Red Cross Declines Funding Women's Statue

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
19 March 2008

The Cambodian Red Cross said Tuesday it would be unable to fund a statue in memory of women and victims of the Khmer Rouge.

The statue, of woman and child, proposed by Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, would commemorate the many women who struggled to rebuild Cambodia following the fall of the Khmer Rouge.

Youk Chhang put forward the idea to the Cambodian Red Cross, led by Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a proposal on International Women's Day, March 8.

"We can only submit our appreciation and respect to Youk Chhang for his good initiative," Cambodian Red Cross Cabinet Chief Men Neary Sopheak said. "However, the Cambodian Red Cross believes the realization [of the statue] exceeds its current capacity."

Youk Chhang said he did not regret the decision, but urged the government, the Khmer Rouge tribunal courts and all Cambodian citizens to consider common compensation for Khmer Rouge atrocities.

The proposed statue seeks to provide some of that reconciliation.

Twenty meters tall, the statue would stand in Phnom Penh's Hun Sen Park, the bottom three of seven parts buried in the ground, to commemorate 3 million dead or disappeared under the Khmer Rouge, Youk Chhang proposed.

The woman would be holding a child in her arms, to symbolize remembrance of the genocide for later generations. The woman would face west, into the setting sun, her long shadow a reminder of the past, her face aglow at dusk, to look toward the future, Youk Chhang said in his proposal.

He said Wednesday he would continue to seek sponsors for the statue.

"Big Sister" Bun Rany gets the upper hand in deciding what songs Cambodians can or can't listen to

Cambodia bans songs deemed to incite marital infidelity

Thu, 28 Feb 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - The titles of the three songs banned from public broadcast for inciting infidelity say it all, according to Cambodian government and cultural officials, local media reported Thursday. The offending songs:

• If I Can't Be First Can I Be Second?,
• Love Another's Husband and
• May I Have a Piece of Your Heart Too?

have been banished from the nation's thousands of karaoke restaurants, Khmer-language Koh Santepheap reported.

"We are searching for other songs which affect people's honour, especially that of women," the paper quoted Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema as saying.

The three songs are all written to be sung by women, but pop music analysts said Thursday they are relatively obscure tunes.

The ban is a further step by the government to crack down on unfaithfulness and "uphold cultural values."

Cambodia passed a controversial monogamy law in September 2006 which would see adulterers punished by up to 250 dollars in fines and a year in jail, though only one case has so far gone to court.

Although an outwardly conservative culture, the practice of keeping second wives, or mistresses, remains common, and many karaoke girls seek out "sweethearts" to supplement their earnings.

"People can still play the songs in private - this is only a public ban," one official said on condition of anonymity. "I don't think music has much to do with it, but it's an official request."

Chumteav Thom Bun Rany's vice squad hits again

Chumteav Bun Rany asks for a review of entertainment clubs

Monday, February 04, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen, wife of Prime minister Hun Sen, called on the authority of the City of Phnom Penh, as well as other provincial and municipal authorities, to review night entertainment clubs which affect security and social order, as well as the national culture and custom. The Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper reported that Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen also called for a ban of the song “Som Bes Daung Muoy Chamnek” (Give me a portion of your heart) on TV stations, and an improvement on the wearing of extremely sexy clothes. Bun Rany made this request during a meeting of the national committee for the raising of the social moral conduct, the value of Cambodian women and Cambodian families, which took place on 31 January. Bun Rany requested the city authority to review the more than 100 nightclubs and to put under its grasp those nightclubs where incidents occur nonstop. She also requested the ministry of culture and the ministry of information to review the clothes worn by singers when they perform on scene, because these singers wear too revealing clothes, she also requested a ban on the song “Som Bes Daung Muoy Chamnek” because the lyrics in this song do not provide a good education to Cambodian women.

Queen-Mother's turn to praise "Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen," the alert leader of the CRC

Queen-Mother visits the new Cambodian Reed Cross building

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

In the morning of 20 November, Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the mother of the Khmer Nation and honorary president of the Cambodian Red Cross, condescended to pay a visit the magnificent building of the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) which is 99% completed. The Rasmei Kampuchea reported that the new CRC building was erected on a plot of land measuring 3,457-square-meter, located in Teuk La’ak 3 commune, Khan Tuol Kok, Phnom Penh city, and the building itself measured 58-by-15-meter, and it has four stories divided into 24 rooms, including a meeting room which can accommodate up to 400-500 people. Queen-Mother praised all the working group who worked together to build this sumptuous building, in particular, Queen-Mother praised the alert leadership of Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen, CRC president, who dedicated her strength and heart to successfully achieving the construction of this new building.

King-Father praises Hun Sen for the tremendous development he brought to the country ... while distributing gifts to the "still" poor and needy

King-Father said that Samdach Hun Sen is a hero

Friday, August 10, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The ex-monarch, King Norodom Sihanouk, considers Samdach prime minister Hun Sen as a hero because Samdach Hun Sen led the country, and he built and grew the country enormously. In a speech given during a ceremony to distribute gifts to 50 poor people from the province of Kompong Cham, on Wednesday, at the royal palace, King-Father said: “Our current royal government came out of the tremendous and very good CPP, and the “Preah” leader of the royal government of Cambodia is Samdach Hun Sen. Samdach Hun Sen is a very famous hero, and Lok Chumteav Thom Bun Rany Hun Sen, they led the nation extremely well, they serve the nation extremely well, with alertness, with brilliant genius, and they work hard, day and night, to serve the people, to defend the nation, to build and grow the nation so that it moves extremely forward.” King-Father is also grateful to the leaders of the CPP who supported his son, Samdach Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, so that he was crowned as the current king of the land.