Cambodian people have a nature of being polite, gentle and honest with those who are truly sincere. Their words and character are the reflection of their nature and the root of their family. To put it simply, we act in accordance with what we say. Cambodian people pass this saying on from one generation to another: Word Reveals Nature; Character Reveals Family Root.
Although a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect on midnight on July 28, peace remains fragile and uncertain in many ways. There have been two worrying and outstanding issues: The unlawful capture of twenty Cambodian soldiers after the ceasefire went into effect and the unilateral installation of barbed wire and digging of trenches inside the Cambodian territory near An Ses. The Cambodian leadership and army exercised great restraint, utilising peaceful means to handle these issues. We truly respect what we have said, as shown in the Cambodian expression above.
All the relevant countries and parties should be sensitive to all kinds of provocative acts on the part of Thailand and to speak out loudly and to warn against any sort of violence. Instead, negotiation between both countries should be the best mechanism to hash out the differences and to guarantee lasting and durable peace.
As history has shown, Thai people should not be misled by groundless sources, misinformation and propaganda with regards to what is history and what is happening. Such deception could ignite an undesirable and unnecessary conflict. Evidently, a nation could not be coerced into a collective narrative or a belief in a border demarcation on a map that was unilaterally produced by a group of people. It is not only illegitimate but also irresponsible. What both people could do are to let the technical teams of both countries do their work and, in turn, to live and act in dignity and with the value of respect towards one another.
However, if our sincerity is not valued, we must act in self-defence and sacrifice. We also have our own principles and responses. Cambodia’s most venerable monk Samdech Preah Someathea Thepadei Chota-Nheano Chuon Nat composed a Cambodian national and patriotic song titled: “Khmer Territory, or Den Dei Khmer,” in which a sentence reads:
“…One day, if there is an enemy that is hostile to us, every Khmer citizen volunteers to sacrifice our lives.”
Every Cambodian citizen should learn this by heart. Our ancestors keep reminding all of us of each generation’s sacrifices to defend our nation, religion and King. It is our noble obligation to defend our motherland’s sovereignty within a legitimate framework.
Ly Sok-Kheang is director of the Anlong Veng Peace Center. The views and opinions expressed are his own.
