China's menace in South China Sea teaches Hanoi and Hun Sen a Different Lesson

Image www.rappler.com

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China' dominant threat in South China Sea teaches Hanoi and Hun Sen a different lesson, reminding how painful Hanoi has to deal with such a constant threat from its more powerful neighbor China while at the meantime Vietnam has persistently dominated its smaller neighbors, Cambodia and Laos by installing its satellite regimes to rule these two countries according to its whim.  For Hun Sen, as most Cambodian people regard him as merely a Hanoi's puppet, he should learn the lesson from this aggravated dispute between China and Vietnam how they handle the crisis based on their national interest. To be a leader of sovereign nation, he should sacrifice all energies mentally and physically in order to defend national independence and interest at all cost in a more growing dangerous world.

During recent anti-China protest, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised and defended the Vietnamese patriotism and their legitimate rights to defend their territory as a sovereign nation though he publicly did not endorse any violent form against China's interests in the country.  This is a typical nature of the sovereign nation leaders' action during crisis.  They have to protect their national interest while at the same time to curb violence from out of control.  As China seems gain upper hand on the dispute based on its superior military and economic power, those countries which have had loggerhead conflicts with China have seek military alliances with the US or the West to counter China's threat.  Vietnam, has seeks alliances with the US, India, and even its former patron, Russia, in order to balance its power with China's growing menace even if some forms of those alliances are not visibly effective yet.  However, Hanoi is more unlikely successful to lure its former boss, Russia, to bolster its position against China since Russia also tries to woo the heavy weight China to its camp against the West in Ukraine crisis while China also needs Russia behind it in facing with a tougher neighbor, Japan in East China Sea dispute.

CPP shows up forces while CNRP grows more popularity on campaign

CNRP's Campaign in Phnom Penh (image Sam Rainsy's Facebook)

CPP's troops blocked CNRP's campaign procession in Kompong Cham (image Cambodia Daily)

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In this unusual municipal election campaign though five political parties registered to contest, only one party, CNRP, has swept its aggressive election campaigns throughout the country.  The CNRP, which has still challenged the previous national election result with the CPP, uses this opportunity to reclaim that its still gains stronger support from youths and all levels of people, and such a momentum never die down any time soon unless the current perverted regime changed.  Despite those commune councilors are more likely to vote with their party line, the showcase of CNRP's popularity will affect some CPP's members who can weather temptation from their superiors to have a second thought how their votes would affect the people's life and the fate of the nation.  However, the CPP which flagrantly has experiences in intimidation and vote buying not only with its own members but with all other parties, there are not much chances for its councilors to switch their allegiances.  But any fractional number of the CPP's members who dare to vote for the CNRP will prove the CPP's fate in the near future.

It has been so surprised to many people since at this municipal election campaign the CPP has chosen not to launch any campaign while its main rival, the CNRP, has swept its campaign across the nation.  Instead of election campaign, the CPP has shown up its forces, deploying polices and military personnel to intimidate and disrupt the CNRP's campaigns.  On the first day of election campaign many CNRP supporters were beaten up by security forces when they tried to reach a forbidden Freedom Park.  In Campong Cham and Prey Veng Provincial Towns, military personnel carrying AK-47 and on military vehicles stopped and intimidated the CNRP's campaign processions toward the inner cities.  In Kompong Chnang Provincial Town, the City Governor used loud speaker on rented vehicles to disrupt the CNRP's campaign rally, urging people not to join the opposition rally and accusing them of inciting unrest and calling them "Puok Akatek" no conscience people or reactionaries--a typical communist rhetoric against their enemies.

Increasing Police's Brutality against People as Negotiation with Opposition stalled

Security forces deployed to beat up protesters (RFA image)

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A deadly violent incident in Veng Sreng Road on January 2, 2014 has created a perfect excuse for Hun Sen to ban all political rallies and demonstrations at Freedom Park and across the Capital City, citing the incident on Veng Sreng Road is still on investigation.  Since then, All peaceful protests, rallies, and even municipal election campaigns were violently dispersed by Hun Sen's security forces and mercenaries.  Hun Sen's forces treated innocent people, bystanders, journalists, Member of Parliament, and even Buddhist monks as if animals.  They had no hearts or conscience to think those people at least as human beings who had posed no any threat to them.  On a broad day light, they severely beat up those people with electric and wooden buttons without reason.  Some political observers called those brutal security forces are mercenaries, so their brutal actions may not be responsible by the government.  But, no matter who they are; without Hun Sen's order or approval, they can't act like that on a broad daylight while other regular police forces stood by.  Since the Veng Sreng's deadly incident, at least 30 additional people were severely injured by Hun Sen's brutal security and mercenary forces.  How could such barbaric acts keep going on without consequences?

After the deadly violent crackdown on garment protesters on Veng Sreng Road, Hun Sen's regime has never refrained from using violence and brutality against the peaceful protesters; he increasingly employed more mercenaries and local polices to beat up peaceful protesters indiscriminately, including national and international journalists, opposition MPs, bystanders, and even revered Buddhist monks.  A stalemate political negotiation with the opposition has stoked Hun Sen--a violent prone leader--to embrace more forms of violence, squeezing the opposition (CNRP) to succumb his long dictatorial rule.  As a former Khmer Rouge Commander, Hun Sen usually uses violent mean as his normal mean to settle all crises in the country.  Violence has become his norm to deal with his political opponents and his critics--assassination, bloody coup, violent crackdown, and prison term--over his nearly 30 year iron fist rule.

Is Cambodia a Suitable Place for Refugee Resettlement?

Boat refugees on their journey to Australia (image www.cbc.ca)

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Protracted bloody war, killing fields, and Vietnamese invasion had forced nearly a million Cambodians fleeing their country for safe places in Thailand, Europe, U.S., Canada, Australia, and so on over the past decades, especially from 1970 to 1990.  Paris Peace Accord on October 23, 1991 officially ended a long protracted war and Vietnamese occupation, but since then Cambodia has not been well stable politically and economically.  Rampant corruption, human rights abuses, and dictatorial rule by one man or one party have created political instability and poverty in the country.  A recent agreement in principle between Cambodian and Australian governments to resettle boat refugees in Cambodia has created some reasonable doubt among Cambodian people as well as the international community about Cambodian government's ability and honesty to handle this humanitarian duty since Cambodian government has had awful human rights records and forcibly deportation of Mongtagnard refugees from Vietnam and Uighur people from China.  How can Cambodian government help the other people to get better life while it still suppresses its own people politically and economically?