Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Who Killed Chea Vichea?
Loud Mouth Films is proud to present the first U.S. festival screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea? in Providence, Rhode Island on August 7, 2009. The film will screen as a near-complete work in progress.
Filmed over five years in Cambodia, Who Killed Chea Vichea? is a one-hour documentary thriller about the assassination of Cambodia's top labor leader and the police plot to frame two innocent men. Cambodia is one of the world's largest garment producers and exports some $2 billion worth of garments to the U.S. each year.
On a sunny morning in 2004, two men on a motorbike pulled up at a Phnom Penh newsstand. One of them stepped off, walked over to Chea Vichea, the president of the garment workers union, and calmly shot him in the head and in the heart.
Who Killed Chea Vichea? takes us from the dusty streets and slums of Phnom Penh to remote villages, through courtrooms, brothels, factories and gambling dens. It is an unprecedented film about the inner workings of one of the world's most corrupt states.
The film was named one of Amnesty International's top ten "Movies That Matter." It is a co-production of Independent Television Services and WGBH Boston.
"We know there are a lot of Cambodian people in Providence who care about what happens in Cambodia," said the producer, Rich Garella. "We hope to see a big turnout from the Cambodian community."
Who Killed Chea Vichea? will screen at 5:20 PM on Friday, Aug 7, at the Columbus Theatre Arts Center, 270 Broadway, Providence, along with the short films In Their Boots: Broken Promise by Abe Greenwald, and Open Air by Shira-Lee Shalit.
Film web site: http://www.whokilledcheavichea.com/
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
SON TAY Rescue Operation Kingpin is where American CHEAT Cambodian (5/5 End)
BY: SOURN SEREY RATHA & BP
Cambodian Action Committee for Justice & Equity (CACJE)
Contact: sournsereyratha@gmail.com
The whole Son Tay incarceration facility was buried three meters deep underground. The whole facility was covert by a field of thatch with eight almost horizontal access doors of seventy centimeters width, one at each cardinal point. The door was open with a cranked system, well camouflaged under the thick thatch.
Contact: sournsereyratha@gmail.com
The whole Son Tay incarceration facility was buried three meters deep underground. The whole facility was covert by a field of thatch with eight almost horizontal access doors of seventy centimeters width, one at each cardinal point. The door was open with a cranked system, well camouflaged under the thick thatch.
There were hundred Cambodians who were prisoners at Son Tay. Only a few came out alive. Several years later, the most famous prisoners who came out alive after several years of incarceration were the former Prime Minister Pen Sovan and Col Ly Thieng Chek.
20. At the first half hour of Son Tay assault, the US Air support cannot help 1,100 Khmer Krom soldiers because of the very closeness of combat. The 1,100 fought alone to accomplish their mission. The North Vietnamese soldiers were far outnumbered Khmer Krom soldiers 1 to 20.
21. When Capt Chau Dara saw the two helicopters HH-53s “Apple 01 - 02” were taking off with all the Green Berets aboard and flew away toward Thailand, Capt Chau Dara was convinced that the helicopters would not come back to pick them. So, he led seven survivors of the 1,100 Khmer Krom and fled toward Cambodia by following the same path they had come into Son Tay. All the survivors were injured. They crossed the Song Con River on that very early morning by the nylon rope to the opposite Song Con River bank.
There, they waited for 36 hours for the other survivors. Their communication radios C-25 were fallen in the river, therefore impossible to repair. Then Capt Nao Eng threw it in the river.
Two other Cambodian raider survivors from Battalion 149 escaped by their own mean to Laos.
Four Cambodian raider survivors were badly injured with no medicine, no foods and especially no water. Their C-25 radios were out impossible to repair.
22. Khmer Krom Son Tay raider’s sacrifice was enormous.
Finally, of the 1,100 Khmer Krom Special Forces who participated in Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin, all in all, only five survived and arrived to Cambodia.
· All the Khmer Krom battalion 137 of 800 soldiers commanded by Capt Thach Hén was annihilated. All officers and privates of the Khmer Krom Battalion 137 volunteered for Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin were all killed. No survivor.
