Phu Quoc Island Controversy.

[Carl Robinson]

Once called Koh Trail, there's been quite a flurry by Cambodians on Facebook lately about the island and how it was lost to the Vietnamese call it Phu Quoc. As  many of you know, the huge island -- famous for its nuoc mam -- is closer to Cambodia than to Vietnam.   Chhang Song is also a bit puzzled 'cause lots of young people -- who must be driving the FB discussion -- what he knows.   

Well, the Viets stole it "fair & square" -- as we used to joke about America's Wild West  -- at least by early 1700's when the Nguyen Lords allowed the Chinese Mac Family to settle in Ha Tien.  The island was also the refuge where Nguyen-Anh sough refuge after the rest of the Hue-based Nguyen Lords were wiped out by the Tay Son "peasant rebels" in early 1770's where he was befriended by the French Bishop Pigneau de Behaine who, along with his band of mercenaries, led him to victory and crowning as Gia Long, the first emperor of Vietnam's last dynasty, the Nguyen.    

When the French turned Cambodia into a protectorate in the 1860's, the lines around Phu Quoc were drawn in Vietnam's favour and later part of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).   During the war, the island hosted the largest POW camp in the country.   But after 1975, according to Wikipedia, the Khmer Rouge invaded the island but were repulsed.   I am also aware that most of the local Viet population are post-75'ers after most of the population fled as refugees.   

Just why Cambodia is getting so excited about this right now is a bit of mystery.  Perhaps a Phnom Penh-based Old Hack could help illuminate the "controversy" and what's behind it.   Does this have anything to do with the upcoming election? 

Here's just one of many entries on the subject on FB. 

Best regards,

Carl 

[Carl Robinson]

sorry for my multiple typos.  Cheers, Carl

[Geoffrey Cain]

Carl, the opposition is playing up this issue as part of their usual anti-Vietnam platform before the July election. When he speaks Khmer , Sam Rainsy can be a blunt nationalist. When he goes to English and French, the discourse becomes human rights.

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[Carl Robinson]

Following on from my earlier entry, here's something I've picked up from the Facebook Page of Vuthya Lim, a Francophone Cambodian, via Chhang Song.   It relates the history of Koh Tral -- or Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island -- from the Cambodian perspective.   Translation is mine.  Best, Carl.

See attached map too which shows Phu Quoc in Cambodian hands ! 

: Koh Tral : intermédiaire de Mgr Miche, son intention de céder Koh Tral en France (cf. «La Seconde [Français] Empire de l'Indochine»).

1863 instituant le protectorat du Cambodge, la France annexa Kampuchea Krom, a fait une colonie française hors de lui, et l'a nommé "Cochinchine".

1863:  Instituting the Protectorate of Cambodia, France annexes Kampuchea Krom (Mekong Delta) and includes that in their colony of Cochin-China. 

25 mai 1874: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) qui appartenait au Cambodge (sous le règne du roi Ang Duong) a été placé sous l'administration du gouverneur de la Cochinchine, c'est à dire sous l'administration de la France, par le Protectorat français.

25 May 1874:  Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) which belonged to Cambodia under the reing of Ang Duong is placed under the administration of the governor of Cochin-China, ie under French administration by the French protectorate. 

16 juin 1875: Koh Tral est fixée au district d'inspection de Haïtien qui a été colonisé par la France. Il faut rappeler qu'en 1855, le roi Ang Duong a rappelé Napoléon III [premier président français (1948-1852), empereur tard françaises (1852-1870)] que «les territoires annexés par le Vietnam située entre la branche occidentale du Mékong [rivière ] et le golfe du Siam (zone Haïtien) étaient «la terre fait cambodgien» (cf. A. Dauphin-Dauphin-Meunier - "Histoire du Cambodge», page 99.). Par conséquent, Koh Tral reste toujours une île cambodgienne, même si elle est sous l'administration de la France coloniale.

Koh Tral is made part of the district of Ha Tien colonised by France.  It must be remembered that in 1855, King An Duong reminded Napoleon III (French premier & president 1848-1852) and then French emperor (1852-1870) that the territories annexed by France on the western branch of hte Mekong and Gulf of Siam were "Cambodian Land".  Consequently, Koh Tral always remained a Cambodian island, even if was under the French colonial administration. 

31 janvier 1939: la «ligne Brévié" qui n'est pas une démarcation de la frontière maritime, mais plutôt une ligne de démarcation de la police et de l'autorité administrative "sur les îles le long du golfe de Siam" [a été créé]. Par cet acte, Koh Tral a été placé, comme il l'a fait en 1875, sous l'administration coloniale française de Cochinchine. Lui-même précisé que «la dépendance territoriale de ces îles (y compris celle de Phu Quoc) reste entièrement réservée" Brévié.

