Dear H.E. U.S. Senators John McCain and Ted Cruz, During the last three months, following the arrest of former opposition leader Kem Sokha for treason and the dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party on charge of conspiring with foreigners – a violation to the Law of Political Party – both of you, instead of the opposition, have been so over-reactive that many American citizens criticized you, claiming that you both should take your role and spend more time on improving U.S. human right and democracy issues rather than interfering in Cambodia’s affairs, which is not your voter’s priority. If I am American, I would also have told you the same and would tell you publicly that I deeply regretted casting a vote for you. Your over-reactions instead of the opposition has casted even more doubt that the Americans who was admittedly claimed by Kem Sokha to have supported him and his party in their attempt to topple current Cambodia’s legitimate government through a Yugoslavia and Serbia-modeled ‘color revolution’ are no one but Senator John McCain and Senator Ted Cruz.

You both may have reasons to deny this claim, but your overreactions on Cambodia’s issues exposed three main undisputed motives:

1. Despite President Donald Trump’s new administration vowing to end any U.S. secret involvement in other countries’ leadership change, your same team still carried on your previous administration’s vicious policy to change the leadership and/or government who do not bow down to the U.S. influence or policy, citing human right and democracy issues. You have been providing secret supports, both technically and financially, to the opposition and used them as your puppets to execute your leadership change plan through revolution rather than democratic, free and fair election. To this end, you pitted two groups of Khmer against each other and you supported one group and attacked another.

Cambodians have experienced and been fed up with such tactic employed by your government during the 1960s and 1970s when over three million bombs were secretly dropped, killing people and destroying our vast natural resources. At that time, your government didn’t say a single word related to human rights and democracy. Cambodian people, especially Prince Sisowath Sirimatak who blindly believed in the U.S. and dared to stage coup d’état, with General Lon Nol, to overthrow Samdach Norodom Sihanouk’s government, admitted his deep regret over the U.S., and his historical word was always remembered by Cambodians, except the opposition who are blindly believing in both of you Americans, in the hope that you would help revivify CNRP, allow them to repatriate and nullify the rulings against them, and return to their positions as members of the parliament and get their salary. However, these dreams may never realize as you already know that many eyes are starring at your abuses of international laws in dealing with Cambodia as an independent and sovereign state.

2. Both of you may be disappointed to see Cambodian people get recovered from the tragedy caused by American bombs and survive genocide, and they are building their country from the scratch without your assistance. Cambodia has maintained its economic growth of 7% in the last 20 years, thanks to the CPP’s leadership – specifically Samdach Techo Hun Sen – and Cambodian people who have sacrificed everything to liberate Cambodia and maintain its peace and development through Win-Win Policy. Because you may be upset to see Cambodia taking full ownership in governing the nation and bowing down to no other countries, especially your U.S., you are trying to harm our present peace and development, citing human rights and democracy. These two accuses allow you and your country to interfere into other countries’ internal affairs, just like what you are doing to the internal affairs of Cambodia as an independent, sovereign and integrity state now. You are annoying us because we are different from Iraq, Syria or Ukraine who allowed your group, as well as civil society and your political puppets, do whatever you want. You are trying to put Cambodia under modern colonization for the purpose of your country’s interest. That’s why, to fulfill this colonization purpose, you swallow your citizen’s criticism to protect the opposition and its leader.

3. Both of you have made every effort to accomplish the first and second motives in order to accomplish the third one – to strengthen U.S. influence in ASEAN region and to besiege Asia’s superpower China. Some ordinary Cambodians wrongly give you value and believe you help care about Cambodia’s interest and want to bring real democracy and human rights to Cambodia. It fact, it is not the case. What you are doing is just a sham to cover your country’s huge plan to strengthen its influence and geopolitical position in Asia against China. Immediately after the U.S. State Department issued visa restrictions on Cambodian officials and their families, Senator Ted Cruz said, ‘Visa restriction on Cambodian officials and their families is the most effective measure to restore Cambodia’s democracy and a response to China’s increasing influence in Cambodia.’ This clearly shows that both of you are trying to stop or reduce China’s influence in Cambodia, citing democracy and human rights. Could this be second ‘Cold War’? In the past, the U.S.

raced against Soviet, later on Russia, and now superpower China. Why is the U.S. trying to pressure Cambodia? It’s because Cambodia has a good relationship with China and China cares more about Cambodia, in stark contrast to the U.S. who have always made accuse to destroy Cambodia since the past. Both of you who are in charge of the Congress’s Committee of Foreign Affairs could not stand still to see Cambodia taking full ownership and performing its role well in the region and the world. That’s why you are framing, criticizing and attacking Cambodia by all mean. You order your puppets, including convicted Sam Rainsy, Kem Sokha and his heir Kem Monovithya, to attack and open up internal conflict, so that your group could interfere. Moreover, both of you also give green light to Sam Rainsy and your political puppets to employ rhetoric and discriminating words against China and Chinese people in Cambodia. Sam Rainsy earned a notorious image for his discriminating language against Vietnamese, and now begins to use the same language against Chinese.​ Again, dear both H.E. Senators!