Capt Thach Hén had served the CIA for more than twenty-one years.
· Of the three hundred Kanseign Sar Son Tay raiders of the Battalion 149, only nine survived: (a) Seven Son Tay raider survivors would escape and flee to Cambodia under the direction of Capt Chau Dara. Of these seven survivors, four would suicide in midway, and (b) Two others survivors escaped by their own mean toward Lao.
· Indeed, Capt Hem Sim, Capt Kao Dob, Capt Kao Dorn and Capt Thach Loi of the Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 escaped and fled toward Cambodia under the direction of Capt Chau Dara, but they were all very badly injured.
After one month of escape, without medicine, food and essentially water, Capt Hem Sim, Capt Kao Dob, Capt Kao Dorn and Capt Thach Loi preferred the suicide in midway toward Cambodia with the special CIA two-bullets cigarette pistol. They fired themselves a bullet in their own head.
22. A Black Recon Team.
Almost two months later after the D-Day, after fleeing Son Tay, that’s one month after the suicide of their four colleagues in midway, the three remaining Cambodian Special Force Son Tay raider survivors led by Capt Chau Dara reached the South of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, near the junction of the three frontiers Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
They met there in the forest a Recon Team of five Black Americans soldiers and one guide Khmer Krom from South Vietnam.
It was Capt Nao Eng who discovered first the black officer who climbed the tree to call in a sanitary helicopter.
The American Recon Team did not see the Cambodian raiders. It was Capt Nao Eng who saw them first.
The black officer made a hand sign telling Cambodian survivors that he called in one helicopter.
This was the first time the Recon Black American team and the three Cambodian Son Tay raiders met together. They never met each other before. By using map and some special convened signs they convinced mutually they were friends.
The American Recon Team had medicine, foods and water. They shared all they have with the three Cambodian survivors. One black soldier was badly injured by booby trap. So they needed the sanitary extraction by helicopter.
The American Recon Team did not know very well the battleground of this area because they want to cross Ratanakiri province to reach an American base at Tay Ninh in South Vietnam.
You must not do that, advised Chau Dara. Then, Dara proposed to go first alone to check the Ratanakiri village situation. In effect Ratanakiri was infested of North Vietnamese soldiers. Several North Vietnamese divisions stationed there in preparation to attack the South Vietnam.
With this proof, Chau Dara successfully convinced the Recon Black American Team not the cross Ratatanakiri. Chau Dara advised them to direct their escape toward Stung Trèng then fly to Thailand. That’s what was done.
The Recon Black American Team had succeeded to contact one US helicopter to pick them all and land the three Khmer Krom Son Tay raiders at Stung Trèng. Then the helicopter flew the Recon Black American Team finally to Thailand.
The danger between Khe Sanh and Stung Trèng was so great because the minority ethnic in these remote villages were allied with the communist North Vietnam. They would signal any movement to the North Vietnam army. So the life of any escapee was in extreme danger.
24. Five years later, the Khmer Rouge communist took power in Cambodia, on April 17, 1975. Among the five survivors of the 1,100 Cambodian Special Force Son Tay raiders, Capt Nao Eng and Capt Chhin Saray will be murdered by the Khmer Rouge one yaer after the Khmer Rouge victory.
Capt Nao Eng refused to flee to Thailand after the Khmer Rouge Victory because of Son Tay Raid. The American had abandoned him at Son Tay.
A few months after Son Tay Rescue operation Kingpin, the North Vietnam soldiers rounded up all male population near Lang Hei, the nearby CIA Laotian town advanced post. They were about one hundred Cambodian men.
The North Vietnamese soldiers herded them toward Stung Treng, Northern Cambodian province, then crucified and nailed them all to the trees, and left them all die slowly and atrociously.
That was and still is the abominable North Vietnamese punishment to those who dared to oppose to Hanoi enslavement of Cambodia and Laos policy.
