King-Father: ...not being a Buddha nor a Tevoda, I could not, from my Beijing Residence, know that there were hungry Compatriots

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Communiqué

A Khmer newspaper from Phnom Penh
recently accused me of being insensitive to the terrible
hardships of Compatriots who have nothing to eat
By N. Sihanouk

Beijing, January 10, 2007

Recently, a Khmer newspaper from Phnom Penh wrote: “A group of some dozens of poor Compatriots from the province came to Phnom Penh to ask H.M. King-Father (Samdech Euv) for a vital humanitarian aid because they have nothing to eat. When they arrived in front of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace, they waited, and waited. But no one condescended to give them something so that they don’t die of hunger. In desperation, these poor and very sad compatriots finally left on empty stomach…”

In this regard, this is my answer to the malicious accusation made against me by this newspaper:

First, I was in Beijing (P.R. China), very far from the Royal Palace, when these Compatriots arrived in front of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace. And, not being a Buddha nor a Tevoda, I could not, from my Beijing Residence, know that there were hungry Compatriots.

Second, in front of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace, there were royal guards and police officers who must have seen these hungry Compatriots. But nobody went to see H.E. Samdech Kong Som Ol or a Representative or the deputy or the collaborator of Samdech Kong Som Ol to ask him to inform me or the Queen-Mother, my wife, of this arrival in front of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace by these hungry Compatriots.

It was only through the reading this anti-Sihanouk newspaper article that I learnt that there were people who are hungry.

Third, without losing a single minute, from Beijing, I gave the order to Samdech Kong Som Ol and to my eldest Son, N. Yuvaneath, and his wife to go to the village of these hungry people, and to distribute for me to these hungry people, rice and money.

I will make public, without delay, the report sent to me, on this subject, by H.E. Kong Som Ol.

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk