Thursday, November 30, 2006Top Buddhist Warns Against 'People Power'
By Lor Chandara and John Malloy THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Cambodia's top Buddhist patriarch Tep Vong on Wednesday formally lifted his ban on monks voting, but warned them not to engage in "people power" and urged the Buddhist clergy to remain grateful to the ruling CPP.
Presiding over the annual Buddhist Monk Congress at Phnom Penh's Chaktomuk Theater, Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong asked that all monks show thanks to the CPP’s leadership for its role in "saving the country from the Khmer Rouge."
"Don't engage in [political] party solidarity leading to people power," Tep Vong warned. "Unity for people power is not a possibility, as Prime Minister Hun Sen said earlier," he added.
Tep Vong had previously forbidden monks from voting in the 2003 national election, despite their being allowed to do so by law. In May, he signaled that he was going to lift the ban, but it was not until Wednesday that any official decision to end the restriction was announced.
Tep Vong asked monks to thank Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly and Honorary CPP President Heng Samrin for liberating Cambodia.
He said that by showing their gratitude, monks would be able to "live up to the January 7 dharma," referring to the date in 1979 when the Khmer Rouge were driven from Phnom Penh by a Vietnamese-backed army.
In an earlier incarnation, Tep Vong was elected vice president of the 1981 National Assembly of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, a precursor of the current CPP government.
Veering away from politics, Tep Vong also recommended a temporary halt to new pagoda construction in Cambodia, saying that more attention needs to be paid to maintaining and improving existing pagodas.
"We have more than 4,000 pagodas, that is enough," he said.
Several monks in attendance said they were afraid of commenting on Tep Vong's remarks.
But San Savuth, a monk with the royalist—affiliated Dhammayut sect, said he did not approve of Tep Vong-the former head of the rival Mohanikaya sect—calling for a halt to pagoda construction.
"We don't have enough pagodas for the Dhammayut sect," he said, adding that his denomination only has 129 pagodas.
Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, applauded the announcement that monks would be allowed to vote.
"There is no [legal] provision saying that monks cannot vote," she said. "It is good that the leaders did this."
But Kek Galabru expressed some concern over Tep Vong's comments on people power. "People power" typically refers to the popular protest movements in the Philippines that have led to the ouster of two presidents— most famously in the case of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
"It depends on what he understands by people power," she said. "He wants maybe to tell monks not to participate in protests.... International law does not say that monks or priests cannot join in [peaceful] protests."
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay also welcomed the decision to allow monks to vote, but dismissed Tep Vong's comments on people power.
Monks have always played an important rote in opposing authoritarian rule in Cambodia, he said.
"Monks have always been involved in people power," he said. "People power is already there and it doesn't matter how you try to suppress it."
Son Chhay also blasted Tep Vong for requesting praise for the CPP leadership.
"Even the religious institutions can't be relied on to not be affiliated with the ruling party," Son Chhay said. "What [Tep Vong] said was bad for himself and bad for the country."
Presiding over the annual Buddhist Monk Congress at Phnom Penh's Chaktomuk Theater, Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong asked that all monks show thanks to the CPP’s leadership for its role in "saving the country from the Khmer Rouge."
"Don't engage in [political] party solidarity leading to people power," Tep Vong warned. "Unity for people power is not a possibility, as Prime Minister Hun Sen said earlier," he added.
Tep Vong had previously forbidden monks from voting in the 2003 national election, despite their being allowed to do so by law. In May, he signaled that he was going to lift the ban, but it was not until Wednesday that any official decision to end the restriction was announced.
Tep Vong asked monks to thank Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly and Honorary CPP President Heng Samrin for liberating Cambodia.
He said that by showing their gratitude, monks would be able to "live up to the January 7 dharma," referring to the date in 1979 when the Khmer Rouge were driven from Phnom Penh by a Vietnamese-backed army.
In an earlier incarnation, Tep Vong was elected vice president of the 1981 National Assembly of the People's Republic of Kampuchea, a precursor of the current CPP government.
