A n old adage says it is easy to start a war but it is very difficult to end one
and the maxim applies well to the Cambodian conflict. The Paris Peace Agreements
and the multi-billion dollar United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
to implement them failed to put an end to the conflict. The Khmer Rouge refused
to honor pledges they made in Paris, boycotted the UNTAC-organized elections,
and returned to the jungle to continue the war.
Cambodians were cheated
of an opportunity to condemn the KR via the ballot box and have instead had to
endure still more war.
There are two main schools of thought on how to
deal with the KR. One advocates the elimination of the KR as a military and
political force and it argues that this could be achieved through economic and
social development, especially in rural areas as well as through the use of
military force.
The other school of thought favors accommodating the KR,
giving them a role in government in exchange for giving up the areas they
control and is prepared to see the constitution amended as part of the
process.
The KR issue could, in my opinion be resolved quickly. There
remain, however, questions over the implementation of both approaches. Are the
Royal Government and its army strong enough, and do they have the resources to
raise the standard of living in the rural areas, neutralize the influence of the
KR, push them back, and finally defeat them? One would like to be optimistic,
but, experience would indicate that the offensive would likely to be a
protracted affair which could weaken the Royal Government and its army when it
is still acutely short of resources and is over-burdened by the task of
rehabilitation and reconstruction. The latest reports from the frontline, though
very patchy, suggest that there is a war of attrition going on, with neither
side having a decisive advantage.
Cambodians themselves are sick and
tired of war. The success of the Royal Government campaign to get the KR to join
them seems to have peaked.
According to the accommodation school of
thought, the KR leadership would be content and would readily cooperate with the
rest of the nation if they were given a place in the Royal Government. They
would surrender Pailin, Preah Vihear and the rest of the areas they currently
control. The accommodationists argue it would be better to have them in town
than keeping them in the jungle and Cambodia would finally be fully at
peace.
Unfortunately, reality might not be so straightforward. How will
the nation be able to accept the bitter pill of having the genocidal KR playing
a role in governing the country? Certainly, on the face of it, it would run
counter to the principles of not only democracy but also to morality and
justice. Would Cambodian society have peace and happiness without morality and
justice? How would the Cambodian nation fare in the international community if
it gave a prominent position to the killers? Would it not be ostracized around
the world? That accommodation would not guarantee peace and happiness but would
be a stain on the nation's history.
Is there a more acceptable and
effective solution to deal with the KR.? The answer, I believe, is a big yes and
it would be based on morality and justice. The KR can be dissolved in an
honorable way. First, the National Assembly would need to pass laws declaring
the KR as outlaws and that the leadership should be tried for their crimes
against humanity.
Second, a well-prepared program of rehabilitation and
re-integration of the KR rank and file into the community would be set
up.
Third, His Majesty the King who still commands great respect from the
KR and remains the key to their survival would need to play a leading role in
this program. He would need to make repeated appeals to his "children" and
"grand children" who are KR, urging them to lay down their arms, to come out of
the jungle and join him to build national unity and the Cambodian nation. His
Majesty would have to stress that these "children" of his have won the cause
they were fighting for, namely that Vietnamese forces have now apparently left
the country.
His Majesty could tell the KR rank and file they could be
considered "heroes" and have a big role to play in the reconstruction of the
country. They should be persuaded to abandon their leaders, who are no good for
them or the nation. His Majesty would need to provide them with guarantees as to
their safety and to assure them they could have land, jobs, education if they
returned to the fold. If His Majesty were personally in charge of the program,
his assurances would be all the more convincing.
Many estimates put the
number of KR fighters at 10,000. If it cost $10,000 a head to win over the KR
the whole program would cost only $100 million. This would be a cheap price to
pay for the honorable peace so dearly sought by the Cambodian nation. After all
think of the costs in terms of human suffering, money and the continued
destruction of the country that protracted warfare would entail. Perhaps even
more importantly, continued warfare is a danger to freedom, democracy and human
rights, the priceless gains the Cambodian people have achieved.
The Nobel
Peace Prize has yet to be awarded to any individual or organization in
recognition of the efforts to bring peace to Cambodia. The Nobel Committee was
awarded to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Vietnamese
Foreign Minister Le Duc Tho for signing the Paris peace accords although these
agreements failed to bring peace to Vietnam. Surely the Nobel committee could
not overlook Cambodia and its king if complete peace was won at last.
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