The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 549
“Prime Minister Hun Sen reaffirmed yesterday that regarding those who want to claim back Kampuchea Krom territory to rule it like under the French regime, he is prepared to have coffins made for those strong people. The Prime Minister stated that some people always talk about the loss of the land of hundreds of meters [per day], but it is not true. If it were the truth, the eastern border [with Vietnam] would by now be in the region of Kompong Chhnang, while the western border [with Thailand] would be in the region of Pursat. To say so is misled political demagogy.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen said so in Kandal Province, bordering Vietnam. He also confirmed that he did not want to talk about the issue of Khmer Krom territory. He added that anyone who claims to be strong – “please go ahead.” He is prepared to help to have coffins made for them, and he has sympathy to help to have their corpses buried. It is not the first time that Prime Minister Hun Sen made such statements. The Prime Minister has claimed already many times that there is not any loss of land in relation to Khmer Krom as well as to Khmer territorial integrity. If there is such loss as claimed by some people, the Khmer land would not have remained until now.
“It is noted that this is not the first time that Prime Minister Hun Sen has said so. He also expressed his ‘welcome’ with strong language, such as saying that Prime Minster Hun Sen is sympathetic in helping to have coffins made for those who want to protest and to reclaim Khmer Krom territory.
“For Prime Minister Hun Sen, those who want to protest claiming Khmer Krom territory are ignorant. It is a problem inherited from a previous generation, and Prime Minister Hun Sen claims that he just protects the Khmer territory from being lost.
“In Koh Thom, Kandal, bordering Vietnam, where the Prime Minister conducted demagogy to seek votes yesterday, he said that the people in Koh Thom know whether or not territory was really lost to the Vietnamese who are accused to have occupied some land. According to the Prime Minister, no territory was lost.
“Territorial integrity is a hot topic, and because Prince Norodom Ranariddh raised the territorial issue, he resigned from the position of president of the National Assembly. Until now, Prince Norodom Ranariddh has continued to raise the territorial issue, as he understands that it is a vital issue for the nation, and he continues to mention it again and again. Even though an additional agreement [in addition to the border treaty of 1985 with Vietnam] was signed, it remains a problem, as the ruling party did not allow partners in the government to directly supervise the measuring of the border line. The problem was so serious that Prince Norodom Ranariddh decided to resign from his role as president of the National Assembly. Some Cambodian people understand that it is only Prime Minister Hun Sen who still claims that there is not any loss of Khmer territory. However, many Cambodian people, except Prime Minister Hun Sen, know that the Yuon [Vietnamese] and the Siam [Thai] people never give up. But why keeps the Prime Minister claiming that no Khmer land is lost?
“The issue of Khmer territorial integrity made many Khmer people scared, but they thank those who were arrested when they protested against the ratification of the additional border agreement. Mam Sonando, the director of Sambok Khmum Radio, Kem Sokha, the former president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, and Rong Chhun, the president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, had been arrested and were imprisoned, because they talked about these complementary border agreements, claiming that they result in the cutting off of a piece of land to give it to Yuon. Now, those who formerly had shown a strong attitude turned around and softened their attitude toward Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“However, an unidentified official from the Norodom Ranariddh Party claimed that the issue, which has been raised in the past, is not to send troops to protest and reclaim Kampuchea Krom territory, but to insist that Yuon respects human rights, universally declared values, and the Yuon government is also a signatory to human rights conventions.” Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3258, 28.2.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Chuoy Khmer, Vol.2, #53, 28.2.2008
- Mr. Kem Sokha [president of Human Rights Party] Is Prime Ministerial Candidate to Compete in the 2008 Elections
- Cambodia Has a Bad Name for Culture of Impunity and for Cambodia’s ‘Family Tree’ [Global Witness’ anti-deforestation study]
- Krek Rubber Plantation Company Bulldozes Foundations of Five Ancient Temples in Svay Leu District
- Krakor District Forestry Administration Officials Conduct Forest Crimes with Businesspeople [Pursat]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1579, 28.2.2008
- Samdech Dekchor [Hun Sen]: People at Borders Are Live Witnesses of Territorial Issues
- [Former Khmer Rouge head of Tuol Sleng prison] Duch Deeply Sad While He Arrived at Tuol Sleng [Genocide Memorial, for a Khmer Rouge tribunal organized visit – 27 February 2008]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6283, 28.2.2008
- After 29 Years, Duch Had Lunch in the Room That Was His Former Office at S-21 [Tuol Sleng Prison – now during his visit]
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3399, 28.2.2008
- Inflation of 10.8% Harms Livelihood of Poor People and Low-Level Public Servants
- Sam Rainsy: Traitors [Sam Rainsy Party officials who join the Cambodian People’s Party] Have to Curse the Sam Rainsy Party Much so the Cambodian People’s Party Trusts Them
- Hun Sen Warns Again that He Will Prepare Money to Buy Coffins for Those Who Attack Yuon [Vietnam]
Rasmei Angkor, Vol.15, #1284, 28.2.2008
- Fast Progress Makes Big Investors Worldwide to Enter Cambodia [says Mr. Sok Chenda, secretary general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, at a conference of the Club of Cambodian Journalists]
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4527, 28.2.2008
- Thaksin [Shinawatra, former Thai Prime Minister] and Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen Are Said to Have Met Each Other in Phnom Penh [between 22 and 24 February 2008 – according to the Thai daily newspaper The Nation]
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3258, 28.2.2008
- Hun Sen Reiterates That He Is Prepared To Have Coffins Made For Those Who Want To Reclaim Khmer Kampuchea Krom Territory
- More Than 1,800 Families Seek Appropriate Compensations from the Repair of National Road 1 [from Neak Loeang to Bavet]
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #632, 28.2.2008
- Rong Chhun [president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association] Still Demands that Hun Sen Increases Salaries for [garment] Workers
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