Veering away from politics, Tep Vong also recommended a temporary halt to new pagoda construction in Cambodia, saying that more attention needs to be paid to maintaining and improving existing pagodas.
"We have more than 4,000 pagodas, that is enough," he said.
Several monks in attendance said they were afraid of commenting on Tep Vong's remarks.
But San Savuth, a monk with the royalist—affiliated Dhammayut sect, said he did not approve of Tep Vong-the former head of the rival Mohanikaya sect—calling for a halt to pagoda construction.
"We don't have enough pagodas for the Dhammayut sect," he said, adding that his denomination only has 129 pagodas.
Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, applauded the announcement that monks would be allowed to vote.
"There is no [legal] provision saying that monks cannot vote," she said. "It is good that the leaders did this."
But Kek Galabru expressed some concern over Tep Vong's comments on people power. "People power" typically refers to the popular protest movements in the Philippines that have led to the ouster of two presidents— most famously in the case of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
"It depends on what he understands by people power," she said. "He wants maybe to tell monks not to participate in protests.... International law does not say that monks or priests cannot join in [peaceful] protests."
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay also welcomed the decision to allow monks to vote, but dismissed Tep Vong's comments on people power.
Monks have always played an important rote in opposing authoritarian rule in Cambodia, he said.
"Monks have always been involved in people power," he said. "People power is already there and it doesn't matter how you try to suppress it."
Son Chhay also blasted Tep Vong for requesting praise for the CPP leadership.
"Even the religious institutions can't be relied on to not be affiliated with the ruling party," Son Chhay said. "What [Tep Vong] said was bad for himself and bad for the country."
10 comments:
And he asks his flock not to be political.
^^^
A communist head will remain truth to the Head communist. What a dumb monk? Doesn't he not realize that Khmer people are suffering so much already under CPP? Oh, wait! There are monks right now involved in the robbing, killing, and raping.
Where is the moral in the Buddhist philosophy? Tep Vong, how many Khmer have you killed?
I am not sure if the Buddhist patriarch Tep Vong understand what 'people power' is.
It is very good news to the whole of Cambodia to let the monks voting.
People power is exellent way to change government without bloodbath.
Preaching buddhism to Khmer people is already involve in politic.
Buddhist teaching people to be free and to defend themselve from the bad leaders(PUOK KROM REAP OR YEAKSA)
Buddhist must stand up to defend innocent Khmers when they are opressed by YUONS, Vietminh,CPP, Hun Sen, Sok An, Hok Lundy, Sar Kheng, traitors monarch and the royal crooks etc... Because most of Buddhists have no personal greed.
Hun Sen and Sok An, Hok Lundy are drug dealer syndicate government. They opressed 8 million true Khmers to die of poverty. They grabbed poor Khmer land and throw them to die in no where prosper. They let YUONS occupiers to cede Khmer territory. They let Thai army to invade and burned innocent Khmer's houses.
I have never met Ven. Tep Vong face to face but by the look of Ven. Tep Vong face in this article, it seems that he possesed a lots of BAD KHARMA.
It is completely contrast to the face of Ven. Moha Kossananda ( Moha Yarv). Even at the old age Ven. Moha Kossananda face look fresh like a teen ager and always smile, it doesn't matter what.
It was YUONS army who ousted Pol Pot from outside and from Lon Nol secret armforces who defeated Pol Pot army from within from 1976 to 1979 before YUONS invasion, there were no way that CPP, Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin etc... can topple Pol Pot in 1979.
However when YUONS invaded Cambodia, they claimed all the credits without knowing that Lon Nol secret force have already reduced the number of 80,000 strong Khmer Rouge to remain only 45,000.
The most important question is, if YUONS really came to rescue Cambodia, why don't they came in early 1975 when Sihanouk and Pol Pot forces started to evacuate all Khmer innocents from the city into the jungle of death and killed 1.7 million Khmers in cold blood from 1975 to 1979.
Therefore Khmer people and Khmer buddhist monks have no need to thank CPP, they should thank to Lon Nol secret force instead.
