Hun Sen: Peace in his own words

Khmer Times, Opinion, 1 February 2022, (Link)

 A man that is known far too much for his harsh words but very less on his dedication to peace. His harshness is otherwise a reflection of his unyielding dedication to peace that he did not enjoy during his youth. It was the lost three decades for Cambodian nation as a whole, not just for himself.

He has lived in a country that had never known a united rule and government, more often than not a country that was marred with civil strife with a very few occasion of known uninterrupted peace for less than ten or twenty years.

“Cham Srok San Tran”, or “to wait for a peaceful homeland” was the word that Cambodian seniors like to say so much but most of them already lost their lives before they saw this unachievable dream of Cambodian people realised.

“A small country like Cambodia which  was broken into more than two ruling factions was a bitter experience. We had from the French colonial era many Cambodian factions colouring themselves blue, red, pink, white, etc. In between 1970 to 1975, Cambodia was under two factions and there was genocide between 1975 and 1979. From 1979 to 1993, Cambodia was under four ruling factions and again under two factions between 1993 and 1998.” (27 December 2006)

“As we now have peace that enables in infrastructural developments, we should not let it slip off our hands. Take for instance, these areas along the mountains of Kravanh and Aoral, previous administrations – including those of the French, the Japanese and then the French again – had so much difficulties to impose their administrative control upon. This area was also former Khmer Rouge commanding headquarters where former Khmer Rouge leaders like Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea hid themselves. If you read the personal history of Khieu Samphan, you will learn that he fled to the forest that links Kompong Speu, Pursath and Koh Kong altogether….That is why I always remind everyone that in the Cambodian history, it was rare that Cambodia was one united country under one rule, one King, one Constitution, Royal Government and army. It has been one of the most difficult tasks to formulate and put into realistic practice of the win-win policy. Though we now have more than one political parties, we have only one King, Constitution, National Assembly, Royal Government, army and one united country.” (28 January 2013)

Peace is like oxygen that we tend to take for granted. You never know that it is important unless you fall in the situation that requires assistance from oxygen machine.

But that can be too late already. And we have seen a lot of countries in the world that are choked with bloodshed because their political parties are breathing the air of antagonism, mutual elimination and power struggles, at the expense national peace.

For Hun Sen, war cannot end war.

“It has been my philosophy always that peace can never be achieved by making war. All conflicts, whether they are international or internal, must be resolved by peaceful means. I started military service since I was 18 years old. I have so much experiences and beliefs that gunpoint is not a way to make peace. This brought me in fact to overcome all sorts of hindrances and difficulties to conduct peace negotiation that in the end led to national reconciliation and peace throughout the country.” (15 February 2011)

Standing on this firm belief, he had risked his life to go to the Khmer Rouge’s stronghold to win trust from the rebel’s ranks and files as he tried to convince them to integrate into Cambodian society. Trust is the most important factor in executing the high risk policy among factions that had fought each other for decades.

“My mother and my aunt, both of whom have passed away already, asked me in closed door why I decided to go to the enemy region. I told them that if the worst happened, only I and perhaps a hundred other people going with me would die but if the worse did not happen, I would have the whole country back in peace. Let’s imagine if I did not go to Malai, Phnom Proeuk, Kamrieng and Samlot, would those people have trust in the win-win policy.” (21 January 2008)

Armed groups’ affiliation with political groups is one of the core element of structural violence in Cambodia because each political group can become rebel anytime or a force for coup d’etat whenever their political group deems that the conditions or power sharing status are less beneficial.

Looking at long history of fighting within Cambodian modern history, Hun Sen wanted to eliminate the structure of violence by avoiding revenge and pushing for “culture of dialogue” that he has been practicing all along from peace negotiation with the then Prince Norodom Sihanouk in the late 1980s, to the Win-Win Policy with the Khmer Rouge and up to the present when he tries to conduct dialogue with different political parties or groups.

The culture of revenge is known in a Khmer saying that goes, “teuk leung trey si sromoach, teuk hoach sromoach si trey” meaning that when the water floods, the fish will eat the ants and when the water runs dry the ants will eat the fish.

“By late 1998 we have been reduced to two armed groups – the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the Khmer Rouge, whose control had been the areas along the Thai-Cambodian borders and certain spots. The win-win policy has brought about an end to secessionism and division of controls while eradicating all internal boundaries… Full integration has been achieved and also the game of “the fish eat the ants when water rises and the ants do vice versa when the water recedes” has ended. We have brought our country to a state of peace and peaceful culture in the last four years. What is “the fish eat the ants when water rises and the ants do vice versa when the water recedes?” This is a policy of taking revenge without end that had happened in the past. When we won, we kill our opponents and when our opponent won, we stood to be killed. It was a true story in the past. Take for instance in 1970 the Lon Nol group eradicated those followers and supporters of Samdech Preah Sihanouk and when Pol Pot came to power, both supporters of Samdech Preah Sihanouk and Lon Nol had been killed… The war saw no ends. We have put an end to this policy and that is why we dare have our armed forces demobilised and tens of thousands firearms destroyed. Not only that we destroyed old weapons, but we also do not buy new ones as well.” (2 September 2002)

After the success in implementing the Win-Win Policy, Hun Sen clearly understands the importance of development to support durability of peace. On the military aspect, the Cambodian government has embarked on military demobilisation, destroying of weapons, and demining. On the infrastructure aspect, roads, bridges, water canals, schools and hospitals have been built in the former Khmer Rouge area to ensure connectivity, enhance poverty reduction and equal access to fundamental needs and economic opportunity for all Khmer citizens without discrimination.

By 2010, Cambodian government has demobilised some 17,000 soldiers.

He ironically said that “…in time of war asking someone for money for war purpose is easier than seeking someone’s help in time of peace in order to demobilise soldiers.” (21 June 2010)

By 2006, the government had demolished about 200,000 rifles. From 1993 to 2002, the engineering forces has liberated 4,288,913 ha from mines. Among those uncovered, 129,657 were anti-human landmines, 7,894 were anti-tanks, and 23,476 UXO.

Strong emphasis on the building of schools nationwide also signified Hun Sen’s long term vision for Cambodia’s future as his generation was deprived of education opportunity because of the civil wars. Massive road construction filled up his political calendar as he has been presiding over the inaugurations and to revisit the regions that once were the bloody battlefields between Khmer and Khmer.

“Implementing the win-win policy is making no one a winner or a loser. After each victory in the battlefield, what to gain from fighting were all sort of rifles but in this moment the gain that we all are collecting is the Peace Bridge and other bailey bridges, school buildings, hospitals, canals and roads.” (20 May 2003)

“To achieve peace is not yet complete. Peace and development must go hand in hand. We would not be able to maintain peace if we do not develop. It is with that perception that I have declared on behalf of the Cambodian People’s Party that I will transform former battlefields into development zones and markets. In reality, starting in Banteay Meanchey province all the way to Kamrieng, Phnom Proek, Sampeo Loun and Pailin, cassavas have been planted in large area and we had to negotiate with the Thai authority recently to allow trade to proceed in a timely manner. So you see, our people no longer are displaced on their own soil but station and settle down with production and trade activities, though road access and school for children are still issues to be resolved.” (9 April 2012).