party and Sam Rainsy Party can work together. It begins with the attitude of both men—the leaders.

However, if our national interest is not their number one priority they will never have the right attitude to unite. Given their personal records, I know Sam Rainsy is right—the Unity is in the clouds. I will elaborate later when I have the time.

============
Opposition dilemma
phnompenhpost.com

Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha has invited members of the Kingdom’s largest opposition group, the Sam Rainsy Party, to defect to the HRP following the announcement this week that ex-SRP lawmaker Mao Monyvann would join the party.


Mao Monyvann, formerly an SRP parliamentarian from Kampong Cham province, resigned from his post earlier this month before holding a press conference this week to criticise the SRP leadership, accusing lawmakers Yim Sovann and Eng Chhay Eang of wielding excessive control over the party. In the aftermath of his comments, the SRP asked him to resign from the party and he joined the HRP.

SRP head Sam Rainsy now lives abroad to avoid a pair of jail terms totalling 12 years that were handed down against him last year in connection with a protest he staged at the Vietnamese border in 2009. He was stripped of his parliamentary seat earlier this month as a result of his convictions.

“The HRP will become the biggest opposition party in Cambodia if Sam Rainsy cannot return,” Kem Sokha said.

“We do not want him to be absent – I want to have him here as a partner,” Kem Sokha added. “But if he is not present, I believe the HRP will play an important role in pressing for a change from the current leadership.”

Yim Sovann said Kem Sokha was “dreaming” if he thought the HRP could become the Kingdom’s largest opposition party, noting that the HRP only holds three seats in the National Assembly compared with the SRP’s 25.

The spat raises questions about the proposed merger between the parties, which have been in talks for months but have yet to reach an agreement.

Merger talks between the HRP and SRP have stalled in part due to disagreements about the leadership structure of a unified party. SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said yesterday that his party was still committed to the negotiations, but that Mao Monyvann’s public criticisms this week had prompted a reassessment of the proposal.

“The HRP used Mao Monyvann’s attack and broadcasted it on the radio, and it is not right to act this way,” Son Chhay said.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the recent bickering among the opposition parties showed that a merger was unlikely.

“They cannot live together, and it has been this way for a long time,” he said. “The SRP has 25 parliamentarians and they do not allow a party with three parliamentarians to control them.”

Can Sam Rainsy Party survive without Sam Rainsy?

It is a real test for SRP, as this headless organization is trying to weather a violent storm. 

Internal power struggling (for positions and money) is generally the main factor. 

Without Sam Rainsy, SRP sooner or later will be crumbled.

 ======================================

 This article is from The PPP:

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Mao Monyvann, a former Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian who represented Kampong Cham province, speaks to reporters yesterday in front of the National Assembly in Phnom Penh.

Former Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mao Monyvann has blasted the SRP leadership one week after announcing his resignation from parliament, charging that a handful of opposition leaders have monopolised control of the party.

Mao Monyvann, formerly an SRP parliamentarian representing Kampong Cham province, stepped down from his post last week, citing “personal reasons” and a promise he said he had made to his supporters that he would leave his post if he failed to increase support for the party in other provinces.

At a press conference held yesterday morning in front of the National Assembly, Mao Monyvann told reporters that the families of lawmakers Yim Sovann and Eng Chhay Eang had taken an excessive amount of control of the party in the absence of SRP president Sam Rainsy, who fled the Kingdom in 2009 to avoid a court case against him and remains in self-exile.

“Sam Rainsy has national ideals and bravery, but this cannot liberate him from the power of these two families,” Mao Monyvann said. “Do we have any hope at all if Sam Rainsy cannot liberate himself from the grasp of these two families?”

Yim Sovann’s wife, Ke Sovannaroth, is also an SRP lawmaker and serves as secretary general of the party. Eng Chhay Eang’s brother-in-law, Kuoy Bunroeun, is currently a lawmaker representing Takeo province who is set to replace Mao Monyvann in Kampong Cham as part of a parliamentary reshuffle announced earlier this year by the SRP.

Mao Monyvann was set to move to Takeo as part of the reshuffle, which was originally supposed to go into effect on Thursday but has since been postponed indefinitely. Mao Monyvann rebuked the party for this postponement, calling on it not to “return the words to its tongue”.

Mao Monyvann strongly denied having plans to defect to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party or any other party, though he said he preferred the leadership of the opposition Human Rights Party to that of the SRP.
Yim Sovann denied yesterday that his family wielded inordinate control over the party.

