By Sam Sotha
As a former refugee who used to live in Thai refugee camp along Cambodian-Thai border in 1979, I am disturbed by an editorial entitled: “Cambodia's deportation of Uighurs is blatant hypocrisy”, published in The Nation on December 23, 2009 and furiously sad that the author may or may not purposely forget the past history of unashamed postulates of moral standards to which Thai’s own behaviour with moral righteousness and accusing Cambodia which has had acrimonious experiences with Thailand on refugee issues for so long.
It has been said that Cambodia was quick to send back a group of 20 Uighur asylum seekers who have been illegally crossing into and staying in Cambodia waiting for the approval of the UN High Commission for Refugees.
Cambodia is of course acting according to her domestic immigration laws. It is also surprise that such deportation would be compared to the Cambodia’s refusal of the former Thai primer minister, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra as per Thai government request for extradition back to Thailand. It is surely quite different situation.
If one forgets the past, let me share some of the factual and outstanding cases. In June 1979 when a mass of 45,000 Cambodians tried to seek refuge in Thailand for fear of immediate past of the Khmer Rouge Genocidal Regime, had crossed Dangrek mountain in the hope of finding safe haven. But their hopes had vanished and turned quickly into a tragedy for the Thai government had ordered their troops to fire and shoot at Cambodian asylum seekers. As a result, thousands of them lost their lives and limbs by stepping on land mines planted by the Pol Potists, on the border line.
In refugee camp, many former refugees who lived in Khao I Dang Camp, not too far from Aranya Prathet, the most south-western region of Thai-Cambodian border, told unspeakable tales of horrors of vulnerable young Cambodian women refugees who were raped and murdered by Thai soldiers.
Some United Nations' records at that time also described how Thai pirates used hammers, machetes, and guns to massacre Vietnamese boat of refugees, including children and women. Others were simply dumped at sea to drown. The Thai authorities conducted little investigations on the matters.
In early January 2009, Thai military put hundreds of Burmese Muslim, who sought refuge, lying down on the beach, bound struck and whipped if they raised their heads. They dumped them back to the sea. Thailand is practicing a dump-at-sea policy:
towing boats back to the sea, often without food or water! Isn’t it a cruel and unacceptable international practice?
Where was the international community? Don't they matter?
The author of the article said that the controversial decision by Cambodia came ahead of the visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping to Phnom Penh on Monday, December 21 and said that China has emerged as Cambodia’s largest donor and investor and that the relation between Cambodia and China has increasingly become closer.
In such situation Thailand knows well the game of politics. In an article in The Nation in November 6, 2006, “Thailand faces dilemma with North Korea refugees”. While the Thais are so mean with Cambodians, Vietnamese and Hmong-Lao and Burmese refugees, they are so humble and careful to make decision on North Korean refugees
who were seeking refuge.
As a rule all North Korean asylum seekers give themselves up to the Thai authorities knowing they will be taken care of by international facilitators or South Korea. The Thai authorities are turning their blind eye to the problems.
Since the coup in September 2006, Thailand’s reputation has been at stake and its diplomatic relations are very much under the world’s microscope. For the Thais, the US Congress is the main concern. They fear that in the future US Congressmen might want to come up with new laws that will undermine the role of the military in Thai politics.
Cambodia, by her immigration laws used to send back the asylum seekers, who illegally entered the kingdom, to their native countries of residence, but never, at any time, using forces or brutal return policy. Like any other countries in the world, Cambodia highly considers its noble respect of mutual relationship, interest and benefit.
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Mr. Sam Sotha is the author of the “In the Shade of A Quiet
Killing Place. Please go to: www.heavenlakepress.com
As a former refugee who used to live in Thai refugee camp along Cambodian-Thai border in 1979, I am disturbed by an editorial entitled: “Cambodia's deportation of Uighurs is blatant hypocrisy”, published in The Nation on December 23, 2009 and furiously sad that the author may or may not purposely forget the past history of unashamed postulates of moral standards to which Thai’s own behaviour with moral righteousness and accusing Cambodia which has had acrimonious experiences with Thailand on refugee issues for so long.
It has been said that Cambodia was quick to send back a group of 20 Uighur asylum seekers who have been illegally crossing into and staying in Cambodia waiting for the approval of the UN High Commission for Refugees.
Cambodia is of course acting according to her domestic immigration laws. It is also surprise that such deportation would be compared to the Cambodia’s refusal of the former Thai primer minister, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra as per Thai government request for extradition back to Thailand. It is surely quite different situation.
If one forgets the past, let me share some of the factual and outstanding cases. In June 1979 when a mass of 45,000 Cambodians tried to seek refuge in Thailand for fear of immediate past of the Khmer Rouge Genocidal Regime, had crossed Dangrek mountain in the hope of finding safe haven. But their hopes had vanished and turned quickly into a tragedy for the Thai government had ordered their troops to fire and shoot at Cambodian asylum seekers. As a result, thousands of them lost their lives and limbs by stepping on land mines planted by the Pol Potists, on the border line.
In refugee camp, many former refugees who lived in Khao I Dang Camp, not too far from Aranya Prathet, the most south-western region of Thai-Cambodian border, told unspeakable tales of horrors of vulnerable young Cambodian women refugees who were raped and murdered by Thai soldiers.
Some United Nations' records at that time also described how Thai pirates used hammers, machetes, and guns to massacre Vietnamese boat of refugees, including children and women. Others were simply dumped at sea to drown. The Thai authorities conducted little investigations on the matters.
In early January 2009, Thai military put hundreds of Burmese Muslim, who sought refuge, lying down on the beach, bound struck and whipped if they raised their heads. They dumped them back to the sea. Thailand is practicing a dump-at-sea policy:
towing boats back to the sea, often without food or water! Isn’t it a cruel and unacceptable international practice?
Where was the international community? Don't they matter?
The author of the article said that the controversial decision by Cambodia came ahead of the visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping to Phnom Penh on Monday, December 21 and said that China has emerged as Cambodia’s largest donor and investor and that the relation between Cambodia and China has increasingly become closer.
In such situation Thailand knows well the game of politics. In an article in The Nation in November 6, 2006, “Thailand faces dilemma with North Korea refugees”. While the Thais are so mean with Cambodians, Vietnamese and Hmong-Lao and Burmese refugees, they are so humble and careful to make decision on North Korean refugees
who were seeking refuge.
As a rule all North Korean asylum seekers give themselves up to the Thai authorities knowing they will be taken care of by international facilitators or South Korea. The Thai authorities are turning their blind eye to the problems.
Since the coup in September 2006, Thailand’s reputation has been at stake and its diplomatic relations are very much under the world’s microscope. For the Thais, the US Congress is the main concern. They fear that in the future US Congressmen might want to come up with new laws that will undermine the role of the military in Thai politics.
Cambodia, by her immigration laws used to send back the asylum seekers, who illegally entered the kingdom, to their native countries of residence, but never, at any time, using forces or brutal return policy. Like any other countries in the world, Cambodia highly considers its noble respect of mutual relationship, interest and benefit.
------
Mr. Sam Sotha is the author of the “In the Shade of A Quiet
Killing Place. Please go to: www.heavenlakepress.com