King-Father: Faithful and very moving affection ... in contrast to the attitude of some compatriots who citicized the filming of my film

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Faithful and very moving affection
By N. Sihanouk

One compatriot sent me letter, recently, in which he revealed to me that, in the villages close to his house, some old ladies pray with fervor to the Heaven so that I reconsider my decision to stop producing film. These respectable old villagers must find that my films constitute a sentimental bridge linking me to them and vice-versa. This moves me tremendously.

Another compatriot living in Holland (in Europe) just wrote me a letter to tell me that his mother loves so much my DVDs in which I am singing in Khmer. For his mother, who lives with him (in Holland), he asks me to send him more DVDs of my “Royal Singing.”

All of this contrast to the attitude [displayed by] some compatriots (young and not too young) who, in Phnom Penh, had harshly criticized the filming (of the first part) of my film “Monatio,” where they believed (wrongfully) that I had “conceived” Khmer Rouge [soldiers] “luxuriously” dressed and “so nice,” while in reality, it was about a movement (“Monatio”) consisting of sons of rich Lonnolians under the command of the son of a high-ranking Voreakchon [VIP] in the Lonnolian (“Khmer Republic”) administration.

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

King-Father: Due to very wicked and unfair criticisms ... I stop producing movies

Click on the royal message to zoom in

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Royal Message
From Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
To Respected and Beloved
Compatriots, Brothers and Sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren

Beijing 06 January 2008

Respected and beloved Compatriots, Brothers and Sisters, Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren

The movement, dubbed “MONATIO” by their authors, did exist in April 1975 in Phnom Penh city.

As for the movie titled “MONATIO” which I asked H.E. Ieu Pannakar and his filming crew to shoot the first act at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, some journalists and kids criticized me, Norodom Sihanouk, very severely. For example, The Cambodia Daily newspaper wrote: even Cambodian children said that the Khmer Rouge wouldn’t dress up wearing expensive and elegant boots like this! These Khmer Rouge are not mean at all and they know how to laugh, be happy, and are courteous to others like this!

To these very wicked and unfair criticisms, I am stating that the MONATIO movement did not constitute of Khmer Rouge at all. The leader and members of the MONATIO movement were almost all children of the pro-Lon Nol Khmer Republic elite, they were not Khmer Rouge. They wanted to joke around by dressing up in black, just like the color used by the Khmer Rouge. At the end, the MONATIO group was taken to be killed by the Khmer Rouge when they won over the Lon Nol Khmer Republic group, on 17 April 1975.

Because I had bad feelings about cinematography, I am informing our Compatriots both inside and outside the country that, from now on, I stop producing movies.

Thank you very much,

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

King-Father to stop producing movies

Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Former monarch, King Norodom Sihanouk, declared that he decided to stop producing movies because of the recent criticisms made on the shooting of a scene in his movie on 02 January 2008. The scene depicted the evacuation of the population from Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, and it was criticized as being not too faithful to the event. In an annotation to a royal message dated 06 January, stating: “There are some journalists and kids who criticized me, Norodom Sihanouk, very strongly. Because I always feel worried with cinematography, I am informing our compatriots inside and outside the country, that from now on, I will stop producing movies.” The first act of King Father’s movie, titled Monatio, which depicted the evacuation of the population from Phnom Penh city, near the Independence Monument, some people have criticized the filming, saying that some of the actors wore black clothes like the KR (soldiers), however, their behaviors have nothing to do with the KR.

Ieu Pannakar's explanation on the filming of King-Father's Monatio

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Communiqué from H.E. Ieu Pannakar

03 January 2008

The Cambodia Daily reported an article, dated 03 January 2008, about the filming of a movie authored by His Majesty (King-Father). This article could make the spectators believe that the producers of the royal achievement did not understand well about the Khmer Rouge. Therefore, we, the producers (of the movie), would like to inform our respected compatriots who spent life and death under the 3-year-8-month-20-day blood and tears regime, that we truly know the Khmer Rouge, but this royal writing only brings up a truthful event which took place and died down during the fall of the Khmer Republic regime, a group that names itself Monatio, was a movement formed by the sons of the rich people who set it up as a game, while acting as Khmer Rouge, based on their own volition, at the end of the movie, they were all killed by the real Khmer Rouge without mercy.

