Comment: Options for building political stability

Hann So ponders the choices open to the government after the failure of peace

talks

The failure of the round table talks between the Royal Government

of Cambodia (RGC) and the Khmer Rouge on June 15-16, and the closure of the

Khmer Rouge office in Phnom Penh will create instability in the country. Renewed

fighting between government forces and the Khmer Rouge will eventually

intensify. The Khmer people will continue to suffer and die.

To create a

political stability for Cambodia, three options can be considered:

1) The

RGC declares an all-out war against the Khmer Rouge. Should the Khmer Rouge be

outlawed? If the RGC believes that there is no peaceful solution to this

unending problem, it is strategically good to outlaw the Khmer Rouge. This will

force Thailand to stop granting visas to the Khmer Rouge, thus preventing them

from traveling through Thailand.

If the RGC wants to maintain unity among

its own rank and still believes in a political solution, it can continue to keep

the door open while fighting the Khmer Rouge. The latter are already considered

outlaws when they refused to participate in the 1993 UN-supervised elections

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