Friday, 19 October 2012
Princess Soma Norodom
The Phnom Penh Post
Over the past few days the mood at the Royal Palace has been somber and chaotic, despite the Pchum Ben holiday. The announcement of the death of His Majesty King Father Norodom Sihanouk last Monday has created conversations, both positive and negative.
But for many of us, including myself, his death marks the passage of a remarkable survivor and the greatest king of Cambodia.
On June 28, 1953, His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk returned to Cambodia and more than 400,000 people joined him in Battambang to be trained for military duties.
The French government was forced to rethink its position, and on July 3, 1953, France declared it was ready to grant independence to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
On November 9, 1953, Cambodia was finally granted its independence from France. His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk’s greatest achievement was being able to restore independence to his country without shedding a single drop of blood.
He will always be known in Cambodian history as the Father of Independence.
His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk was a complex political figure who dealt with multiple political regime changes. His courage is unmatched as he went against all the world powers of the fascists, the communists, and the liberal imperialists.
His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk was a true Khmer patriot, and I am proud to be part of his family line. Now you know where I get my feisty and outspoken personality from.
For the Royal Family members and high ranking officials, the funeral service will last more than three days. For the average Cambodian, a funeral service can last between one to three days, depending on the family’s financial situation, as the longer the body is kept, the more expensive it is.
In the Buddhist tradition, you pay respect on the seventh and the 100th days after death as a remembrance ceremony.
No matter how rich or poor you are, no matter your age, race or religion, we all have a date with death.
We block from our minds the fact that our loved ones will die. But the best thing to do is to prepare for when that time comes.
Ask a loved one what their wish is. The worst time to make funeral plans is at the time of death, as the family is very emotional and grief stricken.
My father’s wish is to pass away in his homeland of Cambodia, be cremated and have his ashes spread where the Tonle Sap and the Mekong rivers meet. This is the reason why I moved to Cambodia.
This week Cambodia has been stricken with genuine grief due to the death of His Majesty King Father Norodom Sihanouk. As I mourn with my family and the nation, I hope this loss will unite our country together.
My beloved great uncle, King Father Norodom Sihanouk, you are finally at peace and I hope that your wish for our Khmer people to find peace and stability will one day be fulfilled.
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The Social Agenda with Soma Norodom
The views expressed above are solely the author’s and do not reflect any positions taken by The Phnom Penh Post.
7 comments:
FHM Sihanouk did both roles caring and killing. This is the fact.
Caring: wants all his people to be at peace and prosper. The Father of independent Cambodia, Won the case over Thailand for Preah Vihear. Give FMH the King very good performer.
killing: Put himself deeply involve with bringing murderous Khmer Rouge to genocidal rule over Cambodia. Whether he then was put in house arrest and some of his families members killed, but they were the victims of his very castatrophic mistake. He never made public apology for this...
feeling guilty has been barried with him.
Your Great Uncle indeed a caring king, he cared so much for his subjects, he seeked to destroy the democratic mmovement in the 50's so cambodia can only be ruled and reigned by him. As for the Independence for Cambodia, you must have forgotten the people who actually did the works like Sam Sary, Son Ngoc Thanh, Lok Achar Hem Cheav, Penn Nouth etc.... while our great king was busy caring for young ones and good meals in the back. Granted that you are a Norodom and it is in line of your duty to protect the name sake of your lineage but please do not compare Norodom Sihanouk to other in the line that were truly khmer patriot, like Norodom Chantareangsey, Norodom Kantol etc...
Khmer blood had been spilled, Sihanouk facillitated the vietnamisation of Cambodia, look back since the day he was mounting the throne, Kampuchea Krom was the first, Sihanouk Trails, Pol Pot, Ranaridth, now Hun sen, what else you need to know? A traitor to Khmer nation all the way.
His love for the people was more of like a domestic violence. He would rather kill his wife instead of seeing her off with another man. Get it? Also, to suggest he single handily brought independence to Cambodia himself is not the whole truth. France was being swallowed by the Nazis. Had to leave indo china to support their own country.
He did not care for Cambodia. He was just pretend to be. He is oppoturnist. Look at history of what he did in 1950. He arrested opposition. He flip floped between US and China during 1960 because he want to be on the winning side. He made Khmer Rough won in 1970 because he was kicked out from Cambodia. He helded grudge instead. After the fall of Pol Pot, he did nothing for Cambodians and enjoyed his free care retirement in China. He did not care for Cambodian! All the photos was just for a show.
Well said 8:55!
Thank you for pointing that out.
The title should read:
' Remembering a great man who killed and abandoned his people'.
Now, that fits his character.
Burn his body over there (China). Don't brought back to Cambodia. He was a Traitor to Khmer people. The Khmer people have suffered enough by him. He did not respect even his own mother. He was an evil king . He should be alive until he can serve his punishment in the Khmer Rouge trail. Please don't forget he was the person who killed Lok Protean Sam Rainsy's father.
Pang Sokheoun, Secretary-General of SRP in Sweden.កុលបុត្រមហានគរខ្មែរ
King Sihanouk is compared to an alcoholic who worked so hard to build a comfortable house for his family . Then , one day he got so drunk and burnt
his own house , killing some of his children and ruined his belongings . Do
the alcoholic father deserved more respect from his wife and the survived children ?
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