A Cambodian man beaten to death in Thailand

By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

A 29 year-0ld Cambodian man who worked as a bicycle guard at Rong Klua Market opposite Poipet town has died at a Thai hospital after brutally beaten and seriously wounded by a group 7 Thai gangsters.

According to 26 year-old Lam Sim, the wife of the victim, at 9:30 a.m on 26th September, while her husband Vong Sopheak was guarding the bicycles as usual, a group of 7 gangsters attacked him with steel pipes without reasons then escaped, leaving her husband lying in a pool of blood from the head wounds. She said Thai police then took her husband to a hospital in Aranyapret in Sakeo province, but because he was in a critical condition he was then transferred to a hospital in Prachinburi province where he died at 8 a.m on Saturday 2nd of October.

According to the latest news, 3 of the 7 attackers had been arrested by the Thai police. And on Sunday 3rd October, Vong Sopheak's body had been repatriated to Cambodia through Poipet International Checkpoint and has been kept at Palilai Pagoda for funeral.

Vong Sopheak's death in Thailand came two days after a Cambodian mother and her daughter were killed by Thai soldiers after they tried to cross the border looking for works.

[Siamese] Ramkamhaeng Inscription too good to be true

Here is another piece by a Thai scholar, attached, after Prof. Piriya Krairiksh, "TOWARDS A REVISED HISTORY OF SUKHOTHAI ART: A REASSESSMENT OF THE. INSCRIPTION. OF KING RAM KHAMHAENG 1991."

Also evidence of the Ram kamhaeng inscription (of Angkorian period) being a fake/19th century work is its use of the modern Khmer words/phonemes, such as: ram (brother), kamhaeng (menace) (note there is also a post angkorian Khmer a legend of Kamhaeng chheuteal), dambang (stick), trapang (pond) soeng/sreoung (dawn), phnom (mount), phra kampong luong (royal port), tang-tae (since), bamroe (to serve), kradeung (spoken Khmer kandeung (belt), sang (to build), kreng (to be fraid of), kadan (Kdar) (wooden slab), deoum (original), kraphat/krapat (to tie around), layang (lyeang), sthapabk (to build), taing-lay (to all), ach preab (can overcome/prevail).

There words are the phonetic transcription of the 18-19th century Khmer Sap/pheak vocabulary; they are not old khmer or Angkorian phemes. Old khmer or Angkorian Khmer phoneme/phonetic transliteration for modern khmer ram was ryam, kanheng for kamphaeng, dambang was tamvwang; tranpang was travang, phnom was vnam etc.


The inscription cannot be from the Angkorian period.

Bora Touch

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Chance for good ties with Phnom Penh if we want[: Thailand

Problems are at senior levels, but can be overcome if calm, wise heads prevail

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva meets his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Brussels this week, bilateral relations are expected to get another boost. The question is how long the new-found friendliness can be maintained. Ties between both countries have been characteristically on and off, and we are obviously enjoying an "on" period.

Credit where it's due. The issue of Thaksin Shinawatra ended up being tackled admirably by the Cambodians. And although the related matter of red-shirt leaders on the run could re-emerge any time to sour relations, Thaksin's removal (or resignation depending on what version of the story we believe) as Cambodia's honorary economic adviser has served as a good cushion.

"Unsettled" issues have more to do with the Thai side. Bangkok's opposition to the Preah Vihear Temple management plan could resurface again when the next Unesco meeting on the issue in Bahrain draws near. Pending border demarcation has not progressed because Thai domestic political pressure will continue to prevent Parliament from endorsing any plan any time soon.

Thailand has come up with some sort of a master plan to enhance bilateral ties, following the New York meeting. The plan encourages local civilian and military authorities as well as central government agencies to come up with activities that will boost ties with Cambodia. The activities include cultural events and sports events, media and academic exchanges and economic cooperation.

A lot of critics view the plan as a "repackaged" scheme that fails to address the actual reasons for the diplomatic breakdown that resulted in ambassadors being recalled. To be more specific, the critics point out that the rows had nothing, or very little, to do with local people on both sides of the border, who have had relatively good connections with one another.

Sports events or concerts might be useful if bilateral conflicts revolved around local people being estranged or, worse, hating each other. What has really happened is that even troops at the border frequently play soccer together, at least until recently. The Thai-Cambodian diplomatic problem is a high-level one, and thus must be tackled from the top down.

And this is not a conflict inflamed by the media as Abhisit and Hun Sen seemed to suggest. Newspapers only quoted what the two of them had had to say, playing catch-up with the changing moods of the national leaders. All both have to do is say nice words and avoid name-calling.

The two leaders' eye-to-eye talks are a good start. As Hun Sen told local reporters, the bilateral atmosphere brightened almost immediately after New York. Abhisit has been equally positive, as seen in the Foreign Ministry's promptly mapped-out master plan, although it seemed misguided and smelled like old wine in a new bottle.

Abhisit can't simply fight diplomatic crises on too many fronts. When he comes back, it's likely that the Victor Bout issue, which has Thailand torn between the United States and Russia, will come to the fore once again. In regard to the problems with Saudi Arabia, there has been a reprieve following the decision by a senior police officer implicated in the 1990 kidnapping and murder of a high-profile Saudi businessman not accept a promotion. It has really been a close call with the Saudis, with the handling of Hajj visa applications almost grinding to a halt.

What Thailand and Cambodia really need to do is take a serious look at their conflict and see how lucky they are that it does not present a sticky dilemma like the Viktor Bout controversy and the Pol Lt-General Somkid Boonthanom case. After all, the Preah Vihear Temple is a place, not a person, which takes away moral or humanitarian complications. Whereas the Victor Bout and Somkid issues force Thailand to play rear-guard diplomacy, Bangkok and Phnom Penh can actually make mutual gains from Preah Vihear. All it takes is maturity and calm egos.

Small group of fed up women confront the regime's repression apparatus

Cambodian riot police disperse Boeung Kak Lake's villagers during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near the lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Villagers from Boeung Kak Lake cry in front of Cambodian riot police during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near the lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Villagers from Boeung Kak Lake help a woman (C) after she fainted during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near the lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Villagers from Boeung Kak Lake help a woman (C) who fainted during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near the lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

People walk as Cambodian riot police try to disperse them during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near Boeung Kak Lake lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

People stand in front of Cambodian riot police as they protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near Boeung Kak Lake lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

A woman shouts at Cambodian riot police during a protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near Boeung Kak lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

People protest against local real estate developer Shukaku Inc. over unfair compensation, as they stand next to Cambodian riot police near Prime Minister Hun Sen's house in Phnom Penh October 1, 2010. Thousands of families living near Boeung Kak lake, which is currently half-filled with sand, are facing eviction after the government in 2007 awarded the land to a local real estate developer Shukaku Inc for private developments. Residents are demanding between $15,000 to $20,000 in compensation to move out but the government would only agree to around $8500 per family. The firm has been filling in the lake with sand causing frequent floods at the residents' homes, which prompted many protests over the years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

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