Photo/Illutration Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party files his ballot at a polling station in Takhmua, southeast Phnom Penh, on July 23. (AP Photo)

The chanting of Buddhist sutras came to me on the gentle breeze.

It was early July. A memorial was taking place at an old traditional house that stands in a thicket of bright green bamboo in a Chiba suburb.

Dozens of Cambodians living in Japan had gathered to remember a famous critic who died in Cambodia seven years ago.

“He said what he wanted to say on our behalf and was killed,” said Vanna Hay calmly.

Hay, 36, who has lived in Japan for 15 years, farms rice in Chiba.

Hay heads an organization of Cambodian expats in Japan who oppose Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government.

“We won’t succumb to threats by the government,” he said.

The regression of democracy in Cambodia in recent years has been a deeply distressing spectacle. Freedom of speech has been suppressed, while media outlets critical of the regime have been shut down.

Even demonstrations and other pro-democracy activities by Cambodians in Japan are closely monitored as a potential problem for the regime.

If they return home, the people said, they are certain to be detained.

Cambodia held a general election on July 23 to elect candidates to the National Assembly.

All members of the main opposition party were disqualified to run on the grounds that the party failed to meet procedural requirements. Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) was widely expected to sweep the board.

The election’s fairness is in serious doubt.

There is an old Cambodian saying that when water rises, the fish eat the ants; and when the water subsides, the ants eat the fish. No power can last forever anywhere in the world. A government that does not allow dissenting voices will end up in a fix sooner or later.

As for the Japanese government, it has merely expressed “concern” about the election.

Given that this is a crisis of democracy in Cambodia, isn’t that too timid a response? Japan has poured its heart and soul into building peace in that Southeast Asian nation. In the process, two Japanese civilians were killed in 1993.

Meanwhile, the situation in Cambodia is also a test for the international community, according to Hay.

“I want to see a more committed international response,” he said.

Hay’s call is sharply directed at us.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 23

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

 

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