Three Stones border row unfounded, says Touch

Three Stones border row unfounded, says Touch

Thu, 11 February 2016 ppp

Meas Sokchea

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School of Vice: Note the Phnom Penh Post's persistence in down-marking the use of the term "yuon" in its reports by ascribing the same repeated negative undertones to it, i.e.: '...using a term for Vietnamese considered offensive by some.' In doing this the post's editor/writer deliberately makes its point clear to the reader that the person/group quoted or the source behind a given report relating to the 'yuons' [Vietnamese] is already guilty of harbouring an ill persuasion and a position of bias, if not outright xenophobia, towards a specific ethnic group by means of such labelling and ascription alone. 


It would be useful if the Post were to justify its persistence in so-doing by offering its readers more detailed and concrete explanations as to why, and since when precisely, the term in question and its day to day usage has been "considered offensive by some"? Would that be too much to ask of an enterprise that otherwise prides itself on professional-ethical journalism? Or has the Post fallen under the spells cast by Cambodia's sweet neighbours to the east too? 

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Royal Academy head border researcher Sok Touch visits Takeo province's Three Stones village yesterday. Photo supplied

The Royal Academy’s head border researcher Sok Touch yesterday dismissed claims that Vietnam had encroached into Cambodia’s Three Stones village along the border in Takeo province after inspecting the site.

Touch visited the area after rumours that Vietnam had claimed two of the three “famous” stones that give the village in Borei Cholsar district its name.

Yesterday, he noted Cambodia’s police checkpoint was only 25 metres from the site while the Vietnamese outpost was about 200 metres away, adding there was no evidence Vietnam had impeded access or was farming there. He labelled the rumours political troublemaking.

“The Vietnamese do not know [that location is meaningful]. But journalists and politicians always prod this topic to make it meaningful,” he said.

However, opposition councillor Thy Ny Thoeun insisted local farmers had been pushed out of the area by Vietnamese.

“If [you] don’t believe, come and see … Our Khmer checkpoint is far from [the border], about 20-30 metres, but the yuon built a [checkpoint] nearly on top of the border of the three stones,” he said, using a term for Vietnamese considered offensive by some.