May 2008, two Cambodian KANSEIGN SAR Son Tay Raiders survivors, Capt Chau Dara Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 commander and Lt Thach Channy lived in the US and the third, Capt Thach Sareth lived in Cambodia. These three were the only survivors of the Cambodian component of Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin.
The 1,100 Cambodian KANSEIGN SAR and Khmer Krom raiders had left behind their wives and children who lived right now in Cambodia. Their lives are in very danger if the Vietnamese knew they were Kanseign Sar families. Kanseign Sar still continues to fight for freedom as always.
25. Financial Rewards
CIA Maj. Ed Neal has promised to KANSEIGN SAR Organization (Cambodian Special Forces organization) through Capt Thach Hén the reward of five million dollars for their participation to the Operation Kingpin.
Only the following people had received the compensation:
(1) About three hundred wives or parents of the 800 Khmer Krom soldiers of the Battalion 137 led by Capt Thach Hén, and
(2) One hundred wives of parents of the Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 soldiers led by Capt Chau Dara.
For an officer the reward was two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), and for the private four hundred fifty dollars (in US dollars of 1970).
Capt Chau Dara, Capt Nao Eng and Capt Chhin Saray had received twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) each. That’s all.
26. KANSEIGN SAR Special Forces Organization under the President of General Chau Dara needed your help to render justice for the ultimate sacrifice and to honor their soldiers for their defense of freedom and independence and democracy and in accomplishment with bravura and extreme sacrifice of their Rescue Kingpin Operation of Son Tay American POWs. Flesh, blood and tears of their sacrifice must not be forgotten.
Eleven hundred Kanseign Sar and Khmer Krom soldiers had sacrificed their life in Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin because Kanseign Sar and Khmer Krom had confidence that the United States would help Cambodia to fight against the totalitarianism, defend Cambodia sovereignty, independence, freedom and democracy and fight against the North Vietnamese swallow of Cambodia by forces.
Since the withdrawal of the US Armed Forces from Vietnam, the North Vietnamese Army hitherto occupied Cambodia. Hanoi policy was to swallow Cambodia.
The US and Vietnam were co-signatory of the November 23, 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia. The US must oblige Hanoi to integrally respect the 1991 Paris Peace agreement on Cambodia which stipulated that Vietnam should withdraw all their armed forces from Cambodia. Up to these days, the People Army of Vietnam (PAVN) still occupied Cambodia.
27. For security reason, the names of the three Cambodian Raiders survivors of Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin are acronyms. The others are real, Please do contact Authors for your concerned...
The US and Vietnam were co-signatory of the November 23, 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia. The US must oblige Hanoi to integrally respect the 1991 Paris Peace agreement on Cambodia which stipulated that Vietnam should withdraw all their armed forces from Cambodia. Up to these days, the People Army of Vietnam (PAVN) still occupied Cambodia.
27. For security reason, the names of the three Cambodian Raiders survivors of Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin are acronyms. The others are real, Please do contact Authors for your concerned...
SON TAY Rescue Operation Kingpin is where American CHEAT Cambodian (4/5)
BY: SOURN SEREY RATHA & BP
The CBU were supposed to clear the passage for the 1,100 Khmer Krom soldiers to assault Son Tay Prison by killing or maiming most of the enemy. When the two HH-53s “Apple 01 - 02” had landed and disgorged the bulk US assault forces respectively the “Greenleaf” command group of 22 Green Berets led by Col Arthur “Bull” Simon and the “Redwine” support group of 20 Green Berets led by Lt Col Elliott Bud Sydnor, Capt Thach Hén told in communication radio to his US relay communication radio officer and Capt Chau Dara that the HH-53 “Apple 01” of Col Bull Simon had landed in a wrong place.
A few minutes after the F-4D had dropped three CBUs:
(1) Capt Chau Dara led his Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 of 300 men to assault Son Tay Prison from the Western side;
(2) Then Capt Thach Hén and Capt Yip Tep led their Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers to occupy the emplacement left by Chau Dara battalion and then followed from behind the Kanseignn Sar Battalion 149 commanded by Chau Dara to assault Son Tay Prison.
When, Capt Chau Dara saw the HH-3 “Banana 01” crashed inside Son Tay Prison, Capt Chau Dara and Capt Nao Eng thought the helicopter HH-3 “Banana 01”was shot down by North Vietnamese soldiers.
Capt Chau Dara had seen American POWs captured in forest by North Vietnamese troopers. And he had seen before, when the North Vietnamese soldiers captured the American pilots, the North Vietnamese troopers routinely and ferociously tortured the captured American prisoners.
For this reason, Capt Chau Dara assaulted and ran full speed to rescue the helicopter HH-3 “Banana 01” crews. They did not run in line one behind another. They ran to envelop the Prison from all the Western side as quickly as they can. In principle, he might lose some soldiers to Vietnamese booby traps but not so many if they follow the well known procedure to avoid booby traps, by following in locked steps the precedent ones.
The North Vietnamese defense of Son Tay Prison was organized systematically in two lines: (1) As first line of defense, 38 trenches were dug near the Prison walls and (2) Hundred and hundred of booby traps holes were dug and well camouflaged at about 100-200 meters from the Prison walls as second line of defense.
The Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 was overwhelmed by the fire barrier of the North Vietnamese security guards of the 38 trenches defense perimeter outside the Son Tay Prison.
In a few minutes Cambodian Battalion 149 lose two third of her effective to the booby traps and fire wall barrier from the 38 trenches because they speed up and ran very quickly as they can to rescue the crashed HH-3 “Banana 01” crews.
If the objective was to overrun Son Tay Prison, they would sneak inside and kill all the guard by surprise by using all the arms they brought in. As they were coming to assault the Son Tay Prison, their procedure was to avoid Vietnamese booby traps. They would not fall so many in the hundreds booby traps around Son Tay Prison if hey had not ran full speed to rescue the HH-3 Banana 01 crews. Kanseign Sar strike forces were decimated.
Then about one hundred of Chau Dara battalion survivors who came out of the booby traps areas and can run ran and assaulted in full speed Son Tay Prison.
This time, bad luck stroke again, they ran on the unexploded CBU’s bomblets dropped by the F-4D Falcon. In fifteen minutes, all the remaining of Khmer Krom Battalion 149 was exterminated by the CBU’s unexploded bomblets, safe nine. Only nine came out alive from the killing zone created by hundreds and hundreds Vietnamese booby traps, the North Vietnamese fire wall barrier and the three CBU’s bomblets.
16. According to the CIA order, firstly Chau Dara Battalion assaulted the Son Tay Prison, then, Capt Thach Hén and Capt Yip Tep must lead their Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers to occupy Chau Dara battalion’s emplacement.
Almost seven hundred meters separated the two Cambodian Special Forces assault battalions.
The US F-4D Falcon pilot informed Capt Thach Hén that there were North Vietnamese defense trenches lines between Thach Hén Battalion 137 and Son Tay Prison.
About several thousands North Vietnamese forces in the trenches, and underground in charge of the defense of Son Tay Prison with all they can throw in the battle annihilated the Khmer Kroms Battalion 137 led by Capt Thach Hén.
Capt Thach Hén battalion assault fell on that North Vietnamese trenches perimeter defense line.
This explained also why the F-4D bombed with three CBUs that very close area to Khmer Krom battalions. The F-4D tried to help the Khmer Krom Capt Thach Hén Battalion 137. The F-4D Falcon intended to crush with three CBUs the North Vietnamese forces line of defense inside the trenches. But the three CBU spread their hundred of bomblets which would kill also a lot of Cambodian soldiers.
The CBU’s bomblets, the North Vietnamese booby traps, and the overwhelming NV counterattack annihilated the Cambodian battalion 137. In about fifteen minutes all the 800 soldiers of Capt Thach Hén battalion 137 were killed. They all die atrociously.
Capt Chau Dara heard so well the bullets hitting the bodies, almost no missing bullets. Every bullet hit several bodies; this will create a special sound, a very special macabre sound. The two sides, Vietnamese and Cambodian were so close to each other. The slaughtering was total. He heard cries and death moans of his arm brothers. The slaughtering lasted only about fifteen minutes. Then a murderous silence felt over that night. All Capt Thach Hén Khmer Krom Battalion 137 were exterminated. Only nine from Capt Chau Dara Battalion 149 survived but all injured.
