Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Cambodian Buddhist monks call for urgent action against theft of Buddha's relics


English.news.cn   2013-12-17

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Some 150 Buddhist monks held a protest in the capital on Tuesday morning, calling for the Cambodian government to take an urgent action against the theft of the country's only relics of the Buddha.

Monk-protesters carrying national and religious flags and banners read: "The demonstration is to demand the government to take an urgent measure for the loss of the relics of the Buddha."

"We urge the government to launch a serious probe into the loss of the relics of the Buddha last week," Venerable But Buntenh, a representative of the protesting monks, told reporters during the protest on a street in front of the Chak Tomuk Theater.

A golden urn containing what are believed to be relics of the Buddha including hair, teeth and bones was stolen from a mountaintop shrine in the former royal city of Udong in Kandal province on Tuesday last week, Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, said.

On Sunday, the Kandal Provincial Court charged five persons with aggravated theft for their suspected involvement in stealing the relics of the Buddha. So far, the whereabouts of the relics remains unknown.

The protest ended in the same morning after Venerable Khim Sorn, chief of the secretariat of the Mohanikaya Buddhist order, met with protesting monks and promised to write a letter to the government to demand the expedition of the investigation into the case.

Cambodia's late King Norodom Sihanouk brought the relics from Sri Lanka to Cambodia in the 1957 to mark the 2,500th anniversary of Buddha's birth.

Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An said Monday that an investigation into this case was underway.

"Now, all the competent authorities are working very actively on this case and when the work is in the process, I don't want to make any comments," he told reporters.

Cambodia is a Buddhist-dominant country, where about 90 percent of the 14.8 million populations are Buddhists.

Late King Norodom Sihanouk moved the relics in 2002 from the capital Phnom Penh to Udong Mountain, some 45 km northwest of Phnom Penh in an elaborate ceremony, which was attended by tens of thousands of Buddhist holders.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

now because he speaks out, Khmer oversea will put his name for another famous like luon sovath. prepare your passport mr. monk.

Anonymous said...

CNRP not apreciation Monks ,they force monk moving out from there WHU?

Anonymous said...


Anonymous Said...

Venerable LOUN SOVAT and venerable BUT BUNTENH are our Khmer people Buddhist monk HERO!...Both of them are our ARCHAR HEM CHIEV in 2013...Tep Vong must step dwon ! you are not fit as a top ranking Khmer Buddhist monk...We don't need a cheap monk like you. Always look sngenh sngannh dauch swaa...

Anonymous said...

not only tep vong is a decent monk, but almost anywhere now monks are crooks. in lowel MA, monk leader stole money from pple donation and gave it to his lover, have sex the temple, and threat to sue whoever post video on YouTube. in fresno CA, monks listen, downloading Khmer musics, watching Chinese drama movies online, possess its owns cell phone, connecting with pple, go door to door offer water blessing and keep all money for personal uses. there are no strict rules to oversee those crook monk, and no one dare to speak out, feeling they would go to hell. monk should serve religion for free as a volunteer, but not to make fortune while living like a king in the bedroom temple.

Anonymous said...

With or without Rainsy Khmer will live and move forward with the rest of the world. Rainsy please leave those poor Khmer alone, you have nothing to give them but leaded them to no where. Those poor Khmer slept in cold, rain and dirty place. They will get sick, cannot work to support their family and their life will ne miserable because of the leader like you that have no clue what you doing. Cambodia is not in the state of war, people are free to do what ever they want and work to support their family. I know most of Khmer are poor, the current government are corrupt, and that is your job to work with the government to change all that. We got to work together as Khmer love Khmer you don't turn Khmer again Khmer, don't advocate hate for other group of people, if you are a true leader you would understand. But if you only do this for your own fame and power you will not succeed, and you will judge by history as a traitor like all those before you.

Anonymous said...

4:33AM,

You have a stupid mind and your mind doesn't work at all. If Hun Sen loves Khmer, Hun Sen should serve and protect Khmer. Instead he does everything reverse. What did Hun Sen do for Cambodia for the past 30 years? Is there any PM in the world lasting for 30 years? Sam Rainsy sacrifices himself to serve and protect our homeland and Khmer people from Hun Sen and YOun Vietcong.