I would like to invite Ven. Tep Vong to read the article below:
THERE WERE NO YUON IN LON NOL’S KHMER REPUBLIC REGIME
All Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Are YUONS helping Cambodia? Or are YUONS swallowing Cambodia?
Why did YUONS train the method of torture to Khmer Rouge to torture and slaughter at least 1.7 million innocent Khmer from 1975 to 1979, if YUONS claimed that they are helpers.
Why didn’t YUONS come to help in 1975 when Pol Pot came to power and pushed every good Khmer out of their houses and killed them in cold blood???
Was Hun Sen involved in murdering 10 western journalists at the Eastern zone in 1975, when he was in charge at that time? Was the mafia Hun Sen, Hok Lundi involved in 36 kilograms of Heroin + 7 tons of marijuana exporting syndicate? Was Hun Sen/Hok Lundi involved with the assassinating all Khmer opponents? Including Piseth Pilika?
Hun Sen was also YUONS' Vietminh slave/Khmer Rouge soldier, why did YUONS support Hun Sen's Khmer Rouge to kill half a million innocent Khmers in the K-5 plan which was planned by YUONS communists themselves anyway.
YUONS/Vietminh/CPP/Royal crooks/Hun Sen have oppressed Khmer people since 1949 and continue to do so every day.
We never had fire in our houses in Cambodia. It was YUON’S slave Sihanouk who let YUONS put fire on our house by letting YUONS use our peaceful Khmer territory to fight against American forces in South Vietnam and YUONS pretend they came to rescue us. Instead of coming to rescue us you came to steal everything which belong to us. YUONS came to push Khmers to kill Khmer, YUONS came to steal our land in Kampuche Krom and at the Eastern part of Cambodia, YUONS came to steal our sea territories such as Koh Tral and many many more.
Khmer has never been a starving nation, but YUONS came to steal from us everything and made us to became a beggar state, look at land grabbing from YUONS/Vietminh/CPP/Royal crooks now.
There is no peace in Cambodia, the peace in Cambodia is a fake one, anyone who lives in Cambodia who dares to speak against YUONS/ YUONS' slave CPP/Hun Sen, then they will be prosecuted, look at Heng Pov right now.
YUONS made Khmer to become too poor, so that we can not even grow our own vegetables in the fertilized land like Cambodia?
In 1979 YUONS did not sacrifice their lives to rescue Cambodia from Pol Pot but to swallow Cambodia completely so that China can not use Khmer Rouge to attack YUONS.
If YUONS sacrificed their lives to rescue us in Cambodia from Khmer Rouge, why are 4 and a half million YUONS digging in Cambodia without returning home? And there is no Khmer Rouge force for YUONS to rescue from anymore, is there?
In 19 provinces in Cambodia YUONS established YUONS' associations for what? Can we Khmers go and do the same things in YUONS country? Obviously not !!! So stop lying to the Khmer people and to the world, we Khmer know your tricks.
YUONS should go back to Hanoi or Saigon when they have finished their duties inside Cambodia, If YUONS really came to help Khmer.
YUONS must be joking that Khmer people want to share culture with YUONS, what cultures do YUONS have? Khmer hate the profession of prostitutions like YUONS did since the stone’s age. Khmer hate to steal someone else lands like YUONS did to Champa and Khmer Krom.
Khmers will never want to share a communist economic system with YUONS, we want a free market economy like USA or European Union, but YUONS keep us under their feet so we can not have our own choices, YUONS must go back home.
YUONS understand Khmer internal affairs by providing YUON vaginas, alcohol, drugs, gambling, corruption and by oppressing 8 millions true innocent Khmers, so YUONS can swallow Cambodia.
If YUONS do not go back home soon China will do the same things to YUONS' country as an excuse to conquer YUONS economically, also physically for another 1001 years like in the past. This is the Karma which YUONS have done to Khmer people.
Are YUONS joking again by providing Khmer infrastructures, do YUONS know how to build Angkor Wat temple like Khmer did in the past??? So go back home to your own country now.
