Complicity Equals Silence
Complicity Equals Silence
#opinion
History is littered with examples of times when the international community failed to call out the illegal and harmful acts of nations with respect to the protection of cultural sites and compliance with the laws of armed conflict.
Therefore, in this regard, the international community’s silence on what appears to be the Thai military’s role in the damage done to the Preah Vihear Temple, a sacred, protected site, is not remarkable; however, I am reminded of the principle that silence in the face of wrongdoing is complicity, and complicity invites the repetition, expansion and escalation of the crime, if not today, certainly in the future.
Youk Chhang is director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.
