Happy New Year សួស្តីឆ្នាំថ្មី ២00៨

To end 2007 year and starting new 2008 I would like to link this post entry to the microphone sound of Khmer classic love song by Huy Meas and Sin Sisamut.

I don't know what year this song came out. But I am sure it's at least recorded 5 years before I was born. This would make it a pre-1975 recording.

I would like to thank to JS, (picture below) for sending me the song. Click on the picture will link to her website.
I've been listening to this piece over and over. I love Miss Huy Meas voice !! And, Mr. Sin Sinsamut legendary voice proved he was and is truly the all-time king of Khmer music .

The song title is "Thida Kloak Thep". I've transcribed the song lyrics in Khmer Unicode below. It's so poetic. Listening to songs like this, I will soon couldn't help not to fall in love :)

Happy New Year !---- Vanak, Phnom Penh.

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Click "PLAY" button on the Esnips player to hear "Thida Kloak Thep" song. Enjoy!

" ធីតាឃ្លោកទិព្យ​ " ហួយ​​ មាស​ -- ស៊ីន ស៊ីសាមុត
ស្រី--​ អូនចង់តែស្ទុះទៅត្រកង តែខ្លាចបង អ្នកមិនប្រណី...ប្រណី​អោយស្រីខ្មាសអៀនស្នេហា...​ ​ដូចផ្កា ចោលក្លឹន ពីម្ចាស់ថ្នមថែ....

ប្រុស--​ បងស្រលាញ់ បងស្រលាញ់អូន លុះថ្ងៃសូន្យ ក៏មិនគេចកែ... បងស្នេហ៍តែស្រីលុះក្ស័យសង្ខារ...​ ប្រាថ្នា រៀបការជាគូរមេត្រី

ស្រី--​ ហ៊ី..... ហ៊ី..... សូមអោយ តែពិត ដូចពាក្យបងវាចា....
ប្រុស--​ ហូ.... ហូ.... បងមិនមុសា ដល់ស្នេហាទេ

ស+ប-- យើងរួមសុខទុក្ខ​ជាមួយគ្នា ហើយសច្ចារ ថាមិនចោលស្នេហ៍....ដូចផ្កាយរះមិនឆ្ងាយពីដួងខែ...​ ចាំតែ​ ជាស្នេហ៍អស់មួយជីវិត ។។

Madame President of the Cambodian Red Cross

ប៉ុន្មានអាទិត្យកន្លង ទៅនេះ ខ្ញុំមាន កិច្ចការមមាញឹកខ្លាំងណាស់ ខ្ញុំទៅជួយច្រូតស្រូវ ម៉ែខ្ញុំនៅឯ ភូមិកំណើត បានជាខ្ញុំ មិនមានពេលចូលមក internet. For the past weeks I was so busy. I was helping my mom harvesting rice at my birth village. That's the reson I was away from computer.

Oh how I could ever getting away from the internet ! Reading news from all over the world. Here from our home last Saturday and Sunday 15 & 16 of December, there appeared to be some quite important event was happening!!. In Tuol Kork district, Phnom Penh all TV stations were broadcasting live on the grand opening of a new Cambodian Red Cross building.

Huge canvas tents were erected. Loud speakers incessantly made announcement on praising of the current CPP leaders with 'great guidance' of leading the country. The attendees responded with " Jeyo jeyo jeyo ! ". I thought there's nothing great about the current government. For nearly 30 years (Since January 1979) the same party is still running and ruining the country. My Cambodia is still one of the the poorest and most corrupted countries on earth.

There were a lot of important people. They stepped out from shiny black Mercedes onto the red carpet. Prime Minister Hun Sen was there and also King Sihamoni.

Among all the people who came the grand opening ceremony of the building, I couldn't help noticing the Madame President of the Cambodian Red Cross, Chumteav Bun Rani Hun Sen. To me she seems to getting a little fatter ក្រមាប់​ ម៉ាប់ each time I see her on TV. It's true. Her face is getting bigger. A click of thought came to me. How did Madame Bun Rani Hun Sen become the President of the Cambodian Red Cross? What is her qualification ? Who elected her ?

OK. I think too much. Bye for now.

Vanak.
Phnom Penh

The people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power

Here in Srok Khmer among my fellow Cambodians I feel am one of the lucky fews who could read write both in Khmer and English fairly fluently. My ability to understand the English language has really opening up my way of thinking in understanding the changes around me and the rest of the world.

On the current world event I couldn't help comparing Mr. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to my current prime minister Hun Sen.

Yesterday Venezuelan people has voted "NO" and rejected Mr Chavez to become a president for life or until he's 96 years old. I would like to respect Mr. Hugo Chavez accepting his defeat on the ballot he put for voters. He's sad for his current presidency term ends in 2012. He assured the public "Venezuelan democracy is maturing...from this moment on, let's be calm " . He doesn't want people to protest. He continued " There's no dictatorship here."

This make me think about our Prime Minister Hun Sen of whom his CPP has cling on to power since 1979. Twenty-eight years--it's just been too long. PM Hun Sen lately said "បើប្រជារាស្ត្របោះឆ្នោតអោយ អញនឹងធ្វើ នាយករដ្ធមន្ត្រីអស់មួយជីវិត"​-- the language PM Hun Sen chose to use here is like a leader of a gangster mafia talks. He's so arrogant in his speech. It's beyond the English translation "If the people continue to vote for me, I (aign) will be [their] prime minister for life !!". Nobody holding any public offices using derogatory word "aign" in any public speeches like PM Hun Sen at all. Khmer language newspaper here published that Vietnamese settlers always vote for his party. I know for sure giving a fair election at western standard, PM Hun Sen CPP has no chance of winning at all.

Prime Minister Hun Sen built countless schools and named bridges, canals, recreation parks after him. PM Minister maybe good for Cambodia but I still certainly wouldn't want him to be my prime minister for life.

I am optimist my Cambodia will one day come out of this infancy stage of democracy. And I truly hope my PM Hun Sen could learn something from this current world event.

Let me end by stating a quote from American politician, Nicholas Burns commented to the Venezuela voters: "In a country that wants to be a democracy, the people spoke, and the people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power."

ពីខ្ញុំ
Vanak,
Phnom Penh