Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit Cambodia on a four day visit from March 30 to April 2. President Hu Jintao will visit Cambodia to strengthen bilateral cooperation between our two countries and talk on regional issues prior to Cambodia's hosting of the 2012 ASEAN summit.
The following is an open letter to President Hu Jintao.
Dear President Hu Jintao,
We welcome the news for your visit to Cambodia and see it as a time for optimism, hope and more importantly, change.
It is envisaged that 2012 will be the year when you will end your second five-year term as party head. Therefore may I take the liberty to suggest to you that this could be a great opportunity to propel China forward as a legitimate leader in the global context.
Because in spite of its rapid socio-economic advancement and modernisation, China continues to operate as an authoritarian one-party State that imposes severe restrictions on human rights both in China and abroad.
In particular, recent events in Tibet have involved the self-immolation of a number of Tibetans - the last count was 30 confirmed self-immolations since February 2009. President, this is their desperate attempt to gain the world's attention over the plight of Tibet and the lack of religious freedom, some as young as 18 years old!
The continuation of China's systematic repression of Tibetan people can not be ignored. Tibetans are gentle and peace loving people and they are seeking a level of autonomy to preserve their culture and their way of life. Surely it is not too much to ask. President Hu Jintao please use your authority to put an end to any further egregious human rights violations and begin to reconcile with the Tibetan Government-in-exile to settle the problem by beginning negotiations, without further delay, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
At the same time Chinese citizens, just like Cambodian citizens, face the same issues and challenges over livelihood issues, land seizures, forced evictions,abuses of power by corruption and economic inequalities. All these issues need to be resolved and we look to China to set a positive example in the region.
Controversial environmental projects funded by the Chinese government worldwide, including those in Cambodia, must also stop. The Kamchay dam in Kampot province and the Tatai dam in Koh Kong, are multi million dollar Chinese funded projects, which have destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and farmland and negatively impacted on fisheries and on local people's livelihoods. Consideration of the environmental impacts in either project had no place in any decision-making process. Of course, there is some clear accountability here with the Cambodian government as well, but China is definitely the stronger influence. We ask that the President ensure the next environmentally disastrous hydro dam project, which involves another Chinese company, scheduled for Stung Araeng in Koh Kong, does not proceed.
Finally President Hu Jintao please consider seriously how you would like your legacy to the world to be remembered. Change is inevitable. The rate at which the world is changing is beyond all our control: climate change, political change, illustrated by the recent Arab Spring demonstrations through out Middle East.
Surely President you would prefer to be remembered as the wind of change and not the reason behind the violent clouds of protest!
Phnom Penh March 26, 2012
MP Son Chhay
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