Publication of Alain Peyrefitte's article published by the French Paris Match magazine attracts the ire of the Royal Cabinet

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Royal Cabinet of Preah Karuna Preah Vorreach-Beyda
Preah Bat Samdech Norodom Sihanouk

Announcement

Recently, a small group of Cambodians who really regret the Khmer Republic regime which fell down and vanished on 17 April 1975, have tried hard to (publicize) propaganda to deceive the national and international opinion, with the aim of defaming the honor, the good name of Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, by publishing that Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, scorned his mother and had a plan to create the exodus of the population from Phnom Penh city, etc…

Regarding this cheap propaganda and this goal of degrade the honor, the good name of Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, I have the honor to clarify the national and international opinion (as provided) below, and I am rejecting altogether the lies, the shameless cheating by a small handful of cheap people who have only one desire, that is to destroy the honor, the good names of Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, who in his life had dedicated his strength, body, and intelligence to serve the Cambodian nation, homeland, people, (who had) struggled under all circumstances to defend the national independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cambodia. History had recorded on its golden pages (the following):

• The royal crusade for independence from colonial France, and the achievement of the complete victory on 09 November 1953.
• The construction and edification of the country, and the development in all fields during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era, and the world named “Cambodia” as “The Island of Peace (Koh Santepheap).”
• The national reconciliation in 1991 which provided to the Cambodian people and homeland, peace and progress.

1- Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, respected and extremely loved Samdech Preah Moha Ksatriyani Preah Sisowath Kosamak Neariroth, his mother. Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, who is a Buddhist follower, is adhering closely to the teaching of Lord Buddha, our Supreme teacher, to respect and love the living Buddha, that is the “Mother and Father” who gave us life. Since the day that the gang of Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, etc…, undertook the coup d’état (18 march 1970), Samdech Preah Moha Ksatriyani Preah Sisowath Kosamak Neariroth endured hardships and was scorned by the coup d’état gang. Samdech Preah Moha Ksatriyani Preah Sisowath Kosamak Neariroth secretly wrote a letter to provide her total support to the reasonable struggle (led) by Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation.

I am asking the national and international opinion to reflect and to provide justice to Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, to whom this small group of people published the information that he scorned his mother.

2- Regarding the exodus of the people from Phnom Penh City: Following 17 April 1975, Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, insisted on demanding to the Khmer Rouge Angkar, on many occasions, to return back to live with his people, however the Khmer Rouge Angkar always rejected (his demand) under the pretext that there is no safety, etc…, therefore, when he returned back to Cambodia, everything was already done according the Khmer Rouge Angkar plan. The Khmer Rouge Angkar did not ask the opinion of Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, regarding the exodus of the people from Phnom Penh City, and a number of VIPs who are still alive, can attest as a witness to this issue. The fiction (used) to accuse Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, that he has a plan to create an exodus of the people from Phnom Penh city is a scorn on our national history, and it is a black and dirty goal to create a pretext to accuse Preah Karuna, the father of the Khmer Nation, who was a victim of the Khmer Rouge regime with the aim of taking revenge for the complete defeat of the Khmer Republic regime which was a puppet who sold out completely to the foreigners.

I am deeply thanking you.

(Signed) Ké Kimsè
Director of the Royal Cabinet

Phnom Penh 21 September, 2007