(Photo: AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)Written by Somanos Sar
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post
Dear Editor,
I would like to post this comment about the archives donated by the former King Norodom Sihanouk.
Of course, it's great these invaluable documents hopefully can be accessible for all.
But beyond this collective satisfaction, I see one thing that has been saddening me since I was born.
That thing is called trust, or more accurately, absence of trust. In fact, since the decline of the Khmer Empire, Khmers never trusted Khmers.
Khmers have been relying on foreigners to resolve their own problems: Thai, Vietnamese, French, American, Japanese, Chinese, UN, etc.
Just have a look at tourists' booklets. You often see "Western management" mentioned, as if it was a quality label. And it is, in fact.
The reason why the King Father prefers to donate his archives to a French institution rather than to DC-Cam would reflect the same scheme: not enough confidence in Khmers.
Considering the high value of these documents, the motivations are surely legitimate, though DC-Cam is certainly capable of handling the duty as well.
What really dismays me is the missed opportunity. As one of the most prestigious personalities of Cambodia, the King Father has missed the chance to tell everyone: "OK, this is an extremely important inheritance of our History. And I give it to you, DC-Cam, as a Cambodian keeper of history. And I trust you will do your best to bring light on Cambodia's future from the darkness of our past".
Instead, the message to be heard is that "Western management" is better, and mistrust is still as strong as ever.
In my opinion, DC-Cam merits trust. It's sad. It says Cambodia must expect a long wait before restoring real prosperity.
Somanos Sar
French-Cambodian author
I would like to post this comment about the archives donated by the former King Norodom Sihanouk.
Of course, it's great these invaluable documents hopefully can be accessible for all.
But beyond this collective satisfaction, I see one thing that has been saddening me since I was born.
That thing is called trust, or more accurately, absence of trust. In fact, since the decline of the Khmer Empire, Khmers never trusted Khmers.
Khmers have been relying on foreigners to resolve their own problems: Thai, Vietnamese, French, American, Japanese, Chinese, UN, etc.
Just have a look at tourists' booklets. You often see "Western management" mentioned, as if it was a quality label. And it is, in fact.
The reason why the King Father prefers to donate his archives to a French institution rather than to DC-Cam would reflect the same scheme: not enough confidence in Khmers.
Considering the high value of these documents, the motivations are surely legitimate, though DC-Cam is certainly capable of handling the duty as well.
What really dismays me is the missed opportunity. As one of the most prestigious personalities of Cambodia, the King Father has missed the chance to tell everyone: "OK, this is an extremely important inheritance of our History. And I give it to you, DC-Cam, as a Cambodian keeper of history. And I trust you will do your best to bring light on Cambodia's future from the darkness of our past".
Instead, the message to be heard is that "Western management" is better, and mistrust is still as strong as ever.
In my opinion, DC-Cam merits trust. It's sad. It says Cambodia must expect a long wait before restoring real prosperity.
Somanos Sar
French-Cambodian author
37 comments:
I have thought over & over again, we Khmers were never trusted each others until the Indian Royal came and ruled over us. He built the nation and empire for us. When our Khmers the Usurpers assassinated the Kings (Originated from India Varaman), we lost the empire. The Indian Royals had never again came to rescue us because we are so evils. As much as love we have for the land we were born, we cannot trust each others because we would not hesitate to kill each others for our own interest or for others' intesresr if the Price is right. It seems the land we were born was cursed because no matter who are coming to the land will turn to evil greedy. The King is not to blame but the people who are so evils. Labeled Buddhist but cult practice.
DC-Cam is too Pro-US. How can anyone trust a partisan like DC-Cam, Hun Sen people, etc.?
Not even KI, because some members of KI are clueless that in their group there are fake Khmers in it.
Now we know the past why French did not trust us. We are just so fucking evils, take an example like Om Pritheacha Hin Sithan. Does we see this old boy write how he will help to guide us to have more confidence in life or struggle to a higher education so we can be free and be our own boss? None, this old son of bitches like Hin Sithan, Yim Guechse, and his hate group is so fucking lunatic. What'd we think to have older generation like them?
They are fucking evils themselves.
