មនុស្ស​ផ្អើល​ទៅ​បន់​ស្រន់​ដើម​ឈើ​មាន​បារមី​នៅ​ពោធិ៍សាត់ - A practical joke turned into a superstition in Pursat

2012-07-24
Radio Free Asia

មនុស្ស​ច្រើន​ពាន់​នាក់​ខ្លះ​មក​ពី​ទីក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ ខ្លះ​មក​ពី​ខេត្ត​នានា ដូចជា​បាត់ដំបង ប៉ៃលិន ព្រៃវែង ស្វាយរៀង​ជាដើម ដៃ​មាន​កាន់​ទៀន ធូប ទឹកអប់ ប្រេងម្សៅ ដើរ​សំដៅ​ទៅ​កាន់​ទី​វាល​តម្កល់​ឈើ​មួយ​ដើម ស្ថិត​ក្នុង​ឃុំ​អូរតាប៉ោង ស្រុក​បាកាន ខេត្ត​ពោធិ៍សាត់។ ពួក​គេ​ជឿ​ថា ដើម​ឈើ​នោះ​មាន​បារមី​អាច​ជួយ​គេ​ឲ្យ​សម្រេច​បាន​ក្ដី​ប្រាថ្នា​គ្រប់​យ៉ាង។

Thousands of people, some coming from Phnom Penh and other provinces, flocked to a tree in O'Ta Poang commune, Bakan district, Pursat province. These people believe that the power of the tree could save them as they wish. Listen to the audio report on how a practical joke turned into this gullible fiction.

សូម​ស្ដាប់​សេចក្ដី​រាយការណ៍​ពិស្ដារ​ពី​ព័ត៌មាន​នេះ៖

Listen to the report in Khmer below:

Click here to download the audio program in MP3

១. មនុស្សរាប់ពាន់នាក់នាំគ្នាមកមើលឈើដែលគេជឿថា មានបារមីកាន់។

Thousands of people came to look at the tree which they believe holds magic power.

 ២. បុរសឈ្មោះ ស៊ឹម ភឿន អ្នកជីកបានឈើដែលកប់ក្នុងដី ផ្ដល់បទសម្ភាសន៍ដល់អ្នកកាសែត។

Sim Phoeun, the man who dug the pond and found the tree, gave an interview to reporters

 ៣. ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋមកពីគ្រប់ទិសទីមកមើលឈើដែលគេជឿថាមានបារមីកាន់។

People flock from all over to see the tree they believe of holding magic power.

៤. អ្នកលក់ទៀនធូប និងម្សៅនៅទីតាំងដែលពលរដ្ឋជឿថាមានឈើបារមីកាន់។

Incense and candle sellers cash in on the event. They also sell flour for people to rub on the tree in hope of getting the lucky lottery number.

៥. ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនាំគ្នាសែនព្រេន និងចាក់ទឹកពីលើគល់ឈើ ត្រងយកទឹកវិញយកទៅផឹក ដោយជឿថាជាជំងឺ។

People pray to the tree, some pour water on the tree and collect it from the bottom to use as cure for their disease.

 ៦. រណ្ដៅស្រះដែលគេជីកបានឈើ និងប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលមានជំនឿដួសយកទឹក ឬកើបយកភក់យកទៅព្យាបាលជំងឺ។

Pond where the tree was dug out, superstitious people scoop water and mud from the pond to use as medicine.

 ៧. ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលមានជំនឿដួសយកទឹក ឬកើបយកភក់យកទៅព្យាបាលជំងឺ។

Superstitious people scoop water and mud from the pond to use as medicine.

៨. មនុស្សជាច្រើននាំគ្នាចុះមកបាតរណ្ដៅ ឬស្រះដួសទឹក និងកើបភក់យកទៅព្យាបាលជំងឺ។

A larger number of people (including the CPP stalwart) went to the bottom of the pond to scoop water and mud to cure their illnesses.

 ៩. ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលមានជំនឿនាំគ្នាយកម្សៅទៅលាបលើឈើ រួចលាបាតដៃក្រែងឃើញលេខឆ្នោត។

Some would use flour to rub on the tree in hope of seeing a magic lottery number appearing on the palm of their hands.

១០. ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលមានជំនឿនាំគ្នាយកម្សៅទៅលាបលើឈើ រួចលាបាតដៃក្រែងឃើញលេខឆ្នោត។

Gullible people use flour to rub on the tree and hope to see lottery numbers appearing on their hand.

Mindful of Battle, Soldiers Hew to Old Magic

Soldiers at Preah Vihear temple, like this one, above, have begun to implement old magic protection in case of more battles with Thailand.

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Preah Vihear province
22 October 2008

The weapons and armor may be modern, but some of the oldest protections remain.

Cambodian soldiers have long employed magic to ward off bullets and landmines, inking their skin in intricate patterns, memorizing spells to help them in combat and investing themselves with protective scarves, belts and amulets.

Soldiers on the border say they have sought these old methods anew to protect them in potential battle with Thai adversaries, following a deadly outburst of violence last week at Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian and Thai commanders are set to meet in Siem Reap Thursday, while the prime ministers of both countries are scheduled to meet in Beijing Friday, but soldiers said they have been outfitting themselves with old magic in case more fighting ensues.

Neung Buntheang, a Division 12 soldier whose neck was swathed in a blue protective scarf called a "yundra," said he sleeps with his AK-47 on a bamboo bed near the road that leads to the Preah Vihear temple escarpment.

His commander was killed in the Oct. 15 gun battles with Thai soldiers, he said, but he believes the yundra, will save his life.

"This yandra was given to me by a monk to protect me," he said. "We depend on these protectors."

Neung Buntheang and 20 other soldiers received their yundra Saturday night and are now stationed near the Keo Sikha Svara pagoda, 300 meters from Preah Vihear temple, which is at the center of the months-long border dispute and one of three sites of fighting Oct. 15.

"I have been in this profession for more than 20 years," said Kuoy San, another Division 12 soldier stationed at the pagoda. "I was in countless fighting, and I believe 100 percent that yandra and magic protection helps me."

Soldiers burn incense at a gun emplacement on the Preah Vihear temple escarpment, where the spirit of a legendary commander, Grandfather Dy, rests.

Maj. Men Ly, an officer in the Preah Vihear provincial military, said 80 percent of soldiers in the Cambodian armed forces employ magic protection, including yandra, blessed waste belts and kerchiefs with tracings of their parents' feet.

At Preah Vihear temple, soldiers pray to a spirit named Grandfather Dy, a former commander hundreds of years old who battled ancient Thai armies. Others make prayers to the one monk living at the Keo Sikha Svara pagoda, who blesses them with water and provides them protective amulets.

Ros Chantraboth, vice president of the Royal Cabinet and a historian, said the walls of Cambodian temples are etched with evidence of similar beliefs, encouraging soldiers to be brave in battle. But he noted that if a person must respect the disciplines involved in protective magic.

Soldiers also admit that the charms are not a substitute for traditional military strategies, tactics and defenses, such as trenches, as a form of protection.

"Even if we have magic protection," Neung Buntheang said, "if we are not careful, we will face danger."