ផលវិបាកនៃការបំបិទសិទ្ធិពលរដ្ឋមិនឱ្យនិយាយពីបញ្ហាទឹកដី

Khmer Circle: 

Prince Rannariddh, echoing his father's sentiment, once declared that Cambodia "would do enough just to defend what territory she still has left". The question is, though, do the Vietnamese share this naive sentiment where nothing stands in the way of their age-old appetite for easy pickings - Khmer land? 

It was the same attempt and manipulation of Cambodia's national politics and leadership by the Vietnamese rulers in earlier times that led to the anti-Vietnamese revolt in the 19th century and also to lingering anti-Vietnamese [as well as anti-Siamese] feelings among the Khmers towards their eastern neighbours. It was not only having to accept the imposed Vietnamese rule via a puppet royal court and the loss of national sovereignty or territory that fuelled the public anger and resentment at the time but also the attempt by Vietnam's rulers to dilute Khmer customs and cultural identity by forcing the populace to adopt Vietnamese ones instead. 

Preferring to overlook this history of injustices and undercurrents in the background, many a self-respected Western observer and writer view this "anti-Vietnamese sentiment" or nationalism vis a vis Vietnam with undisguised disdain and, perhaps, for some, even disgust, going as far as sanctioning Cambodians - as far as channels of influence and power are in place - for applying the reference "yuon" where the term Vietnam or Vietnamese should be used instead as the former term is believed to be "derogatory", or worse in this regard.

Despite all this we are unlikely to see any meaningful articles or in-depth reports on such 'sensitive topics" as the influx of Vietnamese settlers, the Economic Land Concessions [ELCs] lasting up to a hundred years, the persecution of the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom [Mekong Delta] or indeed this latest Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam Triangle international plunder scheme published or written any time soon courtesy of these South East Asia and Cambodia "experts" and ‘academics’ alike.

'The Diplomat' - a professed regional journalism outlet - is certainly among this bunch who have otherwise been proactive in disseminating misinformation on Cambodia -Vietnam relations and history, or at any rate, an outlet for hired hands to - in Hanoi regime's words – ‘shape public opinion’ on matters of importance and sensitivity to Vietnam.       

^^^