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Showing posts with label Political Picture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Political Picture. Show all posts
Monday, June 10, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Please spare us the insult...
Re: Hun Sen: We differ from other countries
 |
| With thanks to Sacrava |
by Stranga
Enigmatica
None of those countries arising out of the ashes of
World War II had had to assassinate, harass, threaten, and imprison their
internal dissidents, political activists, environmentalists and so forth for
the sake of so-called "national stability" and rebuilding. It is disingenuous;
to say the least, that Mr Hun Sen and his apologists could only measure
Cambodia's progress, even in 30 plus years, by the yard stick of the dismal KR era
in the seventies!
One easily - or conveniently - overlooked detail about
Japan, Germany and Israel etc. is that they also had chosen to adopt liberal
and constitutional political framework - and not simply as a cosmetic paperwork
formality treated with barely concealed contempt by the ruling party either! On
top of the structural ruins and destruction wrought by the war [the Jews had
been just as traumatised by the holocaust as had the Cambodian people by the
genocide, and had had to resurrect a state that had been lost to their race for
2 thousand years amid the unremitting hostility of surrounding Arab states]
Japan and Germany also had been forced to pay reparations to the Allied
powers.
In fact, Cambodia has been receiving - and continues
to receive - substantial international aid and assistance from the
international community annually, and despite over-exploiting its once rich
natural assets such as timber and minerals - and now turning to off-shore oil
deposits - the filthy rich are growing richer and filthier while between 80 and
90 percent of the country's population still live hand to mouth!
Nobody in their right mind would suggest for a second
that Cambodia's backwardness has anything to do with the lack of intelligence
or genius on the part of the Cambodian people [their past achievements and long
glorious history would indicate that they have as much of such things, if not
more than other nations can be said to possess].
On the other hand, it is true that unlike Israel,
Japan, Germany and other western European countries weakened and devastated by
WWII, Cambodia had not been rehabilitated economically by the Marshall Plan or
other special financial assistance and privileges from the US government or the
outside world. Yet, no economist or financial expert in their sound mind would
advise the US government - or any government, for that matter! - to privilege
Cambodia with similarly sustained structural economic and financial status and
packages knowing all too well the obvious pitfalls of asking a pack of hyenas
to nurse a seriously wounded lamb back to health?
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Elephants in the Room - Sambo No. 2
2: Partial Account
Where is Henry Kissinger? Kissinger played a lead role in the Cambodian tragedy and should also do so in this mini‐trial. Kissinger was possibly the main architect of the bombing campaign of Cambodia in the late 1960s and 70s. Most historians agree that without this American intervention, the Khmer Rouge would not have been able to seize power, to capture Phnom Penh, let alone evacuate all those people who were in the city because of that American bombing. Without Kissinger we would not be here today. The indiscriminate American bombing of Cambodia is without a doubt a war crime, for which Kissinger should be tried. The limited jurisdiction of this Court, unfortunately, does not allow him to be judged here. But as a witness he could and should have played an important role.
Up to 500,000 people were killed by the American bombing. Why are those deaths always attributed to the Khmer Rouge, as the Prosecutor did in the Opening Statement?
So far the Court has not allowed us to raise, let alone discuss, the role played by other actors in this drama. Why are there no “insiders” on the list of witnesses? Where are, for example, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Hun Sen and the other government officials with a Khmer Rouge history? It is not because we did not ask for them (we did, and our request was rejected). Or because they have nothing of importance to say. On the contrary, we think their testimony is essential to understand the history of the Khmer Rouge and the evacuation Phnom Penh in April 1975. Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Hun Sen: they were all there and of played an important role… So the cast is incomplete, even for this mini‐trial. And I would like to emphasise that this is not the result of restrictions imposed on the judges by the rules of this Court. This is the result of self‐imposed restrictions; the result of unfortunate, politically motivated self‐censorship by the judges themselves. The Trial Chamber has so far consistently shown a reluctance to confront the political forces in this country, even when this was necessary to fulfill its judicial function.
- Michiel Pestman (Nuon Chea's defence)
The Elephants in the Room - the 1st Sambo
