A Cambodian soldier sports a "magic" scarf
A Cambodian soldier shows his "magic" scarfPREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — A couple of weeks after their deadly border shootout, a Cambodian infantryman admits Thai troops have better weapons, but he's confident his pink "magic scarf" will ward off bullets.
"Thai soldiers have modern weapons, but I am not scared," says Chum Khla. "I have magic charms to protect myself."
As well as the scarf which he ties around his head, the 28-year-old soldier wears a protective talisman belt and carries two small Buddhist figurines.
"I have had countless gunfights in the past with former Khmer Rouge fighters, but I have never been in any danger," he says, owing his safety to the amulets.
Outgunned in their border standoff which began in July, Chum Khla and his comrades carry on traditions of using mystical Buddhist objects and tattooing spells on their bodies to protect themselves.
The contrast between the Thai and Cambodian sides facing off in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple is startling.
The Thai military is backed by state-of-the-art jets and heavy weapons, while many Cambodians wear flip-flops as they carry Cold War-era arms.
Days after October 15 clashes on disputed land left three Cambodians and one Thai dead, many Thai soldiers were fitted with body armour.
Cambodian commanders, meanwhile, gave their troops colourful scarves with mystical symbols said to have been imbued with protective powers by a Buddhist monk.
Charms, talismans and superstitions are universal among soldiers around the world. But the tattooed Cambodians, battle-hardened by decades of civil war which ended in 1998, put more stock than most in magic symbols.
Cambodian and Thai leaders have agreed to prevent further clashes, but the troops at the border are not taking any chances -- they continue to deck themselves out in all the charms they can get their hands on.
"I believe 100 percent that these magic things can help spare my life in battle," says Cambodian soldier Koy San as Thai troops camp on a slope above him.
"I have both a magic scarf and a string of talismans around my hip. I wear them all the time," says the 35-year-old.
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand began in July when Preah Vihear was awarded UN cultural heritage status, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the ruined monument.
A World Court ruling in 1962 declared the temple belonged to Cambodia, but much of the surrounding area remains in dispute.
The Cambodians admit magic items are not the only source of their protection -- military strategy and speed also help.
"We have magic things, but we have to be fast and our hands must be quick to grab our weapons and jump into the trenches. Then our lives are saved," says a grizzled 38-year-old soldier who declined to give his name.
The Cambodian government is seemingly not counting on magic to defend its territory. In the midst of the border dispute, the impoverished country decided to double its military budget to 500 million dollars next year.
But the 38-year-old soldier says he is even more of a believer in magic after the October fighting, during which his commander was killed.
"He also had a talisman, but he took it off as he took a nap. And he did not have a chance to put it back on when the shootout suddenly happened... so his life was ended," says the soldier.
Khan Yorn, abbot of a pagoda in the disputed area, says he has made countless protective belts for soldiers stationed there.
"A lot of soldiers have asked me for belts which are inscribed with Buddhist dharma so that they can have happiness, but I cannot say the amulets can prevent bullets," Khan Yorn says.
But he quickly notes something miraculous might have happened during last month's firefight.
"When the gunfire broke out, I was staying in the monk house, and the bullets were spraying around the pagoda like we spread rice husks," he says. "But they did not hit my monk house."
"Thai soldiers have modern weapons, but I am not scared," says Chum Khla. "I have magic charms to protect myself."
As well as the scarf which he ties around his head, the 28-year-old soldier wears a protective talisman belt and carries two small Buddhist figurines.
"I have had countless gunfights in the past with former Khmer Rouge fighters, but I have never been in any danger," he says, owing his safety to the amulets.
Outgunned in their border standoff which began in July, Chum Khla and his comrades carry on traditions of using mystical Buddhist objects and tattooing spells on their bodies to protect themselves.
The contrast between the Thai and Cambodian sides facing off in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple is startling.
The Thai military is backed by state-of-the-art jets and heavy weapons, while many Cambodians wear flip-flops as they carry Cold War-era arms.
Days after October 15 clashes on disputed land left three Cambodians and one Thai dead, many Thai soldiers were fitted with body armour.
Cambodian commanders, meanwhile, gave their troops colourful scarves with mystical symbols said to have been imbued with protective powers by a Buddhist monk.
Charms, talismans and superstitions are universal among soldiers around the world. But the tattooed Cambodians, battle-hardened by decades of civil war which ended in 1998, put more stock than most in magic symbols.
