Good-Bye "God King"

Good-Bye "God King"

Picture: Author's record

For those who dislike the late former King, the most joyful day is here again. Their wishes are fulfilled and unfortunately their hatred will continue from here to eternity.

Nothing in this world that anyone can do to heal their injuries and hatred—for all they see is what the former King has done wrong.

They will consume much energy to talk about “evil” things that they think the King had committed. Among other things, they would criticize that the King was an absolutist; his behaviors had brought Cambodia down; his policies were self-destructive; his personal life had been nothing but a playboy; he had allowed Vietcong and North Vietnamese to station in Cambodia; He was siding with the Khmer Rouge; had kowtowed to Vietnam, China and never been friendly to the West, etc…

For those who look for the King’s positive side, they are deeply mourning the passing away of their revered “God King” with love, respect and compassion.

Regardless of what the King had done wrong, they will forgive and willing to forget. Their mind will be at peace and there is no hatred left. Perhaps they will be happier than those who possess hatred...

They would praise the King for his work to help gain independence for Cambodia; love him for giving Cambodia Peace for many years; admire him for standing strong against America; thank him for helping Cambodia to achieve a peaceful solution with the current regime, etc…

One chapter of Cambodian history is finally closed. The talk of the town will continue for a while and then Cambodia will move on without the former King. Another “God King” has not been created or born or perhaps Cambodians will become their own “King.”

The future of Cambodia will depend on whether Cambodians can learn from our adversity and defeat and figure out how to build a better Cambodia together.

Khmer people need to think right. With accurate thinking Cambodians will be able to see things clearly and in order to think accurately Cambodians must avoid negative emotions because such emotions will lead to more confusion. No one in this world can do things right when they are confused.

Universal law permits no one to become successful when he or she possesses negative emotions such as hatred, revenge, jealousy, anger, fear, greed and superstition, etc…For these reasons the best thing that we all can do is to stop recycling these destructive emotions.

Picture: Author's record

For me I would say farewell to the former head of State, the former Prince, and the former King…the history will judge him and he must deal with the law of Karma….the law of cause and effect or Karma which rules the Universe will determine the King’s fate.

Yes, I used to love him when I was once a young high school boy who was diving from the crowd to grab his hand under the hot sun;

...then I was disgusted with his policy and my blood boiled when I learned that he allowed the Vietcong and North Vietnamese to use Cambodia to fight the Americans;

Then…I despised him when the Khmer Rouge, his communist ally, sent me to be executed.

Then my heart melted when he decided to turn against the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979…and the world knows the rest of the story.

…and then the one other thing that the King and I had in common was music. Music has no color and although he could not sing well, the King was a good musician… And for whatever will happen to Cambodia next, I will always like his music… and I will remember the times when he and I used to play together…

As for the King and I, he is gone and I hold no grudges: I am at peace.

R.I.P

Good bye "God King!"

Timothy Chhim

October 14, 2012
February 1, 2013



Showing love and respect when we are alive

Condolences!

Cursing for help! Will it work?

Cursing for help!

While Sam Rainsy is awaiting a possible compromise from Premier Hun Sen and the Cambodian King Sihamoni for a potential return of Sam Rainsy to Cambodia, SRP’s supporter staged a rather hostile protest condemning Hun Sen as a traitor to Cambodia by stepping on and burning Hun Sen’s portrait.

Pictures: RO of SRP-Europe

Such a protest probably was not approved by Sam Rainsy; regardless, it probably had gone too far under this particular circumstance.

It makes Sam Rainsy's recent request to Hun Sen meaningless. It may also mean that there is a lack of coordination between Sam Rainsy and SRP’s supporters.

We should also learn that hostile protests have never been really effective. Trained world’s leaders do not pay much attention or want to help any people who “curse for help.”

Peaceful demonstrations with positive slogans and appeals would bring positive results.Reacting make things worst, responding makes things better.

Democratic lovers should behave better than some dictators who know very little about good manners.

A good manner does matter.

Timothy Chhim
October 23, 2012

It’s still a good time to reconcile!

It is not too late to reconcile!

As a Khmer, not a politician, at the time of Cambodia’s great mourning; Sam Rainsy has done his part. Now it's up to the King and Premier Hun Sen to decide.

There is no one else in Cambodia except Cambodia’s King and Prime Minister that Sam Rainsy can ask for help for such a special request. 

King Father Sihanouk has passed and for Sam Rainsy to go through Vietnam, China or other nations for help is inappropriate because according to Premier Hun Sen Cambodia is independent.

The rejection from the part of Hun Sen’s regime only gives Sam Rainsy a new ammunition to fight on to gain his credibility. 

Communications among Khmer brothers must be continued. Without communication, we will not be able to help each other build Cambodia.