The Northern and Western sides of Son Tay Prison were infested of hundred and hundred Vietnamese booby traps. Hundreds of new ones were intertwined with hundreds of the old ones. Our Khmer Special Forces acknowledged the new booby traps from the old ones by the freshness of the remaining foods left behind in the trenches nearby. But Cambodian Special Forces would not lose so many soldiers to the booby traps if they would not be inducted in errors to believe they have to run to save the helicopter HH-3 Banana 01 crews.
Without doubt, the sacrifice of Cambodian Special Forces had stopped and delayed the North Vietnamese troop reinforcement at least thirty minutes.
Indeed, at least, first, the North Vietnamese reinforcement needed fifteen minutes to annihilate the Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers commanded by Thach Hén and second, they needed also at least fifteen minutes to cover the one mile distance from that point of battlefield to reach Son Tay Prison gate, the landing zone of the HH-53s Apple 01-02.
The American raiding force, that’s the 56 Green Berets and the two helicopters HH-53 Apple 01-02, had been on the ground only 27 minutes.
The sacrifice of Cambodian Special Forces had played without doubt an important role in delaying the reinforcement of North Vietnamese troops which would surround the 56 Green Berets and block their extraction by the two helicopter HH-53 Apple 01 and 02.
17. Why the 56 Green Berets were not injured with the booby traps? Following the same logic, the Southern Son Tay Prison was infested with hundred and hundred of booby traps too. But thank to the vertical insertion within 100 meters of the Son Tay Prison walls. This explained why the 56 Green Berets raiders were not injured by the booby traps.
Rows after rows of “villager houses” close to Son Tay Prison were in reality the North Vietnamese military casern but very well camouflaged as villager houses. Those rows of houses housed several hundreds soldiers equipped with the complete armaments. They formed the first manned line of defense of Son Tay camp.
In reality, the “Secondary School” was the prisoner interrogation center, to sort the prisoners. Once the prisoners were sorted, they were sent to incarceration facility underground.
Capt Thach Hén, Capt Chau Dara, Capt Chhin Saray and Capt Yip Tep and Capt Nao Eng knew so well that the situation was extremely tough.
But everybody had confidence in Capt Chau Dara to lead them all to the safety because Chau Dara knew very well the battleground. He knew where to hide and escape.
18. Under the chaos, the 56 Breen Beret raiders withdrew and were lifted by the two HH-53s “Apple 01 and Apple 02” and flying back to Thailand. At 02:36 the first helicopter extraction was made, followed by the second at 02:45. .
The American raiding force had been on the ground only 27 minutes. By 03:15 the American raiding force was out of North Vietnam, and landed back at Udon at 04:28, five hours after launch.
It was a brilliant victory well coordinating and well timing for the US Armed Forces, even without the freed prisoners.
All the 56 Green Berets were returned home safely. Only Sgt LeRoy Wrigth of the “Blueboy” team had the ankle fractured when the HH-3 made a risky crashed landing inside So Tay Prison.
For their actions, members of the Son Tay Rescue Operation “Kingpin” received 6 Distinguished Service Crosses, 5 Air Force Crosses, and 83 Silver Stars, including all members of the ground force. The successful demonstration of capability in Operations Kingpin was in part responsible for the creation of a joint United States Special Operations Command in 1987. President Nixon was very satisfied of the Operation Kingpin.
The Operation Kingpin was a great success according to the press, and political leaders.
19. Underground Son Tay Prison. Son Tay Prison was in reality a facility built three meters deep underground in the shape of a star pointed to the eight cardinals, and at the center with the dimensions 40 meters x 60 meters. At every eight point star triangle of three meters side was prisoner-cells. The guards blindfolded the prisoners and turned them around several times to disorient them before sending them to the prison cells. (Be Continue @ 5/5 End)
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