Buddhist monks walk past a worker holding a portrait of King Sihamoni in front of the royal palace in Phnom Penh October 25, 2006. Sunday marks the 3rd anniversary of the coronation of King Sihamoni. REUTERS/Khem Sovannara 29 Oct 2006
By San Suwith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
On 29 October 2004, King Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni was crowned as the king of Cambodia.
As indicated in his speech addressed to the people, the king remained above all political matters, and he acted as the symbol of the Kingdom of Cambodia as a king who reigns but does not govern, as stipulated in the Cambodian constitution.
At the beginning of 2004, after issuing repeated warnings that he will pull himself out of the throne, King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in an act not prescribed in the Cambodian constitution.
Following one week of vacancy of the throne, on 14 October 2004, the council of the throne, which consisted of 9 members, unanimously selected King Sihamoni as the successor to his father. The selection of the new king received the full approval of prime minister Hun Sen and Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh who was then the president of the National Assembly, both of whom are members of the council of the throne.
King Sihamoni was born on 14 May 1953, the year Cambodia received its independence from France. In 1962, at the age of 9-year-old, the king was sent by his parents to study in Prague, Czechoslovakia, until 1975.
In Prague, the king did his primary and secondary schoolings and continued on with his study at the academy of musical art of Prague where he graduated with a degree in classic dance. In 1977, he returned back to Cambodia under the Pol Pot Democratic Kampuchea regime. Immediately, he was incarcerated inside the royal palace by the regime along with a number of his relatives until the invasion of Vietnam into Cambodia in 1979.
Following his release from the Pol Pot regime, in 1981, the king lived in France where he stayed for the following 20 years. During his stay abroad he was appointed as ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to UNESCO in Paris.
Under his appointment in Paris, he was actively promoting Cambodian culture and art. Besides Cambodian, the king is also fluent in French, Czech, and English.
After two years of reign, the king remained single unlike his father. A large majority of Cambodian citizens are not well aware of the activities of their king. This is most likely due to the quiet nature of the king and maybe also due to his respect of the Constitution which stipulated that the king shall reign but shall not govern.
Nevertheless, Cambodian citizens interviewed by RFA are congratulating the king. Theary, a student who just finished her high school, told RFA that the king did a good job in his reign: “he is good in children health, he participated a lot in society to help children, to help old people, and poor people.”
Ith Soulong, a 2nd year student from the university of law and economic science, said: “The new king, he did not reign long yet, therefore, we did not see much of his ability either. He is an artist, when he took over the throne, it has not been too long yet, he did not display any noticeable ability yet.”
Phen Samit, 25-year-old student in his 3rd year at the Royal Cambodian University of Phnom Penh in Information Science, said: “Regarding the reign of the king, I believe that it is good. We noted that previous kings had a lot of wives, but this king does not even have one wife. This is good. I never met him personally, I only saw him on TV, he is likable to me, he should remain as a shade for a long time to come for future generations.”
As indicated in his speech addressed to the people, the king remained above all political matters, and he acted as the symbol of the Kingdom of Cambodia as a king who reigns but does not govern, as stipulated in the Cambodian constitution.
At the beginning of 2004, after issuing repeated warnings that he will pull himself out of the throne, King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in an act not prescribed in the Cambodian constitution.
Following one week of vacancy of the throne, on 14 October 2004, the council of the throne, which consisted of 9 members, unanimously selected King Sihamoni as the successor to his father. The selection of the new king received the full approval of prime minister Hun Sen and Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh who was then the president of the National Assembly, both of whom are members of the council of the throne.
King Sihamoni was born on 14 May 1953, the year Cambodia received its independence from France. In 1962, at the age of 9-year-old, the king was sent by his parents to study in Prague, Czechoslovakia, until 1975.
In Prague, the king did his primary and secondary schoolings and continued on with his study at the academy of musical art of Prague where he graduated with a degree in classic dance. In 1977, he returned back to Cambodia under the Pol Pot Democratic Kampuchea regime. Immediately, he was incarcerated inside the royal palace by the regime along with a number of his relatives until the invasion of Vietnam into Cambodia in 1979.
Following his release from the Pol Pot regime, in 1981, the king lived in France where he stayed for the following 20 years. During his stay abroad he was appointed as ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to UNESCO in Paris.
Under his appointment in Paris, he was actively promoting Cambodian culture and art. Besides Cambodian, the king is also fluent in French, Czech, and English.
After two years of reign, the king remained single unlike his father. A large majority of Cambodian citizens are not well aware of the activities of their king. This is most likely due to the quiet nature of the king and maybe also due to his respect of the Constitution which stipulated that the king shall reign but shall not govern.
Nevertheless, Cambodian citizens interviewed by RFA are congratulating the king. Theary, a student who just finished her high school, told RFA that the king did a good job in his reign: “he is good in children health, he participated a lot in society to help children, to help old people, and poor people.”
Ith Soulong, a 2nd year student from the university of law and economic science, said: “The new king, he did not reign long yet, therefore, we did not see much of his ability either. He is an artist, when he took over the throne, it has not been too long yet, he did not display any noticeable ability yet.”
Phen Samit, 25-year-old student in his 3rd year at the Royal Cambodian University of Phnom Penh in Information Science, said: “Regarding the reign of the king, I believe that it is good. We noted that previous kings had a lot of wives, but this king does not even have one wife. This is good. I never met him personally, I only saw him on TV, he is likable to me, he should remain as a shade for a long time to come for future generations.”
4 comments:
Sihakmony you are a dolly king, king that do anything follow Hun Sen like ayorng (don't forget the ancestors of your mother hahahhaha)
Puok eng chol cheth bork reass nass eng kuor toeuv noeuv Tcheco del eng toeub ning totuol sanhcheat
IF CAMBODIA IS AGARDEN, SIHAMONI WOULD BE ITS CHARM.
I like him as much as I like my most favorite star " RICKY MARTIN!". Can you you salsa or rock Cambodia like Ricky deos? I won't mind see you sake your Bon Bon!
Oops.. I forgot. You are a ballet dancer. That is just fine. No wonder you are so graceful.
Please leave him alone. He is just our poor harmless King.
Do I also admire our very own Tep Rindaro? I sure do! Fabulous Cambodian man!
Congratulation King! and may I ask you one true favor?
This up coming Water Festival, please make The Hun Sen Government to at least provide trash cans and public restrooms or bathrooms.
There will be some 2- 3 millions of us and more from foreign countries visiting Phnom Penh. Our city was just looking so trashy and so disorganized.
Viewing thru the last year film during this same festival by some of us ordinary Khmers, I saw one little boy falling a sleep in the middle of nowhere, but surround by thousands of us who tried not to disturb his peacefullness by letting him sleep just th eway he was.
Please King, it broke my heart and deeply wound my soul. He had only a very old and worn out pair of pants on his body and a rag looking kind of bag next to him.
Tru my understanding, he was a homeless boy. He was may be about 6 to 7 year old and very very skinny looking.
Please do someting about our poorest of the already poor boys and girls of our people. Your kindness and caring will be greatly greatly appreciated by millions of us and will be noted as part of your greatest contribution to our country in the present day,tomorrow and forever.
Ordinary Khmer
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