Dear Sir,
T hailand deserves an international award for peace for opposing
a protracted war in Cambodia. The recent appeal of the Royal Government for
military assistance must be rejected. It is the case that American, Australian,
French, ASEAN or any other outside support to the Royal Government will only
serve to weaken the Maoist Khmer Rouge guerrillas. It will prolong the threat to
the multimillion dollar gem, timber and other flourishing economic partnerships
between the Khmer Rouge and the Thai business-military complex. The
international community must instead put pressure on the Royal Government to
settle its conflict with the KR in a non-violent way. We must recall between
1979-1992, to the disgrace of the established government in Phnom Penh, the KR
or Democratic Kampuchea occupied the seat for Cambodia in the United Nations
Assembly. Thailand stood as one pristinely dignified party to that international
ingenuity at granting honor to the kindly and humane authors of the famous
killing fields, namely, the Khmer Rouge. For Thailand, the millions of
Cambodians that the Khmer Rouge has either killed, cause to routinely die in
sickness and hunger for sheer widespread lack of food or health services whilst
on forced labor, or simply disappeared during the 1975-1978 Democratic Kampuchea
years, were necessary crumbs towards peace in Cambodia. It was consistent with
the strong tradition of the Thais, as above, namely, peaceful and non-violent
resolutions of conflict. Why, to emphasize the integrity of that tradition, the
Thai military would even go as far as serially killing its own people,
particularly the students and youth, between September 1973 and May 1992 since
they, these some misguided Thais that marched for democracy, were truly anathema
to the peace and quiet of Thailand. Thailand also reminds the international
community to adhere to the Paris Peace Agreements of October 1991 affecting the
settlement of the war in Cambodia> In other words, Thailand, in its really
unique vigilance to end the war in Cambodia wants the world to understand that,
among others, one, the peace agreements provided that the KR maintain, as they
did and still does, their army, two, the KR merits heaps upon heaps of praise
since they threatened to attack the proceedings of the United Nation's organized
elections during May 1993 that chose and installed the present coalition
government in Phnom Penh, which elections the KR boycotted. That duly elected
government in Phnom Penh now, according to Thailand, the world must, please,
deprive of deterrent capacities against, Thailand says, the internationally
unsupported, peace-loving, non-violent and peace-seeking KR. Is it too much to
ask the world, the Thais are appealing, to leave Cambodia alone so that the KR
are able to soon solely govern and preside once more upon sure dread and terror
and shame and death to our Cambodian people? Thailand, the true advocate of
peace?
- Adnarim Sarrin, Phnom Penh
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]