|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The year begins with news that the European Union (EU) would provide $11 million
in aid to support the process of national elections in 1998, an event whose lead-up,
conduct and debate afterwards dominates the Cambodian political scene for most of
the entire year.
The EU's announcement is made while the key question of Prince Norodom Ranariddh
and other opposition politicians' participation in the elections remains uncertain.
The Prince and many others have yet to return to the country since the fighting in
July 1997 and have not determined if they will participate in the planned polls.
Second Prime Minister Hun Sen writes to Sam Rainsy on Jan 2 saying
that he will formally ask King Sihanouk for a pardon for Srun Vong Vannak.
The question of an amnesty for Prince Ranariddh remains a touchy subject.
King Norodom Sihanouk leaves the Kingdom abruptly on Jan 5 with many of the King's
own staff unaware of the hasty departure for Beijing. Diplomats speculate that the
King is upset over the previously-agreed deal to amnesty the Prince which had come
under attack by pro-CPP elements.
Business tycoon Teng Bunma has an honorary doctorate degree rescinded by Iowa
Wesleyan College in the US on Jan 9. The college's board of directors say that "based
on State Department information" they felt it necessary to take back the degree.
On Jan 10 Second Prime Minister Hun Sen plays his first-ever round of golf
at the Cambodia Golf and Country Club, joining the list of numerous other senior
Cambodian officials who have taken up the game as a favored pastime.
The Kingdom's print media runs into trouble in the new year. Six newspapers are
suspended on Jan 8, only to see the order reversed by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen
six days later. On Jan 11 Nou Kim Ei, editor of Nokor Khmer, is shot at while
driving his car. While nobody was injured, one of the attackers shouts, "I will
kill you next time."
Khmer Nation Party (KNP) leader Sam Rainsy announces that he might consider
a governing coalition between his party and the CPP, which comes just one month after
an historic handshake between Rainsy and Hun Sen after the two had met at the premier's
residence in December for the first time since the coup.
A review of police statistics reveals that at least one in 14 crime suspects
is either killed or wounded during attempted arrests by police and security forces
in the capital. The figures come from municipal police who say that during all of
1997, 1,118 people were apprehended, of which 65 were killed and 15 others injured.
Fighting near the border town of O'Smach flares during the week of Jan 15
to 21. Medical staff in Samrong say that more than 100 soldiers were killed in fighting
and over 50 seriously wounded.
Motorola donates $60,000 to the British demining organization Halo Trust on
Jan 21.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson meets with Hun Sen and
says that her discusions were "full and frank... and a positive discussion."
UN Special Representative for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg is excluded from
the meeting.
The National Assembly votes 70 to 15 on Jan 26 to confirm the Council of Ministers
NEC nominee list. Critics argue that the nominee list is stacked in favor of the
CPP while Hun Sen declares the vote a victory for democracy. MP Thach Reng
walks out of the Assembly in disgust after protests filed by self-exiled politicians
were dismissed by Assembly President Loy Sim Chheang.
The British government donates 1,025,000 pounds to Population Services International
on Jan 29 to support the group's Social Marketing of Condoms Program.
According to a survey conducted by IFRASSORC, 53.9% of 1,217 people polled
say they think the elections will be free and fair.
KNP officials say one of their members was gunned down at his house on Jan
30 in a politically-motivated execution. The party says that because of this they
might be forced to campaign "underground". Government officials say the
killing was part of a robbery attempt.
Hundreds of children and adult supporters march into Phnom Penh on Feb 1 as
part of a global effort to raise awareness about the prevalence of child labor worldwide.
A coalition of 22 NGOs helped coordinate the event. ILO statistics indicate that
16% of children aged 5-17 are classified as child laborers in Cambodia.
Cambodian long distance runners Chheng Piseth and To Rithya place third
and fourth in the Vientaine International Half marathon on Feb 8. More than 1,000
participants from 10 countries take part.
About 450 workers stage a violent demonstration at the Sin Lan Ho garment factory
on Feb 16. The workers, disgruntled with salary and workplace conditions, pelt the
factory with a barrage of stones.
The Thakral Group opens a television factory on Feb 16. They plan to produce
300,000 TVs per year for local and export markets.
