King-Father Norodom Sihanouk (Photo: AFP)PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has welcomed the return later this week of former king Norodom Sihanouk, despite the ex-monarch's sometimes blistering attacks on his administration.
"We all welcome and are delighted with the return of their majesties to live in the country after spending a long period of time outside to treat illness," Hun Sen said Tuesday.
"A special car has already been prepared," he told reporters, adding that he and other top government officials would be on hand to greet the former king despite Sihanouk's demands that he be allowed to return without fanfare.
The cancer-stricken Sihanouk, who left for Beijing last August to undergo medical treatment before moving to North Korea, is expected Friday with his wife Monineath.
He has blamed his long absence partly on political tensions at home, after a bitter disagreement over Hun Sen's border agreement with Vietnam saw several government critics jailed.
Sihanouk himself was a vocal opponent of the pact and frequently waded into the political fray with withering communiques attacking Hun Sen's government.
He abdicated the throne in October 2004 in favour of his son Norodom Sihamoni, citing old age and health problems.
"We all welcome and are delighted with the return of their majesties to live in the country after spending a long period of time outside to treat illness," Hun Sen said Tuesday.
"A special car has already been prepared," he told reporters, adding that he and other top government officials would be on hand to greet the former king despite Sihanouk's demands that he be allowed to return without fanfare.
The cancer-stricken Sihanouk, who left for Beijing last August to undergo medical treatment before moving to North Korea, is expected Friday with his wife Monineath.
He has blamed his long absence partly on political tensions at home, after a bitter disagreement over Hun Sen's border agreement with Vietnam saw several government critics jailed.
Sihanouk himself was a vocal opponent of the pact and frequently waded into the political fray with withering communiques attacking Hun Sen's government.
He abdicated the throne in October 2004 in favour of his son Norodom Sihamoni, citing old age and health problems.
11 comments:
Dear Khemara, Khmerrouge survivor and the future judges to the Khmerrouge trial,
Let's us start with the " Neutral Game ".
His majesty meant, I did not want to be a part of the war between The Free World & The Communist.He just want to live freely,happyly with his family and us Khmers poeple, but did this word mean the same meaning to our neighbor Thailand and to the United Stated?. This very word " Neutral" It could be very well meant that we are a whore!. Wouldn't it be true?
Did we thought about leave some rooms for the Thai to trust us? to have some good level of comfort with us? The answere was No! The Communist got the Thai worried to death and we freaked them out even more by not helping. Those were the real times when the Free world wanted to stay 500 trillions miles away from the communists. Are they going to sit around and do nothing, when they know that the communist would be at their door step the next morning?
How did The U.S obtain B-52 stations from the Thai to bomb the northern part of our land? did we really know? were those bombs meant for us Cambodians? No! it was meant for the vietcong! We just happened to be there at the wrong place and at the wrong time. My conscience tells me so and I'm very very sorry and truely sorry for the thousands lost of our poeple lives.
...and did we really know why those Veitcong were running around inside our boder when His Majesty and our men weren't really looking?
Your Majesty, I truely hope that you didn't give them the permission to
do their business of killing the South Vietnamese and the Americans from the South. I pray that your Majesty is 100 % innocent.
My one last question to all the judges that will be sitting in court room next year: did it ever occur to you that the Veitcong and Hun sen were in bed long before he, " Hun Sen" ran to beg them for our rescue in the early year of 1979?
Those times that they were secretly together could be very well the time which have caused all the confusion, all the killing and all the starvation or the greatest missery of all that our people have gone thru.
No! Veitcong and Hun sen don't jump the gun just,yet. You are not guilty and you won't be guilty until you are proven or found guilty in Court.
.....and I hope that it is your Majesty instead that caused all the greatest pain and suffering to our people.
I promise that I will die closing my eyes and it's o.k. Poeple made mistakes. We will move on and i will forgive you, your Majesty.
I like to see that if my points are corrected, I am asking that the decision of The Court will reward us "Cambodian poeple" back our Kampuchea Krom, our Kosh Tral, free our Khmere Krom peole from the Vietcong and a 100 million dollars a year for 1.7 century in exchange for every Khmere's soul that was lost.
Thank you for the most precious time you spend reading my questions and doubts.
Welcome home your Majesty!!!
You will always be our king!!!
Sleepless Kaun Khmer,
To a commentator who said that Son Sann is a spy for Vietname. Please review your comment again. Instead, he was a true hero for our country. He might stand foft with Sihanouk but not the Viet. Through history, I don't see any thing wrong with him.
I love Mr. Son Sann. He is our most respectable man in my heart and soul beside our Khmers Krom people. God save our Kampuchea Krom and our Khmers Krom.
We will be uniting soon!
Khemara nice shot!
I need to read you more!
Mr. Son san is my hero I will defence his reputation for the future of Cambodia!
Please give me a proof or explaination that prove that somdech Son Sann was a Vietnamese spy who destroyed our country. I am very sad to hear your comment about him. Somdech Son Sann was a rare Cambodian leader who sacrified his personal skill, Knowledge, and energy to serve our country. through our mordern history, I don't see any Cambodian leader who deserve our appriciation except Somdech Son Sann. Our democratic lover brothers! Please make your judgement based on your common sense and truth. Don't make a false conclusion.
