“We now have
found that all maps that we have received from the Royal Government, the CNRP
and the French Institute are the same.”
Sok Touch, Head of the border
research group of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, 14 August 2015, the Phnom Penh
Post
“You [Opposition MP Om Sam An]
instructed your assistant to ask me about the map with a Vietnamese seal on it,
and you say I can’t answer it. You talk nonsense… Any map that comes from a
particular library will bear a seal of that library. It is not that difficult
to answer.”
Sok Touch, Head of border research
group of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, 25 August 2015, Radio Free Asia
“Whoever
dares to use the language of ‘fake maps’ will face legal actions urgently.
There will be no tolerance and we will not waste time.”
Premier Hun Sen, 27 August 2015, The
Phnom Penh Post
“Now we all
remember by heart, passing from one to another, that the area of Kingdom of
Cambodia is 181,035 km2, [but] until now that we are working on the border
demarcation, we do not know how this number comes about… We do not know because
we are still working on it. Just like what Samdech Prime Minister writes in his
book, it can vary. But for now, we do not wish to say [what it is] because we
are still working on it.”
Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the National Authority in
Charge of Border Affairs Koy Pisey, 11 August 2015, Radio Free Asia
“កែដើម្បីកែដើម្បីបញ្ជាក់ថា យើងមានលទ្ធភាពយកផែនទីពីឆ្នាំមុនៗ មុនឆ្នាំ១៩៣៣ បើផែនទីមុនឆ្នាំ១៩៣៣ ជាពិសេសផែនទីឆ្នាំ១៩១៤ វាល្អប្រសើរជាងសម្រាប់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា យើងយកផែនទីឆ្នាំ១៩១៤។ បើយើងយកផែនទីឆ្នាំ១៩១៤ យើងត្រូវតែលុបផែនទីឆ្នាំ១៩៣៣ ។”
ប្រធានគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ សម រង្ស៊ី ១៦ ខែសីហា ឆ្នាំ២០១៥ វិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី
“បើសិនជារដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញបានចែងថាផែនទីនៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជាប្រើប្រាស់ផែនទីខ្នាត១/៥០០០០ ខ្ញុំព្រះករុណាក៏សុខចិត្តលុបចោលកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងសន្ធិសញ្ញាជាមួយ វៀតណាមដែរ។ តែមាត្រាទី២នៃរដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញគេឲ្យប្រើថាផែនទីអធិបតេយ្យរបស់កម្ពុជា មានចែងនៅក្នុងផែនទីខ្នាត១/០០០០០បោះពុម្ពក្នុងចន្លោះឆ្នាំ១៩៣៣-១៩៥៣ដែលអន្តរជាតិទទួលស្គាល់៦៣-៦៩ ។”
នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ១៧ ខែសីហា ឆ្នាំ២០១៥ V VOD
With
so many maps floating around, the map issue for border demarcation is as clear
as mud. However, to remove any confusion and brouhaha, Hun Sen & Co. rule
that all the maps from the UN, the opposition, and others are all identical to
theirs. It makes no difference if some of them are UTM or Bonne based, with or
without signatures of the joint Vietnam Border Committee stamped with a Vietnamese
seal. They cannot even wait for other maps they have requested from the US and
French governments. As a good measure to ram the map identicalness down the
public’s throat, Hun Sen threatens legal actions against those who dare to utter
the word “fake”.
Now
that all the maps are not fake, and are the same as the one Article 2 of the
Constitution specifies, why then do they want to amend the Article? Hun Sen
says there is a mistake in it. Koy Pisey elaborates the Article would cede 50
Km2 to Vietnam. But how do they come up with such a specific loss, when they will
not know the area of Cambodia until they finish the current demarcation?
While
Hun Sen and Co. want to change the Article to avoid the imaginary loss, their
culture of dialogue partner Sam Rainsy will support the amendment if this leads
to a territorial gain. He suggests any amendment go back to 1914, not just 1933
as in Article 2 to maximise the advantage. With this kind of logic, why not
extending to the Angkor period when the Cambodian empire ruled most part of
South East Asia? Both are blind to the fact that the amendment will effectively
remove the being “internationally recognised border”, which means Cambodia may
lose some legal ground in any territorial claim dispute.
And
Hun Sen intends to go further. He wants to use maps with 1/50,000 scale in lieu
of the 1/100,000 specified in Article 2, so that he can annul all border
treaties he has signed with Vietnam. A common sense dictates that the Viets
will agree to scrap any of them if and only if the 1/50,000 maps offer them
better benefits – at least more than what they get now.
Thus,
while the opposition is driven by greed, Hun Sen is building up a case for
dumping the map endorsed by the Constitution and King Sihanouk.
Sihanouk,
who was dominant in founding the 1991 Paris peace accord and the 1993
Constitution, approached the border issue with an expectation that Vietnam
would owe Cambodia a debt of gratitude; he allowed them to use Cambodia as a
supply route and sanctuary during the war. In return, Vietnam duly recognised in
the 60’s the Cambodian border as per Sihanouk map.
Therefore,
by dumping Article 2, the Hun Sen’s debt repayment will go beyond lauding the
Viets for swallowing their words. And the minority leader with status equal to
prime minister is to follow suit for the sake of his expected gain or the
culture of dialogue.
Ung
Bun Ang
01ix15
Parthian Shot
Here,
it is – the language of self-proclaimed impartial academia full of integrity
Sok Touch. Now Hun Sen has another made-in-heaven excuse to throw a few more
dissidents in jail for inciting a war against his patron State.
Anyway,
what is this “unofficial” map? Why is it “unofficial”? Does this map show Lam
Dong province, which according to Google Map is situated about 100 km east of
the Vietnam-Cambodia border, sharing a common border with Cambodia? What has happened to Binh Phoc and Dak Nong
provinces that are supposed to lie between Lam Dong province and the Cambodian border?
“… One map
submitted by the CNRP was an unofficial map of Vietnam’s Lam Dong province. If
you use that section of the map, we will have a dispute that can lead to war
with Vietnam.”
Sok Touch, Head of the border
research group of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, 15 August 2015, The Cambodia
Daily