The World Bank approves a $30.96 million loan to Cambodia on Feb 17 for water
supply projects in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
King Sihanouk bemoans the state of affairs in the Kingdom. Writing in his
monthly bulletin, the King says he expects to die in exile to avoid inflaming another
catastrophic civil war. Listing a litany of ills facing the country-including deforestation,
labor troubles and unrelenting poverty-the King says that if he tried to solve them
he would bring about large-scale fighting because Hun Sen does not want him to wield
any power.
Woodside Petroleum Ltd and Cambodian Resources Company NL sign a $3
million deal on Feb 20 for offshore oil and gas exploration in Cambodia.
The first nation-wide census since 1962 begins on Mar 3. Undertaken by the
National Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Planning, with funding support
from the United Nations Population Fund, UNDP and UNESCO, the ten-day process involves
25,000 enumerators and 8,000 supervisors who visit every village in Cambodia. Planning
officials say the census will serve as a valuable data base for national development.
A Ministry of Environment official says that up to 1,000 hectares of land has been
cleared of vegetation within the Angkor Wat protected zone.
Funcinpec Brigadier-General Kim Sang is executed by assassins on Mar 4 near
his home. The killing occurs just two hours before the trial of ousted premier Norodom
Ranariddh. Sang's execution is the third of a high-profile Funcinpec officer in a
week, following the killings of Mom Sameth and Keo Savan.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh, General Nhek Bun Chhay and Thach Suong
are tried in absentia at the military court in Phnom Penh on Mar 4. All three are
found guilty of illegally importing weapons. Ranariddh is sentenced to five years
in prison, Bun Chhay four years, and Suong is given a two-year suspended sentence.
A number of legal observers call the process a "show trial".
Police discover a bomb loaded in a sugar cane cart near Wat Phnom on Mar 5. The device
contains three B-40 rockets, TNT, detonators and a timer. CMAC experts are
called in to dismantle the device which had not been set to explode. Authorities
say the bomb had been planted by "anarchic forces".
Anti-drugs squad chief Heng Peo's house in Phnom Penh is attacked by up to
100 military police on the night of Mar 6.
Prince Ranariddh is convicted Mar 17 of colluding with the Khmer Rouge.
The National Assembly approves by a vote of 79-7 the law establishing the Constitutional
Council on Mar 19.
King Sihanouk grants a pardon to Prince Ranariddh after it was requested by Hun Sen.
The Royal Pardon, issued from Bejing Mar 21, annulls a 30-year jail sentence
and $54 million fine handed down to the prince at the end of his absentia trial in
Phnom Penh three days earlier.
Hundreds of peace marchers, led by the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, head off
from Kampong Cham on Mar 20, beginning the seventh Dhammayietra, or Peace
Pilgrimage. The marchers expect to cover 170 kms over a two-week period, with the
march ending in Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri.
Khmer Rouge General Ta Mok flees Anlong Veng on Mar 22, taking with him Khieu
Samphan, Nuon Chea and Pol Pot, as government forces and KR defectors begin an
assault on the key KR base area.
Three men riding a motorbike roll a grenade under a car parked outside Wat Po Ampil
in Takeo on Mar 26, a pagoda patronized by National Assembly president and CPP
Chairman Chea Sim. The explosion kills Nob Phanit, 30, a school teacher, and
severely wounds Nhem Valy, an advisor to Chea Sim.
News is leaked of a secret $25.8 million deal-signed by the two Prime Ministers,
NEC head Chheng Phon and Argentinian company Ciccone Calcographica SA-to hire
a private company to run the elections. Foreign donors involved in funding the elections
are perplexed.
A World Bank-funded study is released that states 95% of timber production
was illegal in the previous 12 months. The report surmises that the government lost
about $60 million due to the illegal trade and that 21% of protected forests were
subjected to intensive harvesting.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh returns to Cambodia on Mar 30, after an absence of
eight months, having fled the country on Jul 4, l997 one day before fighting broke
out between Funcinpec and CPP forces in the capital. The prince is met by about 1,000
supporters and Funcinpec officials at the airport. He proceeds to the Royal Hotel,
spending five days in-country meeting with party members.
