26. The V-C Treaty of Feruary 18, 1979

It is the Vietnam Cambodia Treaty. Today February 18^th in history, 32 years ago, Heng Samrin of Cambodia then known as Popular Republic of Kampuchea and Pham Van Dong of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have signed the 25 year Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. In his paper (Cambodian complicit in vietnamization - March 3, 2010) on this subject, Dr. A. Gaffar Peang-Meth wrote “This treaty binds Cambodia and Vietnam in what the treaty terms ‘militant solidarity and fraternal friendship’. In a stroke of the pen, the signatories extol a symbiosis of interests between Cambodia and Vietnam, opening the door to an even more thorough Vietnamization of Khmer land and culture that might have taken place in a federation of the states of the former French Indochina”. Retired Professor Naranhkiri Tith from Johns Hopkins University stated this treaty that “became official in 2005” is “making Cambodians complicit in the Vietnamization of Cambodia.”

If we look at the text of the document in Khmer (in the Documents Pages of this blog), there were clauses to worry about that the above scholars have referred to. It is too bad that the Cambodian government, formed subsequent to the 1993 elections, did not nullify that Treaty as authorized by the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. The Treaty is for 25 years and renewable every 10 years unless a party would like to let it expired with one year notice in advance. Technically his Treaty will expire by 2014 and will extend 10 more years until 2024, if there will be no objection by either party.

The prospect is grim that there will be change. But it is feasible if there is a concerted effort by all Cambodian nationals inside and outside the country to mount a campaign to review or to rewrite that treaty.  And for now we have to live with it. It is a dilemma, now that Cambodia is facing real threats from Thailand at the Northern borders over the Temple of Preah Vihear. Also now we are living in the globalization era, any harsh action is tantamount to racism and discrimination. The best defense is to all Cambodians to resist to all foreign infiltration, cultural or whatever, and to deal with neighboring countries with equal footings, Independence and Dignity. And remember we do not want to have a "Peace of the Graves" nor the "Security of the Slaves". 

The future of Cambodia is in your hands, citizens and their representatives, the latter bear more responsibilities because the country is running by a representative democracy. And remember that treaties and conventions are not casting in stone, they can be renegotiated, amended... if a clause allows, in this case the 10 years clause.