A time of hectic reporting from Cambodia

[Kung-fu Hillbilly]

A group of Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporters was sent to Phnom Penh in 1980 to help develop Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), the national press agency of Cambodia (formerly known as Saporamean Kampuchea News Agency). From right: Nguyễn Quốc Uy, Phạm Vũ Tâm, Lê Doãn Tặng, Nguyễn Quang Triệu, Nguyễn Danh Bưởi (standing). — VNA File photo

By Nguyễn Quốc Uy *
January, 07/2019

The Paris Peace Accords on Cambodia was signed on October 23, 1991 and just a day later, I received a call from Đỗ Phượng, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) General-Director with an instruction to prepare to head to Phnom Penh.

"In the first stage, Sihanouk, as SNC President, and the members representing the political fractions returned to Phnom Penh to function within the framework of SNC under UNTAC’s watch. In the second phase, the 370,000 Cambodians in exile returned and all the Cambodian fractions must disarm 70 per cent of their military forces and move the rest to identified zones under UNTAC scrutiny. Finally, a general election was to be held to form a 120 member-strong parliament with representatives of all political parties. The party that gets a 2/3 majority would form the government. Yet nothing went smoothly as planned. Complex developments, even bloodsheds took place. "

"The atmosphere in Cambodia seven months after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords is still covered with smoking guns. Until last week, the ceasefire continues to be violated at different scale and degree...’

"UNTAC staff had also tried their utmost to search for and finally came up with a document about three people said to be members of the People’s Army of Việt Nam, considering this as evidence of ’foreign forces’ in Cambodia. However, the UNTAC evidence was not persuasive and bluntly rejected by the State of Cambodia’s spokesperson by stating these men had been dismissed from service during 1983-1985 and stayed on to marry Khmer women, received Cambodia ID cards and as such, were Cambodian citizens."

"On May 23, 1993, I drove around the city to have a watch of the election before stopping at the Olympia Stadium polling station. This was where the two most powerful political parties, the FUNCINPEC and CPP were going against each other. Under the strict supervision and protection of the UN security forces, the voting went smoothly and peacefully. I was drawn into the reporting and interviewing of Chea Sim, then CPP President and Norodom Ranariddh, FUNCINPEC President. I was so eager to relay back to the headquarters that full load of information, believing that mine would be the first to be on the pages of Afternoon News."

"A day later, on June 11, 1993, Nguyễn Đăng An, another VNA reporter just back from Rome, and I travelled to Pray Veng and Svay Rieng, two of the seven provinces under that ’autonomous region,’ to collect information. At the Neak Loeung ferry station, we saw a number of UNTAC vehicles on the other bank of the river (in Pray Veng province) allowed to travel to this bank (Kondan province) to move to Phnom Penh but not the other way round. It turned out they could only move out of the ’autonomous region’ and not in"

Full https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/48 ... Qq5eomT.97

[kgbagent]

Thanks for posting these articles - very interesting - appreciated