Director of National Khemara Production

(Signed) Ieu Pannakar

King-Father's documentary shooting: Monatio, an anti-Lon Nol film

MONATIO

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MONATIO, short for Mouvement National (French for 'National Movement') was a short-lived, supposedly nationalist, political faction in Cambodia. The exact nature of the group is still obscure. On April 17, 1975, as the revolutionary forces came closer to the capital, this group took out a motor-cavalcade on the streets of Phnom Penh welcoming the arrival of guerrillas. According to François Ponchaud's eye-witness report, the group consisted of a handfull of soldiers, dressed in black uniforms, accompanied by a number of students. He claims the were led by Lon Non, brother of deposed Lon Nol.

A movie on the events of 1975, called MONATIO, has been made by Norodom Sihanouk. According to the movie, the communist forces were hardly pleased to be welcomed by MONATIO, and the MONATIO militias were captured and executed.

Film: "You are the dirty agents and lackeys of the US Imperialists. We shall rid our democratic Kampuchea ... of your contemptible presence"

October 2006
www.norodomsihanouk.info

KHEMARA PICTURES
presents

"MONATIO"

A film by NORODOM SIHANOUK

Scene I

View: The Independence Monument (Phnom Penh)

Three Jeeps each carrying a red pennant with this drawing (pictured) in the middle

(White with black lines)

Each jeep is transporting four men wearing a black uniform (black hat bearing a badge in white, with black lines).

One driver, one officer armed with a revolver in a leather case: on the back seat, two soldiers armed with rifles or machine guns.

The officer "in chief", a handsome dark-skinned man, seated near the driver, jumps out of the first jeep. He goes up the principal staircase of the Independence Monument, then turns round to face the citizens, most of them stop, flabbergasted; they cease walking, or driving around in motorbikes, cars or cycles.

The good looking "Commanding Officer" smiles and addresses the astounded men and women: "Dear Fellow Country Men and Women! Today, the 17th of April 1975, is the most glorious day of our beloved Kampuchea! We are pro-Khmer Rouges patriots who are fighting in Phnom Penh itself, but underground, in secrecy, against LON NOL and his Khmer Republic, Our national liberation movement is called "MONATIO", Those of you who do not have a bicycle, car or motorbike may get into our jeeps, if they wish. We are on our way to meet the heroic and victorious Khmers Rouges on the road to Pochentong to greet them!”

No sooner said than done!

Cheerfully, the pretty civilian girls and handsome boys, laughing, get into the three jeeps, which then start up. Cries of joy can be heard.

o O o

Scene II

The three jeeps stop along Pochentong motorway. Military trucks can be seen transporting several genuine Khmer Rouge soldiers and officers; they are coming from Pochentong. Their national flag - red with the three towers of Angkor Wat in the middle - which are not white but yellow.

Greeted enthusiastically by the "MONATIO" and the civilian men and women, the authentic Khmer Rouges do not laugh. On the contrary, they proceed to arrest the "Men in Black" of the "MONATIO".

o O o

Scene III

In a discreet place, in Phnom Penh itself.

A Khmer Rouge execution squad. Standing in front of the squad, the future victims (of the "MONATIO" but stripped of their black uniforms and fine boots) are about to be executed. These men of the "MONATIO" are almost naked, wearing only their underpants.

Before ordering the shooting, the chief of the Khmer Rouge firing squad delivers the last words they will hear: "You are the dirty agents and lackeys of the US Imperialists. We shall rid our democratic Kampuchea Moha Phlusvang, Mohalôt Phlâh, Moha Aschar, of your contemptible presence. Your bones will be used as fertiliser for our national agriculture. At least, dead you will serve a useful purpose."

“Fire!”

- End of the Film -