Reaching out to his opponent does not mean that Sam Rainsy is weak. It takes courage to request his adversary's help in time of a great national grief and respect.

If he believes that Father King Sihanouk was the father of all Khmers, Premier Hun Sen should be able to show his courage to help. It is much better for Hun Sen to help Sam Rainsy now than to have some foreigners to intervene later on or to handle future problems---putting Sam Rainsy in Cambodia’s jail when Sam Rainsy decides to go in on his own.   

Politically speaking, Hun Sen should not be worried about Sam Rainsy if he believes that the CPP is completely in control of Cambodia’s political landscape.

To let Sam Rainsy in at this time Hun Sen will both save his face and will prove that Cambodia and his regime is independent from any foreign’s domination and interference.

It’s still a good time to reconcile!

Timothy Chhim

October 22, 2012

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David Chandler On King Sihanouk!

http://www.opendemocracy.net/david-chandler/norodom-sihanouk-cambodian-life

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Mourners offer incense near a photograph of King Father Norodom Sihanouk outside the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Friday. (Lauren Crothers/The Cambodia Daily)

Sam Rainsy Seeks Return To Bid King Father Norodom Sihanouk Farewell

By Dene-Hern Chen and Chhorn Chansy - October 21, 2012

Opposition party leader Sam Rainsy has sent a request to Prime Minister Hun Sen and King Norodom Sihamoni asking for permission to return to Cambodia in order to pay his respects to the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who died October 15 in Beijing.
Currently in self-imposed exile in Paris—where he has now been for three years—Mr. Rainsy wrote his request in two letters sent and delivered October 18 to the Council of Ministers and King Sihamoni’s cabinet.
“During this time of great sadness, I would like Samdech’s help and understanding to allow me to pay my respects to his soul and see the King Father’s face for the last time in Phnom Penh,” Mr. Rainsy wrote in the letter.
“I was very close to the King Father and I owe him a lot. So the least I could do is pay my last respects,” Mr. Rainsy said by telephone from Paris.
“I would be happy [to return], even for 24 hours,” he said.
Mr. Rainsy was sentenced in 2010 to a total of 12 years in prison on charges of incitement, disinformation and destruction of public property for removing a temporary border marker along the frontier with Vietnam. Although critics slammed the verdict for being politically motivated, Mr. Rainsy has remained abroad, often communicating with his supporters through video link.
He recently vowed that he would return to Cambodia in December to lead the national election campaign of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, a newly merged coalition between the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party.
Prince Sisowath Thomico, chief of cabinet for the late Norodom Sihanouk, confirmed that King Sihamoni’s staff had received the letter, but admitted that it was not something the King could intervene on.
“There is an arrest warrant against Sam Rainsy. So if the King allows him to come and pay his respect to the King Father, then what about the arrest warrant? The King cannot decide this case,” Prince Thomico said.
“This is a decision from the royal government.”
Prince Thomico added that in the spirit of honoring Norodom Sihanouk, the government should consider issuing a blanket amnesty for all political prisoners, and under those circumstances, Mr. Rainsy could return without fear of arrest.
“King Sihanouk is a symbol of national reconciliation and I think it would be a good opportunity on this occasion for the government to grant an amnesty to all political prisoners,” Prince Thomico said. “This would be a great opportunity to show that the royal government is paying respects to the King Sihanouk.”
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, referred questions to officials at Mr. Hun Sen’s Cabinet. Deputy chief of the prime minister’s Cabinet, Lim Leangse, declined to comment.
Mr. Rainsy was one of the first members of Funcinpec, the royalist party formed by Norodom Sihanouk when he was in Paris in 1981. Though he went on to become a Funcinpec minister of finance after the 1993 elections, Mr. Rainsy was subsequently expelled from the royalist party in 1994 after a disagreement with his party leader, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, and CPP leader Mr. Hun Sen, who were sharing the role of co-prime ministers at the time.
Mr. Rainsy said that any disagreements he had at the time with Prince Ranariddh and Funcinpec did not extend to the King Father.
“[Norodom Sihanouk] gave me a lot of advice when I was minister of finance—he encouraged me to stop corruption in government, and to stop deforestation,” Mr. Rainsy said by telephone from Paris.

Prince William's Wedding: So what is a big deal?

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3963945.stm

I could be wrong, but it was unlike King Sihamoni who failed to respond to the invitation of Prince William and Kate Middleton. But...

The wedding invitation should be responded in timely manner, unless someone at the Cambodian Royal Palace who was responsible has been sleeping at his desk or was trying to embarrass the King.


So what’s a big deal?

It is not a big deal if King Norodom Sihamoni won’t be able to make it, but it is an important thing when it comes to the King’s integrity and Cambodia’s reputation for the lack of sensible international diplomatic protocol. Prince William is an important for he is second in the line of succession to Queen Elizabeth II.