Cambodian and Thai leaders have agreed to prevent further clashes, but the troops at the border are not taking any chances -- they continue to deck themselves out in all the charms they can get their hands on.
"I believe 100 percent that these magic things can help spare my life in battle," says Cambodian soldier Koy San as Thai troops camp on a slope above him.
"I have both a magic scarf and a string of talismans around my hip. I wear them all the time," says the 35-year-old.
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand began in July when Preah Vihear was awarded UN cultural heritage status, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the ruined monument.
A World Court ruling in 1962 declared the temple belonged to Cambodia, but much of the surrounding area remains in dispute.
The Cambodians admit magic items are not the only source of their protection -- military strategy and speed also help.
"We have magic things, but we have to be fast and our hands must be quick to grab our weapons and jump into the trenches. Then our lives are saved," says a grizzled 38-year-old soldier who declined to give his name.
The Cambodian government is seemingly not counting on magic to defend its territory. In the midst of the border dispute, the impoverished country decided to double its military budget to 500 million dollars next year.
But the 38-year-old soldier says he is even more of a believer in magic after the October fighting, during which his commander was killed.
"He also had a talisman, but he took it off as he took a nap. And he did not have a chance to put it back on when the shootout suddenly happened... so his life was ended," says the soldier.
Khan Yorn, abbot of a pagoda in the disputed area, says he has made countless protective belts for soldiers stationed there.
"A lot of soldiers have asked me for belts which are inscribed with Buddhist dharma so that they can have happiness, but I cannot say the amulets can prevent bullets," Khan Yorn says.
But he quickly notes something miraculous might have happened during last month's firefight.
"When the gunfire broke out, I was staying in the monk house, and the bullets were spraying around the pagoda like we spread rice husks," he says. "But they did not hit my monk house."
10 comments:
As a Khmer descent live in Oversea (Europe), I have the same thing as our Khmer Soldier brother. It is a part of the Khmer Empire.
hey, stop poking fun at khmer culture. no matter what, this is a cultural thing or belief, so, have some respect for other country's culture and tradition! if the entire world culture and tradition were to be the same on the planet, that would be so boring! so, whether you like it or not, at least have some respect for other people's or other race's cultural value, belief, tradtion, etc... it's just a cultural symbol. take psychology 101 or something, because they can teach you a thing or two about respecting difference of culture, etc... don't hate us because we are different and beautiful from your own culture, tradition, or whatever! god bless cambodia.
The belief makes Khmer soldiers more confident.
i HAVE NO DOUBT OF KHMERS SOLDIERS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ANGKOR EMPIRE HAD HAD MORE MAGICAL PROTECTION THAN KHMER SOLDIERS TODAY. BUT IT WAS NOT THE POINT.
THE POINT IS THAT THE BELIEF COULD NOT SPARE KHMER EMPIRE LAND FROM STRINKING TO ITS TODAY SIZE.
THE BOTTTOM LINE IT IS NOT WORKING.
Wrong, the belief will protect Khmer in the neighboring countries, but not thieves in Cambodia.
Lord Buddha will never stand behind thieves.
As any warrior knows, the bigger the shield, the bigger the coward behind it. The Thai are fully equiped but they lack the warriors spirit.
Long live the warriors of Angkor.
Who needs guns and missiles? We need just a miracle.
Maybe some of you fools forget that Thai believe in the same thing as Khmer, if not more. Have you seen pictures of some of them with necklaces full of buddhas and all those scared things to protect them too? I don't really believe in magics either but I don't doubt it either.
The fact is by having these magical scarfs gives the soldiers 1) confidence and moral booster 2) it makes the Thai soldiers who believe in the same thing uneasy in the head.
If you want to be practical, it's not the scarf that does the magic, it's the notion of the magic within the scarf that does it. One of the most important thing in rallying your troops for battle is motivation. It doesn't matter what weaponry you have, if our troops is not motivated and low on morale, you're doomed.
What ever works. If they think that it's going to help them, then, do it. Just like many of us, who are Buddhist, go the temple and have the monks bless us with the holy water. Or have them come to our house to bless our house....it's the same notion. Believing in something is better than not at all. Most non-Buddhists wldn't understand so there's no point of explaining.
Every culture has their own superstitions. How is this any different from an American marine carrying a rabbit's foot in his pocket to avert being shot? The point is, unfounded or not, they exist everywhere and the "author" unfairly uses one soldier as an example to make sweeping statements about an entire army. This situation reminds me of an old axiom, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Mark Twain
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