RCAF troops fly to Preah Vihear temple on Mar 30 to meet with Khmer Rouge
defectors. The guerrillas, who had controlled the temple since 1993, had decided
to drop their loyalty to KR General Ta Mok and give up their struggle against the
government.
Pro- and anti-Prince Ranariddh street demonstrations come to a head on Apr
1 with demonstrators battling each other for several hours near Wat Phnom.
Details of human rights abuses since July 1997 documented by the UN Center
for Human Rights become public. Figures indicate politically-motivated killings in
the last nine months are more than 100.
Nine men are executed in Kampong Thom on Apr 2. Their bodies are found with hands
tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds in their heads. Rights workers believe
that RCAF soldiers were responsible for the executions. A district military commander
says that the nine were involved in stealing buffalo and were killed by villagers.
Pol Pot - the architect of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime which during its
three-year, eight-month and twenty-day reign of terror was responsible for up to
1.7 million deaths from disease, starvation and execution-dies on Apr 15.
His jailer, Non Nou, says he died from heart failure. No autopsy is allowed and Pot
is cremated the next day, his body placed on an old mattress with tires and old chairs
on the coffin to help keep the fire going.
Twenty-three people, including 13 ethnic Vietnamese, are slaughtered in the floating
village of Chnok Trou near Kampong Chhnang on Apr 19. Eight others are wounded
and 33 houses are burned down during the hour-long attack with rifle and rocket fire.
Officials and witnesses blame Khmer Rouge guerillas from Unit 785. KR radio
claims responsibility for the killings the next day.
KR commander Ke Pauk, after defecting to the government, is embraced by Hun
Sen at a "Peace Day" celebration at Olympic Stadium on Apr 29. Pauk is
believed to have been responsible for thousands of deaths during the KR regime.
Faced with repeated indications the CPP would influence the election in its favor,
Funcinpec, the Sam Rainsy Party and the Son Sann Party-using their pre-coup banner
of the National United Front instead of their self-exiled moniker, the Union of Cambodian
Democrats-begin a National Assembly boycott on Apr 30.
Leng Hun, 74-known as "Grandma Hun" - is feted at a luncheon
on Apr 30 and presented with a Korean passport. Hun had been brought to Cambodia
during World War II as a comfort woman and would soon return to her homeland for
the first time in more than 50 years.
About 15,000 Khmer Rouge civilians and unarmed soldiers cross the border into Thailand
on May 1. They are fleeing a continued government offensive in and around Anlong
Veng. After several days of shelling, KR troops are dislodged from Hill 200,
18 kms north of Anlong Veng, on May 4, one of their last major strongholds in the
area.
On May 5 Hun Sen speaks directly to Prince Ranariddh for the first time since the
prince was ousted from power in July, 1997. Their telephone conversation ends an
opposition boycott of the National Assembly, clearing the way for amendments to the
election law and approval of membership on the Constitutional Council.
Documents reveal that the government has successfully claimed 12.4 tonnes of "old"
Cambodian gold held at the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland.
The gold, with a current market value of $135 million, was determined to still be
part of Cambodia's foreign reserves.
The annual Ploughing Ceremony takes place on May 14 with Queen Monineath presiding
as King Sihanouk decides to remain in Siem Reap. The Royal oxen, when presented with
their traditional array of food and drink, choose mainly to eat. According to astrologers,
the bovines predict a mixed fortune for the coming year: no rain, but no war.
The first batch of 196 refugees, who fled fighting in the Samlot area in July 1997,
return to Sisophon from Thailand on May 14. The repatriations are facilitated by
the UNHCR. A second group of 121 refugees is transported back to Cambodia
on May 28. UNHCR officials say that there are still about 60,000 refugees in camps
in Thailand.
The minutes of exclusive political study meetings for top Khmer Rouge cadre led by
Ta Mok and Nuon Chea-comprising 273 pages and covering events from
June 24, l997 to January 19, l998-are discovered on May 15 in Choam, atop Hill 200.
The documents outline the KR thinking and strategy in its secret dealings with Fun-cinpec
prior to the coup and document that the KR were plotting to betray the alliance with
Prince Ranariddh and wage a new war.
