LTO Cambodia: Sam Rainsy returns

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Sam Rainsy returns

Sam Rainsy returns

After 3 years abroad avoiding a politically tainted criminal conviction and sentence, last week Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy was granted a royal pardon by the king, allowing him to return to the country. Yesterday (July 19) he did just that, arriving from France by Thai Airways at the Phnom Penh International Airport at 9:05AM. Just in time for the July 28 elections in Cambodia. He was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters in what The Cambodia Daily dubbed the largest opposition rally ever in Cambodia. Estimates of the final crowd size are currently running 50,000-110,000, with it more likely closer to the top end, probably around 70,000-100,000. Tuktuks and market talk place it at an (impossible) million or more. Regardless, the turnout far exceeded the 40,000 the party was hoping for.

Tens of thousands of people awaited Sam Rainsy's arrival outside the airport, and the full length of Airport Road into town (8.5km) was lined elbow-to-elbow with supporters on one side and sometimes both sides of the road. The crowds were thicker and thinner in parts, but unbroken, sometimes as much as 2 or 3 people deep. Sam Rainsy and Ken Sokha (the party's vice) stood hand-in-hand atop a truck as they traveled from the airport to town, smiling and waving to supporters' enthusiastic cheers. Demographically, the crowds seemed overwhelmingly young (under 35,) including some monks, and though there were some rural folk there, most seemed to be urbanites.

The convoy left the airport and followed Airport Road to town, both preceded and followed by supporters, most on motorcycles or on foot. It then jogged a block north to Freedom Square where tens of thousands more were waiting, the convoy ended and Sam Rainsy addressed the crowds. The whole journey took 3-4 hours from airport to Freedom Park.

The main themes of the Airport Road crowds, repeated again and again, were "change" and "Number 7", the place of the CNRP (Sam Rainsy's party) on the ballot. (The CPP, the ruling party, holds the number 4 position on the ballot.)The general atmosphere was positive, enthusiastic, energetic, peaceful and well controlled. People yelled "Change or no change?" and others or the crowd would respond "CHANGE!" They also chanted "Change 4 to 7", "4 out, 7 in", and of course simply "Number 7!" Some added, "No corruption!", "Still poor." and "We must change the government!" Everybody flashed seven fingers. A few pockets also included some anti-Vietnamese chants such as "Vietnamese out" ('Yuon cheng') and "Change number 4, change number Vietnamese," (which rhymes in Khmer, 'Do lek buon, do lek yuon') in a reference to the ethnic Vietnamese and/or the perceived alignment of the current government with Vietnam.

Sam Rainsy is said to be planning to spend this last week before election day campaigning for the party in the provinces. He is apparently already off to Kampong Speu.

Crowds of supporters follow Sam Rainsy convoy

Crowds follow Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road.

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Shot from my car window, starting in front of the Airport and traveling up Airport Road about 10 minutes ahead of the Sam Rainsy convoy.

Kem Sokha

Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy.

CNRP supporters on Airport Road.

A group of musically inclined CNRP supporters on Airport Road, awaiting Sam Rainsy's arrival.

Crowds precedes Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road.

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Throngs of supporters following the Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road..

CNRP supporters on motos, Sam Rainsy return

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Supporter on Airport Road flashes 'Number 7'

Crowds follow Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road.

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Crowds precedes Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road.

CNRP supporter.

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Crowds follow Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road.

Crowds follow Sam Rainsy convoy on Airport Road, nearing the city center

Supporters lining Airport Road flash 'Number 7'

Street child collects discarded plastic water bottles from CNRP crowds on Airport Road.

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Cambodia

Cambodia is Srok Khmer, the 'Land of the Khmer,' the primary ethnic group in the area since at least the Neolithic and an Indian influenced civilization with origins near 2000 years old. Centered on the lower Mekong and tributaries the Khmer people have dominated the region for millennia. From 2nd century AD Khmer kingdoms rose and fell, culminating in unification and the 500 year reign of the Angkorian Empire, the builders of the temples of Angkor near Siem Reap. The Empire stretched from Burma to the ocean. But by the 1400s Cambodia fell to centuries of change and decline squeezed between the expanding Siam and Vietnam. Colonized and by the French in the 1860s, independence 90 years later in 1954, a brief post-colonial 'golden period' under Sihanouk, coup in 70, civil war, fall to the communist Khmer Rouge in 75, 3 years 8 months 20 days of madness, Vietnamese rescue in 1979, occupation, low level war and international sanctions in the 80s, the UN, ostensive democracy and an adventure party destination in the 90s and now mainstreaming, tourism, rapid development, rapacious capitalism and NGOs, missionaries and other international busybodies aplenty.

Southeast Asia

As the term implies, Southeast Asia encompasses the southeastern corner of the Asian continent, loosely speaking, the area between India, China and Australia. It is made up of two distinct regions: the mainland zone, a bulbous peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, bounded by China to the north and India to the west; and the insular (island) zone in the Pacific Ocean. The name 'Southeast Asia' is a comparatively recent invention, first coming into use into the 20th century and still a bit indefinite in definition. Mainland Southeast Asia is generally considered to include Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and peninsular Malaysia. The mainland is sometimes referred to as Indo-China though Indochina (Indochine) also designates the 19th/20th century French colonial conglomerate of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Sitting south of the Tropic of Cancer, most of mainland Southeast Asia lies in the hot, humid tropics and sub-tropics with a climate dominated by a monsoon cycle which divides the year into two distinct seasons: a dry season and an extremely wet monsoon season. Much of the mainland is mountainous and thickly jungled, with large river systems and wide, low-lying, flood-prone plains, much of which is, in modern times, deforested and blanketed with geometrical rice paddies. Several major river valleys including the Mekong River, the Red, Ma and Ka rivers and the group of rivers draining to the Chao Praya Delta played host to the rise of early civilization in the area. The Mekong River is one of the world's greatest rivers, the seventh largest on the planet, and since pre-history has been closely associated with the land of the Khmer.