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Khmer Times/Taing Vida
Thursday, 03 November 2016
The body of former Prime Minister Pen Sovann, who passed away on Saturday aged 80, was transported by opposition leaders and hundreds of others yesterday from Takeo province to Wat Thann in Phnom Penh for his funeral on Sunday.
Yem Ponhearith, chairman of the funeral organizing committee and Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) spokesman, said Mr. Sovann’s body will be kept until Sunday as planned to give people time to participate and offer condolences, but added that the cremation location remains uncertain as the family and local authorities have yet to come to an agreement.
“Mr. Sovann’s family and the CNRP want his body to be cremated at the park in front of Wat Botum pagoda, but the working team hasn’t agreed yet,” he said. “For me, [Mr. Sovann] was a man of principle and was dedicated to the nation. Everyone understands differently, but the history is true that he is a legend.”
Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada said authorities decided to deny the request to cremate Mr. Sovann’s body in the capital and asked the family have him cremated in the suburbs instead.
“There is nothing special about his body. We already agreed to the procession in Phnom Penh, which has never happened before,” he said. “According to tradition, people who die at their homeland are not brought to Phnom Penh. Now, nobody is allowed to be cremated in Phnom Penh.”
Although Mr. Sovann was the first Cambodian prime minister after the fall of the Khmer Rouge and is treated by many citizens as a hero, no government officials or members of the ruling party have publicly offered their condolences.
Cheng Davy, a 37-year-old citizen from Kampong Speu province, said she loved and deemed Mr. Sovann a hero, although she had heard rumors that he was not a patriot.
“I’ve learned some history and heard from the old people that he was the one who helped the nation, he loved the nation,” she said. “It’s time for the young Cambodian generation to stand up and support patriots and prevent foreigners from invading our territory all the time.”
Clik here to view.
Khmer Times/Taing Vida
Thursday, 03 November 2016
The body of former Prime Minister Pen Sovann, who passed away on Saturday aged 80, was transported by opposition leaders and hundreds of others yesterday from Takeo province to Wat Thann in Phnom Penh for his funeral on Sunday.
Yem Ponhearith, chairman of the funeral organizing committee and Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) spokesman, said Mr. Sovann’s body will be kept until Sunday as planned to give people time to participate and offer condolences, but added that the cremation location remains uncertain as the family and local authorities have yet to come to an agreement.
“Mr. Sovann’s family and the CNRP want his body to be cremated at the park in front of Wat Botum pagoda, but the working team hasn’t agreed yet,” he said. “For me, [Mr. Sovann] was a man of principle and was dedicated to the nation. Everyone understands differently, but the history is true that he is a legend.”
Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada said authorities decided to deny the request to cremate Mr. Sovann’s body in the capital and asked the family have him cremated in the suburbs instead.
“There is nothing special about his body. We already agreed to the procession in Phnom Penh, which has never happened before,” he said. “According to tradition, people who die at their homeland are not brought to Phnom Penh. Now, nobody is allowed to be cremated in Phnom Penh.”
Although Mr. Sovann was the first Cambodian prime minister after the fall of the Khmer Rouge and is treated by many citizens as a hero, no government officials or members of the ruling party have publicly offered their condolences.
Cheng Davy, a 37-year-old citizen from Kampong Speu province, said she loved and deemed Mr. Sovann a hero, although she had heard rumors that he was not a patriot.
“I’ve learned some history and heard from the old people that he was the one who helped the nation, he loved the nation,” she said. “It’s time for the young Cambodian generation to stand up and support patriots and prevent foreigners from invading our territory all the time.”
