Why Hun Sen Uses Violence

« … អញ្ចឹងគាត់(ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ) បញ្ជាក់មកវិញថា អត់មានបាត់ទេ តែផ្ទុយទៅវិញ គាត់បាន គាត់ឃើញមានការ មានដីមួយចំនួនដែលយើងបានទទួលមកវិញផងដែរ …​មកពីលោករ៉ុងឈុនក្តី លោកសោភ័នក្តីហ្នឹង ថា ជួយសុំដីដែលកម្ពុជានឹងទទួលបានបន្ទាប់ពីបញ្ចប់ការខ័ណ្ឌសីមានិងបោះបង្គោលហ្នឹង យើងអាចបានដីមួយចំនួនមកខាងកម្ពុជា អញ្ចឹងពួកគាត់ថានឹងជួយសុំដីហ្នឹងអោយពួកគាត់ធ្វើស្រែចំការដាំដុះ អញ្ចឹងហើយ បានជាគាត់ចូលរួមហែហម…។»

អនុប្រធាន​គណៈកម្មាធិការព្រំដែន កុយ ពិសី ថ្ងៃទី៥ កញ្ញា ២០២០ វិទ្យុបារាំងអន្តរជាតិ

« យើងអត់ទាន់ឯកភាពគ្នា យើងទុកនិងស្នើឲ្យខាងបារាំង នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីទាំង២ បានស្នើឲ្យប្រធានាធិបតីបារាំងជួយលើតំបន់ដែលនៅសេសសល់១៦ ភាគរយនោះ ដើម្បីឲ្យគាត់បង្រៀនយើងក្នុងការចម្លងពីផែនទីបោន ១លើ១០០ពាន់ មក១លើ៥០ពាន់។ សំណើនេះមិនទាន់ ចេញជាលទ្ធផលដុំកំភួននៅឡើយ ដោយសារយើងមិនឯកភាពគ្នា ជាបែបបទបច្ចេកទេស ។»

ទេសរដ្ឋមន្ត្រីទទួលបន្ទុកកិច្ចការព្រំដែន វ៉ា គឹមហុង ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី២៨ ខែ​សីហា ឆ្នាំ២០២០ ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍

Surprise, surprise. After all, there is no land loss at border village Trapaeng Thlong, according to a top delegation of the border committee that has visited and talked to locals there. It would be a relief, indeed.

What a farce, however. It has done a sloppy job. First, its alternative fact-finding trip is limited. It speaks to 11 families who it says have spoken to dissident Rong Chhun. This is about 10% of the 106 families who complain to Rong Chhun about their land loss. Statistically, it would be fine if the 10% came from a random sampling; it does not. The delegation gets to those villagers only because they have appeared in Chhun’s video clips. Moreover, it visits only border marker 117 location, while Rong Chhun’s visit and report cover more extensively from markers 114 to 119. These limitations must compromise their finding’s credibility.

Second, it is most unlikely the 11 families spill their guts out in what the delegation’s Koy Pisey calls “heart-to-heart” talks with it. The villagers must know the dissident and scores of his supporters are thrown in jail after Hun Sen has ordered a summary arrest of anyone who calls him out in defiance of his ban on border debates. They cannot trust Hun Sen’s court. The appeal court refuses Rong Chhun’s bail application on a ground that a release would allow him to re-commit the alleged offence of inciting and causing public disorder. It has presumed he is guilty, even before hearing the case.

However, one positive result the delegation has achieved is its conviction that Hun Sen’s claimed acquisition of 2,000 hectares of land from Vietnam after the border demarcation has gained some traction among the villagers. Koy Pisey says they want a share of this windfall, though Hun Sen never explains how Hanoi, after sacrificing up to 25,000 Vietnamese lives to demolish Pol Pot and to install him in power, would promise the gift.

While Hanoi does not have a track record of gifting their land to Cambodia, Hun Sen does, to Vietnam. His recent gift is a new 1:25,000 border demarcation map, after being converted twice from 1:100,000 map.

It is a flawed map full of imaginary border lines. It ignores the Uti Possidetis principle of border demarcation, which yields to Vietnam some famous Cambodian villages. When explaining why the map conversion is only 84% completed, Var Kimhong highlights a fatal defect in the map conversion process. He says the outstanding 16% will need technical guidance from former protectorate France following a disagreement on conversion technicalities between Cambodia and Vietnam. This means they have employed at least two different processes in converting the original 1:100,000 map: one for the 84% and another for the 16%. Why do they need more than one method?

This may be why Hun Sen cannot explain his border demarcation without saying the 84% involves some cover-up of his repayment of his gratitude debt to Vietnam. Violence on those who call him out is an easier option.

Ung Bun Ang

10ix20

Fake News You Can Use

As if Hun Sen’s violence inflicted on his critics is not enough, murder-suicide act is also taking a stronger hold in the country. The violence has been sweeping through the Kingdom of Wonders, and several best brains wonder why.

The King, who usually minds his own business, expresses his concern for a crashing down of morality and social virtue. Perhaps, he still minds his own neck when he refers to the crash in the whole world, not particularly in Cambodia.

High-profile experts and intellectuals have their own theory for the rampant murder-suicide violence. Dr Ka Sunbaunat attributes it to uncontrollable anger, and he prescribes anger management course to fix it. Some PhD at the country’s top research institution Royal Academy of Cambodia puts it down to family break-ups. Another PhD researcher reckons drug addiction is the trigger.

None asks further whys. None wanders, in a modified Star Trek’s prologue, “to boldly go where none of their cohorts has dared go before”. 

Still, is this subtlety all the country’s best brains could offer? There are several possible reasons for it. One of them is that they want neither incitement nor social disorder. They must remember, from Hun Sen’s perspective, there is so much peace to thank for.

“From my own studies and observations of my patients, those who have committed the crime do not feel anything but anger when they did it. Usually this has something to do with people’s cruelty, but on the other hand, it is also associated with the perpetrator’s inability to control their anger.”

Cambodia’s leading psychiatrist Dr Ka Sunbaunat, 2 September 2020, Khmer Times

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