A History of Champa:
The kingdom of Champa (or Lin-yi in Chinese records) controlled what is
now south and central Vietnam from approximately 192 through 1697. The
empire began to decline in the late 15th century, became a Vietnamese vassal
state in 1697, and was finally dissolved in 1832. Writing Champa's history
was dominated, until the end of the Twentieth Century, by the Chinese and
Vietname annals. This imposed a unitary view on Cham
history which is not supported by epigraphical, geographical, or archaeological
records. Recently, a revised Champa historiography has emerged. The newer
histories describe a string of Cham territories with central authority
moving between different regions and at times not existing at all.
The Vietnamization Process of Champa
In 1694, Nguyen Phuc Chu made Po Saktiraydaputih
the native king (phien vuong) of Thuan Thanh Tran, and the latter was obliged
to pay tribute to the Nguyen. Thus the tributary relationship was resumed.
Nguyen Phuc Chu also returned the royal seal of Champa together with captured
weapons, horses, and population. Thirty Vietnamese soldiers or Kinh Binh
(soldiers of the Imperial City) were sent to protect the new Cham ruler.
At this point the kingdom of Champa no longer existed as an independent
entity, but had been integrated into the Nguyen
domains. The Cham people continued to live in small pockets from the region
of Quang Nam down to the Pho Hai-Phan Rang-Phan Ri region, where the seat
of the Cham court under Po Saktiraydaputih was situated. The ruler's palace
was situated at Bal Chanar, not far from Phan Ri.
Even though the Chams continued to refer to their kingdom in the Pho Hai-Phan
Rang-Phan Ri region as Panduranga, it was actually occupied territory.
Vietnamese-Cham relations after 1697 under Nguyen Phuc Chu were based on
central-regional relations; the role of the Cham ruler was more of a cultural
and economic leader than a political one. But it was probably due to such
a relationship that the Cham people were able to co-exist with the Vietnamese
during the southward expansion of the Nguyen up to the early nineteenth
century. The Nguyen-Champa tributary relationship provides an insight into
the attitude of the Nguyen with regard to its new status as a suzerain.
On the one hand, the tribute had great economic and practical value to
the Nguyen. More significantly, this self-created tributary relationship
was a manifestation of the Nguyen's achievement of an independent state
ruling over its newly acquired tributary state, Champa.
The Nguyen court was now the center of a system of tributary states made
up of weaker states and uplanders.
However, the relationship between Po Saktiraydaputih
and Nguyen Phuc Chu did not prevent friction from taking place in day-to-day
affairs between the Cham people and Vietnamese settlers. Chams were also
dissatisfied with the Vietnamese administration of the newly created Binh
Khanh prefecture, whose jurisdiction covered the Cham territories in the
Pho Hai-Phan Rang-Phan Ri (Panduranga) region. Such friction involved the
jurisdiction of law enforcement, trade, trade taxes, slaves and labor contracts,
and administrative boundaries. The Chams were at a disadvantage when dealing
with the Vietnamese in these matters. An agreement made in 1712 between
Nguyen Phuc Chu and Po Saktiraydaputih included five provisions to regulate
or govern Vietnamese-Cham relations in Binh Khang. Nguyen records mentioned
that the agreement was made at the request of Po Saktiraydaputih and that
Nguyen Phuc Chu "granted" a list of rules (not an agreement). It is difficult
to ascertain if Po Saktiraydaputih really requested such an agreement,
but clearly it was important in safeguarding the interests of the Chams,
even though some of the articles were biased against them:
1. Anyone who petitioned at the Royal palace (of Po Saktiraydaputih) has
to pay 20 string of cash (quan) to each of the Left-Right Tra (court official),
and 10 string of cash to each of the Left-Right Phan Dung; Whereas those
who petitioned at Dinh Binh Khanh have to pay 10 string of cash to the
Left-Right Tra, and 2 string of cash to each of the Left-Right Phan Dung.
2. All disputes among Han people (Vietnamese) or between Vietnamese and
a resident of Thuan Thanh shall be judged by the Phien Vuong (Cham King)
together with a Cai ba (treasurer) and a Ky Luc (judicial official) (both
Vietnamese officials); Disputes among the people of Thuan Thanh shall be
judged by the Cham King.
3. The two stations of Kien-kien and O-cam shall be defended more carefully
against spies. The authorities shall have no power to arrest residents
of the two stations.
4. All traders who wish to enter the land of the registered barbarians
(Man de) must obtain a pass from the various relevant stations.
