New govt spur cautious hope for Cambodia<\/p>\n
By Stefan Smith<\/p>\n
PHNOM PENH (AFP): There is a cautious optimism in Cambodia for
\nat least a peaceful new year with two of the last three leaders
\nof the genocidal Khmer Rouge emerging from the jungle to join a
\nnew government forged after months of uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Behind the fresh hopes lies undisputed strongman Hun Sen,
\nbranded a dictator by his opponents, but hailed by supporters as
\nthe necessary force to lead the troubled kingdom.<\/p>\n
Hun Sen succeeded in rooting out the Khmer Rouge by gun or
\npromises of amnesty, and pushed his arch rival Prince Norodom
\nRanariddh and his FUNCINPEC party into a new pact to earn him
\ndemocratic credentials and international recognition.<\/p>\n
The year also saw the death in a jungle camp of Pol Pot, whose
\nbrutal 1975-1979 ultra-Maoist regime transformed the country into
\na vast killing fields leaving up to two million dead and
\ncountless others scarred forever.<\/p>\n
Along with the disgraced mastermind of the agrarian nightmare
\nwent the last few fighters of the rebel group at the hands of Hun
\nSen's government forces or the lure of an amnesty and a life
\noutside the jungle. For all there is little prospect they will be
\nbrought to international justice.<\/p>\n
Two of Pol Pot's aged fellow architects of the genocide --
\nideologue Nuon Chea and nominal leader Khieu Samphan -- also gave
\nup their jungle lives on Christmas day in a deal with Hun Sen
\nthat allows them to live as \"simple citizens.\"<\/p>\n
Only the brutal military chief Ta Mok remains at large in the
\njungle -- and stunned analysts can no longer rule out his chances
\nof defecting.<\/p>\n
Also set to be closely watched will be Hun Sen's new pact with
\nPrince Ranariddh, just 17 months after their last deal collapsed
\nin bloodshed on the streets of the capital.<\/p>\n
While July's remarkably smooth elections -- dubbed free and
\nfair by international observers but bemoaned by the opposition as
\nrigged -- secured the UN seat for Hun Sen, disaccord in ASEAN
\nover allowing Cambodia's membership highlights a general
\nskepticism.<\/p>\n
\"There are too many poor variables at work here: a partnership
\nwith a bloody track record, dubious deals with the Khmer Rouge,
\nunresolved cases of political violence and low investor
\nconfidence,\" explained one diplomatic source.<\/p>\n
\"Hun Sen has an uphill battle and a long way to go before
\nCambodia loses its reputation of being unpredictable and all too
\noften violent.\"<\/p>\n
Even with the Khmer Rouge out of the jungles and on the
\npayroll, and a coalition deal pasting over the bitter hatred
\nbetween government leaders, Cambodia's ills remain far from
\nbehind them.<\/p>\n
Under the spotlight will be how Hun Sen and his one-time
\ncommunist Cambodian People's Party tolerate the sole opposition
\nfigure and outspoken critic Sam Rainsy, isolated in dissent after
\nFUNCINPEC joined the coalition pact.<\/p>\n
The large investors needed are still steering clear of a
\ncountry with a poor track record of stability, while the gloomy
\nfinancial outlook remains hostage to Asia's broader economic
\nwoes.<\/p>\n
There is a deep-seated culture of corruption, political
\nviolence and impunity, and promises to divert spending from the
\narmed forces to the health and education sectors have yet to
\ntranslate to reality.<\/p>\n
Aid workers continue to sound alarm bells over the country's
\nworsening AIDS epidemic, while environmental groups point out a
\nseries of illegal logging deals that threaten to wipe out one of
\nCambodia's richest resources.<\/p>\n
Rights workers say allowing the brutal Khmer Rouge to defect
\nor die peaceful jungle deaths without justice is at the heart of
\nCambodia's malaise.<\/p>\n
\"This is giving a strange message to young people: killing two
\nmillion people and then going unpunished for it,\" explained Youk
\nChhang, director of Cambodia's Genocide Documentation Center.<\/p>\n
\"We have not seen the last of the Khmer Rouge: they wear the
\nsame clothes as us now, they shop in the same markets but their
\npassport is the AK-47, which they can take out anytime.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-govt-spur-cautious-hope-for-cambodia-1447893297",
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