King-Father accuses Cambodian authorities of selling national territory (2005-May-29)          K.I. : In a today’s message from Beijing, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk denounces the “white zones” along the border with Vietnam (a kind of no-man’s land in areas where there is allegedly no clear border delineation) as an “invention” by the neighboring country “imposed on [some] Khmers who are vassals” of that foreign country. According to the King-Father, those “white zones”, which “impudently and illegally violate Cambodia’s territorial integrity, are absolutely unacceptable.” They have been “purely and simply given/sold by the Cambodian authorities to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under the shameful disguise of areas whose ownership is still the object of discussions and negotiations”.

Zones Blanches ou Tel Père, Tel Fils.

Sihanouk piqué au vif (2005-Mai-21)
King-Father rejects a $10 million donation from Brunei
         Samngatki : On 18 May 2005, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk turned down a $10 million donation from the Brunei-based “Sultan Haji Fund For development”. The King-Father has consistently reproached the current Cambodian government for indulging in corruption, mismanaging our national resources and shamefully turning Cambodia into a beggar nation. See King-Father’s rejection letter :

N.P. : Cher Samngatki, je ne sais rien de ce M. Henry Yusuf (en France ?) et du Sultan Haji Fund For development. Mais si l'ex-roi Sihanouk a pris la peine de leur répondre, c'est que c'était sérieux. Le gouvernement cambodgien est corrompu et rend misérable le petit peuple ? Raison de plus pour accepter ce don (s'il est sans conditions politiques). Tout ce qu'on a demandé au prince c'est de donner quatre noms de ONG (qu'il connaîtrait mieux que son fils le roi régnant). Je crois plutôt que Sihanouk, froissé par ses opposants et humilié d'être depuis longtemps à la remorque de la Chine et de la Corée du Nord, a voulu, pour une fois, soigner son amour-propre. Mais alors, ce serait ... un mendiant qui refuse l'aumône. Une absurdité de plus dans la vie politique du prince !

         Helen Grant Ross (1/12/04) : Darryl Collins, Historian and myself, have been researching the enlightened territorial development and high attainment in architecture that were part and parcel of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, for the past 5 years. Our manuscript is in the hands of a publisher. We have inventoried over 1300 works built between 1953 and 1970 and studied over one hundred in detail. Also we have established biographies for over 50 architects and engineers. I would like all your readers to know that the most remarkable construction of this period, the National Sports Complex, designed by Vann Molyvann, Architect dplg, is under threat of extinction if the public do not manifest their concern about the present work being done by Yuanta. In 2000 Yuanta and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, signed a contract in which a 70-year lease literally gave Yuanta "carte blanche" to build whatever they liked in the National Sports Complex. When I say "in'' I don't mean "around". They have built in the drainage system that surrounds the NSC. This tacky corrugated iron roofed structure brings in valuable rent from shopkeepers. At the same time it has destroyed the water treatment system that was an integral part of the NSC. Worse still, along Sihanouk Bd, 3-storey shops and apartments have been built without any foundations, supported only by the walls of the water tanks.
         Not only this is life-threatening to the ignorant people who might buy or rent these buildings, but the water has been drained and the underground water tanks transformed into paying car parks. The water tanks covered about 1/6th of the total land surface of the NSC and guaranteed the excellent drainage of the sports facilities especially during the wet monsoon. The state of the sports facilities is rapidly deteriorating. Although the well designed sports field survived over 30 years of neglect and was still being used until Yuanta took over, it is now unusable. As for the magnificent building that houses a sports hall seating 8.000 spectators, nobody can get access to it at present. The Centre for Social Development organized a Public Forum about this in December 2002 and a petition with 3.300 signatures was sent to Hun Sen. A clause in the contract allows for an audit of the quality of work done by Yuanta to be effected and a public enquiry should be set up to assess the consequences of this disastrous work to one of Cambodia's most important National Heritage.

           Rottanakvongsa : The building looks good. The National Sports Complex was ugly after the Khmer Rouge. [soc.culture.cambodia]

         N.P. : Moi, j'aime le style colonial pré-indépendance, comme ce vieux quartier de la ville de Kampong Cham. Les photos suivantes ont été prises sous le règne de l'association royalo-communiste Hun Sèn-Ranariddh, en été 2004.

GOD vs BUDDHA

camboDIATRIBE ( PRÉCÉDENT )

COURRI@L 2005

AUTRES SITES KHMERS

KUN PIMOJ 's HOMEPAGE

PHN@M-P@NH-P@TINS

FRAN-GLO-GIBWÉ

CANADA 3 FOUNDERS

MES EMAILS 2003

THE 6 COMMANDMENTS

MEET WITH GOD

PEN Nearovi, Montréal, Québec, Canada
(nearovi@sympatico.ca)