Nationwide voter registration starts on May 18.
In response to complaints that people are being turned away from registration centers,
NEC Chairman Chheng Phon goes on national television on May 20 to tell registration
teams that they must register anyone who has proper identification.
Three members of the Constitutional Council appointed by King Sihanouk-Chau Sen
Cocsal Chhum, Son Sann and Pung Peng Cheng - refuse to attend a planned
innaugural meeting of the body on Jun 3, thus preventing its ability to convene officially.
Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum alleges he was pressured to convene the council and decides
to flee to Bangkok on Jun 2. He says that several members of the council have been
appointed by the National Assembly illegally and that any meeting with them would
be invalid. A meeting takes place on Jun 3, minus Son Sann and Cocsal Chhum, but
Peng Cheng says it is "not official". Donors are anxious to see the council
up and running as it is a key component of the effective management of national elections.
The editor of Koh Santepheap, Thong Uy Pang, is shot twice in the shoulders
on Jun 8. One of his bodyguards is also wounded. Both men survive. Officials differ
as to the motive for the attack.
Hun Sen flies to Siem Reap on Jun 8 to meet with King Sihanouk in what
is believed to be an effort to untangle the deadlock over the convening of the Constitutional
Council.
Five senior Khmer Rouge cadre defect to the government on Jun 11. Chan Youran,
Mak Ben, Thiounn Thioeunn, In Sopheap and Kor Bun Heng announce from Pailin
that they have split with Ta Mok and have now joined the government.
On Jun 13 Pung Peng Cheng announces that he will tender his resignation following
the convening of the Constitutional Council and that he would step down as soon as
the King replaces him.
Seven members of the Constitutional Council attend an inaugural ceremony at
the Royal Palace on Jun 15. A meeting of the council is convened the same day. Peng
Chheng resigns afterwards.
Voter registration ends on Jun 15. NEC officials say that 92% of eligible voters-about
4.7 million people-registered.
A draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations is submitted
to the Council of Ministers on Jun 16. Foreign NGO workers call the draft "draconian"
and say that if passed the law would mean a cutback in aid for Cambodia.
EU Observer Chief Sven Linder is elected as the spokesman of the foreign observation
mission called the Joint International Observer Group (JIOG), on June 17.
A group of more than 100 soldiers attack the village of Boeung Trakoun in Banteay
Meanchey province on Jun 18. Five people are killed including two CMAC employees.
The rampaging soldiers also burned down 61 houses.
Sven Linder holds a press conference Jun 23 and says that he believes that
the registration of voters has provided the technical base for a "free, fair
and credible" July 26 election.
The official campaign period starts on Jun 25. Hun Sen, Prince Ranariddh and
Sam Rainsy all hold rallies which draw substantial crowds.
The corpse of Funcinpec electoral observer Thong Sophal is found Jun 27 in
Kandal. His head and face are smashed; his eyes, ear, fingers and the flesh on his
legs from mid-thigh down are missing. A local official suggests the death is a suicide.
On June 30 Sam Rainsy Party workers gathering for a parade in Battambang receive
six parcels containing explosive devices, but wrapped and presented as if
they were cakes.
The UNCHR releases a report stating that media coverage is skewed toward the
CPP.
Rights workers say that seven people have been killed in politically-related violence
in the last two weeks since the end of registration and fear that a "hunting
season" has begun.
The World Food Program says it will provide immediate relief to 20,000 people
and will likely call for emergency donations to feed an estimated 200,000 facing
severe food shortages in southeast Cambodia.
The Cambodian Development Research Institute (CDRI) releases a report stating
that the most vulnerable of Phnom Penh's poor were hardest hit by the previous year's
double blow of political turmoil and the regional economic meltdown, and that the
poor's suffering is getting worse.
The German electronics giant Siemens AG opens its office in Phnom Penh on
Jul 15. They estimate a $5 million investment in 2-3 years.
UN human rights envoy Thomas Hammarberg says the opposition leaders are inciting
hatred and racism against ethnic Vietnamese. He says he has raised the issue of the
use of the term "yuon" with party leaders but they have not reined in their
rhetoric.