King Sihanouk is right for not trusting his own people. They are already been infiltrated by the Vietnamese. DC-Cam I can trust a little but not to the point to give up all the document for it.
Too Pro is the right word for DC-Cam or any Khmer organizations this day.
Stupid above! face the reality boys!
I do not trust you fool by now! prove it first! sucker do not ask any one to trusted you for just you are khmer!
And the Fucking Viet above you mother fucker are real evile that the whold world now about it!
We khmer will be kick your fucking ass out of out country some day and the King will have a good trust with us again!
May natural desaster punish you on your crime HANOI MOTHERFUCKER ASH HO CHIMINH goat face mother fucker!
totally, I agreed with you. Khmers never trusted Khmers. I think because of ignorance and jealousy. Everyone ignore the laws, ignore others, regardless who they are CPP, SRP, .... If you are the leaders, please show good examples by respecting the laws. If you says everything is unfair or unjustice in Cambodia, then which one is justice. Justice for you only if you WIN???
It's sad and bad. Something needs to be done.
God is angry to us because we always turn away from Him and not revere Him. Instead we always worship idols, we fear only our own human especially foreingners. God is so angry He lets Khmers suffered through may calamity, drought, enmey attacks, KR holocost, respression, oppression...
but we still not recognize, not realize of our sins and return back to God.
Repent in order to get salvation and live again or wait for last blows into total destruction!
Sihanouk is not a Leader, He never was. He only a proud man. So proud he was crushin everyonne weaker than him and worship whoever he feels stronger than him, especially foreigners.
Right now, Angkor wat is youn owned, DC-CAM who knows? Youn run? We know that the current khmer rouge trial is youn govern by that bitch " leang kim " .
So, at this stage, how can khmer trust anyone in cambodia runned by youns. soon, there gonna be youn's town in srokhmer.
2:19am
If god have a shrimp mind like you,
we would all go to hell already.
what a pretender you are?
look, the monarch has nothing against cambodia, it just a matter of safeguarding and trusting because in france, these important documents can be preserve for all to see. i think it is not a bad idea to have them store overseas like in france, the USA and japan, for instance because until people in cambodia can understand the important of preserving important historical, national documents, etc... then will the copies be donated or relocated to cambodia permanentl. but for now, if is better to preserve them in france or some other western countries to include japan for example. god bless cambodia.
the monarch knows what he's doing. god bless cambodia.
I thought this idiot has died already. Go to hell idiot !!
Young Khmer
About Sdach Sar Touch Sdeung, Soay Reach Nokor 3.
Sihanouk dreamt of Growning Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos as the glories of the Khmer Empire. But, his political disasters in Cambodia at Wars, left Cambodia with the legacy of death and destruction.
Sihanouk's ambitions are seen through the eyes of Pol Pot. And Pol Pot witnessed Sihanouk's cowardice in his dealings with Ho Chi Minh as his God.
As Sihanouk fully formed KR dictatorship, all wore Vietcong's sandals, Chinese's caps and black-shirted thugs.
Sihanouk and its thugs are responsible for over 2 million deaths. They ruled their countries with iron fists, squashing all dissent and directing government-sponsored programs of terror against their own citizens.
Sihanouk was leading its country and its people to once of the most darkest era for being "unworthy of human life" in the Cambodian's history of mankind.
khmero
i think what people failed to understand is the children and young people are the future without when ages claimed the elderly, who else is left to represent the nation, the answer is young people; children are the future. god bless cambodia.
2:19AM! i gree with you, cambodia should wake up and started to turn back to God! Looks what's going on with thailand right now, too many sinners! Gays, sex, God is angry!!
a spanish philosopher, george santayana once warned us: "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." i hope khmer people will learn from our history and not to repeat same misfortune or mistake again. god bless cambodia.
4:52 good reminder! Any way no one know for sure what is true history!
YES! history but what cause the history to occured! Do any one know????????
Good sleep!!!!!!!let make laws above the blind man desire!!!!!!!
King Sihanouk is well and healthy, stop dreaming Hanoi!!