“In the SRP, a few individuals cannot do whatever they want,” he said. “There are millions of supporters – a few people cannot do whatever they want without a collective decision.”

Yim Sovann added that Mao Monyvann was within his rights to raise complaints, but that the SRP was confident in its strategy to take on the ruling party.

“It is normal that every decision will not make everyone happy,” he said.

Stop the fight among us: the Khmers

Stop fighting among ourselves

If the report in Bangkok Post (http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/224455/cambodian-move-raises-border-tension) is true—that Hun Sen is putting the Khmer Rouge soldiers to face the Thai forces around Preah Vihear—then it would mean that those poor Khmers, mostly the underprivileged ones, are being sent to the frontlines to face the almighty Thai army.  Although the Khmer Rouge are considered battle hardened in the past, these soldiers are now older and have not been in combat for many years.

The Khmer Rouge soldiers are not equipped with proper protection and sophisticated weapons. They are not armed to the teeth. Their fighting ability is no match to Thailand’s military might, which is among the best in Asia, if not in the world. This comment should not be misconstrued as a submission to the Thai, but it is just the matter of fact. It has nothing to do with nationalism or patriotism.

It reminds me of the many events in the recent pasts, whereby the Khmers are being sacrificed for the livelihoods of others.

In the 1970’s, when Cambodia was invaded by the then North Vietnamese and Vietcong, thousands of young Khmer men were sent to combat against the more experienced Vietnamese armed forces and thousands of Khmers were killed. Many of my friends who went to fight in the battles--such as in Chenla I, Chenla II, just to name a few--had never returned from the battlefields. Those young men and women were the cream of the crops for the Khmer race. They could have been here with us and produced thousands more offsprings.

Needless to say, thousands of young Khmer men and women who went to join the Khmer Rouge, the Khmer Roumdos of Prince Sihanouk and the North Vietnamese/Vietcong to battle the Khmer Republican Army were also killed and maimed.  Hundreds of thousands of Khmer lives were destroyed by the American air raids. Millions tons of bomb (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88jrZjsNHPc&feature=player_embedded) were used in a few short years. Many of my relatives and friends who went to join in the fight never came back. Those were the cream of the crops of Khmer blood.  They could have been here with us and produced thousands more Khmer children.

Map showing 115,273 targets of U.S. secret bombing of Cambodia between October 1965 and August 1973. (Taylor Owen)

www.japanfocus.org/-Ben-Kiernan/3380

The remaining Khmer young men, women and their family members whom were left over from the 70-75 war--most of them sided with the American-backed government of Lon Nol--were savagely murdered during the Pol Pot rule of 75-79. Some two millions Khmer lives vanished in a few short years.  Most of them were the cream of the crops of Khmer race. If they were here with us, they could have produced millions Khmer families.

                                            From: https:/.../tag/vietnam-invaded-cambodia/

 
Then, the last waves of the killings were during and after the Vietnamese invasion of 1979. Countless of Pol Pot’s soldiers –all Khmer—were sacrificed to fight against the hundreds of thousands well armed Vietnamese invading forces.  Can we imagine, how many Khmers were shot to death by the Vietnamese and how many were maimed and injured? At the same time, the Vietnamese also recruited thousands more of Khmer men and women to fight against the Khmer Rouge guerilla. Countless more Khmers on both sides died in the many battles during and after the Vietnamese invasion.

What about the K5 Plan? During my first visit to Cambodia in 1992, I learned a new “saying” by Cambodian people-Tov Chiss Laan, Mok Vinh Chiss Chaan—it meant when young Khmer men and women were sent to serve in the K5 Plan they went by the truckloads, but when they returned, they (their ashes) came back inside small urns.  Thousands more of Khmers—the cream of the crops—were sacrificed. They could have produced thousands more Khmer families, if they were here with us.

Now, a decade later, the last cream of the crops of Khmer men and women—they are called the Khmer Rouge soldiers, along with the so-called Cambodian Royal Armed forces, who are mostly underprivileged--are about to be sacrificed against the almighty Thailand’s armed forces.  Meanwhile, those children of the rich and powerful ones, many of whom are new comers (can't even enunciate Khmer words), enjoy their time singing in Karaoke bars, eating and drinking in fine restaurants and nightclubs, driving luxurious vehicles, etc…

My Khmer brothers and sisters: Whether you are in Vietnam, in Thailand and elsewhere in the world, let’s us stop fighting against each other.  There are many Thai soldiers who are Khmer as well as there are many Vietnamese soldiers who are Khmer. Let’s furthermore remember that during Vietnam War, many of our Khmer brothers and sisters who lived in Kampuchea Krom were sent to fight into the fierce battlefields. We had killed each other in the battlegrounds throughout Vietnam as well as in Cambodia.  The so-called Mike’s Forces army was nearly wiped out—many thousands of those fine young men and women were Khmer.  They could have produced thousands Khmer families in that region if their lives were spared from the fighting. 