A band of guerillas suspected of being Khmer Rouge ambush a group of Cambodian
electoral officials near Anlong Veng on Jul 17. Two election workers are killed and
five injured in the attack on a tractor carrying ballots, ballot boxes and other
polling materials.
The Venerable Maha Ghosananda along with hundreds of monks and supporters
begin a peace march on Jul 19 in Takeo. Heading for Phnom Penh, they plan to arrive
in front of the Royal Palace and conduct a prayer service on Jul 24.
LICADHO and ADHOC jointly win the $25,000 Robert Baldwin Medal of Liberty
Award on Jul 20. The groups say they are too busy to celebrate given their workload
in dealing with reports of suspected political murders, attacks, arrests and intimidation.
Elections were on the verge of being postponed on Jul 22 but quick action
by NEC technical staff and a last minute charter flight from Bangkok ensures the
delivery of three tons of indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers on polling day.
Elections take place nationwide on Jul 26. Despite a few hiccups at polling stations
swamped by voters and a Khmer Rouge attack near Anlong Veng in which 11 people were
killed, balloting goes smoothly.
Votes are counted on Jul 27. More than 25,000 local and foreign observers
monitor the balloting and counting processes.
JIOG announces on Jul 27 that the vote was "free and fair", before
vote counting is finished. Opposition politicians criticize both the timing and content
of the statement.
In response to mounting criticism, JIOG meets again on Jul 29 and issues another
statement which says: "We find no reason to change [our Jul 27] conclusions
after the debriefing of our observers."
Representatives from 15 parties hold a joint press conference on Jul 29 to express
their dissatisfaction with the entire election process and demand an investigation
of their concerns.
Prince Ranariddh and Rainsy say on Jul 28 they would refuse to recognize
the election results and were willing to risk a constitutional crisis if the NEC
did not conduct proper investigations of their complaints.
Opposition parties barely beat a Jul 29 afternoon deadline to lodge complaints of
fraud. The NEC says it is actively investigating complaints from all parties.
The NEC releases partial results on Jul 30. With 2.5 million votes counted
from 17 provinces, representing approximately half of the electorate, results show
the CPP leading with 1,019,743 votes (40%), Funcinpec 821,119 (32.2%) and the SRP
with 414,841 (16.3%).
A debate about the seat allocation formula for new members of Parliament comes
into play as the NEC releases preliminary seat numbers giving CPP 64 slots, Funcinpec
43 and the SRP 15.
Opposition parties say they weren't aware of the determination on which formula was
being used. The NEC says parties were adequately informed.
Nuon Paet, a former Khmer Rouge general, is arrested Aug 1 after his car was
stopped at a weapons checkpoint on the road from Pochentong airport. He is accused
of planning the abduction and then subsequently killing three western tourists in
July, 1994.
Hundreds of people head for opposition party and human rights offices complaining
of post-election intimidation. Funcinpec says it has received reports rom
126 people; the SRP says it has received 235 complaints.
King Sihanouk offers on Aug 12 to host a "Siem Reap Informal Meeting"
as a means of breaking the deadlock over the formation of a new government.
On Aug 13 clerical staff at the Constitutional Council turn away a stack of
SRP election complaints, accepting only one complaint about recounting.
A grenade is thrown outside the Ministry of Interior at 11pm on Aug 20, killing
a driver for Kyodo News, while Sam Rainsy is inside the ministry.
Rainsy is detained for over an hour before being taken home under armed escort.
Opposition parties begin a sit-in demonstration across from the National Assembly
on Aug 24. Demonstrators vow they will maintain a 24-hour vigil until their complaints
about the election are dealt with properly. The crowds grow in subsequent days. Protestors
dub the site "Democracy Square".
The National Census Committee releases preliminary figures Aug 25 on Cambodia's
first census in 36 years. The Kingdom's population is pegged at 11,426,223 as of
Mar 3, l998.
On Aug 31, after scores of speeches filled with anti-Vietnamese rhetoric, protestors
at "Democracy Square" vandalize the nearby Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship
Monument, dousing the statues with gasoline and setting them alight.
