Brief History of Vietnamese Expansionism vis-à-vis Cambodia

Brief History of Vietnamese Expansionism vis-à-vis Cambodia

In 1941, Ho created the Viet Minh, an abbreviation of "Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi," or "League for the Independence of Vietnam," and spread its anti-French activities to Laos and Cambodia, where the Viet Minh later fragmentized the anti-French local Khmer Issarak front into a Khmer Viet Minh front. In 1949, the Viet Minh instituted the "Ban Van Dong Thanh Lap Dang Nhan Cach Mang Cao Mien" ("Canvassing Committee for the Creation of the Revolutionary Kampuchean People's Party") and created the Kampuchean People's Liberation Army in 1950.

By Gaffar Peang-Meth
Professor of Political Science (retired)
University of Guam

Originally posted at: http://www.khmerinstitute.org/articles/art13vietnamization.html
On Christmas Eve 1978, more than 100,000 Vietnamese troops, backed by tanks and aircraft, crossed the border into Cambodia. In 14 days of fighting, Hanoi's army sent Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge fleeing. The Vietnamese captured Phnom Penh Jan. 7, 1979, installed a puppet regime and stayed for the next 10 years.

For victims of Pol Pot's genocidal rule, which began April 17, 1975 and resulted in the deaths of upwards of two million people, Jan.7, 1979 was the day of deliverance by Vietnam. Surely, Vietnam was their "savior" and their "liberator" at a time when the world watched and did nothing about the horrors of the Killing Fields. However, for many Cambodians, Jan. 7th is also a day of infamy. Pol Pot was replaced by those referred to as Cambodians with Khmer bodies but Vietnamese heads, the Khmer Viet Minh. This cohort was created by the Vietnamese Communist Lao Dong, trained at the Son Tay Military Academy and the Nguyen Ai Quoc political school, and led by a disgruntled regional field commander, Hun Sen, who became indebted to Hanoi for his return to power. Many Cambodians felt that substituting the Khmer Viet Minh for the Khmer Rouge was like replacing cholera with the plague.

A host of foreign governments also worried. The world was still governed by the well-specified rule of law founded on the principle of absolute, comprehensive, permanent and inviolable sovereignty and independence. As Singapore argued before the international community at the United Nations, the world is no longer safe, and peace and security are no longer assured, if a more powerful state is allowed to invade a weaker one like Vietnam had done. The Association of South East Asian Nations spearheaded calls for Vietnam to withdraw its troops from Cambodia.

As a result, the United Nations and other international organizations became a political-diplomatic battleground for many years between proponents and opponents of Vietnam's invasion. And so it was that the anti-Vietnamese Khmer Resistance was born, first as separate armed bands with similar goals, and later as a loose coalition of Cambodians of the fallen Khmer Republic, Cambodians of the monarchy, and the leftovers of the Khmer Rouge. Despite their differences, they worked together toward pressuring Vietnam into withdrawal and to seek Cambodian self-determination.

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.

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.

A Biography of Sarin Chhak: Border expert's fate a mystery

By Julio A. Jeldres

 

The current debate over Cambodia's borders has involved references on several occasions to the name of Sarin Chhak, the eminent author of the only complete study (in four volumes) of the Kingdom's borders, whose whereabouts have been the source of much speculation following his disappearance immediately after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in January 1979.

 

Sarin Chhak was born Khin Kaing, in Krangsla village, Prey Kabass district, Takeo province on January 2, 1922. He was the child of Mr. Khin and Mrs. Chhay Lak, both farmers.

 

Because he had to help his parents on the farm, he was unable to attend primary school at an early age like other Cambodian children. During the French colonial period, a regulation forbade children of advanced age to enroll in primary school, so in order to attend, Kaing changed his name to Sarin Chhak becuase he did not want to disclose his real age.

 

He was a good student and was, therefore, encouraged to pursue studies at a higher level. He graduated from Phnom Penh University with a law degree and obtained his Ph.D. in Economic Law in France in 1966. The topic of his dissertation was "The Borders of Cambodia".

 

Paul Reuter, a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris and one of Cambodia's lawyers in the Preah Vihear case, writes in the introduction to the first volume of "Borders of Cambodia" that "[Sarin Chhak's] work, brilliantly presented in front of the Faculty Law and Economic Sciences of Paris, will permit the author to find an attentive audience, which shall not fail to appreciate the conscience, the tireless labor and the merits of the author." Adding that, "Sarin Chhak abstained from creating any polemic or of using words filled with bitterness and inviting us to believe that violence is not the only recourse to achieve an aim.

 

"Upon his return to Cambodia, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served in different posts within the ministry and also at the Cambodian Embassy in Paris. He was appointed Ambassador to the United Arab Republic (Egypt) in 1968, with residence in Cairo, while concurrently serving as Ambassador to Senegal.

 

Following the coup of March 18, 1970, Sarin Chhak denounced the coup, refused to recognize the Lon Nol government and declared his allegiance to Samdech Norodom Sihanouk as the legal Head of State of Cambodia. At the same time, he announced that the Cambodian Embassy in Cairo had become the "Embassy of Progressive Cambodia in the UAR".