Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Cambodian prince urges gov't to probe into theft of Buddha's relics


English.news.cn 2013-12-17

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, on Monday urged the government to conduct a serious investigation into the theft of Buddha's relics.

"As a Buddhist and a prince, I am extremely sad for the loss of the relics of the Buddha," the prince said in a statement. "I would like to urge the government to take a firm measure in order to find out the perpetrators."

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

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 last Tuesday, Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, said.

He said the looters targeted the "gold-made urn, not Buddha's relics."

On Sunday, the Kandal Provincial Court charged five guards with aggravated theft for their suspected involvement in stealing the relics of the Buddha.

The whereabouts of the relics remains unknown.

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 population are Buddhists. According to the figures from the Ministry of Cults and Religion, the country has about 4,400 Buddhist pagodas with more than 50,000 monks.

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.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

10 comments:

500riel_toilet said...

its been proven that the bones were not of buddha.
The only real value to it, is the belief in the bones.

It was a fake, setup by sihanouk to win nationalism and make him popular with the people.

see the documentary on PBS. the life of buddha.

Anonymous said...


Is this an excuse that the king has lost his soul to the devil?!

Anonymous said...

Stinky toilet,
Don't believ everything western media broadcasted. The relic is a national treasure you retard!

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not, it is a CONSPIRACY THEORY POINTED TO HUN SEN'S SUPERSTITIOUS predicted by an Indian personal psychic THAT THE SACRED RELICS WILL DO HARM TO HIS REIGN of power and fortune since the late King sihanouk's soul took place in the golden relic stupa. TO AVOID THIS HARMFUL, THE RELIC MUST BE DESTROYED.

Anonymous said...

We are talking politics ah prince thork teap,shut up! that idol of yours was in the back of my house near my birds'bath in my garden behind my house,I stole it and putting in the back of my house for wild birds to worship that stone idol.The wild birds loves that stone relic so much its shits on it all day long.Ah prince run4ridh shut up your gook's father didn't mean a thing for Khmer nationist like me.

Kdamjor

Anonymous said...

Jung ban Hun Sen chop tver bon

Anonymous said...

The thief just got to make sure he got the sacred sakyak muni chedeiy ready for the supreme patriarch's relics, once his state and si phi phi propaganda campaign days are over.

Anonymous said...

The/our King endorse CPP the theft of people votes as government. Now under their watch the CPP government national tresure get stolen and i bet you no one will be found, like all critical cases in Cambodia it goes cold just like Cheam Yeap hit and run murdur he is still not put in prision as yet....and potential could goes and kill more people in a hit and run traffic

Anonymous said...

must go to ask hun sen,because hun sen had ready said if he losed at election he will never?
now this problem it is from hun and youn.

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.