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Translation from Khmer by Heng Soy
Royal Message
From Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
Sent to all beloved
Compatriots, Brothers and sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren
Phnom Penh, 19 July 2008
From Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
Sent to all beloved
Compatriots, Brothers and sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren
Phnom Penh, 19 July 2008
During the evening of yesterday, a politician VIP said that the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN) eliminated all political parties and left Cambodia with one single party: the SRN, and this starting from 1954 until 1969.
For these unfair words, I ask to bring the following corrections and tell the truth to our people and to history:
1- The SRN started in 1955, not 1954.
2- The SRN did not eliminate other Khmer political parties. In 1955, there was a general election under the CIC supervision with India (a neutral country) as the president, Poland representing the communist bloc, and Canada representing the western bloc.
Therefore, the SRN victory was obtained under free and pluralist democracy, and it was also under 100% supervision from the International community.
The general election results which were announced by CIC were as follows:
Therefore, in 1958, a new general election was held. The results were as follows:
The SRN received even more votes than before. The Democrats who did not want to lose face, did not dare compete against the SRN. The Khmer-Vietminh People’s Party participated in the election, but it only received 1% of the votes.
3- Prince Sisowath Monireth, my uncle, told the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak group of the National Renovation Party and the Democrat Party that: The SRN fort is very strong, whoever wants to destroy the SRN fort by attacking it from the outside, will not succeed. Only by joining the SRN that they can destroy the SRN fort as they wished.
That was why the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak etc… group joined the SRN to destroy it, by undertaking a coup d’état on 18 March 1970, while I was not present in the country.
Therefore, saying that Norodom Sihanouk made the SRN as a single party is extremely unfair. It was the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, etc… group which merged their parties to the SRN fort, in order to destroy it from inside while I was not present inside the country.
4- Regarding Prince Sisowath Yutevong, I took very good care of him. When he wanted to stay in the king’s residence in Kep city, in Tonle Bati, I, as the King of Cambodia, gave him and his French wife, everything he pleased. My uncle, Prince Sisowath Monireth, told my mother and me that: Sisowath Yutevong and his wife behave like the king and the queen, this is not democratic!
I am praying for the 3 Buddhist gems to protect our beloved Compatriots, Brothers and sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren, and that you may be blessed with the 5 Buddhist wishes.
Thank you very much
(Signed) N. Sihanouk
For these unfair words, I ask to bring the following corrections and tell the truth to our people and to history:
1- The SRN started in 1955, not 1954.
2- The SRN did not eliminate other Khmer political parties. In 1955, there was a general election under the CIC supervision with India (a neutral country) as the president, Poland representing the communist bloc, and Canada representing the western bloc.
Therefore, the SRN victory was obtained under free and pluralist democracy, and it was also under 100% supervision from the International community.
The general election results which were announced by CIC were as follows:
- The SRN received 82% of the votes,
- The Democrats received 13%, and
- The Khmer-Vietminh People’s Party received 3%.
Therefore, in 1958, a new general election was held. The results were as follows:
The SRN received even more votes than before. The Democrats who did not want to lose face, did not dare compete against the SRN. The Khmer-Vietminh People’s Party participated in the election, but it only received 1% of the votes.
3- Prince Sisowath Monireth, my uncle, told the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak group of the National Renovation Party and the Democrat Party that: The SRN fort is very strong, whoever wants to destroy the SRN fort by attacking it from the outside, will not succeed. Only by joining the SRN that they can destroy the SRN fort as they wished.
That was why the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak etc… group joined the SRN to destroy it, by undertaking a coup d’état on 18 March 1970, while I was not present in the country.
Therefore, saying that Norodom Sihanouk made the SRN as a single party is extremely unfair. It was the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, etc… group which merged their parties to the SRN fort, in order to destroy it from inside while I was not present inside the country.
4- Regarding Prince Sisowath Yutevong, I took very good care of him. When he wanted to stay in the king’s residence in Kep city, in Tonle Bati, I, as the King of Cambodia, gave him and his French wife, everything he pleased. My uncle, Prince Sisowath Monireth, told my mother and me that: Sisowath Yutevong and his wife behave like the king and the queen, this is not democratic!
I am praying for the 3 Buddhist gems to protect our beloved Compatriots, Brothers and sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren, and that you may be blessed with the 5 Buddhist wishes.
Thank you very much
(Signed) N. Sihanouk
