the Cambodian monks tried to enter their pagoda which is guarded by Thai soldiers. Thai soldiers, seen here in the background, forcibly occupied Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak on the 15th of July, 2008.Kampuchea Thmey newspaper
6th November, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
The Cambodian people will, on the 12th of November 2008, organise a Kathen ceremony (a religious fund raising event) in order to raise funds to support the Cambodian monks who reside in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, near the Preah Vihear complex, during the rainy season.
While the Cambodian side plans to organise a Kathen for Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, the Thai side has also requested to organise their Kathen for this pagoda as well. Their request has been turned down because the Khmer officials use the reasons that if the Thai people want to make merits they should not have caused trouble with Cambodia. One other reason is that, according to Khmer traditions, each pagoda can only accept one Kathen in a year.
Government officials said that, on the 12th of November 2008, Gen. Hing Bunheang, Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Bodyguard Unit, Mr. Sou Phirint, Governor of Siem Reap Province and Mr. Preap Tan, Governor of Preah Vihear Province, along with other government officials will march to Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak to take the money raised in a Kathen to give to the monks who reside in the pagoda. The Kathen was planned for 12th November, after Unesco had put up the Unesco signpost on the 7th of November.
At the same time as there is news that the Khmer side plans to organise a Kathen in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, the Thai commanders had made a request to meet with the Cambodian commanders to seek permission to organise their Kathen for Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak on the 12th of November as well. According to sources, both Cambodian and Thai commanders have met but there were no decision made whether to allow the Thai side to organise a Kathen for the pagoda.
According to Cambodian military sources based in the Preah Vihear area, during the meeting, the Thai commanders promised that, during the Khmer Kathen, their troops will not be present near the pagoda. The same sources said that, from the 5th of November, Thai troops have already begun to withdraw gradually from the frontline. The sources said that, this withdrawal might be a ploy by Thailand to hide its troop presence from the Unesco officials when they come to put up a Unesco heritage signpost at the Preah Vihear temple on the 7th of November.
Mr. Khieu Kanharith, Cambodia’s Minister of Information and government spokesman, said that the decision whether to give the Thai side permission to organise a Kathen in the pagoda is not up to the local Cambodian military commanders, but it is the decision of the leaders of the Cambodian government.
Mr. Kanharith said that whether Cambodia grants permission for the Thai side to organise a Kathen or not is not important. The important thing is that, according to the Cambodian ancestral traditions, each pagoda can only accept one Kathen. Furthermore, Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak is not just an ordinary pagoda. It is a hotly contested and confrontational site where both Khmer and Thai soldiers are tensely facing each other. He added that, the Thai side has never thought of making merits in this temple in the past and if they wanted to make merits in this pagoda they would not have caused trouble for this temple until today. So, while the Thai side was the one who caused the present military standoff, a Thai Kathen for this pagoda would be meaningless.
Mr. Thun Saray, president of the human right organisation ADHOC said that, according to Khmer traditions, in one temple there can only be one Kathen in a year, so the abbot of Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda must inform the Thai side accordingly. Furthermore, the area is a Khmer territory, so before the Thai people can enter they must seek a permission from the Cambodian side. Mr. Thun Saray suspected that the Thai want to use a Kathen for this pagoda as a ploy (to allow Thai people to gain entry to the area).//
11 comments:
If we allow the Thai to hold a Kathen ceremony at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak they will use it as evidence in the future that they own the place and the lands there to argue their case. If we allow a Thai Kathen, thousands of Thai people will enter the area. They will declare the lands belong to them and the Thai extremists can infiltrate to cause trouble as well. Don't allow them to hold a Kathen there.
Permission shall not be allowed to Thai, otherwise they will claim the pagoda is their.
They are robber not just thief
Do not accept any offers made by Thai. We learn this from past history that they are nothing by land grabbers and they want everything Khmer has to offer. No to Thai kathen!!
Ah chhkae hing bun heang, ah chhkae sou phirin, ah chhkae preab tan noam khnea chenh chrabach ko reas doembey tveu kathen teat hoey. Nis keu vea bang hanh tha vea chet la-or chang chuoy tveu bon aoy lok nov voat prasat preah vihear. Ah chhkae teang 3 kbal totuol banh chea pi ah chhkae khuor yuon aoy mok tveu.
What!!! Are they nuts to have the gut/shame to even ask that question? The answer is a BIG NO. Cambodia must not allow this to happen... We don't need them to be in our land.
To All Khmer Walks of Life,
WE MUST NOT ACCEPT THE KATHEN PROPOSAL BY THE THAI.
Official rejection MUST be given in writing to the Thai king and Thai gov't, and of course must be made available for the public to understand.
In this case, TWO separate offical denial letters shall be written--one by the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs, the other by the Gov't of Cambodia.
The Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs shall deny the Thai proposal on grounds of Khmer traditional and religious practices with regard to Kathen.
The Gov't of Cambodia shall formally reject the Thai request based on nationally-sensitive border-ralated issues and conflicts at play that have yet to be settled by both countries.
On top of that, the Gov't of Cambodia shall make it clear to the Thai side that Cambodia, for political reasons, cannot afford to bear consequences of any unintended, unpredictable acts that would be caused by any immature, extremist elements who may get out of their head and let things get out of their hand--and the hand of the authorities.
SAY NO TO THAI--ANYTHING THAI. PERIOD.
From Khmer Student Educated in Cambodia & USA.
Just very simple to Thai, there were Cambodia monks only, please Thai f-ck off we are thanks you Siam very much for thier kindness.
Because our Khmer land in this area still got too many landmines layed underneath from more than 30 years may blow off any Thai's legs if they do Kathen here and you Thai will blame Khmer layed newly mine again.
So please NO THANKS YOU, you are not permitted.
Khmer only can do Kathen here.
WHY the Monks use blue collor?
This stupid fucked up neighbor, the Thai, just completely lacks any shame at all. I 've never heard any race or nationality as shameless as this stupid neighbor, the Thai. Soooo persistant they are. Shit on youe head, damn Thai.
Thai should not be allowed into the area because it is a Cambodian territory, not even for Kathen. They should only be allowed in if they are issued with Cambodian visas.
Why the fuck these Thai criminal gangsters still hang around on Khmer soil? No ground should be given to any fucken Thai gangster criminals and tell these fucken Thai gangster criminal mother fuckers to get the hell out! Tell them to go somewhere else!
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