Soldiers from the Khmer people's National Liberation Front Armed Forces (KPNALF) praying for peace, after having turned in their weapons under phase two of the cease-fire agreement. July 1992. UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran

5. Radio UNTAC: a minute for poems “Unrepayable” គ្មានអ្វីតបស្នង

Radio UNTAC - 23 Oct, 2021

People furthermore composed poetry to share words of advice, encouragement, and appeals to take the peace process seriously in an accessible and engaging manner. The following is an excerpt from a poem titled “Unrepayable”.

I. រសជាតិសព្វយ៉ាង         មាននៅភស្តុតាង
ក្នុងចិត្តច្រើនណាស់          ប្រៃ ល្វីង ជូរចត់
យើងបានស្គាល់ច្បាស់   ឯណាល្អល្អះ
ឯណាពិសពល់។

II. កុំឲ្យវាជ្រុល រួមកសាងជាតិ
កុំនាំគ្នាជល់ អោយឳរវល់
ខ្វល់ប្រែចិន្តា។

I. All types of lived experiences
Which have remained
Fresh in our mind
Salty, sour, and bitter
We know them well
[We know] the ones that are ideal
And the ones that are poisonous.

II. Before it is too late
[We] unite to build the nation
[We] stop fighting
Which causes distraction
And mistrust.

Text, selection, and summaries of poems: Katrin Travouillon

Translation of selected passages: Thun Theara

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About the Author
Radio UNTAC
Radio UNTAC was established in October 1992 to inform the Cambodian people about the peace process, democratic principles and human rights. It began broadcasting on 9 November 1992 and ended on 22 September 1993. Initially their audience could only listen to them for a half hour news segment each day, but the airtime was continuously increased. One of Radio UNTAC’s most important tasks was to motivate the Cambodian people to cast their vote in the UNTAC organized election in May 1993. In accordance with the UN’s mandated task of establishing a neutral political environment prior to the elections the radio station furthermore provided the representatives of the new political parties with a forum to present themselves to their electorate.
New Mandala is supported by the Australian National University (ANU), a world-leading centre of research and teaching on Southeast Asia that has hosted the site since its founding in 2006. New Mandala's editors make editorial decisions independently of the ANU, and the views expressed at New Mandala are solely those of contributors and do not represent the institutional position(s) of the ANU or any of its constituent parts.
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