From: giao@informix.com (Giao Tien Vu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese
Subject: Re: [POL] Re: VI: Cambodian Impasse can be solved
Date: 11 Nov 92 19:53:25 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Nov10.191055.14745@fx.com> davidto@fxgrp (David M To) writes:
>
>Dear Giao,
>
>Please go back and re-read the article.  The article's writer suggested
>that the option of the voluntary repatriation of Vietnamese settlers in 
>Cambodia should only be exercised IF AND ONLY IF:
>
>    * The Vietnamese government recalls all of its political apparatus 
>      members now living in Cambodia.
>    * The Vietnamese government provides the same democratic principle
>      and freedom that the Cambodian citizen now enjoy, namely restoring
>      human rights, freedom, and liberty to Vietnam.

No, you missed my point.  The danger of encouraging that thinking is that
we would give excuses to ANY racist feeling around the world toward
Vietnamese (or any other races).  The writer makes the simplistic
assumption that once Vietnam is democratic, the majority of people would
want to go home.  Reality is not that way.  The reason why people settles
down in certain region depends on many factors: economics, politics, and
some intangible reasons.  Once Vietnam becomes democratic, I don't
necessarily pack up my bag and go back there.  I have to consider many
factors: if I'm doing fine here, why am I going back?  The Vietnamese
living in Cambodia face the same kind of questions.  They don't go back
simply because Vietnam has a democratic regime.  All of their properties
are now in Cambodia.  If they go back they would not be able to get a place
to live where they want to live.  They would not be able to compete for
jobs that require different sets of skills.  They would face
discriminations (ask any Cambodian-born Vietnamese, they would tell you).

>
>This proposal has some merits by calling the Vietnamese government to play 
>a pro-active role to solve the impasse currently threateing the upcoming 
>election in Cambodia.  That role is to truly give the Vietnamese settlers 
>a better choice by returning to a democratic country.

The scary thing about this article is that it legitimizes the racist
feelings some Cambodians have against Vietnamese.  It reinforces the notion
that the Vietnamese would meddle with Cambodian politics beyond what influence
they have currently (giving the impression that a "pro-Vietnam government" is
something very bad for Cambodia; history has shown that Vietnam used to
have pro-China governments to no disadvantage).  In my point-of-view, it
trivializes the whole issue in a different way (the author wrote: "[t]he
Vietnamese would not think twice [about leaving Cambodia]").

>
>What you wrote about the rights of the Vietnamese settlers to either become
>Cambodian Vietnamese citizen or foreign citizen living in Cambodia is 
>absolutely 100% politically and morally correct, but it doesn't solve the 
>current Cambodian impasse, and that was the subject of the article.

The problem is that the article presents a seriously flawed premise from
the point-of-view of this Vietnamese.

>
>I'd really like to hear how do you propose to solve the election gridlock 
>in Cambodia.

The gridlock is there because one faction out of four refuses to
compromise.  It uses the Vietnamese as an excuse for its violation of the
accord it signed.  There is a truce, but this faction still continues
destroying and killing.  The first solution to the Cambodian problem is
to pressure this faction to sit down and seriously follow the accord.
Vietnamese had been there before the accord was signed.  Why didn't the
Khmer Rouge refuse to sign the accord then?

