The unionist who leads the resistance against “Thai invasion”

The Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) plans to organize a demonstration for the protection of the national territory on 15 July. For now, the authority had not made any decision on this issue yet.

Rong Chhun, the CCU President, announced that the gathering in which more than 100 persons will be joining in, aims at expressing the patriotism of Cambodians against their neighbors who are considered “invaders.” “We want to express our anger against the Thai soldiers who invaded our territory and we are asking them to withdraw immediately,” Rong Chhun wrote in a letter issued on Monday 13 July.

Last June, during the visit of Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand’s PM, to Cambodia, Rong Chhun then tried to organize a demonstration in Phnom Penh. Ignoring the authorization refusal by the Phnom Penh city hall, he forced the police to intervene to prevent his demonstration.

For now, the authority did not react to his request yet. At the same time, the Cambodian government is also studying on the follow up to give to a document broadcasted by a Thai government website. This video claims that Thailand neighbors, including Cambodia, had invaded its territory. Phnom Penh is firmly contesting this vision of history.