YUONS took our land in the Eastern parts of Cambodia, YUONS took our sea territories including so many islands. YUONS took Kampuchea Krom, YUONS came to lived in Tonle Sap and caught our Khmer fishes.
YUONS cut all Khmer trees which will make our 900 years old Angkor Wat to collapse. YUONS put YUONS' slave the Khmer monarchy and Vietminh/CPP/ the mafia Hun Sen’s drug dealer syndicate government into power to oppress Khmers.
YUONS used Khmer territories to sell drugs and arms to other countries, YUONS taught the Khmer elites to become international crime figures, look at Heng Pov’s revelations now, this is the facts.
These are the benefits that YUONS stole from our 8 millions innocent true Khmer people and our golden Khmer lands.
YUONS must go back home as soon as possible for YUONS have 83 million people, when YUONS collapse it will hurt more than 8 million true Khmers, if YUONS continue to swallow Khmer lands.
When YUONS go back home, we Khmer living around the world will show YUONS how to rebuild our beloved country Cambodia and YUONS must stop meddling in our Khmer internal affairs. Just go back to protect YUONS country from China swallowing it slowly right now.
Cambodian government can not bring anything else to tell YUONS, for YUONS control Khmer in everything and YUONS put the monarchy, the royal crooks, Vietminh/CPP/ the mafia Hun Sen drug’s dealer syndicate and 8 millions true Khmer under YUONS' feet already, so YUONS know everything, There is no need any Khmer to tell YUONS of any thing else. Khmer can not stand up, when 4 and a half million dog’s eater YUONS are still hiding inside Cambodia.
Khmers never ever want to merge with YUONS, for YUONS have never had good intentions toward Khmer, but to put Khmer into Indo-China federation which is controlled by YUONS anyway. Khmers want genuine peace and stability and fully independence from YUONS.
Please don't build any more common or friendship monuments, YUONS do not know how to build monuments like Khmer do, YUONS only understand prostitution and robbing of Khmer lands.
YUONS MUST GO BACK HOME. YUONS MUST STOP OPPRESSING KHMER BEHIND THESE TRAITORS KHMER MONARCHY/CPP/VIETMINH/THE MAFIA HUN SEN DRUG’S DEALER SYNDICATE/HOK LUNDI,SOK AN, SAR KHENG ROYAL CROOKS, IF YUONS WANT TO BE GOOD KHMER NEIGHBORS. GIVE KHMER A REAL LASTING PEACE AND TRUE INDEPENDENCE.
KHMER RUOM!!! KHMER RUOS!!! KHMER CHHLUOS!!! KHMER ORSS DEY NEUV!!!
KHMER LAND IS OURS,
(rice farmer’s son from Battambang)
Ignorant Monk Tep Vong should go to hell; he is truely a CPP's puppet not a respectful monk.
evil monk, hochi monk tep vong, not even his real name vong veng cheat sasnar may suit him well!
Wow.. what a lengthy article but very well written. I just
had to comment on this. I agreed pretty much what was stated here. But one thing u mentioned again again was that u tell Yuon to go home. Instead, I would say we don't wait for that. Knowing these scumbags they will stay there until someone force them out by force. So we must act now.. not wait until they act on their own, for we know already that will not come.
We all must do our parts to help out and take back what ours.. and I think deep down each one of us already knows what to do.. do stop hesitating and do it now!
Cheers!
Tomie
AH MONKEY TEP VONG still hang around in politic? Damn bastard! This bastard can't be changed even Lord Buddha can't change him either!But the Vietcong can change him! So when he die and he will born again as Vietcong!
It is PEOPLE-POWER and the voice of majority which brings America to where it is today. It is the key principle of democratic process. Back in history,a French nobleman came to America, only to study the work of People-Power and the principle of "rule by majority". America used to be ruled by a few elite group and they failed miserably,slowly the mass taking over America. Per Cambodia, Khmer en mass must stand up against the few elite of the CPP+FUNCINPEC. These minority elite certainly intends to own the Khmer majority for life.
You are not like samdach sang Chounnath, can't be....
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