Crocodile Tears OR Tears of Self-Pity
By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh
Dictators are Wimps and Asses Series
“Crocodile tears”
To weep crocodile tears is to put on an insincere show of sorrow.
The allusion is to the ancient notion that crocodiles weep while devouring their prey. Crocodiles do indeed have lachrymal glands and produce tears to lubricate the eyes as humans do. They don't cry with emotion though. Whatever experience they have when devouring prey we can be certain it isn't remorse.
OR
“Real tears” of self-pity
The bloody weight of 30 years of bloody, dictatorial rule along with family/CPP members gone wild - came crashing down in a flood of emotions of self-pity.
Strongman? God-king?
No. No, only a man after all, who just happened to be cursed by his Khmer Rouge history; by his innocent allure and enthusiasm to be a Khmer front for the invading Vietnamese army and un-creatively imprisoned by it; by the confluences of domestic-regional-international events swirling out of proportion to his middle school/jungle education; by family members who lack decency and proper socializing; by democracy of diverse voices and opinions.
So, yes, if they are real tears, they are tears of self-pity under the crushing weight of having to rule violently for 30 years.
Not tears for Cambodia or Cambodians, or else we wouldn’t have had the following:
- K-5 plan
- March 1997 Grenade Massacre
- 1997 Summary Executions of Funcinpec during the coup d’etat
- Violence against Monks and other Peaceful demonstrators to protest elections fraud in 1998
- Dey Krahom land evictions
- Boeung Kak land evictions
- Thun Bunly, Chea Vichea, Ho Sok etc.
- Violent fatal escapades of nephews run wild
- Love-triangle murder of Piseth Pilika
- Sex-trafficking, drug-trafficking, environmental raping by his military and tycoons under his watch
- So on and so forth…