The Constitutional Council flatly rejects opposition election-related complaints
on Aug 31.
Members of the CPP, Funcinpec, SRP, NEC and the Constitutional Council meet with
King Sihanouk Sep 5 for two days of talks designed to resolve the political impasse
preventing the formation of a new government.
Two grenades are thrown at Hun Sen's residence near Independence Monument
on Sep 7. The premier returns quickly from Siem Reap, where political talks were
about to fail, to inspect the damage, telling the press that the 15-day-old demonstration
should be broken up and demo leaders should be arrested.
Rainsy takes refuge in the UN office at the Cambodiana. Demonstrators and
riot ploice clash outside the hotel and one person is killed.
Police charge and clear "Democracy Square" on Sep 8, driving out protestors
and razing the tent city. Demonstrations turn ugly and spread through Phnom Penh.
On Sep 9 two monks are shot near the American Embassy. Pro-CPP demonstrators
also take to the streets, resulting in violent clashes between opposing forces.
Opposition parliamentarian Kem Sokha is prevented from leaving the country
on Sep 10. Other MPs are also subsequently prevented from leaving the country.
On Sep 15 Prince Ranariddh agrees to call off street protests, visit his father,
the King, in Siem Reap, and declare that his party would attend the first session
of the new national Assembly on Sep 24.
Rainsy follows suit the next day.
Human Rights envoy Thomas Hammarberg releases a statement Sep 16 saying that
16 bodies, including two in saffron robes, have been found floating in rivers, in
irrigation ditches, and in shallow graves around the capital since police began cracking
down on anti-government demonstrators.
The first substantive summit meeting hosted by the King with Chea Sim, Hun Sen, Prince
Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy takes place in Siem Reap on Sep 22.
In the early morning of Sep 24, a rocket is fired as a convoy of MPs and senior officials
is headed to meet with the King in Siem Reap. No vehicles are hit, but 12-year-old
Sor Chanrithy, who lives across the road, is killed in the incident. Three
other rockets fail to go off.
New MPs are sworn in to the National Assembly in front of Angkor Wat on Sep
24. The travel ban on MPs leaving the country is lifted.
The UN rights office submits a report to the government on Sep 28 documenting
26 instances of killing and other apparent violent deaths.
Tripartite talks over the formation of a new government break down on Sep 29.
Srun Vong Vannak, Sam Rainsy's former security chief who had been in jail
for more than one year, is released from jail on Sep 30. He was convicted of masterminding
the murder of Hun Sen's brother-in-law in 1997, a charge he confessed to but later
recanted claiming police threatened it out of him.
EU Chief Observer Sven Linder leaves Cambodia on Oct 2 saying that the elections
were a step forward for Cambodian democracy.
King Sihanouk arrives in Phnom Penh on Oct 5, after cancelling his planned
departure for China, in an effort to help break the political statemate.
The US House of Representatives passes a resolution on Oct 10 condemning Hun
Sen for being a human rights abuser.
The NEC releases a nine-page report on Oct 10 which says that there were no
discrepancies on the reconciliation of the ballots from July's election. The report
says all the valid, invalid, spoiled, destroyed, lost or unused ballots are acounted
for. The opposition says they want an open audit process where party agents, electoral
observers and the media can observe the process.
Economists and government officials warn that if a new government is not formed soon
there will be an economic crisis within two months.
Lt Col Sat Soeun is ordered to take "temporary" leave from duty on Oct
24. Soeun was acused and acquitted of murdering journalist Chan Dara in 1994. In
relieving him of his duties, police also go to his house and confiscate his 200 weapons.
The "International Forum on Demining and Victim Assistance: Towards Zero
Victims Based on Ownership and Partnership" convenes in Phnom Penh on Oct
26. Delegates from 31 countries and representatives from NGOs, UN agencies, Cambodian
ministries and CMAC attend.
People in rural areas face increasing hardship in the pre-rice harvest period forcing
some villagers to sell thier children. Authorities in Kampong Thom say that 30,000
farmers have run out of rice. Aid and government officials attempt to streamline
the provision of emergency food aid.