Anonymous said...

By the way, about the stolen of Buddha's relics is the work of Youn Vietcong and Hun Sen who tries to confuse old Khmer people to pay attention to this relics. Why did n't this relic got stolen last month or last year? Why now? and who cares about the relics. Cambodia nation is more important than the relics. First we need to get rid of Hun Sen and his regime; then get rid of stupid Royal Gay King and his families. They're all useless people and serve Hanoi Vietcong.

Anonymous said...

4:33 AM. You are a Viet agent. Yes they are free to do whatever they want, not what you want them to do. If you are not happy, go back to Hanoi where you belong.

Anonymous said...


Any posters or persons (or whoever) who is against Khmer/Cambodian opposition party (CNRP) supporters and leaders and other democracy lovers or supporters is the real and illegal Yuon/Vietnamese immigrants and residents speaking, reading and writing Khmer really well in Cambodia and in the third countries like USA, France, Canada, Australia, UK, and so on.

Those Vietnamese/Yuon folks have been brainwashed by illegal CPP government and evil Yuon//Vietnamese masters in Hanoi and also they are so stupid and have no human being, seeing and knowing how they talk, speak, and think of nonsense and losing their identities of where they were coming from originally. Those Yuon/Vietnamese folks and thieves doing illegal businesses for a living are very evil and have no moral code.

Yes, many Yuon/Vietnamese folk born in Cambodia and speak Khmer/Cambodian language very well and then they voted and supported CPP led by illegal Vietnamese installed Prime Minister Hun Sen and they always talk badly against Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) led by the Khmer heroes Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha.

There are some of secret Vietnamese/Yuon folks hiding and living in CPP government offices or in Phnom Penh. They will be found and arrested eventually.

If the Vietnamese, Chinese and other national born in Cambodia and are mixed Khmer blood are democracy lovers and support CNRP and very sincerely and honest, swear that they are real Khmer/Cambodian citizens who love freedoms, democracy and peaces so much, and very honest with Cambodia/Khmer nation without playing the tricks or secret plans to destroy Cambodia/Khmer national, are not like evil Yuon/Vietnamese masters and folks in Hanoi who like to do bad things and being evil, ... more to say, then they are real Khmer/Cambodian citizens.

Yes, it takes time to test to see Chinese and Vietnamese mixed blood with Cambodia/Khmer blood or without mixed with Khmer/Cambodia blood devote and honest with Khmer Yeurng/Yeoung then they are ones of us Khmer Yeoung/Yeurng (all of us Khmer). Yes, it is very complicated, but take times. So, they are not Yuon spies or something. We, Khmer Yeurng/Yeoung or Khmer people, have to watch out each others and keep an eye on each other cautiously.

Yes, we see many Chinese-Khmer or Khmer-Chinese, Vietnamese-Khmer or Khmer-Vietnamese, or Chinese and Vietnamese born in Cambodia who love freedoms and democracy, want to be part of Khmer people families and become Khmer citizens, we love them, too, but not the ones who are against CNRP or Opposition.

Please take your time to think carefully and hope we will take our Cambodian/Khmer nation and land back.

Think about Laos who are very honest people, but they are the victims of evil Communist Yuon/Vietnamese masters in Hanoi.

Khmer Yeurng

Anonymous said...

A person that advocate hate like RAINSY is working for YOUN. you can see right now he use khmer again khmer that mean it play in the hand of YOUN. In the past it was Pol Pot who want all YOUN out of Cambodia and you see what happen. Those YOUN use them the kill 1.4 million khmers. Right now Rainsy do the same thing, but this time he will fail.

Anonymous said...

The government cannot find the original golden urn because the government themselves who are the stealer, they stole for enhancement of their power.

The reason why the government are quieted and did not issue any statement about the loss? It is because the government has no ability to find it; they are police and thief.

The government will make new golden urn and put fake relics in then declare that the government found the golden urn, it is because no one knew the origin relics look like it is only king ta and top government official and patriarch monk knew origin relics.

Anonymous said...

Après l evenement les peuples khmers doivent nettoyer jusqu'au le fond et de thriller, chercher les cerveaux de youn qui cache dans la cercle de nationalistes.