his Vietnamese wife Ang Cu in English" is the subject of an email I receive today from a friend in Paris. The story is from this blog: http://janecadhlanews.blog4ever.com/blog/index-462157.html
Most Cambodians knows that the inter-racial wedding of this King had left a very bad legacy on Cambodia history, in regard to the loss of Kampucha Krom to Vietnam. It started with the "Vietnamese Queen" influencing her husband, King Jayajetta II (1619-1627), in allowing Vietnamese colons to settle from Prey Nokor down South to the Mekong delta, that later extend to the whole Kampuchea Krom.
Then came the French, and after successive conquest, they vainquish the Viets. In 1862 France have made Kampuchea Krom or Cochin China a colony. It was a different treatment in regard to Cambodia, a french Protectorate.
After 77 year rule, on March 14th, 1949, France, ignoring the Cambodian rights, initiated a legal process that lead to the legal transfer of Kampuchea Krom to the then Emperor Bao Dai of Vietnam.
The process started with the singing by Bao Dai in January 1948 of the treaty with France called the "Bay d'Along Agreement" which recognized the principle of the 3-ky union, according to Mr. Chhean Vam, a politician in the old time. Mr. Chhean Vam in his testimony in regard to the case of Kampuchea Krom stated that: " As a logical result of these maneuvers, the French Parliament enacted, on March 14, 1949, a law instituing a 'Territorial Assembly of Cochin China.' Article 4 of that law states: 'The Assembly has an exclusive power to give its recommendation in accordance with 75 of the French Constitution on changing the territorial status of Cochin China within the French Union, either by its unification to the associated state of Vietnam or by a choice of one of the statuses, as included in Article 60 of the French Constitution'."
Subsequent to this legislation a new law was drafted to proceed with the transfer of Kampuchea Krom to Bao Dai, it was passed and signed in Toulon (France) into Law no. 49-733 the French President Vincent Auriol on June 4, 1949.
The King Norodom Sihanouk at that time, had sent a delegation composed of MM. Sonn San, Chhean Vam, Sim Var, Thonn Ouk, Pan Yung and Sok Chhong, to protest the French draft law, especially to lodge amendment to claim the borders to the Vinh Te Canal. They were received with sympaty and promised with success in their lobby, but just a few days before the vote, they received, according to Mr. Chhean Vam, a "telegram signed by Yem Sambaur, then the President of the Ministers Council. This telegram stated, in a peremtory way, that our mission (it meant Mr. Son Sann ans I) was finished."
And the Fench ignored the amendments. It was not known of the story behind this sad turn of event of our history...
I am very glad that the Khmer Krom stood up, formed the Khmer Krom Federation (KKF) to fight for their rights with the help of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organizationa (UNPO) of which KKF is a full fledge member. KKF has also participated actively in the annual session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) since 2004.
http://khmerkromngo.org/map/map.htm
Book to Read: The Khmer Krom Journey to Self-Determination published by the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
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