                                   http://www.kneesinthebreeze.com/images/soos/index.html

Now this: By looking at the elements of Thai fighters, I see that many of them are the underprivileged ones. Many of whom are Khmer men and women who are of Thai nationals. They are being positioned to confront their brothers and sisters--Khmer men and women who are also poor and uneducated inside Cambodia. Shall we fight and kill each other again?


                            Source: Cambodian Newspaper Koh Santepheap

Wherever we are, we all are Khmer- Just Khmer—not Khmer Loeur, Khmer Kandal, Khmer Krom, Khmer Krao or Khmer Khnong.  Our Khmer race is being wiped out.  Whether we are being systematically eradicated by others, by our own past ignorance or both, we need to stop the annihilation right now.  

Stop the Killing! One Khmer life is priceless.    

Move on Mark A. Vejjajiva and be a better man--Thanarat did the right thing.

Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva should have more dignity as an educated man in modern times.

The Preah Vihear case is over and done with since 1962 when the World Court decided and when then Thailand Prime Minster Sarit Thanarat’s government agreed with the verdict of the World Court: Preah Vihear and its surrounding belonged to Cambodia.

On the left is the image at: www.safran-arts.com/sarit-thanarat.html

No one is crazy enough to believe that the World Court only awarded the "Temple" or "the monument" to Cambodia without the surrounding land.  Mark, you have made a fool of yourself.

It’s natural that any person or persons who lost in court would feel bad and disagree with the decision, but a man with dignity would live by such a decision and move on.  Prime Minnister Sarit Thanarat and many of his ministers reportedly wept over the decision, but they accepted the verdict with dignity. The case was closed!

According to the attached report (http://www.box.net/shared/3f0yyv84ve) Sarit told newsmen the Thai government's decision was based on a desire to "maintain our fine reputation in international affairs."  In the eyes of good men, it means that to accept the World Court’s verdict was the right thing to do for Thailand and for the world.

In this matter, Sarit Thanarat was a better man than Mark A. Vejjajiva -- an elite Thai with a PhD --who has been using the emotions of some yellow-shirt extremists to demonize himself, the Thai King as well as Thailand.  

Move on Mark.  It was the wrong move by Thailand from the beginning.  What Thailand have done here is to help put Premier Hun Sen , whom some of you have called him as “a bully boy next door “ on the pedestal and make him a hero and Cambodia the champion of ASEAN.  

Remember this; Premier Hun Sen may be “a bully boy next door” for Thailand but, it is the Khmer Temple of Preah Vihear that makes all Khmers unite behind him.  

The Puppets

The Puppets

There is no doubt that Hun Sen has gained his power as Cambodia’s ruler resulting from the Vietnamese invasion in 1979. The answers to why Vietnam invaded Cambodia have been debated and are still being debated nonstop for many years. Those who are on Hun Sen’s side say that the Vietnamese came to save Cambodia; those who are against Hun Sen say that the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia for its owns purpose—to create the Indochina Federation under full control of Vietnam.

The debates will go on forever, but the truth of the matter is-- Hun Sen is Cambodia’s Prime Minister.

If we believe that Hun Sen (and his CPP) is a Vietnamese puppet, a Vietnamese dog who runs Cambodia for his master, Vietnam; why should we be upset with Hun Sen? Why do we get angry with the puppet and not the puppeteer? Is it easier for us to beat the up the puppet?

When we acknowledge that Hun Sen is the puppet, we can reasonably believe that the puppeteer (Vietnam) can simply replace Hun Sen with another puppet, can’t it? Then what are we going to do with the new puppet? Get rid of that puppet again, right? I guess what I am trying to ask here is when will Vietnam stop employing its puppet, if its goal is to swallow Cambodia or to wipe out Cambodians from the surface of the earth?

Unfortunately, Hun Sen is not the only puppet that we need to deal with but Vietnam has millions of puppets who help Hun Sen run Cambodia. What are we going to do with those puppets? Get rid of them?

I am not asking you how we are going to get rid of them; I am asking do we need to get rid of them, too?

If we are able to get rid of them all, then how many Cambodians will remain in Cambodia?