01-10-2007
By CS
Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
King-Father informs about his desire not to be “bothered,” and he does not want particular ceremonies held on the occasion of his upcoming birthday on 31 October.
In a communiqué made public Sunday, Srey Nory, the director of the Royal Secretariat of Cambodia, asked that all useless correspondence (emails, letters, faxes, or telegrams) addressed to King-Father be stopped. The text indicated that “King-Father Norodom Sihanouk is very old, very weak, and very demoralized.” The Royal Secretariat added: “We are informing the troublemakers (or pests) that from now on, there will no longer be responses provided by King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, by his cabinet, or by his secretariat.” In another hand-written communiqué, Sihanouk also asked with insistence to the Khmer and Foreign Personalities and People, to the constituted institutions, to newspapers, etc…, etc… not to send me wishes or congratulations or gifts, not to organize a ceremony nor any meeting in my favor or in my regards, during the occasion of his birthday on 31 October. In the same communiqué, Norodom Sihanouk indicated that “the Sihanouk-haters, such as the famous Dr. Lao Mong Hay, are and will be free to attack me verbally or in writing. But they do not have the right to slander me.” He added: “If they slander me, I am reserving the right to officially sue them at our national Justice, our national tribunals.” Lao Mong Hay, a researcher who currently works for the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Committee, recently wrote about the fact that he was in favor that Norodom Sihanouk be summoned by the KR Tribunal to clarify issues concerning his responsibility during the taking of power by the Polpotists between 1975 and 1979.
In a communiqué made public Sunday, Srey Nory, the director of the Royal Secretariat of Cambodia, asked that all useless correspondence (emails, letters, faxes, or telegrams) addressed to King-Father be stopped. The text indicated that “King-Father Norodom Sihanouk is very old, very weak, and very demoralized.” The Royal Secretariat added: “We are informing the troublemakers (or pests) that from now on, there will no longer be responses provided by King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, by his cabinet, or by his secretariat.” In another hand-written communiqué, Sihanouk also asked with insistence to the Khmer and Foreign Personalities and People, to the constituted institutions, to newspapers, etc…, etc… not to send me wishes or congratulations or gifts, not to organize a ceremony nor any meeting in my favor or in my regards, during the occasion of his birthday on 31 October. In the same communiqué, Norodom Sihanouk indicated that “the Sihanouk-haters, such as the famous Dr. Lao Mong Hay, are and will be free to attack me verbally or in writing. But they do not have the right to slander me.” He added: “If they slander me, I am reserving the right to officially sue them at our national Justice, our national tribunals.” Lao Mong Hay, a researcher who currently works for the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Committee, recently wrote about the fact that he was in favor that Norodom Sihanouk be summoned by the KR Tribunal to clarify issues concerning his responsibility during the taking of power by the Polpotists between 1975 and 1979.
