Revulsion

Today, Burmese Prime Minister/General Thein Sein arrived in Cambodia to much fanfare. When he arrived at the airport, the red carpet was out and he was greeted by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other Cambodian diplomats as well as 1,000 school children.

From my office, I can see Cambodia's Independence Monument, a half-mile down the wide Sihanouk Blvd. The street, normally lined with Cambodian flags on the lampposts that do not work, now alternates between Cambodian and Burmese flags.

Just a few minutes ago, the wide boulevards outside were closed for Thein Sein's convoy. I've never seen anyone or anything so tightly guarded - and I'm an American from Washington, DC. Led by a dozen police and government vehicles, the General's Mercedes limousine was literally surrounded by a dozen of Hun Sen's personal bodyguards on motorcycles. While it is not at all surprising that the likes of Hun Sen would go to such lengths to protect such a villainous character, it is no less reviling.

Hun Sen, in a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Burma Ibrahim Gambari yesterday, refused to push for sanctions against the military regime and is likely to solidify his ties with the evil dictator this weekend. Even more troublesome, there will not be any protests this weekend against the Burmese regime; the government simply won't allow it.