Newspaper Page Text
Page 20
Flagpole Magazine
November 20, 1991
Messenger for Cambodia
Like survivors of the Nazi holocaust, Dith
Pran tells me that he feels that he has been
"assigned as a messenger." He feels that
he must "do something." That "something"
now includes lecture tours around the U S.
and the world simply telling his story. His
story, well documented in the film The Kill
ing Fields, of his suffering under Pol Pot's
Khmer Rouge from 1975 until his escape in
April cf 1979, has gained renewed signifi
cance and a sense of urgency in the past
month. Cambodia is about to enter into a
new era which carries with it both fresh
promise and renewed threat.
Last month the UN, after years of nego
tiations in which the U S., the U.S.S.R ,
China, and Vietnam squabbled over
everyone’s self-interest, except
Cambodia’s, managed to get all of the
factions to enter into a new accord. In it,
former prince, Norodom Sihanouk, who ruled
Cambodia from 1941 until he was over
thrown by his general, Lon Nol. in what
might have been a CIA sponsored coup
(who ... us???), will be president of the
Supreme National Council, a provisional
government, until the UN-sponsored elec
tions can be held in 1993. This Council
includes the party of the occupying Viet
namese, the Kampuchean People's Revo
lutionary Party and its leader Hun Sen. The
remainder of the Council is made up of the
three guerilla groups who made up the
coalition known as the National Govern
ment of Cambodia. The coalition had been
comprised of the non-commumstSon Sann,
(the former prime minister under Sihanouk),
Sihanouk and his group of loyal soldiers
and government officials from the days of
his rule, and the Party of Democratic Kam
puchea, better known as the Khmer Rouge,
who’s leader, Pol Pot. was reponsible for
the deatns of over one million Cambodians.
Dith Pran credits the collapse of the
Soviet Union, and with it, the end of the Cold
War, for the "progress" made in the UN
negotiations. This is because, just as in
1970 and since, Cambodia has been a
“pawn to all sides." For this, it has suffered
for 21 years during three "phases": the war
(1969-1975), the Holocaust (the Pol Pot
years, 1975-1979), and the occupation by
the Vietnamese (1979 — Nov 1991). Since
the defeat of Cambodia under the Khmer
Rouge by Vietnam in 1979, a sort of "cold-
war-post-Vietnam-Southeast-Asian power-
struggle" thing happened, and, as usual,
Cambodia's welfare
had not a lot to do
with it.
It goes something
like this Russia
backed the Vietnam
ese but were running
out of funds towards
the mid-80s to sup
port the occupation,
so Vietnam, who’s
own economy was
screwed by the war
and lack of world
support, wanted out
China supported the
Cambodian guerilla
coalition, specifically
SihanoukandPolPot.
The U S. liked China
better than it liked
Russia, and it hated
Vietnam, so it, too.
supported (with $$$)
the guerilla coalition,
including of course,
that same evil Com
munist Pol Pot that
that very same Re
agan administration
had publicly (i.e., when it had served their
interests) denounced as a genocidal ma
niac (and rightly so) only a few years earlier
Vietnam, meanwhile, did not want the Khmer
Rouge included in negotiations probably
less for moral reasons than for historical,
centuries-old rivalries with their backer,
China The U S and China insisted that the
Khmer Rouge be included and neither side
budged for years.
The real collapse of the Soviet Union
and the end of the cold war in the late 80s
forced the Vietnamese to get "serious’’ about
backing out of Cambodia and they acqui
esced to U.S./China demands to include
the Khmer Rouge in negotiations to share
future power. Cambodia's Vietnamese
leader Hun Sen. however, was able to force
a compromise
whereby Sihanouk was
made leader of the pro
visional government so
as to separate him from
the guerilla coalition
once and for all.
Dith Pran told me
that he worries about
Sihanouk's intentions
and the impending
elections. He hopes
that Sihanouk takes a
neutral role (which he
has a pretty bad track
record in, though he
tried) and does not
invoke his monarchical
status, since many
Cambodians view him
as the "Devaraja", or
“God-King", and they
will not think for them
selves.
As for participation
by the Khmer Rouge,
he seems to want only
justice, not to place
blame. Unbelievable
as it may seem, he told
me that he does not really mind if Khmer
Rouge participates, as long as those re
sponsible for the genocide itself are brought
to justice. He is quick to point out that he is
not coming to speak to tell right from wrong,
only to understand the reasons for what
happened He wants people to be aware of
why the Cambodian people have suffered
for so long
Cambodia is at a crucial turning point
right now. Sihanouk could invoke despotic
monarchy. The Khmer Rouge could seize
power militarily and start the killing fields all
over again. I asked Pran what he felt should
be the U S.-UN response if events took a
turn for the worse. He was extremely ada
mant that there should never be a military
intervention of outside forces on behalf of
the Cambodians. He believes that cutting
off their supply lines ('e, economic sanc
tions) and isolating them in the world com
munity will be enough.
In talking to Pran, I got the distinct feel
ing that he passionately wants what is best
for the people of Cambodia, nofwhat is best
for the superpowers who used her almost to
her extinction. The end of the cold war, and
to the games played in its name, on such
innocent playing fields and with as little
regard to consequences as in Cambodia’s,
Vietnam’s, Angola’s, El Salvador's, or
Nicaragua’s, is what makes this time in
Cambodia’s history so crucial. Dith Pran
knows what happened and why He just
never wants it to happen again and wants
Cambodia to get on with its life. This is why
in his message he sounds almost apolitical
"Playing politics” caused it all in the first
place, from the time of Sihanouk’s decision
in 1966 to allow Cambodian soil to be used
by the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong)
as sanctuary, to the time, in his desperate
attempt to remain "neutral", he gave U S.
forces tacit approval to pursue them, to the
time Nixon decided to "assist" Lon Nol’s
army in fighting the Khmer Rouge by bomb
ing the hell out of the Cambodian country
side.
He said he was "embarrassed to be
here in America." but that he just "couldn’t
be there right now." He is a Cambod.an
patriot, in the finest sense of the word. As
much as we here in the U S. could learn
from the wisdom he has gained from his
experiences, I sincerely hope that one day
he can go safely back to the land and
people that he loves. , ica Mav/
Dith Pran knows what
happened and why.
He just never wants it
to happen again...
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