I could not blame him at all. I think it is the "right move" given the circumstances we are in. Our current leaders have never thought about the national interests. After all they don't even know for sure who they are (viet or Khmer, or Siams...) and whom they are serving beside their greed to feed their power-hunger minds. These leader abuse their power given by the very people, who they claim they serve but it fact it is done the other way around. These leaders can always create "an internative truth" of the reality.
How many times have we heard about the truth of just one thing from the mouth of our leaders? The very same mouth tells us different versions of the exact same things for as long as we khmers can remember... But I could not blame them, because we, Khmer, are easily manipulated and easy forget the history. After all, we don't have real historians. Why? because our leaders don't want them to be in existence, being afraid that the truth will be imprinted in our minds, so that they (our leaders) can manipulate again and again in the future.
So keep it for the whole world to see the reality, instead of falling in to the hands of those who can alter them for their own benefits and greed.
I could not blame him at all. I think it is the "right move" given the circumstances we are in. Our current leaders have never thought about the national interests. After all they don't even know for sure who they are (viet or Khmer, or Siams...) and whom they are serving beside their greed to feed their power-hunger minds. These leader abuse their power given by the very people, who they claim they serve but it fact it is done the other way around. These leaders can always create "an internative truth" of the reality.
How many times have we heard about the truth of just one thing from the mouth of our leaders? The very same mouth tells us different versions of the exact same things for as long as we khmers can remember... But I could not blame them, because we, Khmer, are easily manipulated and easy forget the history. After all, we don't have real historians. Why? because our leaders don't want them to be in existence, being afraid that the truth will be imprinted in our minds, so that they (our leaders) can manipulate again and again in the future.
So keep it for the whole world to see the reality, instead of falling in to the hands of those who can alter them for their own benefits and greed.
I think it is the legal right of king father as personally. If he wants to keep in DC-Cam, it is one case. If he wants to keep in other places, it is the other case. The main reason is to ensure SAFETY.
Samdei sor cheat Meayeat sor Pouch.
Pourk kone Et pouch Ambo, khmean me khmea Ba prean prodaov.
Barn reach vong samnol chong poch trasok Pha'om roeus mok chenh chem thom thorn barn th'voeu chang vang KANTHOR ACH Reach Vaing nov tear min chol sam dei noeung sam ne doch born YOUKONG Voyou Bat Ph'sa,
doch ah me MAFIA Hun Kh'vang anh choieung daer.
If god get angry at us human,he the almighty is no different from the devil!
haha! devil is god!
Et voila, finalement on voit bien de quel type Sihanouk est, n'est-ce pas?
I'm Buddhist just like my parents and grand parents before me, or we Khmers are the same. We say we are Buddhists but we practice cult. We are so evils I come to see it now.
May be I should change to believe GOD. Seems GOD people are more civilized than my Khmer fake Buddhists.
Yes I agree with many of those posters that Khmers don't trust each others since the last usurpers killed our Varaman Kings from India. We're cursed no matter who come to Cambodia.
I tend to agree with 2:19AM.
Yeah there are fake GOD people who just want helps but don't believe in GOD. Those are evils too.
I agree with many posted in here. We now realized we did too many bapakam. I think King does the right thing for not trusting his own Khmers. I don't either from now on, but I trust Lok Rainsy, a good educated leader.
It is so hard to find another Khmer good leader like Lok Rainsy.
Bullshit, 10:02AM.
Seulement toi et quelques personnes folles croyez dedans ici que le Roi n'est pas un chef, mais nous croyez que le Ro est et le futé.
3:10AM. GOD Bless you for being the dumbest person. :) LOL
Thank you King Father, you sure know who are the spies in Cambodia.
Not only King Father knows even a kids knew too. They knew CPP are working for Youn.
Hanoi is not a happy camper, if King Sihanouk is well-healthy...haha! stop dreaming Viet-ss in cambodia!
Who gives a shit about this stupid King? Im sick of this dumb old pussyeater. He always write his useless documents in French, so who cares to get those trash documents? He must be a khmer illiterate or someting.
King father was probably distrusted hanoi to death, but what can he say. Khmer republican party deosn't really care for him either. At least he can count on France ( his wife's side ).
2:10PM. You are not pussyeater or dickeater? or analeater?
Who cares to get Khmer King documents? Youn like you do want it.
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