Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Moving in Circles - Addendum

What a coincidence; yesterday Prime Minister Hun Sen stated he would not ask for a pardon for Sam Rainsy this time around. Since the PM never goes back on his public pronouncements (as far as I know) I believe we can expect that this will be the end of Sam Rainsy's political career in Cambodia. I just can't see SR coming back to face a certain prison term.

Whether all this is good or bad for the opposition remains to be seen. The country as such surely won't suffer any consequences, e. g. donor countries cutting back on aid, etc., which Sam Rainsy and his cohorts always clamored for. But with Sam Rainsy gone this actually would give the opposition a chance to regroup and form a real opposition, not one just based on one personality. But then, this affair is far from over, I would think. The next few months will tell.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

These cowards show a lot of concern about the political fortune of MP Sam Rainsy but completely ignore the fate of the Cambodian farmers who got robbed and then sent to jail.

KJE said...

And who is to blame for all that? Your beloved Sam Rainsy. I'd wager he won't be an MP for long any more.

Anonymous said...

Good thought KJE !!!

What a backward principle !!!

Blame Sam Rainsy ("a MP for long any more") who sleeps in France by jailing the Cambodians farmers after you robbed their farm lands.

This is typical Farang colonist view.

I hope that all Farangs in Cambodia that you claimed to share your view are not that uncivilized.

Unknown said...

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010010730679/National-news/sam-rainsy-colleague-urges-deal.html

History repeats itself. What will be the big bargain, now?

Any more chips left to bargain with the CPP after the 50% plus 1 formula?

Even Sam Rainsy's MPs don't talk the same language. Many seem to say that the problems are private problems for Sam Rainsy. Are they not SRP's but Sam Rainsy's personal problems? Who is the "one" who diffected to the CPP?

Interesting.

KJE said...

4:41 (My friend in Miami again, what are doing up so early? You on nightshift?)

My goodness, what is it with you? You got mindblock, or aren't you able to follow simple logic when you read something, or what's wrong with your head?
If Sam Rainsy hadn't encouraged those farmers they wouldn't have done squat. They kept complaining, as is their right, but only his presence led them to take things in their own hands. If you were in Cambodia, I am sure you wouldn't dare do anything that might upset the authorities. So, yes, it is SR's fault. There were journalists there who recorded it. Ask them, how things went down. He led the farmers to jail. If not for him they wouldn't be there. Got it?
And stop calling me farang, you dimwit, I am a barang in Cambodia, not a farang.

Anonymous said...

If Hun Sen is a tough leader, he should release those weak, innocent farmers and directly deal with Sam Rainsy.

Anonymous said...

Self proclaimed “educated “ KJE,

The facts are:
- Cambodian farmers are the lawful owners of the farm lands.
- The state machinery of two countries, Cambodia and Vietnam, planted wooden poles on their private properties without their consents.
(KJE: “Under normal circumstances, however, the authorities would notify the land owners of their actions beforehand and not after the fact.”)
- The farmers has met with the authorities to voice their grievances and as expected nothing happens.
(KJE: ”They took their complaint to the local authorities, which probably gave them the run-around.”)
- The farmers proudly defended their property against foreign incursion and removed the poles from their farm land after the authority gave them the run-around.
(KJE: “The farmers are for the most part honest, good, and hardworking but ignorant people.”)
- Both the authority of Cambodia and Vietnam condemned them and put them in jail.

It is unethical at best and ignorance at worst to justify the unnecessary cruelty imposed by the state machinery at the expense of the innocent farmers for the purpose of intimidating political opponents.

Which school taught you that "the thieves should be free and the owners should be in jail."?

KJE said...

8:23
Your comment is completely beside the point, apart from the fact that you keep repeating the same points over and over again - here and in previous comments.

Where did I justify the actions of the authorities? Where did I say that the farmers belong into jail?

Apart from the case in point, where do you get your legal justification that individuals can use militant means in their actions against authorities?

Who was the motivator of those actions?

It is this person that is now safe in France and hiding behind disingenuous declarations that I condemn, and nothing else can be read into my posts.

What you are doing is pure demagoguery and is not worth any further responses.

Anonymous said...

I share a concern with the author about Mr. Rainsey fate. What Mr. Rainsey has done was an act of provocation to the Local authority as well as the current regime which alway seek all means to eliminate Mr. Rainsey from Politics. Mr. Rainsey is not smart enough to play political game with this authoritarian regime led by Hun Sen and backed up by Hanoi. There is no political gain for him or his party to uproot this border pole because it is too old and complicate issue that no one can solve now unless the current regime changed. But this single border post costs Mr. Rainsey heavy price to pay, probably his political career. He should just call the media and people to witness this border encroachment is enough to justify his protest, and more than this the authority has no excuse to charge him and villagers. We appreciate Mr. Rainsey bold action to protect our national sovereignty, but in this circumstance, he should look back every step he walks forward. There is no political safe heaven for him in Cambodia. The best lesson for him is to learn how to save his political life first before to save the nation. If his political life is over, there is no chance for him to save and serve his nation. we wish him to be free in the future.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Sam Rainsy, the farmers now learned that the land is belong to Vietnam.

"
The government failed to consult with landowners who lost parts of
their land to the divisive border, the Paris-based president of
Cambodia’s Border Committee (CBC) claimed.
“It is illegal under national and international law. Only absolutely
communist countries do things like this,” Sean Pengse told VOA Khmer,
and also slammed the National Assembly, calling its lifting of
opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s parliamentary immunity “undemocratic”.
The Council of Ministers, however, dismissed Sean Pengse’s concerns in
a statement Tuesday.
“It is not true that the border markers were planted illegally because landowners were not informed. Border land is not recognised as privately owned land,” the statement read.
Land titles in the area were never issued, the statement continued,
because the precise border was never clear.
"

Anonymous said...

The Tuesday statement from Cambodian Council of Ministers read:
“It is not true that the border markers were planted illegally because landowners were not informed. Border land is not recognised as privately owned land”.

That make it a complete circle.

Anonymous said...

These farmers are ungrateful for Vietnam generosity to let them and their ancestors use the farm land.

Visitors