Satrey Khmer Online

THE GREAT CAMBODIA DEBATE:

Before John Arnone and Kurt Heck take the “Great Book Readers” advice on Who Is Who in Cambodia, they may wish to look at the true facts not in the bookstore.

—-Many years ago, I chased the current Police Chief of Cambodia around Tay Ninh Province of the then Republic of Vietnam. Though now known as Hok Lundy, he was then named Nguyen Van Son. The actual leader who asked the Vietnamese to intervene was Pen Sovan. He, of course, fell from power and was jailed in Vietnam when the relative of his wife, Pham Van Dong, lost out to the the relative of the wife of Hun Sen; Do Moi. Before this event, Hun Sen was only number 8 in the leadership sponsored by Vietnam.The reason the U.S. Government did not recognize the Government installed by Vietnam was not because it supported the Khmer Rouge, but because true Cambodians had little or no say in that Government and little now.

—-Much is made of the U.S. and Thai support for the resistance to Vietnamese occupation. Many have made this to mean support for the Khmer Rouge.The only group not needing U.S. support was the Khmer Rouge. China more than adequately supplied them at the request of then Prince Sihanouk. Many nations assisted the non-communist resistance to Vietnamese occupation.