Prince Ranariddh flies back to Phnom Penh on Nov 12 for talks hosted by the
King. That evening he meets with Chea Sim and Hun Sen at the Royal Palace to undertake
negotiations on a coalition deal. Rainsy does not attend but does send his wishes
for success from Paris.
A micro-rebellion is quashed in Phnom Malai Nov 11-12. Twenty-four people
are detained in Battambang prison and in Thailand.
A three-man UN team visits Cambodia from Nov 14-22 to evaluate the existing
evidence and assess the feasibility of bringing Khmer Rouge leaders to justice.
Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Prince Ranariddh meet at the Council of Ministers on Nov 23
to sign a coalition deal on the formation of a new government. The three leaders
toast each other with champagne.
The deal ends a four-month stalemate since the July elections. Prince Ranariddh agrees
to accept the position of president of the National Assembly, something he'd previously
balked at, in return for full amnesty for exiled Princes Norodom Sirivuth
and Norodom Chakrapong, and Generals Nhek Bun Chhay, Srey Kosal and Sin
Song. Bun Chhay and Kosal will not get positions in the new government.
The deal also calls for the establishment of a new legislative body, to be called
the "Senate", with Chea Sim as its head, and as its deputies Funcinpec's
Ing Kiet and the CPP's Chem Sgnuon.The Senate idea draws criticism
from Sam Raisny and various NGOs as it is unclear how the body will be created, whether
the Constitution will be amended and what powers the body will have.
Hun Sen is voted in as Cambodia's new Prime Minister by a 99-13 majority at
the National Assembly Dec 1. A new cabinet is struck quickly. The CPP takes 15 of
the 29 ministries-including most of all those that control money; Funcinpec took
14, including most of the difficult social ministries. The ministries that control
the guns-Interior and Defense-are shared.
KR guerilla commanders Non Nou and Khem Ngoun meet with senior RCAF
generals at Preah Vihear temple on Dec 4 to finalize a deal allowing the KR and their
troops to reintegrate with the government. Ta Mok, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea are
abandoned. The latest defectors say they don't know the whereabouts of the three
top KR leaders. The Far Eastern Economic Review reports the three are being detained
at the request of the United States on Thai soil. The deal effectively ends the Khmer
Rouge's presence as a military movement.
They said it...
"In Brunei, power rests with the monarchy. In Indonesia some newspapers that
criticized the government were closed. And in Thailand when they have an election,
it is corrupt. Other things, like economics, they can teach us, but on the subject
of democracy and human rights, they must not teach us."
- Hun Sen, Jan 12, criticizing ASEAN.
"If we don't suspend these newspapers... and if [journalists] don't know their
limits, we could find ourselves at their funerals."
- Secretary of State for Information Khieu Kanharith, Jan 8.
"The procedure of appointing the NEC was not democratic at all."
- MP Thach Reng.
"They call Hun Sen a strongman. If the NEC members are pro-Hun Sen, he must
be a superman instead of a strongman from now on... [because] the law stipulates
that the NEC must not be subordinate to any political party."
- Hun Sen, Jan 26, after the assembly voted 70 to 15 confirming the NEC list.
"We have to look at our priorities: the bats or the statues?"
- Hab Touch, commenting on the problem of housing 2 million bats at the National
Museum.
"He's a lovely child and I wish more than anything he could live to become a
man. But I know that he will die soon."
- Nuth Dara commenting on the child Rasmey he found abandoned near the Post Office
who was later diagnosed as HIV-positive.
"What does Ranariddh stand for? What does Toan Chay really stand for?...The
King, that's what they say. Everyone can use the name of the King, except the CPP.
That's why CPP considers the elections are not fair-you control the power, you control
the country, and the ballot papers can take that away from you? No."
- CPP official speaking aonymously on the prospect of free and fair elections in
1998.
"The armed forces are financially independent and call the shots in the areas
they control. Everyone from villagers to provincial governors are afraid to speak
out. It is really out of conrol."
- Global Witness' Simon Taylor, commenting on illegal logging after a trip to
the northeast in Jan.
"If Hun Sen allows a chance for legal opposition, we will take it. If not, we
will go into the jungle for resistance."
