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The roots of this organization dated back to late 1980's even though concerned Cambodians from Canada, France and the United States got together in the summer of 1994 to evaluate turmoil back at home. The Australian Proposal put forth by Senator Garett Evans in 1987 got the world attention, and the Five Permanent Members of the United Security Council began their routine round of discussion to find solutions to the Cambodian conflicts. The demise of the Soviet Empire added another boost to such efforts. In New York, we were fortunate to have Messrs. Chhor Kylin and Hy Supharidh who worked at the United nations, and who followed the progress of that particular topic, regularly briefed us on their progress. We were counting on strict implementation of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords by the United Nations Transitory Authority on Cambodia (UNTAC) to finally bring peace to Cambodia. However, we detected UNTAC weaknesses early on, along with the four factions bickering, and sufficient proof that the UNTAC chief Akashi was not up its tasks or did not want to deliver a comprehensive settlement. We then set up an ad hoc task called Khmer Solidarity to petition the United Nations to make sure that the spirits of the Paris Accords would be strictly adhered to. With the help of all Cambodians around the world, from Australia to Japan, to Western Europe, Canada and the United States, almost 3,000 families signed on . We sent them to the Secretary-General of the UN, the Five Permanent Members of the Security Council, the Two Presidents of the Paris Peace Accords, all signatory countries, and all other 10 members of the Security Council. It did not help! And we all know the results of UNTAC legacy for Cambodia. UNTAC mission came to an end after the election in 1993. Khmer Solidarity which was an ad hoc committee to follow the implementation of the Paris Accords also ceased to exist. The constitutional parliament prepared a new constitution, and after its adoption turned itself into the first parliament of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Its government was running the country under that new higher order. Yet, the situation did not improve as expected. It was then decided to organize ourselves for the long haul and by relying on ourselves, to bring peace and to develop Cambodia into a modern/developed society where democratic rules and human rights are respected, and the welfare of its citizens is protected. |
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