The Media and Democracy

The Media and Democracy

John Willis of the IRI (Photo: R. Carmichael, VOA)

Cambodia is moving in the right direction (sic!):
Boeung Kak Lake residents protest forced eviction (Photo: Reuters)

Kingdom of Wonder?
Wonder why the cops shoot at unarmed civilians?
(Photo: John Vink/Magnum)

Sunday, January 23, 2011
Op-Ed by MP

IRI's findings are just another Win-Win endorsement of a closed single party state.

I don't know the methods used to gather public opinion on the government's performance or the effects of public policies on social issues such as public services like roads and the like, but I do see that the majority of Cambodians still live in a closed, insulated environment where public information and opinion making are still largely a product of manufactured uniformity where diversity or dissent is neither tolerated nor encouraged.

It would be interesting to ask the public instead questions pertaining to that closed climate of uniformity, out of which public views of social issues are patterned and shaped, which such findings can be said to merely mirror in the first place. For example, respondents could be quizzed on how much they know about the management and manipulation of television broadcasting operation in Cambodia; how much of an influence/representation, if any, do opposition parties and civil society or organisation have via these state-controlled information delivering outlets; who decide what news items to be aired; who own and fund these television stations; how many stations are owned by the state and how many are in private/commercial hands; what is the media's appropriate functions and responsibilities in respect of news coverage invariably devoted to highlighting the government's 'achievements' in a country still ranked among the world's poorest and most corruption plagued, or is that because negative news reportage has no constructive role to play in the developmental process? Is it because such news compromise or impair people's sense of well-being; that feel-good factor that only popular cultural shows and entertainment programmes are said to engender in their audience?; is it because Khmer people are not at all concerned or have no right to know how many kilometres of Khmer territory or how many villages had been ceded to Vietnam in the last 30 years?; is it because it is not their business to know how much their government has acquired in revenue from off-shore exploration deals, numerous land concessions and sand-dredging operations etc? Or how is this public fund being managed and ploughed back into the mainstream of the national economy?

The Legend of Naga and Dragon

We cannot overstate on the possible engagement and marriage between Naga and Dragon. Naga in Khmer belief is female and Dragon in Chinese belief is male. If Yin and Yang was important for Chinese philosophy, Yin is not someone else but princes Naga and Yang is not someone else but Chinese prince. Whenever, Yin and Yang are two inseparable elements on earth, Cambodia and China are undividable.

According to the archeological records, Khmer and Chinese has bonded relationship since the birth of Kingdom of Cambodia. This historical claim is not merely speaking if we looked at the accounts of archeological sites, historical manuscripts and folklore narrations. Thus the word "Funan" which was misspelled by Chinese traders of "Pchnom" has been a key account for historians to study about the birth of Cambodia. The caving pictures depicting on the walls of all Khmer ancient temples have attractively illustrated the commercial trading between Khmer and Chinese, for instance, the depicting stories on the wall of Bayon temple. Not only that reflecting economic and social relationship, many historical accounts indicated political involvements between Khmer and Chinese. For instance, the exchange of ambassadors between Khmer and China in the reign of Bhavavarman in the pre-Angkorian period, the Chinese troops depicting on the wall of Angkor Watt during the ascending to throne of Suriyavarman II, and the arrival of Ghou Daghoun who was the ambassador of China to visit Cambodia during the post-Angkorian period.

But what is impressed me to writing this article this moment is the legend of Naga and Dragon. If we asked Chinese people on what is their national animal, they will simultaneously respond us that "Dragon". And if we looked at Cambodian culture, architectures, arts and belief, Naga serpent is omnipresently everywhere and this mythical serpent is historically reflecting the birth of Cambodia and the wedding ceremony of all Khmer couples. It has started with Khmer princes whose name was Soma (or Naga princes or Lie Yi in Chinese) was the first Khmer princes who governed Cambodia. We can see that Chinese politicians and traders primarily contacted with princes Naga before the coming of Preah Thong from India according to some sources. Princes Naga is considered as a connector between China and India in that time. It has also reflected the strategic zone of ASEAN in ancient time. In that time, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia were not yet born. Princes Naga was more important than ancient states of Java, Champa and Mon in partnering with China and India.

An exchange between Thanh and Sokhom

This is very good exchanging of idea...yes, many hidden things have been revealed by a Vietnamese national. I think Thanh should not use that justification to bully Cambodia at all.

Posted as comments on KI-Media

I am a Vietnamese/Nguoi Viet or what you all refer to as "Yuon", I would like to share a heart to heart with Khmer readers .

I understand Khmer's animosity against Vietnam. The Viet nation expanded and took over your former lands. You have the Right to Hate Me and my people.

