Hun Sen’s Hitler and Viet Concoction

“Speaking frankly, I learned from Hitler. Germany, after World War I, was not allowed by the international community to have more than 100,000 soldiers, but the Nazis and Hitler did whatever so they could wage World War II.”

National military police commander General Sao Sokha, 16 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“I learned from the Vietnamese guerrillas to take small numbers to fight against the big, but that cannot be for winning, but to destroy them. If we want to win, we have to take big numbers to fight against the small.”

National military police commander General Sao Sokha, 16 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“I do not have any duty to clarify this [the Veng Sreng shooting] for anyone [because an investigation has already been carried out.”

Defence Minister Tea Banh, 5 January 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

“His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister [Sar Kheng] agrees to go to answer questions in the National Assembly over the incident on Veng Sreng provided that [National Assembly President] Samdech Heng Samrin summons. But he believes that opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha, and ‘NGO leaders’ need to ‘clarify’ their role in the bloodshed.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, 12 January 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

“It is normal [to send forces armed with AK-47s to face the Veng Sreng slaying commemoration march on 4 January 2015] since ‘armed forces’ are equipped with weapons. We use the weapons to protect people’s lives, including those people who were marching.”

Military police spokesman General Kheng Tito, 5 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily

Whatever the newly-found culture of dialogue means to Hun Sen, it is clear he well prepares himself and his mob for it. Sao Sokha, a self-confessed disciple of Hitler, is more than ready. A lesson he learns from Hitler is to do “whatever it takes” to make wars, including psychopathic savage to shoot at unarmed civilians. Hitler does this rather well, so does Sao Sokha. There is a slight difference, however. Hitler does not target his own race; but Sao Sokha does; and so does Pol Pot.

Sao Sokha also learns from the Viets, and applies it well to destroy opponents and win. He has done it so well that Vietnam rewards the CPP government with a $2.2 million building to house the Cambodian police academy, to be followed later by another building for a military history institute.

Momentarily, after the 2013 elections the Hitler and Viet tactics appear non-applicable. Continual demonstrations against the election outcomes grow larger and larger, which must be too overwhelming for Hun Sen; he stays away from his golf course for months. The proclaimed election “victory” is not celebrated at major ministries as it usually is. A reliable source claims the CPP actually gets less than 40 seats in the elections. The crushing defeat and hundreds of thousand demonstrators must shake Hun Sen’s nerve; he is no longer certain who have really voted for him after spending huge amounts of cash for election rallies and buying votes.

Only a quick trip to Hanoi at the end of December 2013 pumps Hun Sen up; he returns to implement the Viet destruction tactics with gusto. Sao Sokha forces fire indiscriminately at Veng Sreng demonstrators and bystanders, killing 5 and injuring at least 42. Since then street protests, whether political or industrial, are much smaller in size, allowing Sao Sokha to apply the second prong of his Viet tactics – taking big numbers of his armed forces to face any smaller crowd of protestors. Indeed, he achieves the ultimate winner’s trophy.

The consolation prize for his opponents is a culture of dialogue and a few honorific titles and positions. It is uncertain how these prizes are going to work, though. Tea Banh says he has no duty to explain anything about the shooting. Sar Kheng is prepared to say something, but he expects his opponents to come clean. And Kheng Tito remains adamant it is normal to bring weapons to any public gathering to protect all, including those they are prepared to shoot dead. With or without dialogue, gunfire remains an option.

Suitably, CNRP is not in a rush to dialogue for a release of its jailed politicians, let alone other victims of land rights abuse and activist monks who are also in jail. It says it will not partake in a planned month-long continuous demonstration demanding a release of all the jailed 19, but some speeches are possible.

Well, the Hitler and Viet concoction has worked rather well for the winners. Is there a reason to change anything?

Ung Bun Ang

20i15

Parthian Shot

It takes Sao Sokha three days to clarify he is not Hitler. However, he confirms that he is only savage enough for his own people, which raises a further question: why Cambodian “strongmen” enjoy abusing only their own kind?

“The killing of people and the racism and persecution of another religion is what Hitler did… I neither admire him nor follow him, and I am not saying my subordinates should either. I am not Hitler.”

National military police commander Sao Sokha, 19 January 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

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