Un troisième militant des droits de l'Homme incarcéré au Cambodge (2006-Jan-08)          Agence France-Presse : Phnom Penh - Pa Nguon Teang, directeur intérimaire du Centre cambodgien pour les droits de l'homme, a été inculpé et incarcéré jeudi pour diffamation du premier ministre Hun Sen, alors que la communauté internationale s'inquiète des menaces pesant sur les libertés dans ce pays. Cette nouvelle inculpation est intervenue cinq jours après celles de Kem Sokha, directeur du Centre, et de Yeng Virak, directeur du Centre d'éducation légal pour la communauté, arrêtés samedi dernier également sous l'accusation d'avoir diffamé Hun Sen.

Photo Koh Santepheap

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We, the under-signed, Cambodian-Americans and friends in the United States and abroad, call your immediate attention to Vietnam’s continued policy of colonialism toward its weaker neighbor, Cambodia. This blatantly contradicts the United States’ longstanding governing principal of democracy, transparency and the protection of inalienable human rights. These current practices of Vietnam pose imminent danger to Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ultimately these actions threaten the very existence of the Cambodian people.

Attached herewith are supporting letters and an article to be published in the Cambodian Daily from His Excellency K.L. Bindra, Former Chairman and Secretary General (1964-67) of the International Commission for Supervision and Control (ICSC) in Cambodia, a committee established under the 1954 Geneva Agreement on Indochina to verify the territorial integrity of Cambodia thereafter. He urged your administration to look into this present critical “back door communism” that is transported into Cambodia and provides two background articles addressing this issue.

Cambodia’s territory has continually shrunk while the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s land continues to grow since its January 1979 military invasion and capture of Phnom Penh from Pol Pot’s regime. Vietnam installed leadership that consisted of former members of the Khmers Rouge who fled to Vietnam to seek refuge from Pol Pot’s regime and joined forces with Vietnam’s communist organization. Among them is the current dictator Hun Sen. Cambodia’s current government is a colonial regime of Vietnam. Vietnam has imposed its communist system on Cambodia through the back door, as His Excellency Bindra states in his writing. Vietnam was forced by the international community and by the collapse of the former Soviet Union to abandon its direct occupation of Cambodia in 1989; however, it still retains power through its client communist party led by Hun Sen.

Less obvious but more deadly, Vietnam’s colonial policy is evident by the alarming and continuous influx of illegal Vietnamese immigrants into Cambodia from 1979 onward, where substantially none remained during the Khmer Rouge regime. With its protégé Hun Sen in power, Vietnam was able to create land growth and secure full legal status for the Vietnamese civilians in Cambodia through the 1982, 1983, and 1985 agreements. These treaties revoked the agreements that the same Vietnamese leadership made in1967 in its recognition of Cambodia’s borders in the name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and South Vietnam National Liberation Front (NLF). By 1987, there were approximately two million Vietnamese inhabitants in Cambodia. Today, about 17\% of approximately 14 million Cambodians are Vietnamese. Full voting rights from these illegal Vietnamese settlers and a deadly grip on the governing system are allowing Vietnam and Hun Sen to breach the territorial integrity of Cambodia through colonial practices.

It should be noted that many independent NGOs have reported human rights violations by the Vietnamese government on the Khmer Krom, the Cambodian indigenous people of South Vietnam, who are now reduced to ethnic minority status.

Vietnam’s foreign policy of expansionism has already obliterated an entire civilization of Champa residing in what is now the Red River delta of Vietnam during the second half of the fifteenth century. The remaining group of Champs sought refuge in Cambodia, where they remain today. These practices of isolating and of forcing Khmer Krom to take Vietnamese names could be regarded as a form of genocide according to the content of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Furthermore, in his recent speech Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to “legally” deal with Cambodian citizens who dare criticize his stance on the border issue with Vietnam. For instance, he arrested and detained journalist Mam Sonando and President of the Cambodian Independent Teacher’s Association, Rong Chhun. He also brought government charges against four members of Cambodia’s Border Watchdog Council for voicing their concerns. Many NGOs have been reporting that Hun and his government are responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights and repression of democracy.

For all the above mentioned reasons, we urge the United States government, international organizations, the United Nations, the European Union and members of ASEAN and Donor-Nations, to investigate Vietnam for continuously violating breaching Cambodia’s territorial integrity and encouraging the uninhibited flow of illegal Vietnamese settlers into Cambodia. We strongly request all those international leaders who were participants and signatories of the Paris Accords in 1991 on the peace settlement in Cambodia to compile an unbiased report and submit this document to their Member-States for further debate in order to stop current illegal actions in Cambodia.

Cambodia has had a turbulent and tragic history and if it is to have another chance at normal social, political, and economic development, the world needs to firmly monitor this extremely dangerous situation and encourage a democratic and transparent governing system in Cambodia. In the January 1979 invasion by Vietnam of Cambodia, the United States, Western and Third World nations refused to cooperate with Vietnam. We again need that type of moral integrity and resolve to protect the rights and liberty of Cambodia, a Member-State of the United Nations. We sincerely fear that if Vietnam continues to violate Cambodian sovereignty, the Cambodian people cannot be expected to remain peaceful and silent. A human tragedy of major proportion may be repeated in Cambodia. The Cambodian people have the legitimate right and duty to defend themselves against this naked Vietnamese aggression.

Enclosures:
1. Letter to H.E. Robert Tuttle
2. Letter to His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk
3. Articles on “The Cambodian Frontiers of the Sixties, under the Geneva Agreement on Indochina” and “Vietnamization of Cambodia”
4. Article “Lawmaker Concerned by Threats to Basic Freedoms in Cambodia”
5. Petition Signatures

cc  The Honorable Condoleeza Rice
     His Excellency Kofi Annan
     The Honorable Robert Tuttle
     The Honorable Joseph Mussomeli
     His Excellency K.L. Bindra
     The Honorable Richard Lugar
     The Honorable Henry Hyde
     The Honorable James Leach
     The Honorable John McCain
     The Honorable Dana Rohrabacher

Il était une fois ... en 1993

J'étais alors, en 1993, au Cambodge qui se reconstruisait. Pendant les temps libres, je me promenais tout en remarquant l'existence des bars et des bordels. J'en parlais à ma femme de ce problème cambodgien : les ministres, les députés et les fonctionnaires étaient ivres d'alcool, de sexe, de richesse, de dépenses, de réjouissances. Ils en oubliaient les questions nationales. Je parlais à ma femme d'un officiel en particulier qui profitait de la situation et se livrait à la débauche.

Le samedi, il était au bar Beng Thang, dimanche il fêtait à Beng Kâk. Le même soir, il dansait à Teuk Lo'Ak puis à Qhleang Rumsév. Le lundi, je l'ai vu au bar Chhouk Roat où l'on a dû l'empêcher de boire. Il reprenait au bar Martini où il dansait sans connaître la fatigue. Mardi, il était au Chhouk Meas plein de jolies filles, partageant un festin avec ses copains. Mercredi, il était au Chatomoukh, insouciant, ignorant la pauvreté de sa nation, étant secrétaire d'un Grand, il ne pensait qu'aux rejouissances. Jeudi, chez le Chhné Tonlé, encore un banquet animé, les ivres vociféraient, c'était normal pour les grands du temps moderne. Un vendredi, je l'ai vu au Ganga, il m'arrivait même de flaner avec lui et les filles. Parfois je le voyais au Kèp Thméi, parfois le secrétaire allait à Svay Pak. Certaines nuits, il allait au bar Tonlé Sap et y restait jusqu'au petit matin. C'était rare de le voir se reposer de ses réjouissances.

Des soirs, on le voyait au bar Kbal Thnâl, sans surprise. Une filature n'était même pas nécessaire, on savait où il allait se diriger. Certaines nuits, il était en permanence au Phkar Roam Teuk Roam de O'Russei, mais il lui arrivait de cajoler des filles au nouveau cabaret B-Boss. À L'Ambassadeur, la musique était assourdissante, des Khmers, des Américains, des nationalités diverses étaient là, notre monsieur aussi, avec ses amis mâles, collés aux serveuses de bar. Un jour, peut-être fatigué, le fonctionnaire entra dans un salon de massage, le Sakura s'il vous plaît, le fonctionnaire était important. Au Cambodiana, le bar des grands, les pdg discutaient allègrement. Au Pacific, c'était pas si mal, notre monsieur était au bal. Aux simples restaurants, monsieur mangeait avec sa suite accompagnante. Toutes les spécialités, monsieur y goûtait. Au restaurant Punlork, on servait la soupe à la... verge de boeuf, allez-y l'après-midi, vous rencontreriez notre ami. Des fois, monsieur régalait ses vieux amis au Bateau Blanc, sans honte et sans pudeur. Etc., etc.