Giao

>
>Regards,
>
>David.
>
>
>giao@informix.com (Giao Tien Vu) writes:
>: Just imagine what if the US citizens start thinking the same way the
>: writer of this article does...
>: 
>: There would be a beginning of a "voluntary" repatriation of Vietnamese
>: back to Vietnam?  (A few murders would do the job, probably)
>: 
>: The anti-Vietnamese feeling in Cambodia has been high enough.  Please
>: don't propagate the view that Vietnamese ethnics in Cambodia are the
>: enemies of the Khmer people.  Haven't those savage killings the last
>: few months been enough?
>: 
>: The Vietnamese people in Cambodia will eventually have to decide their
>: citizenship.  If they want to make Cambodia their homeland, they should
>: become law-abiding Vietnamese Cambodians.  If they want to keep Vietnamese
>: citizenship, they would have the rights of foreigners living in Cambodia (be
>: allowed to live in Cambodia in the good will of the Cambodian government.)
>: Just as Chinese Vietnamese have been contributors to Vietnamese society,
>: why couldn't Vietnamese Cambodians become contributors to the Cambodian
>: society?
>: 
>: About the Khmer Rouge using this excuse, do you truly believe that after
>: the bulk of Vietnamese left the country, the Khmer Rouge would sit down and
>: really share power?  For years, they have accused that the Vietnamese
>: hid the troops in Cambodia and have yet produced any proof.  Do you truly
>: believe that after the Vietnamese left, they would not claim: "Some of
>: the Cambodians are actually Vietnamese!"?
>: 
>: Giao
>: 
>: In article <9211070257.AA06673@netcom.netcom.com> vinsight@netcom.com writes:
>: >
>: >
>: >**************
>: >Cambodian Impasse can be solved
>: >*************
>: >
>: >The two million Vietnamese settlers in Cambodia, confirmed by the U.N.
>: >peace-keeping task force, pose a genuine threat to the natives in the
>: >upcoming election. This is also one of the reasons that the Khmer Rouge
>: >refuses to cooperate in the peace process. This fear of and opposition
>: >to Vietnamese participation in the polls are legitimate despite the
>: >fact that many Vietnamese have established themselves on this land for
>: >many years: these two million Vietnamese voters represent one-fourth of
>: >the Cambodian population.
>: >
>: >Outside observers charge that the Khmer Rouge is using the Vietnamese
>: >settlers as an excuse for its political advancement. Others condemn the
>: >Cambodians' anti-Vietnamese sentiment as pure racial discrimination.
>: >>From the perspective of the Cambodian government, there is a deep
>: >concern that the nation's sovereignty is at stake as one-fourth of the
>: >electorate is Vietnamese, a people whose government invaded and occupied
>: >Cambodia for years until being forced out by international pressure. It
>: >would be virtually impossible to convince the Cambodian people that
>: >these Vietnamese settlers are not Hanoi's agents for its continuing
>: >domination. And even those who have settled in Cambodia before Hanoi's
>: >1978 invasion would be suspected to cast votes for a pro-Vietnam
>: >government.
>: >
>: >But to exclude these Vietnamese settlers from the election is to
>: >violate the democratic spirit of the free election. To include them is
>: >to challenge the Khmer Rouge's protest and maintain the current impasse,
>: >or to go ahead with the election without the Khmer Rouge and revive the
>: >deadly civil war.
>: >
>: >A seldom mention solution, probably due to the unlikelihood of its
>: >happening, is the volunteer repatriation of the Vietnamese from
>: >Cambodia. As anti-Vietnamese sentiments rose with eight gruesome
>: >killings recently, why would the Vietnamese be reluctant to return to
>: >their homeland?
>: >
>: >[...]
>: >The Vietnamese would not think twice about leaving Cambodia for home had
>: >Vietnam provided at least an equal opportunity for their future.
>: >
>: >In this regard, Hanoi can more than help resolve the Cambodian impasse.
>: >Its withdrawing of troops, even if as accurate as it claims, is not
>: >enough. It can recall its party members and cadres planted in Cambodia
>: >under civilian clothes. It can implement the most crucial and fundamental
>: >change in Vietnam: restoring the people's rights and the nation's
>: >freedom. Only under this condition, can genuine economic reforms work
>: >and relations with the rest of the world be improved to bring Vietnam out
>: >of the economic quagmire. Only under this condition, can the Vietnamese,
>: >not only in Cambodia but also elsewhere in Asian refugee camps, see a
>: >future in their homeland to voluntarily return.
>: >
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese