Why Protests Will Not Lead to a ‘Cambodian Spring’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Faine Greenwood writes about the Stanford lecture given by Cambodian human rights activist Ou Virak. Asked about the anti-government protests taking place in Cambodia, Ou Virak explained why it would not lead to a ‘political spring':
I don’t think a spring in Cambodia will happen, nor do I think it’s desirable…We don’t even have a word for spring in Khmer. The closest word is revolution, which reminds people of Khmer Rouge.
He also criticized the opposition party for failing to provide a clear political agenda:
I haven’t seen an agenda…The only thing I’ve seen is how much we hate Hun Sen, and how much we hate Vietnam…That’s a formula for disaster, going in with so much hate. We have no idea what we are fighting for.