Satrey Khmer Online

Excerpt from http://www.upiasiaonline.com/
Written by Dr.LAO MONG HAY

Column: Rule by Fear
Published: March 26, 2008 

Cambodia is bound to a set of obligations under the international agreements that were concluded in 1991 to end the war in the country. Cambodia has undertaken, among other things, to adopt democracy, to observe and respect human rights and to be governed by the rule of law.
The country’s Constitution, which emanates from a U.N.-organized constituent election in 1993, incorporates all of its international obligations and provides for all basic institutions for a parliamentary democracy and the rule of law. It is a constitutional monarchy with a separation of powers. It has an independent and impartial judiciary whose duty is to protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

Cambodia has since then abandoned communism, embraced a market economy and become a more open society. However, communist legacies have stalled the creation of institutions for parliamentary democracy and the rule of law worthy of their names and their functioning. The government is not accountable to the National Assembly, for example, when the prime minister and other government ministers flout their constitutional duties and spurn the assembly’s summons to answer its questions.

After decades of war, very little is known about Cambodia. Our food, culture and history have been abandoned by the invaders. Our books were rewritten according to their desire. Our history were taught in such a way that is not Cambodian, nothing but genocide. As they glorify their history,  Cambodia’s beauty became darkest of the darkest of all. they teach their children about their pride and we were told from thier books to hate ourselves.  It seems that our richness, our luxury, our golden land have been their sources of evil, endless invasion still continue. Genocide is still going on in Cambodia, not a loud bombing, but this time a silent and deadly one. Land grabbing from the local people is a trend in ‘new era Cambodia” and land encroachment still going on from east and west.  Such tragic in our blood. They have gone very far annihilating Cambodia.  Enjoy to your fullest, have her(Cambodia) as the way you want, draw all your mighty greeds, but don’t forget that you must pay  great price in the end.  If not now, children of Cambodia and good friends of Cambodia will  stand and fight for her right, if not today, it will be tomorrow. “You can run but you can’t hide.”