This personal response is for Khemara. I have enjoyed visiting the KI-Media blogs for the past few days. In general, as a new visitor, I love piggybacking on others’ ideas that support, promote, or protect the interest of Cambodia and Cambodians. Thus, I consider myself to be one of the Khmer patriots. While I take pleasure in reading and commenting on OPINIONS of the visitors, there comes a time when I have to be true to myself as well when debatable claims are presented. That is I have to slow down considerably to consider “all sides” of an issue or claim, evaluate evidence, scenarios, and outcomes. Doing this will help me decide whether to accept or reject a claim. No matter what we do or who we are, we all realize that each and everyone of us have to always make decisions all the times. For example, after taking a warm shower this morning, I have to decide what to wear for the day. Since I have done it so many years now, it seems like second nature to me already. In reality, my mind automatically considers many factors such as the weather forecast and the existing temperature. In addition, other factors my mind thinks about include my plans for the day such as where I am going or whom will I see. Now my train of thought wants to take in as well my comfort level such as will I be walking a lot or sitting all day. You get the idea. The factors to consider go on. Here is the bottom line: I will now want to take a closer look at only some of your claims in your text.
Claim 1: “WHY, WHAT, MOTIVE, and CAUSE & EFFECT you [Sihanouk] had to have Hanoi government/Vietcong slaughtered Kaun Khmer and brought all these destruction and atrocities to Cambodia.”
Response: Since you are not neutral to begin with, people can readily dismiss your claim already. To the contrary of your theory, there are pieces of evidence that make your assertion above null and useless. This accusation of Sihanouk above is baseless, period. Sihanouk was never a miracle leader. He did his best to keep Cambodia out of trouble, but he was not blessed. No patrons of Cambodia had ever protected the interests on the behalf of Cambodia, period. You name it from France to Thailand to South Vietnam to Hanoi to China to the United States and to the Soviet Union--those countries had never protected the Cambodian interests at all. Thus it is clear that the powerless, vulnerable Cambodia didn’t ever get to make choices. It is best that you step out of your personal unresolved feelings against Sihanouk and become enlightened of the external forces that dragged Cambodia into the pit of destruction. To date, the general Cambodians have not seen any successful Cambodian leader to match the leadership of Sihanouk just yet. From Lon Nol to Pol Pot to Hun Sen, how much has Cambodia been improved? The evidence speaks for itself. At least Cambodia was considered one of the prosperous states in Asia under the leadership of Sihanouk. Read the causes of events at the following websites so that you can be enlightened.
http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Chanda/chanda-con3.html
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kh0025)
http://www.asiasociety.org/publications/cambodia/burden.html
Claim 2: “You[Sihanouk] did not realize it yourself. China has drawn the steps for you to walk and marked the line where you[Sihanouk] can and can't cross.”
Response: I think your underestimation of Sihanouk as a beloved King or leader of the Khmer people is uncalled for. Others will very well see Sihanouk in a different light from your view. In geopolitics of the time, Sihanouk’s dealing with China was to support each other mutually. Sihanouk was never always exclusively hung on to just China. He had the supports of France and United States as well. Personally, China is the only strong friend of Cambodia who could keep pressure on the arrogant predatory Vietnam and Thailand who like to cause troubles at the expenses of Cambodia. Wouldn’t you think so! The natural order of things is that the Viets are historically fearful of the Chinese overlordship while the Khmer are historically fearful of the Vietnamese expansionism. However, the Khmer and the Chinese are friends since the longest time. So the Chinese counterbalance actually helps destabilize the Vietnamese regional domination against the Khmer people. Look in the history, when the Thais helped the Khmer against the the Viets, the Thais appropriated Khmer provinces right away. Vise versa, when the Viets helped the Khmer against the Thais, the Viets colonized Khmer land right away. When the French helped the Khmer against the Thais and Viets, the French incorporated Cambodia with Vietnam and made Cambodia a lesser colony. In the end, the French even ceded Cambodia’s territory of Kampuchea Krom to the Viets. When the United States helped Cambodia against the advance of communism, the United States ended up abandoning Lon Nol to the victory of Pol Pot. In comparison, China had done a lot for Cambodia. From putting the pressure on Thailand and Vietnam, to punishing Vietnam for invading Cambodia, to implementing economic sanction against Vietnam, to doggedly demanding the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia, China had contributed much to Cambodia’s “survival” as a state. Wouldn’t you say! Sihanouk had always been aware of the Chinese ambitions. For example, when China had asked that Sihanouk be joined with Maoist Pol Pot, Sihanouk already knew that no foreign patrons of Cambodia would ever be committed to the interests of Cambodia.
Claim 3: “But the truth was that Son Sann was the last top-secret Viet spy that was always and the only one that really closed to you. From the 50's until his death in 1998, Son Sann had brought all kind of destruction to Cambodia. After Son Sann’s death, the Viets could not do anything except to use Hun Sen and his few cronies to run Cambodia.”
