Since year 2002, I have had the op****tunity to get to know many of our
compatriots from Kampuchea Krom and I really appreciate their point of
views. I had also the op****tunity to listen to their songs and their
other artistic expressions. My observation is that Khmer Krom folks
are almost the same as their counterparts in Vietnam. They are more
political and less happy than Khmer Surin folks who live in Thailand.
Our Khmer compatriots who reside in Thailand continue to maintain
their Khmer tradition, almost as identical as those who are in Khmer
Kandal of Cambodia. Khmer Surin people have displayed Khmer cultural
expression that is uniquely artistic but it retains the Khmer cultural
frame of reference. This is wonderful because it reflects the working
of democracy when people are happy and enjoying their rights and
freedom of expression.
As folks in Southeast Asia are about to adopt a new charter of the
Asean communities, I believe that it's of benefit to the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam to emulate what is going on in Thailand where
democracy has worked to improve the lot of the people in terms of
happiness, freedom of expression as much as to achieve economic
success.and to make contribution to their communities.
There exists mobility between Vietnam and Cambodia as more Vietnamese
people are traveling to Cambodia for vacation, getting away from the
daily routines of work and occupation. But that's not enough. More are
needed to improve the lot of the people in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos
in terms of freedom of expression, human rights and economic pursuit.
Vietnam needs to dispose some of the factors of the planned economy
and transfer their long range decisions to other institutions in
Vietnam and the region. The less control the state has its grip on the
economy and politics, the better off are the health, wealth, happiness
and freedom of expression of the people.
We need to get away from the old fa****oned mindset of control and
replace it with the paradigm of cross cultural communication which can
go to enhance human relation****p, defrost old centuries of animosity
and misunderstanding and allow the minds of the people to become
themselves as they see fit.
We have a lot of diversity in the Asean communities. I've known most
of them and I appreciate the difference and the commonality that exist
among the cultures of Southeast Asia.
Let's take another step of regional development of the Asean
communities to the next level so they will become a region that can
make contribution to world civilization as it has been in past
centuries.
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