Dear Sir;

W

hen will the Cambodians realize that civil war is not a

solution?

The world has given the Cambodians a chance to start over again

and they had better take this opportunity now, because there will not be many

more chances. Building up a destroyed country is extremely difficult and demands

a lot of understanding, honesty and patience. The government should appreciate

and encourage anyone who wishes to contribute to Cambodia's development. It is a

fact that Cambodia cannot rebuild the infrastructure without aid from abroad.

Therefore, it is vital for Cambodia's development that the internal conflicts

are ended. Otherwise, the majority of the foreign experts and educated Khmers

will flee the country.

For more than two decades all resources in the

Cambodian society have been used for destruction instead of development. Because

of this, Cambodia is today less developed than it was in the 1950s. Cambodia

will never have a chance to catch up with the rest of the world unless the

internal conflicts are solved. Cambodia has been in a state of war for too long;

people are still killing each other for no reason at all. Who benefits from

this? A very small percentage of the Cambodians gain on the civil war, while the

majority are suffering. It is time the Cambodians realized that fighting does

not solve conflicts, instead it creates more violence. The Cambodians must stop

wasting time and efforts on petty grievances, and instead devote time to restore

the damage to their country. The only way to avoid making the same mistakes over

and over again is by solving problems through discussions instead of through

fighting. The future of Cambodia concerns all Cambodians. If people in leading

positions do not want peace there is not going to be any peace.

The

Cambodians must learn to forgive, accept, tolerate and understand each other,

otherwise there is no hope of a future for Cambodia. The civil war in Cambodia

has a devastating effect on the population. There is no reason why it should

continue, except for the fact that other nations stand to lose a lot if the

internal conflicts in Cambodia are solved once and for all. Perhaps this is the

real reason why the war never ends. If the Cambodians do not leave political

ideologies, prestige and egoism behind, there may not be much of Cambodia left

to quarrel over. It could soon be too late for the Cambodians to regret what

they have done-or not done.

- Kim Son, Stockholm, Sweden.