 |
| (Drawing by Pech Song) |
If you have about an hour to spare, I would like to invite you to join me to listen a "more or less" complete radio program from the Khmer Republic era which was hosted by Ms. Meas Metrey (aka Huoy Meas). In the program, Meas Metrey interviewed singer Sos Mat who, by then, was a full time army officer. Sos Mat discussed about his life in the army and he also introduced a few new songs which you can listen here.
With the approaching anniversary of the toppling of the monarchy in Cambodia on March 18, 1970, listening to the eery voices of Ms. Huoy Meas and Mr. Sos Mat bring a flood of memories back to me. I still remember clearly the day the North Vietnamese embassy (or the Vietcong mission?) located behind the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh was ransacked: it was one of my naughty day as a child when I sneaked out before lunch time to go see the ransack scene. Phnom Penh was in euphoria following the announcement of the toppling of Sihanouk's regime on March 18, 1970. But it did not take long before we started living in fear of war. I still remember my father urging us to learn to eat our meals quickly in case we have to run for the shelter. I have to confess that, even as we speak, I still have a hard time abandoning that habit of gobbling my food as if there is no tomorrow - a habit which is not too good for one's health.
Family separations became the norm: some of us live in the cities under the Khmer Republic government while others live in the countryside which, in my family's case, was immediately occupied by the Vietcong, then by the Khmer Rouge. Death was no longer avoidable: one early morning, my cousin came crying to our house with her children in tow. She informed my parents that her husband, a teacher, was killed overnight at his school during a Vietcong raid while he was on watch duty there. It was one of the saddest day in my life, followed by many more to come.
My first encounter with death was when the Vietcong attacked Phnom Penh and destroyed the Chroy Changvar bridge. Following an intense night of fighting, my father woke up very early that morning and he woke me up to go with him to tour the city to find out the damages. Along the deserted Monivong street, pass the Medical School in the direction of the French embassy, we were stopped by a PM (Military Police) barrage. They demanded my father's ID and asked him what he was doing there. After some explanations, they let us pass through. Near the French embassy, where the monument for the veterans for WWI was, I could see a burned tank. As we approached the tank, there was an acrid smell. Sure enough, next to the tank there was a badly burnt corpse. The man who was killed looked quite young to me, maybe in his mid-teen. Although his body was lying on the ground, his hand gesture showed that he was trying to climb on top of the tank when some kind of fire device (a bazooka?) caught him and took his life. Coming back home, I couldn't eat the whole day, all that I wanted to do was throw up.
My first encounter with death was when the Vietcong attacked Phnom Penh and destroyed the Chroy Changvar bridge. Following an intense night of fighting, my father woke up very early that morning and he woke me up to go with him to tour the city to find out the damages. Along the deserted Monivong street, pass the Medical School in the direction of the French embassy, we were stopped by a PM (Military Police) barrage. They demanded my father's ID and asked him what he was doing there. After some explanations, they let us pass through. Near the French embassy, where the monument for the veterans for WWI was, I could see a burned tank. As we approached the tank, there was an acrid smell. Sure enough, next to the tank there was a badly burnt corpse. The man who was killed looked quite young to me, maybe in his mid-teen. Although his body was lying on the ground, his hand gesture showed that he was trying to climb on top of the tank when some kind of fire device (a bazooka?) caught him and took his life. Coming back home, I couldn't eat the whole day, all that I wanted to do was throw up.
Waking up to the sound of rockets shelling Phnom Penh in the middle of the night was terrifying. I still find myself sometimes waking up with cold sweat following a bad nightmare of a dark sky streaked with rockets. Even with all the hardship of life during that period, I still feel grateful to have live in an era where I felt Cambodia had experienced a limited amount of freedom rights. It was definitely not democracy, but having seen how life was under Sihanouk's regime, the change under the Khmer Republic was quite welcomed. Nevertheless, it was a bittersweet experience to be followed later by the truly nightmarish Khmer Rouge regime.
Yours truly,
P. from Long Beach
Sos Mat - Phum Srok Kabbas Pras Sneh
Sos Mat - Ithipol Korng Pol Toch Lekh 5
Sos Mat - Roeung Ork Neoung Kh-nhom
Sos Mat - Kar Ban 7 Th-ngay Bek Khnea
Sos Mat - Khleat Pi Aun Pruos Teuk Dey
Sos Mat - Ork Khleat Tronum
Sos Mat - Teuk Phnek Kaun Khmer
19 comments:
It came from Youtube. We already listened it.
Ki Media has been copied from Youtube, we knew that and have had listend it planty of time.
Re: It was definitely not democracy, but having seen how life was under Sihanouk's regime, the change under the Khmer Republic was quite welcomed.
Brief fake peace under Sihanouk administration back then made you really homesick eh Mister?
Besides singing, dancing, and making movies - had that playboy/cicada prepared Cambodia for any war in order to have a long lasting peace as one French saying goes something like,
[Pour avoir de la paix il faut préparer pour la guerre]?
You old man got to be one of this so-called hard core Sihanoukist if we are not mistaken!!!
Enough said! [for now]
P.s. How do you old man even know what democracy is back then to have said "It was definitely not democracy"?
I think that old man is really confused, symptomatic of dementia, maybe?
With regards to the anonymous person/people at 9:51 pm and 9:55 pm, I think before you criticise P from Long Beach you should brush up your English first. Nowhere in P from LB comments did he mention that there was democracy under N. Sihanouk. An apology is owed to P from LB. We all know that N. Sihanouk is a traitor to the Khmer nation then and now.
