Monday, July 21, 2008

It was vital for monks to work impartially: Venerable Yos Hut Khemacaro

Buddhist monks clash with riot police in December 2007 during a protest in Phnom Penh
Venerable Yos Hut Khemacaro

Cambodian monks debate right to vote in election next week
"A group of officials came into my pagoda and gave me a piece of paper quite similar to a ballot. They taught me to tick the (ruling) political party ... I find this quite funny and unacceptable because it is obviously an indirect intimidation to me and other monks in this pagoda" - Monk in Ounalom pagoda
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — The austere existence of Buddhist monks is supposed to show Cambodians how to live. One thing monks have been forbidden to do, however, is show them how to vote.

That will change Sunday, when Cambodia's Buddhist monks vote in their first general election since they led anti-government demonstrations a decade ago, when they were beaten and shot in the streets for protesting against Prime Minister Hun Sen's victory.

After the demonstrations, which left at least two monks dead, Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, head of the country's largest Buddhist sect, barred Cambodia's 54,000 Buddhist clergy from voting.

Monks were still constitutionally allowed to vote, but many who tried were blocked by local officials or threatened with expulsion from their pagodas.

Tep Vong retracted his order last year. When asked why, he said, "it is important for democracy" for monks to vote.

Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) are widely expected to score another victory in the July 27 poll, extending his 23-year grip on power.

But now that monks are again free to help choose the leader, not everyone agrees on the political role of Cambodia's revered saffron-robed men.

"I think monks don't need to vote because monks are neutral people. If they vote, it can bring biases that can cause fighting," said Lai Heang, a 28-year-old monk at Phnom Penh Botum pagoda.

When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge swept to power in 1975 it tried to crush Buddhism, one of the greatest threats to the new order of the ultra-Maoist movement.

Tens of thousands of monks were murdered, and most Buddhist texts and temples were destroyed as the regime killed up to two million people in its attempt to create an agrarian utopia.

After Vietnamese-led forces swept out the Khmer Rouge in 1979, the new government appointed Tep Vong to revive the national religion.

Pagodas have once again become centres of learning and culture, and in a country where Buddhism permeates all aspects of culture, upholding the faith is seen as vital for political success.

Politicians across the country donate money, help rebuild a temple or simply spend time in a monastery to demonstrate their access to the sacred power of Buddhism.

"Pol Pot dissolved Buddhism and now he's dissolved himself. Bin Laden and the Taliban regime destroyed the Buddhist statues. Now they are being destroyed," Hun Sen said in a speech at Tep Vong's 70th birthday party.

These days, while images of monks demonstrating in Tibet and Myanmar have recently captured the world's attention, pagodas are no longer hotbeds of political activism in Cambodia.

Still, some young monks believe all supreme monks in the country have a political bias, including a 29-year-old monk at Phnom Penh's Ounalom Pagoda.

"A group of officials came into my pagoda and gave me a piece of paper quite similar to a ballot. They taught me to tick the (ruling) political party," he said.

"I find this quite funny and unacceptable because it is obviously an indirect intimidation to me and other monks in this pagoda," he added.

Tep Vong does not hide his allegiance to the ruling CPP.

"I think you know the opposition never does good action," he said before the 2003 election. "If someone tries to oppose the royal government, they use Pol Pot's ideas."

Venerable Yos Hut Khemacaro of the Khmer Buddhist Foundation is careful not to directly criticise Tep Vong, but said it was vital for monks to work impartially.

"I think many politicians in Cambodia and elsewhere want monks' support and blessing, but not their teachings," he said. "Politicians respect us with gestures, but we must teach them all the time."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Soldiers beats monks in Cambodia and Myanmar will absolutely not happen in Thailand.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but those are not monks. They are politician in disguise as monk who spread propaganda all over Burma and Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

Roum RITH C'est une honte ,le Bouddhisme fout le temps au pays des magnifique sourire éternel Mais ce qui est encore plus grave quand on a vu il y a cela de 2 ou 3 ans la premiere dame qui bénit le chef des bonzes au Cambodge Et que fait ce Sdach Ta c'est lui qui est à l'origine de tous cela , non seulement il est le complices de massacres de 2 millions de Khmers mais il a contribué à la disparition des territores Khmers et la civilisations . Non IL N'EST PAS LE VRAIE PATRIOTE IL A HAI SON PROPRE PEUPLE IL A COMMIS BEAUCOUP DE FAUTES QUI NE SONT PAS SEULEMENT GRAVA MAIS TRERS LOURDES ALORS QUE SON COUSIN TROUK SARIMATAK LUI AU MOINS UN VRAIS DE VRAIS PARIOTE C'esT AVEC COLERE CONTENU ET FROID QUE JE PENSE A TOUS CES MALHEURS KHMERS NOUS NE SOMMES PAS DES NON PARIOTES MAIS NOUS AIMONS ET ADORONS LE PAYS KHMERS NOUS SOMMES DES KHMERS ISSARAK KHMERS LIBRES, et NON AU SOLDE DES IMPERIALISTE QUI QUE SE VOIT COMME A PRETENDU LOURK SIHANOUK

Anonymous said...

A friendly reminder to all thai readers:

if you don't know that issan people has in their body, khmer blood, you better wait to see khmer issan take back the khmer empire. it won't be long... Thailand will be just like salt in the water... it is only the curse from buddha... it is predicted that thailand will be disappear from the world map... you wait and see... it won't be long... it will be within your lifetime.

Bravo...all khmer comes together as one!

Anonymous said...

18 million Isan Thais are Loa ethnic. 1.4 million Isan Thais ar Khmer ethnic. Now they have good life in their motherland, getting more educated, widely freedom for thier culture, religion, everything... (these also apply to every Thai Individual)
These Khmer Isan people are better, wealthier than those in Cambodia.
So Why do they need to join you?
If Khmer Isan really want to join you Cambodian, I don't think they will be foolish to bow their head and be under top boots of Cambodian rulers from Phnom Penh.

Anonymous said...

Reponse à THAI4peace . Khmer Isan sont moins violents que les gens du SUD mais il me semble que la partie du SUD le giouvernement THAI va avoir des soucis . Geopolitiquement parlant les Malais sont assez neutre mais d'ici la je pense que La Thailande la partie SUD , l'administration va avoir beaucoup beaucoup de soucis les champas du SUD sont plus riches que les THAIS descendants des Chinois mais qui sait si dans l'armée THAI il existe les gens du SUD je pense sincerement que THAI4 for peace doit réfléchir moi je ne m'enréjouis pas le malheur THAI mais queque part je suis content que lOKTA MOEURNG SERA VENGE , n'est ca pas pour ceux qui aime l'histoire je parle les vrais et non les pouiy TRASAK CHOU