5. All Chams from Thuan Thanh who drifted to Phien Tran (borders with Cambodia)
must be well treated.
From the agreement it is apparent that the Cham territories were well penetrated
by Vietnamese settlers and that there was no distinctive demarcation between
a Cham and a Vietnamese area in the Binh Khang Garrison (Thuan Thanh area).
The terms of the agreement also suggest that the
Nguyen had conceded a great deal of administrative authority
to their sponsored Cham king. However, the great
influx of foreign culture and people inevitably forced the Chams to
accept the presence of the Viet people and adopt some of their ways, including
wearing Vietnamese costumes and using the Vietnamese language.
[Source: Wikipedia]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam
(in Camdisc) |
Vietnam-Cambodia
Joint Statement
At
the invitation of Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
His Excellency Mr Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, from 6 to
7 March 2006. (...)
The
two Prime Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the signing of the
Complementary Treaty to the Treaty on the Delimitation of State Border
of 1985, considering it as a cornerstone of the close relations between
the two countries and reaffirmed their determination to implement the Treaty
in order to make the Cambodia-Vietnam border a frontier of peace, friendship,
and co-operation. Both parties agreed to speed up the completion of land
border demarcation as expeditiously as possible to meet the target as agreed
in the Complementary Treaty. In this connection, the two Prime Ministers
welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Vietnam's assistance to Produce
Border Markers for Cambodia during this visit. Samdech Prime Minister Hun
Sen expressed his appreciation and thanks to the Government of the Socialist
of Vietnam for the generous gesture of friendship.
The
two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Border Health
Quarantine, the Co-operation Plan on Information and the Memorandum of
Understanding on the Initial Implementation of the Agreement for the Facilitation
of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People at the Bavet – Moc Bai Border
Crossing Points. The two leaders underscored the importance of these agreements
in providing substantial benefits to businesses and travelers and further
expanding bilateral economic linkages.
Samdech
Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai agreed to continue
creating favourable conditions for fair treatment of their citizens in
each other's territory, as any other foreign resident. The Government of
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam expressed its sincere gratitude to the
Royal Government and the people of Cambodia for their kind
permission to the Vietnamese residents to exercise their legal rights to
lead a normal life and do business in Cambodia.
The two leaders
agreed to continue their co-operation with the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) for strict implementation of the Tripartite Memorandum
of Understanding signed in January 2005 for the Settlement of Issues relating
to the Vietnamese Central Highlands Ethnic Minority People illegally crossing
the border into Cambodia.
Samdech
Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai shared the view
that the current process of globalisation is widening the gaps between
the rich and the poor in the world and thus agreed that there is an urgent
need to narrow the development gaps. In this regard, they supported the
call to the developed countries and the international financial institutions
to cancel various debts of the least developing countries (LDCs) in order
for them to channel their resources to fight poverty, combat the widespread
infectious diseases such as avian influenza, HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well
as to ensure sustainable development.
The
two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction that their two countries share
common perceptions on major regional and international issues and the need
to continue their close co-operation within the regional and multilateral
frameworks, such as the United Nations (UN), the Non-Alignment Movement
(NAM), Group 77 (G77), Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD), Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Co-operation
Strategy (ACMECS), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Greater Mekong Sub-region
(GMS) and East-West Corridor (WEC). The two leaders
agreed to co-operate closely with Laos to step up the implementation of
the Master Plan on the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle. In this
regard, both Cambodia and Vietnam expressed their thanks to Japan for providing
assistance for the Development Triangle of Cambodia-Laos and Vietnam.
Samdech
Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai reiterated strong
commitment of the two countries to work closely with other ASEAN member
countries to speed up the implementation of the Vientiane Action Programme,
particularly the ASEAN Integration to meet the challenges of the building
up the ASEAN Community and the deepening of partnership between ASEAN and
its Dialogue Partners.
Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai welcomed Cambodia's intention to join the Asia Pacific
Economic Co-operation (APEC) the soonest possible once APEC lifts its moratorium
on new membership. Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, on the other hand, reiterated
Cambodia's support for Vietnam's entry into the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) at the earliest possible date.
The
two leaders emphasised the importance of close co-operation among the Mekong
basin countries to ensure sustainable development of the countries concerned,
especially those in the downstream. The two countries will actively contribute
to the implementation of the Trans-Asia Highway project and the Singapore-Kunming
Railway Link (SKRL), in particular on the missing link between Cambodia
and Vietnam, keeping in mind that the realisation of these projects will
greatly contribute to the development of the region. (...)
[Source
VNA.] |