Et ma femme de me répondre : Hé bien! Essaies-tu de me mener en bateau? T 'étais bien au courant des déplacements de ce monsieur. Ça prouvait que tu étais avec lui dans ces endroits-là! Salaud! ----------- Vers par Vichea Sam traduits en prose par N.P.

Preab Pisey : I wish to share with Your Majesty [Norodom Sihamoni] my humble point of view about what happened to the Kingdom of Champa, a Kingdom which is now completely wiped out of the world map. As Your Majesty can imagine, the Chams had bravely defended their Motherland against the attempt of their aggressor to swallow their Kingdom. But because of the very subtle strategies deployed by their aggressor, the Chams could not oppose any resistance and their Kingdom finished by disappearing. To subjugate totally the Kingdom of Champa, the Chams’ aggressor had the idea of appointing Po Saktiraydaputih, the lieutenant of the Cham King Po Saut (1655), as the governor to administer the Kingdom of Champa.

N.P. : Tel père, telle mère, tel fils !

         Later, the Viet have made Po Saktiraydaputih king of Champa and have signed successive agreements with this King under the pretext of preserving Peace and Sovereignty of the Kingdom of Champa. And parallelly to the agreements, the Viet have encouraged the immigration on the Cham territory under the pretext of protecting the Kingdom of Champa against external threats. But finally, Po Saktiraydaputih backed by the Viet did not do anything good except betraying his subjects and facilitating the extinction of his Kingdom.
         Having exposed this brief history regarding the last “sigh” of the Kingdom of Champa, I am strongly convinced that Your Majesty will do the necessary to reserve another destiny than that of the Kingdom of Champa for Cambodia.       [dans une lettre ouverte au roi Sihamoni]

Chea Mony meets with French parliamentarians (2005-Nov-22)
         Khmerintelligence.org : On 21 November 2005, at the French Senate in Paris, Cambodian union leader Chea Mony – who is confronted with an arrest warrant issued by the Phnom Penh government – spoke at a conference on democracy and human rights in South-East Asia. He met with National Assembly members Pierre Lequiller (UMP; President of the Assembly Delegation for the European Union) and Chantal Brunel (UMP, representing a constituency in the Paris region with a big Asian community), and Senator Catherine Tasca (Socialist; President of France-Cambodia Friendship Group at the Senate; former Minister for Cooperation and Francophonie). Chea Mony is accused by the Cambodian government of “defamation” and “incitement.” When the union leader was earlier this month in Bangkok, on his way to Europe, Cambodian Police Chief Hok Lundy asked Thailand to arrest Chea Mony and to extradite him to Cambodia. [See Thai press article at http:// www.norodomsihanouk.info /mes%202005 /novembre /textes /2211txt4.htm].

Cambodian farmer unwittingly sparks bird-flu fears (2005-Nov-09)          DPA - Phnom Penh : A kindly Cambodian farmer who had been feeding a handful of storks, herons and other migratory water birds out of generosity was horrified when they brought friends, and about 2,000 birds arrived this year at his doorstep, sparking bird-flu fears. Chay Yom, the environment ministry's chief for the northwestern province of Battambang, said that the Kom Peng Poy area had not previously been known for a high density of migratory birds. "The farmer fed a handful of them before bird flu was a danger and, suddenly, this year between 1,500 and 2,000 pelicans, cranes, herons, storks and others arrived to nest near his farm," Chay Yom said in a telephone interview.

Photo Koh Santepheap

         He said the sudden rise in numbers was probably due to a number of factors, including the destruction of more traditional nesting areas and the fact the birds recognized the Kom Peng Poy area as a safe place for them to feed and breed in. "The ministries of environment and agriculture have been conducting tests on the birds to determine if there is any bird flu in the flocks," Chay Yom said. "A few years ago, the area did not have the numbers to warrant these precautions." The potentially deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in migratory flocks of wild birds in other parts of the world, and infections among these species have been blamed for the rapid spread of the strain from Asia to Europe. Chay Yom said that at this point, there was no evidence that any of the birds was carrying the disease but the area had suddenly got included in a list of places that the ministries needed to monitor. The farmer, who was not named, was not available for comment.

Sam Rainsy calls on King Sihamoni not to endorse “act of treason” (2005-Nov-05)
         K.I. : In a yesterday’s letter to King Norodom Sihamoni – who left Beijing today for Phnom Penh without his royal father – opposition leader Sam Rainsy calls on the young monarch “not to endorse an act of national treason”, a reference to the “supplemental border treaty” for which the Hun Sen government is maneuvering to get the royal seal of approval.

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