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| Funeral procession of the deceased Norodom Sihanouk, who will be cremated Monday, February 4 in Phnom Penh (Heng Sinith / AP). |
- The remains of King-Father Norodom Sihanoukwill be incinerated in Phnom Penh on Monday, February 4.
- Although highly respected by Cambodians, the royal institution has no power.
- The country is dominated by the party of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
02/03/13
Jerome Boruszewski (Phnom Penh)
La Croix (France)
(Translated from French by KI-Media)
“Hun Sen rules by fear.”
For more than three months, Cambodians of all ages from all over the country gather in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. They pray before the remains of Norodom Sihanouk, who died October 15, 2012 in Beijing at the age of 89, and he will be cremated on Monday 04 February on the courtyard located in front of the National Museum where the ruling regime has built a large building funeral crematorium. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will be present. At time King, Head of State, and allied, then prisoner of the Khmer Rouge, Sihanouk has dominated Cambodian politics for over sixty years. He abdicated in 2004 in favor of his son, Norodom Sihamoni.
" King Sihamoni is not interested in politics,” says Riya, a 25-year-old Cambodia who came to pray in front of the royal palace. “He is not as knowledgeable as His Majesty Grandfather (Norodom Sihanouk)." Kunthea, 29, left a bouquet of lotus flowers at the base of a national flagpole and a portrait of the deceased king. "Norodom Sihamoni is neutral, he loves his people, he helps his people and that's it," she said.
In reality, it is a symbolic role
For nearly nine years, Sihamoni, the constitutional monarch, is happy to receive foreign guests and visiting the poor. His subjects rarely see him on television. The 1993 Constitution states that the king is "the protector of the rights and freedoms of all citizens." In theory, his role is not merely symbolic. "But he has no power,” Son Soubert lamented. He is the king’s Privy Councilor. “He did not want to be king. I think he is bored. He reads a lot.”
Born in May 1953, Norodom Sihamoni spent part of his youth in Czechoslovakia before settling in Paris in the early 1980s. In October 2004, he was elected king by political and religious officials loyal to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the ruling political party. Sihamoni then arrived in a Cambodia political scene that is dominated by Hun Sen who is prime minister since 1985. Hun Sen has never hesitated to use force, and in 1997, he did just that to defeat his political opponents.
The CPP fully controls the Cambodian political scene. "The government ministries are useless in Cambodia. Here, the Prime Minister manages everything," Son Soubert criticized. The judiciary is not independent and the Parliament is merely a rubber stamp. The opposition has very limited access to the press. "This regime is not a dictatorship. But it is close to be one,” said Ou Virak, the president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. “Hun Sen rules by fear.”
A regime "close to a dictatorship"
In anticipation of the upcoming July elections, the country’s two main opposition parties announced that they will merge to gain weight. But their main figure, Sam Rainsy, is still in exile in France. If he returns to the kingdom, the opposition leader will face a 12-year prison sentence after he was charged with disinformation and destruction of public property.
If Cambodians have shown in recent months, their respect for the royal institution, they are more likely to challenge and exceed the limits tolerated by the Hun Sen regime. Protesters realize that neither the authorities, nor the opposition can solve their problems. The protest movements are now beginning to organize and unite.
4 comments:
Thank god, we are now free from this evil khmers killer. He is not a god-kingta, but a murderer. Because of him 3million innocents dead including 20 of my relatives. So, to hell son of an evil man!, we are freeeeeee forever. He doesn't deserve such respect, but doing so, is to collect more donated money for the Hun dynasty, to gain more power to continue to corrupt, to rob and steal from the poor and national communities to benefit both himself and the VC to continue to protect him and his clan like as always. So, this is what CPP are good at, lying, decieving and manipulation. Well done! but how long? time will come for you too, since you are a thief of the nation. Hun said 'thanks to a kingta lop lop, i am now a king' sickheaded
Prince Norodom Ranaridth and Mr Sam Rainsy betrayed Ex king Norodom Sihanouk at 1993 after win election.
Norodom Sihanouk supposed to be Prime Minister and lead the Cambodia but Norodom Ranaridth and Sam Rainsy betrayed Norodom Sihanouk from leading the country.