On behalf of Cambodians, I am thankful that you have acted like you love Cambodian people more than some Cambodians do. However, the love you are showing us is vicious.

You use human rights and democracy as accuses to hide your viciousness and exploit it for your nation’s interest. You accused us of undermining democracy and human rights, just because our government protect our peace, development and political stability by taking legal actions against traitors and their party who bowed down to foreign government’s order. You accuse us of being dictatorship while all members of the former opposition party, including your political puppets, have freedom to insult our government and, in some cases, even threaten our leaders’ life. Would you and your country accept such an insult or life threatening to your President and you yourself? Probably not. Would your country tolerate any traitors who have conspired with foreigners? Your country has zero tolerance towards it and has taken similar measures to Cambodia against traitors, like Kem Sokha, Sam Rainsy and the CNRP.

You accuse us of being dictatorship, and having no democracy and human rights, but have you taken a note at some countries in the region? Mr. Jain-Francois Tain, a PhD. in Political Science said that, “It is claimed that by tradition and by rule, the U.S., the world’s champion of freedom, only befriends with democratic countries. However, it is a ridiculous claim since in the international relation framework; there is no space for ideal, enemy or friend. There is only one word – interest. People should understand that during the Cold War – we talk about only in ASEAN, not in Africa or South Africa, countries that the U.S. supported are mostly military dictatorship states that were against Communist ideology. For instance, those included Marcos’s the Philippines, Suharto’s Indonesia and Thailand. Even the former South Vietnam and General Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic which were under the U.S. protection and were collapsed in 1975 all are included in the long list of military dictatorship countries. It is the same for the present time – it is incorrect or, at least, partly incorrect to claim that the U.S. only befriends with the ASEAN’s democratic states. If so, why does the U.S. still enjoy a good relationship with Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei who are not democratic states, Thailand who is being ruled by military through a coup d’état, and the most recent one, Vietnam and Myanmar who just start their democracy journey yet still under the control of the military.”

So, please stop pitting Khmer against Khmer, and stop hindering Cambodia for the purpose of strengthening your country’s influence. Cambodian people know your vicious trick clearly, and especially on this December 12th, your Committee will convene with stakeholders to listen to their testimonies on Cambodia’s current situation. Those who will provide their testimonies are no one but your political puppets, including the NDI and your puppet Kem Sokha’s heir Kem Monovithya. This is just a sham to provide more evidence and to justify that what your group thought and has been doing are justify and to continue your vicious plan against Cambodia. Cambodian people do not expect them to say good about Cambodia, especially your puppet’s heir Kem Monovithya because she is very proud to destroy Cambodia’s image and interest in the international stage. Those people have become unwelcome figures in Cambodia. Because you are too obsessed with illusion and possess a hideous political motive, your group would ignore, reject to listen to any reasons and even not synthesize properly even though our government’s legal measures are by law. Cambodia will surely face an enormous injustice just because your group conspires with some opposition traitors.

Those oppositions have been saying bad about Cambodia on the international stage, hampering Cambodia’s interest in the hope that some foreigners, especially both of you and your allies, would help them. Judged by their relentless efforts to hamper Cambodian people’s interest under their U.S. and Allies’s secret plan, the oppositions, including convicted Sam Rainsy, Kem Sokha’s daughter Kem Monovithya and their colleagues deserve Medals of National Destruction from the U.S. or from both of you. Cambodia does not need those traitors and their bosses to hinder Cambodia’s development by citing democracy and human rights. You group has been responsible for the tragedies in a number of countries, killing thousands of people, and in many cases, the conflicts have not been over yet and some others are being suffered from civil wars and U.S. and Allies’s bombardment. You raised that you would not by the criticism over your supports or taking parts in the ‘color revolution’ and destruction of other countries, but people from those countries are suffering – some broke their families, some were killed, and all infrastructure were demolished. Please remember that democracy and human rights could not ‘dwell under gunpoint and bombardment. Cambodia loves democracy and human rights, so that we take all necessary measures to safeguard peace, stability and development.

Through this open letter, Cambodian people hope and believe that you better understand our people’s holy wishes – nothing besides peace, stability and development for the next generations. We also believe you would accept that Cambodia has its pride, dignity and respect of others. However, we reserve our rights to response to any insults of our nation and people made by any foreigners, and their interference into our internal affairs as an independent and sovereign state. We need good relationship with other countries, sharing fair and equal right, not under a colonizer and colony relationships.

Phnom Penh, 10th December 2017