Let’s hope that Prince William and his fiancé will understand. After all, the job of being Cambodian King is quite new for his Majesty—King Sihamoni.

Cambodia’s Minister of Royal Palace may have his hand full trying to teach his colleagues about mannerism because the news headlines like the ones below humiliated the King.

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'Sorry I'm busy!' King of Cambodia snubs Royal Wedding for 'something more important'


By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:06 PM on 22nd April 2011

Comments (98) Add to My Stories It may be one of history's most sought after invitations but the King of Cambodia will not attend the Royal Wedding because he has something more 'important' to do.

In an apparent snub to Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton, King Norodom Sihamoni turned down his invitation from the Palace for another engagement.

The Cambodian embassy was today unable to expand on the reason for the 57-year-old's refusal but sources said the King was 'sad' he could not attend the celebrations.

No thank you: King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia has turned down his invitation to the Royal Wedding in favour of another 'important' engagement

'The King can not come to the Royal Wedding because he has a very tight schedule,' a spokesman said.

'He has another important engagement.'

The shaven-headed former ballet dancer and instructor has been described in the past as 'very much an unknown quantity' but he is not the first Cambodian king to snub a British royal wedding.

His father Sihanouk refused to attend Princess Alexandra's wedding in 1963 after being told he would not get a guard of honour and could not stay at Windsor Castle.

King Sihamoni, who was best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe before ascending the throne in 2004, was among dozens of royals worldwide to have been invited to the historic event.

He is understood to be spending April 29 in his home country.

The news came as it emerged Prince William's future bride would follow in the footsteps of Princess Diana by omitting the word 'obey' from her wedding vows.

She will instead promise to 'love, comfort, honour and keep' Prince William.

Diana pledged herself to Prince Charles in a similar way during their wedding ceremony in 1981.

The couple now have exactly one week left before their marriage.

Second-in-line to the throne William, 28, has already had his last shift as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot before the ceremony. He is expected to spend the latter part of next week in London, taking part in wedding rehearsals.

Meanwhile, Miss Middleton, 29, has been spotted doing some pre-wedding shopping in the capital, amid speculation that she has been stocking up on summer outfits for her honeymoon.

Snubbed: Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited dozens of royals from around the world to their nuptials but the King of Cambodia will not be there
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379539/Sorry-Im-busy-King-Cambodia-snubs-Royal-Wedding-important.html#ixzz1KGSXPm00
Snubbed: Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited dozens of royals from around the world to their nuptials but the King of Cambodia will not be there

Though the official wedding guest list has been kept tightly under wraps, a palace spokesman today suggested it would release the list of invitees at some point this weekend.

The couple are said to have invited 388 close friends and associates to join them next Friday, while 254 relatives and friends of the Middleton family will also be present.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379539/Sorry-Im-busy-King-Cambodia-snubs-Royal-Wedding-important.html#ixzz1KGRmeaXq

King of Cambodia snubs royal wedding, as glittering guest list hints at dress designer


From: NewsCore April 22, 2011 8:02PM

PRINCE William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, were sensationally snubbed by the King of Cambodia, The Sun reported today.
King Norodom Sihamoni has not replied to the couple's wedding invitation. He is the only royal out of dozens worldwide who so far failed to respond.

Sihamoni, 57, a shaven-headed former ballet dancer and instructor, would not be the first Cambodian king to snub a British royal wedding.

In 1963, his dad, Sihanouk, refused to attend Princess Alexandra's wedding after being told he would not get a guard of honor and could not stay at Windsor Castle.

Sihamoni, who took the throne in 2004, lived under house arrest with his dad in the 1970s while the Khmer Rouge regime murdered 1.5 million Cambodians.

News of the snub came as the list of guests for the April 29 wedding was published by The Sun.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.


It includes 388 close friends and associates invited by groom William, 28, and his 29-year-old bride-to-be, Middleton.

Among them are Victoria and David Beckham, Mr. Bean funnyman Rowan Atkinson, posh TV presenter Ben Fogle, rugby supremo Sir Clive Woodward and "Lock Stock" director Guy Ritchie.

Also listed are 254 relatives and friends of the Middleton family.

The queen and Prince Charles drafted a list of 255 VIPs and aristocrats - including 62 foreign royals and heads of state. A further 1,000 guests, including politicians, senior civil servants and foreign diplomats, received invitations via the Lord Chamberlain's Office.

The list also shows that Middleton invited her favorite fashion designer to Westminster Abbey -- the strongest hint yet to the identity of her mystery dressmaker. Brazilian-born Daniella Helayel, who has made clothes for Madonna and Sharon Stone, also created her engagement outfit.