Re: 10:51 PM's Nowhere in P from LB comments did he mention that there was democracy under N. Sihanouk
Hey Mister 10:51 PM,
You are smart, what is your take on this:
it was definitely not democracy, but having seen how life was under Sihanouk's regime...
What do you think it's meant to say, huh?
What if I am telling you by your "BRUSHING YOUR ENGLISH" it means you must learn not to think the old fart way ever again, fair enough?
Apology my ass, 10:51 PM!!!
Freaking old fart!!!
Listening to this program reminds me the time of patriotic war against the Vietcong and Khmer Rouge from 1970-75. Khmer were suffered from Vietcong invasion; Khmer desperately cried for help, but only met with the other atrocity committed by the Khmer Rouge.
To the people at 11:06 PM and 11:10 PM, please do not take one or two sentences and judge the author like that. What P from LB means is that although life under the Khmere Republic was not a full democracy but it gives the Khmer people a "limited amount of freedom rights" which was "welcome" compared to life unde the "Sihanouk's regime". Does this imply that the Sihanouk's regime is democratic? No it is not.
Another thing I notice among the Khmer people is that somehow we like tearing each other apart, having no respect for each other. We don't have to use big words or swear words to make ourselves heard. We should channel this energy to combat our common enemy, the youns.
11:29 PM,
In part or in whole and in truth, who do you (smart ass!) think that tears each other part if not the old fart like yourself, huh? Think about it or is it that you can no longer think because of dementia already???
Damned! you old fart write, spin, and spin and spin thinking that you can fool...the younger ones!!!
Are you P. from Long Beach yourself T from Ldn (TDY somewhere in London)?
I don't like old fart like you, sincerely!
apart*
Re: 11:29 AM's "We don't have to use big words or swear words to make ourselves heard. We should channel this energy to combat our common enemy, the youns."
And yeah, What kind of f%^&@$# stunt is that?
it was all about war and civil war, nothing to be proud of that, really! that was the beginning or hell under the KR regime, now that it's over with, millions of lives lost already. sad history, indeed, you know!
ពីព្រោះតែអាស្តាចមន៍ ល្ងីល្ងើរ ឡេមឡឺម សីហនុ នេះឯង ទើបធ្វើឱ្យស្រុកខ្មែររលាយ។
លន់ ណុល រំលាយអាពូជស្តាចមន៍ត្រសក់ចង្រៃ
ពីព្រោះគាត់ដឹងថា អាម្សៀរ សីហនុនេះ មិនស្រឡាញ់ជាតិទេ វាស្រឡាញ់យួន វាគឺជាស្តាចមន៍ប្រជាភិថុត ប្រពន្ធរបស់វាយួន
វាភ្លើឱ្យអាយួនហូជីមិញ បោកប្រាស់យកដីខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម បើនិយាយទៅ លន់ ណុល ដឹងថា អាចំកួតស្តាចមន៍សីហនុនេះ និងធ្វើឱ្យខ្មែរវិនាស។
សូមបញ្ជាក់ថា នៅពេល លន់ ណុល រំលាយអាពូជត្រសក់ចង្រៃចោល មិនមានបាត់បង់ឈាមខ្មែរមួយដំណក់ឡើយ
ឬធ្វើឱ្យប្រទេសខ្មែរខ្ទេចខ្ទីទេ
Thanks so much to Mr. P. from Long Beach for maintaining and sharing these patriotic and emotional songs. As Khmer, We have already lost a lot of national and cultural assets. Thanks to people like you who maintain and uplift our invaluable and unforgettable properties. May you be blessed with good fortune and further wisdom.
Khmer Son
8:13 AM លោករៀបរាប់ត្រឹមត្រូវណាស់។ សូមអរគុណដល់ស្មារតីដ៏ខ្ពង់ខ្ពស់របស់លោក។
មកដល់ថ្ងៃទី ១៨ ខែមិនា២០១២នេះសាធារណះ
រដ្ឋខ្មែរមានឈ្មោះ៤២ឆ្នាំហើយ សូមគោរពដល់
វិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធយុទ្ធជនខ្មែរ នឹងប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែល
បានស្លាប់យ៉ាងអយុត្តិធម៏ សូមព្រលឹងវិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធ
អ្នកទាំងអស់ ជួបប្រទះតែសេចក្តីសុខ សន្តិភាព
សេរីភាព គ្រប់ពេលវេលា ។
មកដល់ថ្ងៃទី ១៨ ខែមិនា២០១២នេះសាធារណះ
រដ្ឋខ្មែរមានឈ្មោះ៤២ឆ្នាំហើយ សូមគោរពដល់
វិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធយុទ្ធជនខ្មែរ នឹងប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែល
បានស្លាប់យ៉ាងអយុត្តិធម៏ ដោយសារ ខិតខំការពារប្រទេសជាតិ ពីរបបស្តាចមន៍ឡេមឡឺមល្ងង់ខ្លៅ
ពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ ដែលបានស្លាប់ដោយសារយួន ៧មករាសម្លាប់ ពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែលបានស្លាប់ដោយសាររបប ពលពតយួនសម្លាប់ ដោយសារស្នាដៃ អា សីហនុហៅយួនមកសម្លាប់ខ្មែរ។
សូមឱ្យបងប្អូនទាំងអស់ បានសេចក្តីសុខ
P from LB,
i remember the night the VC launched their attack on the M113 base at the old stadium in North Phnom Penh, and also destroyed the bridge. That was sometime in mid-1972. the morning after the attack, i went to see the area where attack took place. there were 30 odd dead VC bodies and the M113 that were blown up.
Post a Comment