- Prince Ranariddh, Feb 24, from Bangkok.
"I belive we will be killed, one by one."
- A colleague of Funcinpec General Kim Sang after Sang was executed on Mar 4.
"The census is important for development-but I don't know what kind of development."
- Commune Chief Pich Pray, Poh Leh village, Mondulkiri
"You cut the tree, you cut the Buddha."
- Maha Ghosananda, at the start of the 7th Dhammayietra.
"Ta Mok is a very bad man."
- Im Hoeun, KR Div 612 commander after defecting to the government at Preah Vihear
in March.
"I can not campaign from the roof of a hotel, not even a very nice hotel."
- Prince Ranariddh, quoted by diplomats who met with him at Le Royal upon his
return to Cambodia Mar 30.
"Pol Pot is dead and I am very happy."
- Non Nou, Pol Pot's jailer, announcing the death of Pol Pot to reporters on
Apr 16.
"He was a good husband to me, we met in 1985."
- Mea Son, widow of Pol Pot.
"Up to today, there is not a single Khmer Rouge with me."
- Gen Nhek Bun Chhay, speaking from O'Smach.
"The [National] United Front wins, the yuon soldiers immediately die. We retake
the legal position and plan. In doing so we survive. The Front is only a transition
to grab forces, not to go to die but to grab forces and fight the yuon."
- Tem, Notes from KR documents.
"Hun Sen and Heng Samrin were my messengers and Chea Sim my student and they
were very lazy,"
- Nuon Chea. KR documents.
"Ranariddh is the stooge of France and he fears Hun Sen because he has no forces,"
- Nuon Chea. KR documents.
"The United States Government hates us but the American people like us."
- Ta Mok, KR documents.
"Whoever blows up and shoots fish are yuon and have to have their throats cut."
- Ta Mok, KR documents
"It is so complicated I want to run away."
- Pung Peng Chheng, Jun 13, commenting on his decision to resign from the Constitutional
Council.
"Me, Sihanouk, I can not have broken stones thrown at my chest by these three
men."
- Hun Sen relating what the King had said to him about his three nominees who
were blocking the convening of the Constitutional Council.
"My assessment of these elections is in no way a foregone conclusion. There
are no blank checks connected with this observation process. Should there be any
chance those who believe that anything goes...they will find themselves to be badly
mistaken. Please don't take us or our conclusions for granted."
- Sven Linder, EU observation chief, Jun 23
"I would be prepared to step down. From Second Prime Minister to First Prime
Minister."
- Hun Sen responding to an opposition demand that he not be part of any new government.
"No!"
- Ranariddh, asked in August if he would ever work again under Hun Sen.
"What do you want? You want a real bloodshed in this country or not? I think
that my people will understand. [They] will understand we as leaders of the nation,
we could not bring all the people to death."
- Prince Ranariddh, Sep 14, explaining his decision to end demonstrations.
"I have never said 1998 elections were absolutely perfect... but they are in
my opinion, and I remain convinced, a step forward in Cambodia's democratic development."
- Sven Linder, Sep 30.
"And if there is a party that needs to ask a few questions [about the election]
it is really the CPP. We have 4 million members and we hardly had more than 2 million
votes."
- Hor Nam Hong.
"We are like the used sugar cane stick. Once the juice has been sucked out he
threw us away."
- A refugee in the Funcinpec-aligned camp in Surin, referring to Prince Ranariddh.
"The struggle is dead-and for no meaning at all."
- Choeun Ny, commander of Battalion 24, a Bun Chhay loyalist, commenting on the
end of fighting at O'Smach.
"I feel confident and hope for a bright future of our country Cambodia."
- Ranariddh, Nov 24, before being voted Assembly president.
"We love democracy, support democracy and protect democracy, but all the people
are still calling me Khmer Rouge. They are not calling me the ënew struggle movement'."
- Former Ta Mok chief of staff Khem Nguon, after defecting to the government.
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
Post Media Co LtdThe Elements Condominium, Level 7
Hun Sen Boulevard
Phum Tuol Roka III
Sangkat Chak Angre Krom, Khan Meanchey
12353 Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Telegram: 092 555 741
Email: [email protected]
