Even opposition leader Sam Rainsy said he considers China to be an
important counterbalance to larger neighbors Thailand and Vietnam.
“Cambodian people feel threatened by these two large neighbors, so
we are not unhappy to see a third player come in,” he said in an interview.
“It is difficult to resist Vietnamese influence without a counterweight from
China.”
In Myanmar four years ago, public opinion forced the government to
suspend a controversial Chinese dam project, and some experts wondered
if Beijing might learn a lesson: that gaining support from local communities
might be a wiser long-term investment strategy than simply engaging with
authoritarian regimes.
But there is no sign of that here, among the sugar palm trees and
along the rivers of Cambodia.
In the village of Srae Kor, hand-painted signs on wooden houses
proclaim the determination of many residents not to leave their homes,
even when the Lower Sesan 2 Dam‟s reservoir fills and the floodwaters rise.
“I prefer to die in my village and remain with my ancestors,” said 62-
year-old La Thoeu as she spun cotton from a kapok tree to make wicks for
candles. “The river is my life. I live a happy life. I catch fish. I will not leave
this place.”
The land where the government wants to move them is rocky,
villagers say, the compensation inadequate to make up for years of lost
revenues from fishing and orchards. Some even traveled to see the houses
offered to those resettled by the UDG project, and were appalled by their
poor quality. But protests outside the Chinese Embassy, and several
petitions, have yet to elicit a response. Despite the vast sums spent on the
project, it appears to be winning few friends for Beijing.
“China is moving so fast and so furious, but in some ways it is not so
nimble on its feet at avoiding a backlash,” Baird said. “You wonder how
savvy they are.”