Premier Hun Sen replies to the King
Public Letter in reply to Nate Thayer article interviewing King saying he wanted to take back power of governing published in the Far easren Economic Review and Phnom Penh Post
Phnom Penh Post
Friday, 01 July 1994
The Second Prime Minister sent this letter to King Sihanouk in Beijing in response to the monarch's comments on taking power.
Respected Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk Varman King of Cambodia.
Your Majesty,
First of all, please allow my wife and myself to extend to Your Majesty and to Samdech Preah Mohesey all our best wishes of good health and longevity, especially on the occasion of the 58th Birthday Anniversary of Samdech Preah Mohesey.
May I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for any possible inappropriate expressions that might occur in my letter and the inconveniences it created to Your Majesty while You are on your medical treatment.
I was forced by the current situation to write this letter which is intended on the one hand to make clarifications on a number of issues, and on the other hand to solicit Your Majesty's advice on some issues that I have to address, namely the solution to be brought to the Khmer Rouge problem and the issue of conferring the State Power to Your Majesty.
Regarding the solution to the Khmer Rouge problem, so far some allegations have been made that my humble person as well as Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh, especially my humble self, were the obstacles to any accommodation with the Khmer Rouge, meaning that Hun Sen is the hard-liner opposed to any accommodation with the Khmer Rouge.
In this regard, I could not really understand, because I have done nothing but confirming myself to the Constitution which resulted from the elections. Concerning the Khmer Rouge problem, it is well known that the Khmer Rouge are opposed to the Paris Agreements, to the elections, to the Constitution, and to the elected Royal Government.
Now, they oppose Your Majesty's initiative of national reconciliation starting with the cease-fire. They even dare to demand that (a new Government be formed which is tantamount to the dissolution of the legitimate institutions resulting from the Elections and to nullifying all the efforts jointly exerted by the whole Cambodian people and the International Community in implementing the Paris Agreements.)They are continuing this warfare, the assassination of innocent people, committing untold tragedies to the Nation and to the people and yet the Khmer Rouge could get away with it and everything was blamed on Ranariddh - Hun Sen who are only exercising their legal obligations of protecting the people.
Some people said that the Royal Government refused to accommodate because it preferred the military option to destroy the Khmer Rouge. In this regard, allow me to say, Your Majesty, that for the moment, the Royal Government has no choice. The two rounds of Rounds Table failed because of the Khmer Rouge. May I also inform Your Majesty that my humble person, Hun Sen, now is a little bit different from Hun Sen prior to the Paris Agreements and from post-election Hun Sen: then I had two important options either to continue to fight or to seek a solution by ways of the Paris Agreements, either not to accept the election results and to rekindle the flame of war or to accept the election results to avoid warfare and to create conditions for national reconciliation. But for the moment, the Khmer Rouge do not leave Samdech Krom Preah and myself with any option since the Khmer Rouge have decided to opt for warfare against the nation and the population. There are indeed two other options that (I certainly could not go along:)
1. To accept the Khmer Rouge demands of dissolving the National Assembly, the elected Royal Government and to (form a new government with the Khmer Rouge in it.) (Proceeding this way is equivalent to a cool coup d'Etat) since even the Constitution will have to be scrapped or suspended. I have no mandate to go that far, but this is the prerogative of the National Assembly. But in my capacity as an MP, I will certainly vote against such a proposal because it (constitutes an outrageous concession tantamount to a legal coup d'Etat to dissolve the Constitution, to dismantle the national Assembly and the Royal Government elected by the people.) It is also a big blow to the achievement of the UN operation in Cambodia just for the sake of exchanging it with the participation of the genocidal group.
2. For the sake of avoiding combat initiated by the Khmer Rouge's offensive, the Royal Government was forced to withdraw from the areas where the Khmer Rouge aim to occupy. Doing so would allow the Khmer Rouge to expand their control over the territory and the population, and it will not be long before the Khmer Rouge would control the whole of Cambodia. For me, the above two options are impossible. But I don't know whether there are any personalities who can accept the above two mandates. If there are, they should come out to take my position and carry out these tasks, which is better than to go about fomenting social unrest.
Your Majesty,
There were times when I did not want to hear allegations that Hun Sen was the obstacle to accommodation with the Khmer Rouge, I picked up my pen and wrote my resignation, so as to make way for the Khmer Rouge easy return. But this act of mine would have resulted in the disappointment among the population and would provide a good opportunity for Khmer Rouge genocidal group, pro-Khmer Rouge group, Khmer Rouge sympathizers and those who use the Khmer Rouge as counter-weight to achieve their objectives, to be satisfied as they no longer need to destroy the achievement of the Paris Agreements to come to power illegally.
After having enough said of the Khmer Rouge problem, may I now turn to the issue of conferring the State Power to Your Majesty.
On this issue, I prefer not to make any judgment because I have received two different sets of information. The first one directly from Your Majesty on the morning of May 18, 1994 when Samdech Chea Sim and myself accompanied Your Majesty and Samdech Preah Mohesey from the Royal Palace to Pochentong Airport. Your Majesty mentioned that there are people who accuse me of wanting to take power. But I am too old, what do I want the power for? And the Constitution provides that the King reigns but does not govern. Successive information received also proved that Your Majesty denied the allegations that Your Majesty wanted to resume power.
