YouSaid · the spoken record

Koun Wick

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS KOUN WICK

lines on the record
69
first
1970-09-24
most recent
1971-09-24
sittings or episodes
2
sources
un-general-debate

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  1. “Cambodia, a Member of the United Nations, is now the victim of overt aggression perpetrated without justification by the VietCong, the North VietNamese and their allies. From the very beginning of that aggression the Government of Cambodia, in accordance with the terms of the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Agreements of 1954, appealed for a peaceful solution of this matter. Appeals were addressed to all the countries of the world without exception, as well as to the United Nations. 20. Those appeals proved useless and our people are very puzzled about the sincerity of the desire for peace that everybody seems to be proclaiming so loudly.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  2. “The government presided over by General Lon Nol was formed by Prince Norodom Sihanouk himself in October 1969, and it enjoys the unanimous support of the people. 17. As for the so-called popularity of the Prince, it was a fiction even before his deposition, but it was totally annihilated on the day when, in a spirit of petty vengeance and in the hope of regaining power, Norodom Sihanouk appealed to foreign troops to invade his own country. 18. Only a dictatorship can support another dictatorship. Authentic socialism could not support the retrograde feudalism of the few against the democratic aspirations of a whole people; despotism is a system of corruption and venality of those in authority a system worthy of the Middle Ages against a revolution waged, in order to gain liberty, equality and social justice. 19.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  3. “The representative of Albania spoke [1851st meeting] of resistance and the liberation war of the Cambodian people. I must point out to him that if there is resistance it is precisely that which we are putting up now against the foreign invasion by the VietCong, the North VietNamese and their allies. 15. The representative of Albania also talked of a coup d'etat and described the legal Government of Cambodia as a clique. In so doing he echoed, on behalf of an absent party, the same distortions of the truth and specious arguments that had already been revealed as totally threadbare. As I said before, there was never a coup d'etat and Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed legally within the legal constitutional procedures. The only change that took place had to do with the person of the Chief of State. 16.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  4. “Therefore, to those nations and their representatives who, out of selfish interest, prejudice or political opportunism, still insist on distorting the facts about my country when they speak in this Assembly, I should like on behalf of my Government to issue a solemn invitation to come to Cambodia to see for themselves the reality of the aggression of which the Khmer people is now the victim. Notwithstanding our present difficulties, we would make it our duty to give them a welcome worthy of their prestige and good faith and to furnish them with abundant and irrefutable proof of this aggression, which we intend to resist with all our strength, with all our resources, in order to preserve our independence, our neutrality and our territorial integrity. 14.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  5. “"Those are the facts which emerge from current events concerning Cambodia and its people, a people that aspires only to peace and justice. That is why we regret very much to note that our struggle for a just cause is still willfully disregarded or misunderstood by some countries, members of the great international organizations, which are constantly invoking the ideals of peace, liberty, independence and justice but for themselves only and not for others 13.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  6. “Created on 5 May 1970 that is, more than a month after the commencement of the communist aggression against Cambodia the phantom Government of Prince Sihanouk can under no circumstances claim to be neutral. "That 'Government' is installed in the capital of a communist Power, sustained by that Power, and entirely dependent on it. It joined a military pact concluded with the support of communist China, consisting of itself, North VietNam, the VietCong and the PathetLao, at the IndoChinese communist summit which took place on Chinese territory. The former Chief of State of Cambodia clearly made it known in' his statements in Peking that he intended to transform Cambodia into a communist country closely aligned with the communist countries of Asia, should those countries win the war in IndoChina.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  7. “However, the fact that we are receiving this aid, which is designed to strengthen our defenses, cannot in any way be said to commit us to this or that bloc. Out of respect for the will of the Khmer people my Government is firmly determined to keep Cambodia on the path of authentic neutrality. That is why we have not joined the SouthEast Asia Treaty Organization or any other military pact. We intend always to follow a policy of strict nonalignment. "But that was not true of Prince Sihanouk, who deliberately went over to the side of our aggressors. That is why his phantom Government, the GRUNK, which was illegal because it was never empowered to act by the Khmer Parliament, is only a screen used by the North VietNamese, the VietCong and the PathetLao to camouflage and continue their deliberate aggression against my country.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  8. “They have made us organize ourselves better in our struggle to repel the invaders. We have learned a lesson which has been useful to us in building a modern nation that will be truly independent and neutral. The enthusiasm and determination demonstrated by our people, our youth, our elite, our Buddhist clergy and our army in the struggle against the enemy, and at the same time in the preparations for the advent of the republican regime, are the best evidence of our faith in victory and in the future of our nation. "It is true that we are no longer alone, as we were in the early days of our national resistance against the North VietNamese and VietCong aggressors. Friendly countries have heeded our appeal and are providing us with generous and unconditional aid.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  9. “"But the inflow of large numbers of volunteers from all parts of the population made it possible to increase our manpower gradually. At the beginning, they amounted to only 30,000 men that is when, on 29 March, the aggression of the Asian communists North VietNamese, VietCong and Pathet Lao started against our country. Our defense forces now amount to 135,000 men, thanks to the ever-increasing number of volunteers, while the enemy forces, in spite of new reinforcements, have diminished considerably because of the heavy losses they suffered during their vain offenses against our capital and our principal towns. These facts about the present situation are extremely encouraging to us, and they make us certain of our final victory over the invasion forces of Asian communism. "Those successes have taught us a valuable lesson.