But I just want you all to understand a few things about Vietnam:

We are not bad people. We are people like you. We breathe air, we eat food, we have blood that runs red like every human being in this world. When a normal Viet individual sees a Khmer person suffer in pain, we sympathize and we feel and share the pain that you feel. We don't you to go hungry nor do we want you to get sick. A Khmer who comes to a Viet for help - will always be given assistance. In the past hundreds of years of history, often times Viet and Khmer have been good to each other. Making love, fighting wars together, exchanging cultural practices like food and music (many similarities, e.g., Samlar machu-Khmer & Canh chua-Viet, the Viet Folk Songs of the Mekong Delta has the same musical rhythm).

When Siam invaded Cambodia, Khmers asked for Viet help and the Viets always did provide assistance. When the French ruled and abused Viets and Khmers, we joined together to oust the foreign White Man. When Pol Pot committed genocide, Viets removed him from power. Pol Pot had killed all the intellectuals and about 90% Buddhist monks. Vietnam allowed your cousins - Khmer Krom Buddhist monks to go to Cambodia to REVIVE your religion. YES, that's true! Communist Vietnam helped to foster a new generation of your Buddhist clergy.

I DO NOT support Vietnam swallowing and erasing Cambodia from the map. Cambodia is a beautiful country with a wonderful culture, marvelous architecture and a beautiful and charming people. I wish for its preservation and longevity. Long Live Cambodia and the Khmer Nation!

But I as a sole individual, I am powerless to stop my country and people from trying to swallow Cambodia (& Laos).

Post-War Politics of Cambodia on "Facing Soft Power Politics"

Soft power politics seems don’t come along with co-operative plan and mutual assistance in rhetoric only, but by enforcing through memorandums, treaties or agreements.

Cambodia has empirically derailed from the wave of “soft power politics” of the world. She is likely lacking ability in responding to current flow of soft power which comes along with international relations, foreign trade, the guarding of its citizens, conflict resolution with its neighbors and proper reaction to foreign consistent cooporative policy.

Politically speaking, soft power politics refers to the politics of cooporation, not confrontation as modern nation-states seek to put aside all violent means by adopting peaceful diplomacy and mutual interests through economic, cultural and social cooporation. The procedures have practically done through the platform of dialogue regionally and globally. Michael Hsiao and Alan Yang posited in the Asia-Pacific Journal focusing on Japan that China has been more practical in spreading “soft power politics” to its neighbors and regions particularly the Southeast Asian nations. As this policy has tremendously renovated after the cold war, China has physically strengthened its relations with ASEAN states since the 1990s within all fields including foreign aid, trade, infrastructure, politics, culture, tourism and environment.

Geopolitically, Cambodia is a member among regional associations such as the ASEAN which has extended to ASEAN Plus Three (APT) when China, Japan and Korea are included and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) etc. But in its sub-regional cooporation, it appears intricate for Cambodia to be a member of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle. Cambodia is obligated to all procedures and co-operative frameworks to these sub-regional embodiments. Noticeably, many Cambodians are skeptical about Cambodia’s strength and intelligence to smoothly operate this unavoidable cooporative policy as well as the soft power innovation foreigners exposed.

Not many scholars or academic papers have deliberately detailed the “deficit” of Cambodia in handling with this impromptu skeptic. This article will singly look into the relationship Cambodia must undertake with its neighbors: Thailand and Vietnam.

Our children profit from our actions

November 3, 2010
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS (Guam)

"People power" is not beyond reach in Cambodia. Skeptics misunderstand people power and equate it with bloody rebellion. Khmers are Buddhists -- gentle and placid, who don't rise against a ruthless dictatorship.

The Albert Einstein Institution, committed to the defense of freedom, says: "Nonviolent action (also sometimes referred to as people power, political defiance and nonviolent struggle) is a technique of action for applying power in a conflict by using symbolic protests, noncooperation and defiance, but not physical violence."

My nine years (1980-1989) in the Khmer resistance against Vietnam's military invasion and occupation took me near death's door many times, but I never believed we could defeat the Hanoi armies that brought the Americans to a negotiations table earlier. But we did believe that an effective Khmer resistance would bring Hanoi to the negotiations table. That, in fact, happened.

Except, the Khmer nationalists never prepared themselves for post-1991 Paris Peace Accords.

Adding to the detrimental lack of careful strategic planning with necessary "next steps," they were trapped in denial, blaming, as many simply realigned themselves for political positions.

