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Khmer Politics Alternatives Circle

~ Thinking outside the box about Cambodia

Khmer Politics Alternatives Circle

Monthly Archives: December 2020

There was 9 November 2019. Now, it’s 4 January 2021

19 Saturday Dec 2020

Posted by KhmerPAC in Human Rights, Issue, Justice, Politics, Social

≈ Leave a comment

My dear Kacvey,

You’re certainly aware of the planned return from the US of the vice-president of the opposition party to the City of Tonlé Buon Mouk on 4 January 2021. If you are, local media comments, analysis, opinions can’t escape your attention. That being said, you must now be waiting for the reaction of the weak strongman: Would he behave the same way as he did on 8-9 November 2019 when the oppo No. 1 was returning from Paris via Bangkok and then changed to Malaysia, such as: threatening to arrest him as soon as he stepped his feet on Khmer land, threatening international airlines, pressuring neighboring ASEAN governments not to let him in their country, mobilizing thousands of bodyguards, soldiers and policemen, deployment of tanks, missiles, heavy artillery and machine guns near the borders and at airports?

Nobody is surprised anymore if that would happen again! Fear of losing power is the food that the weak strongman feeds himself every time he breathes.

But thing is different this time around: the vice-president of the opposition volunteered to return at her own “known and expected” risk and peril in direct response to the subpoena issued to her to appear at the court on criminal charges. The first questions are: Will the weak strongman allow his sycophantic embassy if Washington DC to issue entry visa to Cambodia to her on her US passport? Would he have political courage to allow that to happen and be enough of a man to be face-to-face with the opposition of the opposite sex?

Meanwhile, your attention is drawn to these two articles where the position of the US ambassador to Cambodia is very clear and unambiguous:
VOA, 18 December 2020
សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ប្រាប់​កម្ពុជា​ឱ្យ​គោរព​និង​ទទួល​សំឡេង​ប្រឆាំង
U.S. Ambassador Questions Cambodia’s Single-Party Parliament, Attacks on Dissent

Time will tell what will happen on that 4 January 2021 at Pochentong airport in front of world television cameras and thousands smart phones. History tells that the Pol Pot KR and his brain-washed subalterns were not afraid of inflicting fatality or injury to innocent Khmer, as testified by the torture instruments and photos left in S-21 and the skulls in Choeung Ek. Will the weak strongman issue order to his thousands bodyguards, soldiers and policemen to arrest the single unarmed lady after her deplaning?

What other alternatives would the weak strongman have? One ploy that he has been recently using and quite often is to let the judges who are under his power grip to find any excuse, lame or otherwise, to postpone the hearing again and again. So doing, postponement saves his cowardliness and spinelessness.

Kacvey, this letter will be updated with any development that will occur between now and 4 January 2021.

=====
Update:

– RFA, 2 January 2021
ថ្នាក់ដឹកនាំ​គណបក្ស​សង្គ្រោះ​ជាតិ​លើក​ពេល​វិល​ចូល​ស្រុក​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី៤ ទៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៥ មករា​វិញ
– Phnom Penh Post, 4 January 2021
Former senior CNRP lawmaker’s return postponed
– VOA, 4 January 2021
មាតុភូមិ​និវត្តន៍​របស់​លោក​ស្រី មូរ សុខហួរ ​ត្រូវ​ជួប​ឧបសគ្គ​ដោយ​ពុំ​ទាន់​បាន​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ ​K

The Three Kingdoms

17 Thursday Dec 2020

Posted by KhmerPAC in Event, Governance, Institution, International, Politics, Social

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My dear Kacvey,

Please do not be alarmed by the title of this letter; it has nothing to do with the classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” 三国演义 with states of Wei 魏, Shu 漢 and Wu 吳, nor with Liu Bei 刘备, Cao Cao 曹操, Zhu Geliang 诸葛亮, Zhang Fei 张飞 or Guan Yu 关羽 etc… It is rather about the three kingdoms in current Southeast Asia, and on the way how each suzerain, in dealing with or governing his people, is seen in contemporary time through media.

Numerous articles have been written about the suzerains of these three kingdoms that you and your students could easily find in google for expansive information. However only 3 articles have been chosen as a base for discussion in this letter.

Malaysia
Reuters, 25 October 2020
Malaysia’s king rejects emergency rule in blow to PM Muhyiddin

Thailand
The New York Times, 18 November 2020
‘Now, We Fight Face to Face’: Thailand’s Protests Shatter Taboos
Reuters, 18 December 2020
The last taboo

Cambodia
Radio Free Asia, 21 October 2020
ឧត្ដម​ទីប្រឹក្សា​ផ្ទាល់​នៃ​ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ថ្លែង​ថា ព្រះរាជា​បច្ចុប្បន្ន ដូច​ជាប់​ឃុំ​ក្នុង​វាំង ព្រោះ​ស្ថាប័ន​រដ្ឋាភិបាល
Radio Free Asia, 30 October 2020
“រដ្ឋាភិបាល​មិន​បាន​គាំទ្រ​ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ​បំពេញ​ព្រះរាជ តួនាទី​ពេញលេញ​តាម​រដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញ”

Your students should be suggested to conduct a comparative study on the difference in way the suzerains reign over and rule their subjects. Today’s news from Sweden could give some impetus to the thinking when the Swedish monarch, as reported in Business Insider, openly said: “I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died, and that is terrible”

This brings us to recall 1) what the Proverbs of Solomon said: “In the multitude of people is the king’s honor; but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince”, and 2) what Bhumibol Adulyadej, king of Thailand, once said about himself: “I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know. Because if you say the King cannot be criticized, it means that the King is not human.”

Please let us know when they complete their homework!

=====
Update:

1. Asia Times, 12 January 2021
Does Cambodia have a ‘puppet king’?

Chickens Under State of Emergency

15 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by KhmerPAC in Culture, Justice, Politics, Social

≈ Leave a comment

My dear Kacvey,

Do you still love chicken for your meal?
If so, watch out for the price increase in the market as one of poultry farm owner was arrested because the weak strongman, who seems to be in total delusion, associated himself with chickens that are being domestically raised.

Your students and you should be wondering what would Juvenal, Horace, Persius or Seneca the Younger think if they lived to read these 2 articles:

1) VOD, 14 December 2020
Covid-19 ‘Chicken’ Commentary Lands Phnom Penh Man in Prison
https://vodenglish.news/covid-19-chicken-commentary-lands-phnom-penh-man-in-prison/, and

2) VOA, 14 December 2020
Agribusiness Owner Jailed After Poultry Commentary on Hun Sen’s Speech
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/agribusiness-owner-jailed-after-poultry-commentary-on-hun-sen-speech-/5698670.html

Such behavior by the weak strongman is a sign common to all dictators who fear the specter of the end of their reign. Donning the plumage of the chicken, the weak strongman fears the fox that is lurching behind the wall of the coop.

Like Yuval Noah Harari said: “The domesticated chicken is probably the most widespread bird in the annals of planet Earth. If you measure success in terms of numbers, chickens, cows and pigs are the most successful animals ever”, it’s very easy to conclude that chicken, imaginary or real, will ultimately end up in the pot of “sngaur moan” or in the fox jaws.

Could his crystal eyeball see himself, soon, in one of those two places?

Delusion is human sickness, ex-KR or otherwise.

Recent Posts

  • “Delay Is Preferable To Error”
  • There was 9 November 2019. Now, it’s 4 January 2021
  • The Three Kingdoms
  • Chickens Under State of Emergency
  • Summit for Democracy

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