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  10. “"Three weeks later, on 11 April 1970, the people and youth, at a great mass demonstration, expressed their desire to see the Republic proclaimed and called for the abolition of the monarchy. Fully approving this truly justified expression of the people's will, my Government responded by lawfully preparing the change in regime desired by the Khmer people. "Meanwhile the armed aggression by VietNamese communists against neutral, peace-loving Cambodia had already started. Our defense forces were not at all prepared to resist that aggression because of the state of weakness in which Prince Sihanouk had systematically kept them for years by deliberately refraining from providing them with the means necessary to defend our independence, neutrality and territorial integrity.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  11. “His overthrow on 18 March 1970 was therefore in strict accordance with the will of the people. Virtually all the Khmers refused to endure any longer the dictatorship of Prince Sihanouk and his treachery against the national interests of our country to the advantage of the VietCong and the North VietNamese, and the abuses committed by him, his family and his entourage. His overthrow was, furthermore, perfectly legal, having been proclaimed by a unanimous vote of the National Assembly and the Council of the Kingdom meeting in Congress. The Khmer Parliament had in 1960 entrusted Prince Sihanouk with the functions of Chief of State of Cambodia, and those functions were withdrawn from him by the same procedure that had been used ten years earlier to give them to him.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  12. “Enraged at the events which had taken place, he described as "traitors" the thousands of demonstrators who had called for the withdrawal of VietCong and North VietNamese troops. It was Khmer public opinion, and particularly the youth and intellectual elite of the country, that called for the overthrow of the dictator whose policy, which was absolutely contrary to the national interest, had allowed the installation of foreign troops on our territory. "While on this point it might be recalled that Prince Sihanouk was actually acting as a dictator, having taken over all power since 1955, and would not brook any opposition in whatever form. Any Khmer citizen not in agreement with his dictatorial policies he described as either a 'Red' or a 'Blue', and they were compelled to silence if not actually thrown into prison or executed on his orders.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  13. “Aware of the implicit danger to our true neutrality, and justly outraged by this growing infiltration of VietCong and North VietNamese forces on Khmer territory and the offenses committed by their troops, who acted like masters on our soil and against our population, our people and youth on 8, 11 and 16 March 1970 reacted in popular anti VietCong and antiNorthVietnam demonstrations. "Prince Sihanouk, who was in France at the time, came out openly in favor of his "friends" the VietNamese communists who he himself had allowed to set themselves up illegally in all the frontier regions bordering on South VietNam, he and his entourage even having sold them parcels of our land.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  14. “However, let me present a broad picture of the actual situation and the international position of Cambodia, a picture which was in fact drawn by the Prime Minister, General Lon Nol, in an open letter addressed to all heads of State on 3 September 1970, from which I shall now quote: "The aggression against neutral, peace-loving Cambodia was unleashed according to a well established plan by the North VietNamese, VietCong and PathetLao invaders. "A veritable silent invasion of our territory, since 1967 and during 1969 in particular, preceded this aggression.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  15. “As a peace-loving people, victim of a foreign invasion, it is, of course, our keenest desire to see brought about as soon as possible the withdrawal of the forces of aggression and the restoration of peace in Cambodia. 12. I shall not go into the details of the events that have occurred recently in my country. The United Nations, and the Security Council in particular, were duly informed of these developments.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  16. “Men of goodwill see in it a guardian of peace and international security and a tireless promoter of an era of peace and progress in justice for mankind as a whole. 10. In countless fields this Organization has scored real successes. It can also be seen that a glimmer of hope is beginning to emerge in the disarmament talks. In this connexion, I am happy to announce that my Government is now going to join the vast majority of States which have accepted the provisions of the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373 (XXII)]. 11. My Government is also happy to welcome the initiatives taken at this session to strengthen international peace and security.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  17. “The Cambodian people also sees in the personality of the SecretaryGeneral a man of peace and great Buddhist wisdom and we believe firmly that the blessing of Buddha will always accompany U Thant in his work of goodwill. 8. At this commemorative session of the General Assembly we must recognize that the appeal contained in the United Nations Charter for peace and international cooperation is quite as necessary and urgent now as it was twenty-five years ago. Therefore, it is the duty of all of us meeting here today to try to find all possible ways and means capable of leading to a sincere and equitable achievement of the aspirations which were expressed so solemnly and with such faith at San Francisco. 9. Notwithstanding its shortcomings, the United Nations continues to enjoy a definite measure of influence in international events.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  18. “I am sure that, thanks to your long experience, your spirit of fairness and impartiality, the work of this session will be conducted in a harmonious spirit and an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation. 6. It is also a pleasant duty for me to pay special tribute to the President of the twenty-fourth session, Mrs. Angie BrooksRandolph, whose competence and political wisdom were very much appreciated. 7. It is also a pleasure for me to address, on behalf of the people and Government of Cambodia, my most sincere congratulations to U Thant who, for more than a decade now, has spared neither time nor effort to preserve international peace and security and to promote justice and prosperity in the world.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)

  19. “4. Before I begin this speech I should like first of all on behalf of my delegation to express our sorrow and condolences on the occasion of the death of Ambassador Ramani of Malaysia. 5. On behalf of the Cambodian delegation, Mr. President, I am particularly pleased to join with those other speakers who have spoken before me in offering to you our warmest congratulations on the occasion of your election to the high office of President of the twenty-fifth session of the General Assembly. This election is specially significant because, through your distinguished person, it is a tribute to the work done traditionally by the Norwegian people for peace and international cooperation.”

    1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)