The game of "svar pa'at bai loeu mo'at po-pe" (monkey smears rice on a goat's mouth) continued until today: The monkey ate the farmer's rice and smeared rice on a goat's mouth so the goat would be blamed for eating the rice; the farmer didn't know better and took out his anger on the goat, forgetting that goats don't eat rice.

Population has power

I stood before my introduction to political science classes for 13 years, driving home the same point every semester, that a government's "right to rule" is based on the people putting it in power.

The Truth of Paris Peace Accord

With more than 17 countries, they simultaneously signed the treaty to end war and foreign occupation in Cambodia. The treaty was empowered by five annexes focused on a comprehensive political settlement of the Cambodia conflict; the agreement concerning the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality, national unity of Cambodia; and the declaration on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Cambodia. Noticeably, all annexes, concerning and declaration has been existing and slightly existing nowadays in Cambodia. However, existence without proper and effective implementation is a matter of regress, not progress.

Introduction

I was invited by the Cambodian Canadian Community of Canada to give a talk about the importance of Paris Peace Accord at their gathering to commemorate/observe the 19th anniversary of Paris Peace Accord. I also got invitation from the University of Calgary to be a guest speaker at their weekly "Movies that Matters" program organized by undergraduate students. Movie was "Enemies of the People" filmed and documented by the effort of a Phnom Penh Post reporter, Theth Sambath, which has been worldwide screened and granted many distinctive prizes. The audience of these two events were astonished and stimulated by my talk. I was asked several questions from the audience, and my talk was broader and in details more than on what I am going to specifically describe here. Exactly, the Paris Peace Accord is very crucial for both talks. 

Paris Peace Agreement in a Nutshell
As one of the younger generations of Cambodia, I couldn’t abstain from sharing idea about the 19th anniversary of Paris Peace Accord. Today is Saturday, October 23, 2010 is the 19th years of the international effort under the United Nations mediating to signing this very important chapter for Cambodia history, the Paris Peace Accord. This treaty is not solely important for Cambodia but for the international organization like the UNs to take further step in demonstrating a better world for all beings.

This short essay will elaborate some plights of Cambodia in engaging with the international recognizable treaties to survive itself from foreign domination as well as to maintain its status as a sovereign state on this planet. Furthermore, the author would like to argue some important issues needing to clarify of having yearly commemoration and observation of this very important day for all Cambodian people and their government.

Snapshot of History
At least, two academic writers such as Stephen Morris and Chan Dara who have argued that Cambodia will loss its status as a sovereign state if this country has not been guaranteed by at least two important international treaties: the Geneva Treaty and Paris Peace Accord. The past tumultuous political movements including the legacy of French colony and the cold-war have imposed on some countries to become greater dominant state and some countries to become satellite state. As the matter of fact, Lao and Cambodia who were destined by both French colony and the cold war have emerged in different outcomes: Lao and Cambodia were wholeheartedly supported by Chinese prolific leader Chou En Lai in assuring its sovereignty from the French colony as well as from Vietnamese attempt to dominate at the Geneva Conference in 1954.

However, Lao has not been internationally recognized after waking up from the cold war which Lao and Cambodia is considered as the hot-spot of political players during this era. In contrast, Cambodia has endorsed from that hot-spot of domino effect by the Paris Peace Accord.

Kampuchea Krom - The Battles and Bargains That Left a People Behind

 

By Michelle Vachon
The Cambodia daily

    In his 1966 book "Les frontières du Cambodge," political scientist Sarin Chhak introduces his section on Kampuchea Krom by saying that this region of the Mekong delta was Cambodian territory until the middle of the 17th Century, when Vietnam took advantage of Cambodia's internal struggles to take it over.

    As to how this occurred, Sarin Chhak, who served on Cambodia's negotiating team in border talks with South Vietnam in the mid-1960s, sidesteps the issue: "We don't claim to go back in history. It seems of little use to repeat what numerous authors have reported on the topic."

    By the late 1800s, southern Vietnam had become the French territory of Cochin-China and Cambodia's King Norodom had sought and signed the Protectorate Treaty with France. In his book, Sarin Chhak argued that France's 1860s annexations of large portions of Kampuchea Krom to Cochin-China was an administrative decision that did not legally set borders.

    And though Sarin Chhak asserted that "numerous authors" had written on the history of Kampuchea Krom, no historian has yet produced a full account of the events which led to today's situation: a population of Cambodians estimated at more than 1 million in Vietnam's 1999 census, but believed considerably larger, living among a population of some 83 million Vietnamese.

    Ros Chantrabot, vice president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia and an associate researcher at France's Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, said that the ranks of Cambodian historians, as in other fields, were depleted by decades of conflict and that among the very few remaining, none has concentrated on Kampuchea Krom.