Mr Sam Rainsy must remember what had you done to your country and Norodom Sihanouk at 1993 election?
If Ex king Norodom Sihanouk was a leader after 1993 election, Cambodia will not be suffered as today.
Betrayal of Norodom Sihanouk are "Norodom Ranaridth and Mr Sam Rainsy after 1993 election"
Karma of Mr Sam Rainsy and Norodom Ranariddth, they are both serving their karma.
Does Mr Sam Rainsy find justice for his supporters, yet so far? Liar! Liar! and Liar!
Cambodia is calling, let's care enough to give our very best.
For if we give our very best,
I know that we will more than pass the test.
If I could have three wishes, I'd wish that you'd live free,
I'd wish for amber waves of grain from sea to shining sea.
Yeah, let's do it for our country, the red, white, and the blue.
It's Uncle Sam Rainsy who's asking, so your mother will approve.
Tomorrow I'll be fighting, and I'll win this war for you.
Let's do it for our country, our country wants us to.
Bullets are exploding, they'll soon be at the door,
Give something to Cambodia you never gave before.
Yeah, let's do it for our country, the red, white, and the blue,
If the President were standin' here, I'm sure he would approve.
I'll be a mighty soldier before this night is through.
Let's do it for our country, our country wants us to.
(Spoken)
Just think about it -- it would be like as if we were doing it for the Statue of Liberty, or the Grand Canyon, or the New York Yankees... it would be like as if we were doing it for... Disneyland!
Yeah, let's do it for our country, the red, white, and the blue,
It's not a lot to ask of us, our parents will approve.
Tomorrow I'll be fighting, and I'll win this war for you.
Let's do it for our country, (spoken) we owe it to our country.
Let's do it for our country, our country wants us to.
His majesty the King Ta Lout cannot do nothing he had to support the winner North Vietnam not the loser South Vietnam. You have to remember the South Vietnamese who occupy Khmer Krom and kept expand into Cambodian territory, South Vietnamese Thieve Ky who constantly invade Cambodia and prosecute our Khmer Krom (please look at the map made by Youn Thieve Ky). King Ta Lout did not give much financial support to North Vietnam but a little bit moral support because North will win the war and one day American will leave Vietnam and only Cambodia who live forever with Vietnam so he had to make friend rather than foe toward Vietnam in order to save our nation. King Ta Lout knew both North and South Vietnamese are the same no matter he support other side. America never ever has the true friend in the world, American support only the winner as left Lon Nol when Lon Lol need American the most for an example.
King Ta Lout policy want to be a neutral but American and Soviet did not allow that why he choose Khmer instead of American and Soviet. Khmer mean in those days must survive between those two storms.
The minority of Khmer Rough, Khmer Republican, Khmer Communist Max Lenin, Khmer Thai, Khmer Youn, Khmer all other ideology were not big issue because most of Khmer behind Kind Ta Lout policy anyway but King Ta knew that the country just got independent so the youth and intellectual were flourish so they want this and that they have all sort of ideas, they want to follow American model, Communist model, neutralist model, democracy model so King Ta Lout offered alternative model was neutral democracy, everyone can challenge everyone by gradually learn how to use ballot box instead of war.
King Ta Lout did not killed intellectual instead he gave so many scholarship to a lot of poor Cambodian to have better education in French, USA, German but those people ate the head of their owner anyway.
By contrast Lon Nol was uneducated, not a politician, poor health and corrupt mind, no clear policy and try to wipe out Vietnamese in three day in Cambodia instead he wipe out 500, 000 Khmer and let Pol Pot finish 2.5 million while he enjoy peaceful beach front house at Hawaii. Lon Nol regime exiled and killed his opponent too, he created Happee gangster to terrorise the population that why the regime had no support and almost forgotten and only a few opportunist that still support his regime. All infrastructure created by King Ta Lout were destroyed by Lon Nol and finish it off by Pol Pot and Hun Sen.
I knew like many other Khmer family and your family got killed by the event but it did not blind you from the true, you have to learn how accept the Karma that you created and learn how to respect 14.5 million Cambodian are mourning the King Ta Lout and they are got respect from King Ta Lout in return as well.
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