Hun Sen’s Imaginary Border Lines
«ចេញមកប៉ុន្មាន ចាប់ប៉ុណ្ណឹង រឿងទល់ដែនអត់ឲ្យមានរញ៉េរញ៉ៃទេ។ កុំថារដ្ឋាភិបាលហ៊ុនសែនផ្ដាច់ការ! នេះមិនមែនជាការតស៊ូមតិទេ អ្នកខ្លះចេញមកថានេះជាការតស៊ូមតិ… អត់តស៊ូមតិទេ នេះជារឿងផ្លូវច្បាប់សុទ្ធសាធ។»
“អញ្ចឹងផែនទី [បោន] ហ្នឹងវាអត់ច្បាស់លាស់ វាអត់ជាក់លាក់ទេ ខ្សែព្រំដែនលើផែនទីនិងលើដីជាក់ស្តែងវាអត់ដូចគ្នា។ ដូច្នេះហើយ ដែលចាំបាច់ ក្រុមជំនាញនៃប្រទេសទាំងពីរគឺគូសចម្លងពី១០០ពាន់មក៥០ពាន់សិន ចា៎ ពេលវាហើយ បានយើងយកអា៥០ពាន់ហ្នឹងទៅគូសពិនិត្យលើដីជាក់ស្តែងបោះបង្គោលជាមួយគ្នា។ អញ្ចឹងយើង យើងគូសចម្លងលើលើផែនទីនៅអូហ្វីស [office] នៅការិយាល័យហើយបានយើងចុះនៅទីដីជាក់ស្តែង។ អញ្ចឹងយើងបោះបង្គោលនៅលើដីជាក់ស្តែងមូលដ្ឋានយកពី១០០ពាន់មក ហើយមកគូរលើ៥០ពាន់ ហើយបានយក៥០ពាន់ទៅបោះនៅទីដី។ហើយឥឡូវនេះដែលយើងធ្វើ២៥ពាន់នេះ គឺយើងយកវាអោយកាន់តែច្បាស់ គឺមានន័យថា ពី១០០ពាន់ បង្រួមមក៥០ពាន់ ៥០ពាន់បង្រួមមកនៅ ពង្រីក ចា៎ះ ខ្ញុំសុំទោសដែលខ្ញុំប្រើពាក្យបង្រួម គឺថាពី១០០ពាន់ យើងយកមក៥០ពាន់ យើងពង្រីកយក២៥ពាន់ គឺវាកាន់តែច្បាស់ កាន់តែជាក់លាក់ វាកាន់តែច្បាស់លាស់ទៅតាមអ្វីដែលមានបច្ចុប្បន្ន។”
អនុប្រធានលេខាធិការដ្ឋានអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍គណៈកម្មការធិការជាតិទទួលបន្ទុកព្រំដែនកម្ពុជា កុយ ពិសី ថ្ងៃទី ៣ សីហា ២០២០ វិទ្យុបារាំងអន្តរជាតិ
Hun Sen is adamant border issues are not debatable; he insists they be legal issues. He promises to arrest every single one of those who dare calling him out on his border demarcation with Vietnam. He has already had critic Rong Chhun and six of his supporters arrested, so far.
Here is why and how the strongman must resort to animalistic instinct.
First, the process of the border demarcation is at best compromised, at worst fraudulent. According to Koy Pisey, the 1:100,000 Bonne map, referred to in the Constitution, is unclear; expert teams from both countries claim border lines in the map do not match with those on the ground. Yet, they proceed to use the unclear map as a base and enlarge it into, they say, a clear 1:25,000 map.
However, the experts’ enlargement process is rather arbitrary. Pisey says they first, on their drawing board, work on a 1:50,000 scale by adding imaginary border lines that are absent in the indistinct 1:1000,000 map, and they then go to plant markers on the ground. Once back to their office, they add further improvised border lines in the 1:50,000 map to finalise what they claim a much clearer 1:25,000 map.
This creative enlargement process explains why Heng Samrin’s birth village of Anlung Chrey at the border area is one of seven locations that have consequently slid into Vietnam’s territory. It may explain why Hun Sen recently repeats his boast that Vietnam has given him 2,000 hectares (or 20 sq km) of land, though he does not elaborate where this land concession is, and why Vietnam is so generous.
Hun Sen is incapable of justifying his border decisions because they are made under a dominant-vassal relationship he worships, despite his persistent claim of equal footing in the negotiations with Vietnam. He often professes his debt of gratitude to Vietnam for their 1978-79 military interventions and the power they have vested in him. He ignores Sihanouk’s vital contributions to Hanoi’s victory in the Vietnam war. In every meeting with Cambodian officials, Vietnamese do not fail to remind their counterparts to take care of Vietnamese citizens residing in Cambodia, while Hun Sen overlooks a plight of millions of Khmer Krom who live in Vietnam as a minority group. There are 27 Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monuments throughout Cambodia to remind locals of the Vietnamese good deeds; but there is no reciprocal gesture in Vietnam to remind locals of the Cambodia’s role in their victory over the Americans. Hun Sen has made Cambodia as a perfect vassal state of Vietnam. Thus, there cannot be any level-playing field in negotiations of any kind for anything in a benefactor-vassal relationship. The integrity of the new 1:25,000 map is fatally tainted.
Therefore, he must resort to arrests and prosecutions to stifle his critics. Rong Chhun is right to question validity of imaginary border lines on the 1:25,000 map in Trapaeng Plong Commune where he has met 106 farmers who complain their combined 60 hectares of land are slipping away.
Ung Bun Ang
26viii20
Fake News You Can Use
Back to Heng Samrin’s Anlung Chrey birth village and Thlok Trach village that the Hun Sen creative map shows belong to Vietnam, the man refuses to budge. He has almost 200 houses built in the villages and surrounding areas along the border, never mind how he can afford to fund it. This gives Hun Sen a headache. He would have Heng Samrin thrown in jail and charged under Articles 494 and 495 of the criminal code for inciting to commit a felony and disturbing social security.
But Hun Sen remembers the “Thank You, Peace”, so he instead offers Hanoi a compromise to keep everyone happy: let the buggar keeps his birth village, and Hanoi can have a replacement land somewhere, perhaps except Nam Yang.
That somewhere else could be in Trapaeng Plong Commune where Rong Chhun puts his foot down on behalf of the 106 anxious families at a border between markers 114 and 119. But Rong Chhun is no Heng Samrin; he ignores the “Thank You, Peace”. And Hun Sen decides to apply a full force of his law.
“This [Heng Samrin’s] construction [almost 200 houses] is to help farmers living along the border; recipients felt ‘encouraged’”.
Tbong Khmum Provincial Governor Ly Leng, 12 January 2016, The Phnom Penh Post
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