Another set of information was that Your Majesty needs to take direct state power, there was even an attempt to foment a manifestation in support of the request to confer the power to Your Majesty. As the first hand information and the relayed one were so different that I did not pay much attention. But on the evening of June 17, 1994, I was deeply shaken by the article published in the Far Eastern Economic Review of June 23, 1994 entitled "Cambodia - Last act" written by Nate Thayer supposedly and interview with Your Majesty. According to this article, I have become another obstacle on the way of conferring the power to Your Majesty. I do not know whether those were words of Your Majesty or whether the author creates the story himself.
With regard to this issue, whether Your Majesty did say so or whether the reporter did write so, may I be allowed to submit to Your Majesty as follow my thought and my feelings.
Whatever the turn of the political situation and more than half of life, I have always been following Your Majesty. My decision to go into the maquis on April 14, 1970 would not have been made then if was not for Your Majesty because then I had many options to choose from: to be a student, to be a farmer, to be a worker or to be a businessman etc... Through various situations, whether I hold the position of a Minister, Deputy Prime Minister or Prime Minister, I always believe that the best way to put an end to the war was a political solution which would give an opportunity for Your Majesty to return and to lead the country. I have made it to become a reality. Your majesty and Samdech Preah Mohesey as well as the Royal Family and the non-communist resistant forces certainly have not yet been informed of all the hardships I have gone through in the search for a political solution in Cambodia. I had to face untold dangers so as to achieve this enormous and historical task. The influence of leaders of some countries exerted upon me to seek a red resolution which would have denied the roles to be played by Your Majesty and the non-communist resistant forces and which I did not accept was another kind of danger which I would not reveal their names right now but would mention in the book to be published later on. This brief mention of history does not mean that I want to take credit for it but just to show Your Majesty of what I have done for the nation and in following Your Majesty. On June 13, 1994, Sdech Krom Khun Norodom Sirivudh came to report to me about his trip to Europe. He also proposed for my consideration the issue of conferring the power to Your Majesty. To Sdech Krom Khun, I expressed my view that no one has any doubt about the King who is our Father. The National Assembly had conferred full power and special power to Your Majesty on June 14, 1993 which Your Majesty was able to form a Provisional Government which was not at all provided for in the Paris Agreements and which led us to unite to produce a Constitution to be respected by everyone. Any change or amendment to the Constitution is of the mandate of the National Assembly. I further told Sdech Krom Khun that it is not sure that the National Assembly would support any change of the Constitution. Moreover, article 17 of the Constitution which mentioned that the King reigns but does not govern prohibits any change of it. On that occasion, I also shared with Sdech Krom Khun my worries about the rumor saying that Your Majesty wanted to take power but Your Majesty always denied this rumor. Where is the truth? Is it a Khmer Rouge's trick to dismantle the Royal Government and to create a new one by exploiting Your Majesty's name?
Your Majesty,
I was very shaken when I read the Review's articles which mentioned that "Sihanouk acknowledged that his bid for power would be doomed without the acquiescence of Hun Sen and the CPP. because I do not want to shed blood to fight a secession led by Hun Sen... unless I have the assurance that Hun Sen and his party will join me in my government".
This paragraph is very serious vis-a-vis myself because it implies that a war might break out not by the Khmer Rouge but by my humble person. Now, a group of people in Phnom Penh who are unscrupulously greedy of power are using this article to poison the atmosphere going so far as to tell Thai businessmen not to work with the current Government because it is about to collapse and to wait to work with the new Government. It is very funny because the Khmer story is like a kid's game since a press article may be able to dissolve or to form a Government. This is too simple and the Constitution seems to be worthless. Everyone is boasting of pro liberal democracy but instead are violating the nation's Constitution. What do they really want dictatorship or democracy?
May I take this opportunity to submit to Your Majesty that the question of dismantling the incumbent Government and creating a new one, of appointing anyone as Prime Minister, deputy Prime Minister, does not depend on me but rather on the Constitution and the National Assembly. I can walk out and let Khieu Samphan walk to replace me if it is allowed by the Constitution, if there is a support in the National Assembly and if it is necessitated by national interest. Therefore, there is no need to fear that I might wage a secessionist war. What I need right now is a truth whether Your Majesty really wanted to take power as the Prime Minister as it has been published in the media, so that I might assess according to the real fact.
Your Majesty,
I am very worried by the length of my letter and by its content. If I did not write and tell Your Majesty the truth and to seek the truth, confusion would prevail. I know very well that a number of people will accuse me of arrogance, daring to write a personal letter to His Majesty the King. But Your Majesty is well aware that I am not a reserved person and not a "yes-man". Your Majesty used to say that Hun Sen is like Your Majesty. Specially, during the dinner on May 27, 1994, Your Majesty said that: "Samdech Hun Sen is not my son but he is like me: unreserved". This is my natural character of frankness.
I am writing this letter to request Your Majesty's advice with regard to the above-mentioned issues. As far as the solution to the Khmer Rouge is concerned, how can I and the Royal Government address this problem? How to address the rumors surrounding the question of conferring the power to Your Majesty? I am awaiting Your Majesty's noble advice for further action.
May I take this opportunity to inform Your Majesty that this letter has been written not because there is any difference with Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh. I am indeed very privileged to have been working for almost one year now with Samdech Krom Preah with full spirit of solidarity, understanding and good cooperation which are the foundation of stability and progress of the nation. We are determined to work hand in hand to bring the country to prosperity.
Finally, May I once again extend to Your majesty and to Samdech Preah Mohesey all my best wishes of happiness so that the Cambodian people, Your Majesty's children, grand children and great grand children may benefit from Your Majesty's protection.
Phnom Penh, June 18, 1994
Signed, Hun Sen