Response: Your claim above is unfounded. Son Sann was one of the patriotic Khmer Krom people who had dedicated his whole life to serve for betterment of Cambodia. In fact his signature is forever memorialized on the Cambodian legal money during Sihanouk’s era. His title as a public servant of Cambodia was not just a giveaway title such as “Samdech”, it was Samdech with a long elaborate description. To earn this distinction as an individual means that he had contributed much to Cambodia. In fact, he was one of the leaders who organized a resistant force to fight against the invading Vietnamese troops in the 80’s. In fact, Son Sann was the major out-spoken Khmer patriot who advocated against the nonstop flowing of the Vietnamese illegal settlers into Cambodia. The Vietnamese settlers were depleting Cambodia’s resources, dominating key areas in Cambodian society, and putting pressure on the general Cambodian people. Hen Sen hated Son Sann for the strong voice against the Vietnamese immigrants/settlers. Now if that was considered Son Sann’s destruction for Cambodia, then it is not logical indeed. It is like saying, hey the faucet is dripping, so we have to bake a cake. So how is baking a cake has anything to do with the leaky faucet.
Please reconsider your claims.
kmerouge servivor, you was born at the wrong time, do you want to curse your parents for that?
Those was the hardest period for all people around the world. did you see how many regimes, countries, fall in to wars? in Asia' Africa, North, Sourth and Central America, and also in Europe!
You should not spent 1/3 of your time in colege reading only Cambodia history, you should read whole world history!
Prince Shihanouk may not leaded us to peace but it was not his intention! He try his best that what I know, to save our counrty to stay neutral. That time no block wanted us to stay nutral but to their own side that call war!
If you read lot of Cambodia history you should see how Cambodia look in the 60's! people looking good, we have alot of schools, and hospitals. We cambodia love and like each other.
I am 50 now, and I do learn alot of how to love my county and people by listening to the speaches of prince Shihanouk!
he may wrong but no body alway right! Polotic, life is not easy to handle, some time you just have no luck! but your intentions and hard work that what is count!
polotic is worst some time you have to move with the flow to survive and some time you can not get out of it! You your brain and think, that why we need democacy!
sorry khmer survivor just one of my emotional writing!!!!
“If you read lot of Cambodia history you should see how Cambodia look in the 60's! people looking good, we have alot of schools, and hospitals. We cambodia love and like each other. I am 50 now, and I do learn alot of how to love my county and people by listening to the speaches of prince Shihanouk! he may wrong but no body alway right! Polotic, life is not easy to handle, some time you just have no luck! but your intentions and hard work that what is count!”
For all you younger generation, just like myself, I think the gentleman’s observation above is one more piece of evidence that show Sihanouk’s dedication to improving Cambodia. Listen to his idea above, he clearly states that it is the “intention and hard work” that count in life. This says a lot about Sihanouk’s dedication to Cambodia. In fact, I found an article that just say that about Sihanouk: “It is worth asking in hindsight, however, what else the beleaguered Sihanouk could have done. An alliance with his anti—communist neighbors in the 1960s would have brought Cambodia into the Vietnam War almost at once. A full-blown alliance with the United States would have had the same effect, and one with North Vietnam probably would have provoked a South Vietnamese invasion. Sihanouk's "neutral" policies, which stemmed from patriotism and wariness, were not as far-fetched or as mercurial as many cold warriors depicted them at the time. The Thais gave the prince no reason to trust them; neither did the warring governments of Vietnam. The United States was unwilling to berate or discourage the anti—Sihanouk policies of its anti—communist allies. Frightened of genuine independence when he was militarily so weak, Sihanouk established networks of dependence through which Cambodia hoped to gain some freedom to maneuver. He compromised his country's sovereignty but did not surrender it. He undermined his neutrality but avoided bloodshed for a while.”
http://www.asiasociety.org/publications/cambodia/burden.html
welcome sa mak mith king siha arch chruok!..hehehe...
tis tim je would lik to teil you, i king of de Ckhambugeian,,lov me,,they love me, we,we..bien tuth
hehe..why i come bac, bekus the chinese hate me now,, i'm innocents,, plees fogive me, i'm your king you kno!!!sigh!
.
King Father!!!
May be you will be the OBJECT of the Khmer Rouge tribunal because China would not defend you after his affairs
quiet..my slave khmer..this sihanouk is yeeling!!!hehehehe
je, we,we, i knew for long tiem now, taith why i kam back, you knew,,and about the khemara, little doud, it tist good comments, tenka you, you noe why, i kame back,, je,we, we, khmer still got pretty girls you noe, and i like the young one,..cure aids you noe, hey masier kemara, i like if your sister looking good too, or i give you a job, as my minster u noe , do like ,, my little boy hun sen, you noe,,,.i love my slave khmers you noe,,especially all the preety one,, don't foget..you noe,, life is too short , you noe.. triebien tut , you noe,,hehehe..takcare me ,,my bot hun sen, my out of pocket son,,hehehe..
sihanouk..your khmer god king ! hehehe
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