31 Janury 1939:  The "Brevie Line" which was not the demarcation of a maritime border but rather a line of demarcation for police and administration "over the island along the Gulf of Siam (was created.)   By this act, Koh Tral was placed, as had in 1875 under the administration of the French colonial adminstration of Cochin-China.  He himself specified that "the territorial dependency of these islands (including Phu Quoc) were totally reserved."

4 juin 1949: En dépit des protestations du Cambodge et le mouvement Deferre [le Mouvement Deferre a fait partie du projet de loi de transfert de Cochinchine française au Vietnam qui définissait les droits spécifiques des Khmers Krom], la France a voté une loi permettant la fixation du territoire Cochinchine (territoire khmer) au Vietnam.

4 June 1949:  Despite Cambodian protests and the Deferre movement for specific rights of the Khmer Krom, France legistlated the fixation of Cochin-China (Cambodian territory) to Vietnam.


24 avril 1954: lors de la Conférence de Genève, le Cambodge continuait à protester contre le transfert injuste et inégale de ses terres Cochinchine au Vietnam en France, et a réservé son droit de plaider l'affaire devant les Nations Unies.

24 April 1954:  At the Geneva Conference, Cambodia continued to protest against the unjust and unequal transfer of its Cochin-China territories to Vietnam by France and reserved its rights to plead its rights to the United Nations. 


7 juin 1957: Norodom Sihanouk, président du Conseil des ministres, a demandé dans une lettre à Lon Nol, alors ministre de la Défense nationale, pour assurer la protection de toutes les îles situées le long du golfe du Siam (donc aussi compris Koh Tral), et En particulier, le groupe d'îles de Poulo-Pangjang (nom khmer: Koh Krachak Ses; nom vietnamien: Tho Chu), Koh PouloWai (nom khmer: Koh Ach Ses) et Koh Tang.

7 June 1957:  Norodom Sihanouk, president of the Council of Minister, requested in a letter to Lon Nol, then Minister of National Defense, to assure the protection of all islands along the Gulf of Siam (including Kho Tral) and in particular the Poulo-Pangjang group of islands (Koh Krachak Ses, or Tho Chu in Vietnamese), Koh Poulo Wai (Koh Ach Ses) and Koh Tang.  


30 décembre 1957: Dans son Kret concernant la délimitation du plateau continental du Cambodge, Norodom Suramarit clairement réaffirmé que le Cambodge a réservé sa rétention sur ses droits historiques sur Koh Tral (cf. article 6 de la Kret).

30 December 1957:  In his decree on the continental shelf of Cambodia, Norodom Suramarit clearly reaffirmed that Cambodia reserved its history rights over Koh Tral. 


1963: Dans le livre "Le Cambodge Géographie", publié en 1963 par Tan Kim Huon, un savant khmer qui était aussi un ingénieur agronome et expert forestier, [il a indiqué que] Koh Tral est en effet une île cambodgienne (cf. carte n ° 3. 12 et 19).

1963:  In the book "Cambodian Geography" published in 1963 by Tan Kim Huon, a Cambodian thinker who was also an agricultural engineer and forestry expert) indicated that Koh Tral is in effect a Cambodian island. 


1969: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) est inclus dans la liste officielle des îles cambodgiennes publiés par le ministère de l'Industrie et des ressources minérales, et portait le numéro 61 (sur un total de 64 îles).

1969:  Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) is included in the officla llist of Cambodian islands published by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources with the number 61 (out of a total of 64 islands.) 


1 juillet 1972: Après le Juillet 1, 1972 Kret, le Gouvernement de la République khmère maintient sa
réaffirmation de sa souveraineté sur son plateau continental et met en garde les compagnies pétrolières contre [potentiels] conséquences d'un de leurs actions menées dans cette zone. Koh Tral reste cambodgienne.


1 July 1972:  After this date, Kret, the government of the Khmer Republic maintained its continental shef claim in relation to petroleum exploration.  Koh Tral remained Cambodian. 


1975 à fin 1978: statu quo.

1975 to end of 1978:  Status Quo. 

7 juillet 1982: Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) et Poulo-Pangjang (Tho Chu) apparaissent dans le territoire vietnamien, sur une carte annexée au «Traité sur la zone historique de l'eau entre la République Populaire du Kampuchea et la République socialiste du Vietnam ".

7 July 1982:  Koh Tral (Phu Quoc) and Poulo-Pangjang (Tho Chu) appeared as Vietnamese territory on an annexed map to the a maritime treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam.  


Par conséquent, le Vietnam annexes 30.000 kilomètres carrés. des Khmers territoire maritime, et il crée la «mer historique" qui s'étend 10000 kilomètres carrés. hors de Koh Tral (cf. Cambodge: Oil Research, Continental Shelf - M. Sean Pengse, Avril 1995).

Consequently, Vietnam annexed 30,000 square kilometres of Cambodian maritime territory and created a "historic sea" which extends 10,000 square kms from Kho Tral.  

Very interesting stuff.