Lèse-majesté in Cambodia
Feb 1, 2013 22:50:06 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2013 22:50:06 GMT
Our late friend hwinpp probably would have had all sorts of insights about this, but in his absence I need to mention recent developments in Phnom Penh and the rest of the country.
Today, the official funeral ceremonies for former King Norodom Sihanouk began and they will last until February 4th with his cremation. King Sihanouk died on 15 October 2012 (but he had abdicated in favour of his son in 2004), and the various funeral ceremonies have been going on for 15 weeks.
The high point was of course the apparition of the face of King Sihanouk on the surface of the moon one week after his death.
It was when a Thai journalist accidentally put her foot near a newspaper showing the death of the king on the front page that the lèse-majesté sentiments started to boil. This was particularly exacerbated by the fact that lèse-majesté is prosecuted very often in Thailand when any lack of respect is shown to the king. (I remember that when I went to see Titanic in Bangkok and they showed the national anthem with images of the king before the film, I stood up along with everybody else and would never have dared to do otherwise.)
The Thai minister of foreign affairs was forced to apologise, and the journalist returned to the scene of the "crime" to show her regret and then back at the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, she prosterned herself in front of a portrait of King Sihanouk while being filmed by Cambodian journalists.
Then on October 23rd, there was a new incident when a Chinese foreman in a Cambodian factory got angry when she saw the workers admiring photos of the miraculous apparition of the king on the moon and tore up the pictures. After the workers protested, she was arrested and handcuffed and had to ask forgiveness in front of a portrait of the king before being deported.
In any case, the idea of lèse-majesté had never before existed in the country, but it definitely does now. Foreign observers see this as a warning that the Sihanouk years must not be criticised.
As for King Sihamoni, only time will tell.
Today, the official funeral ceremonies for former King Norodom Sihanouk began and they will last until February 4th with his cremation. King Sihanouk died on 15 October 2012 (but he had abdicated in favour of his son in 2004), and the various funeral ceremonies have been going on for 15 weeks.
The high point was of course the apparition of the face of King Sihanouk on the surface of the moon one week after his death.
It was when a Thai journalist accidentally put her foot near a newspaper showing the death of the king on the front page that the lèse-majesté sentiments started to boil. This was particularly exacerbated by the fact that lèse-majesté is prosecuted very often in Thailand when any lack of respect is shown to the king. (I remember that when I went to see Titanic in Bangkok and they showed the national anthem with images of the king before the film, I stood up along with everybody else and would never have dared to do otherwise.)
The Thai minister of foreign affairs was forced to apologise, and the journalist returned to the scene of the "crime" to show her regret and then back at the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, she prosterned herself in front of a portrait of King Sihanouk while being filmed by Cambodian journalists.
Then on October 23rd, there was a new incident when a Chinese foreman in a Cambodian factory got angry when she saw the workers admiring photos of the miraculous apparition of the king on the moon and tore up the pictures. After the workers protested, she was arrested and handcuffed and had to ask forgiveness in front of a portrait of the king before being deported.
In any case, the idea of lèse-majesté had never before existed in the country, but it definitely does now. Foreign observers see this as a warning that the Sihanouk years must not be criticised.
As for King Sihamoni, only time will tell.