Var Kim Hong’s suicide and the “death” of Cambodia: Norodom Sihanouk

UNOFFICIAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION by M. Preuk (on March 17, 2005)
B. M. D.
Norodom Sihanouk
Beijing, March 16, 2005

Nowadays, nobody can deny [the fact] that the “2nd Kingdom” Cambodia had lost a significant part of her land and maritime territorial integrity as compared to her territorial integrity during the 1963-1969 period (with the return of Preah Vihear [to Cambodia by Thailand]).

Nowadays, one knows very well that a large part of our lands and seas dating from 1963-1969 is integrated, without any opposition [from our part], to the “sovereignty” framework of our 3 neighbors (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos) – each one of them having their own share of the Cambodian “cake.”

For example, we find an appreciable number of villages belonging to our People which were located well within the interior of the SRN (Sangkum Reastr Niyum) Cambodia, but are from now on, 3 times “alas!”, well within the interior of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) – SRV – and … they are, of course, well defended by the (invincible) army of our “viet brothers.”

Very recently, Maitre Michel Buisson (Esquire) and his friends were able to note that these “viet brothers” are becoming the owners of Khmer villages – because of their extreme poverty, our Compatriots who are poor had to rent, or, even worse!, sell [their lands] to the “viet brothers”. Maitre Buisson had witnessed that these latter are pushing the “new borders” of “their South Vietnam” well within the interior of “2nd Kingdom” Cambodia.

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It is true, that under the reign of Lon Nol (Khmer Republic), the Vietnamese from South Vietnam (Kampuchea Krom) sent letters to the viets in Svay Rieng by unequivocally writing on the envelope of their respective letters: “Svay Rieng, Vietnam” – sic! –.

It is also true that Nguyen Van Thieu’s army occupying then our Neak Luong, had re-baptized it “Saigon Moi” (New Saigon, in French Noveau-Saigon).

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Coming back to Maitre Michel Buisson, he saw viet militaries behaving as masters over the Khmers living in the city of Snuol.

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The SRV “created” new borders (to their own benefit) by building during the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, “entry gates” and canals well within the interior of our 1963-1969 borders.

Thailand, on its part, “created” new borders (to their own benefit) by building straight highways which cut a good portion of our legal territory along certain provinces of the “2nd Kingdom” Cambodia. The lands which are closest to Thailand along the highways cited above “belong,” from now on, to the Thai Kingdom.

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Nowadays, the fact the team of H.E. Var Kim Hong officially “works” with our 3 neighbors to find out where our borders are is a vivid proof that:

The SRV, the Thai Kingdom, and the Popular Democratic Republic of Laos , absolutely, do not recognize the legitimacy and the legality of Cambodia borders dating from 1963 to 1969 – even though at the Summit Conference of Indochinese People in Canton, the delegations of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam (President Nguyen Huu Tho), of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Prime Minister Pham Van Dong), of the Neo Lao Hak Xat (Prince Souphanouvong) had, in front of Prime Minister Chou En Lai (People’s Republic of China), formally recognized the 1963-1969 delineation of the Cambodian borders; they even solemnly promised , in the name of their respective countries, nations, and peoples, to always – meaning eternally – respect this delineation of our borders.

Our “2nd Kingdom” Cambodia herself (represented by H.E. Var Kim Hong’s team) accepts to suicide herself by recognizing, even under the eyes of International Law, that Cambodia does not have precise borders.

By officially accepting to re-negotiate the borders issue, our “neo-Angkorian” Cambodia admits, on her own, that she does not know where are her land and maritime borders.

In this respect, the [use of the] word “suicide” is not exaggerated. Because a Country which recognizes that it does have precise and legal borders is a dead Country.

Signed: Norodom Sihanouk