LTO Cambodia: Sihanouk in the Moon

Monday, October 22, 2012

Sihanouk in the Moon

Moon on the night of October 21, 2012

Mourners gaze at the moon, front of Royal Palace, afternoon of October 22.

Last night (October 21) at around 8:00PM I received the first of several SMS's from friend saying that people were seeing "Sihanouk's face in the moon," and to "look up now." I was at home so I walked out to the street to get a better view and found several other people already out gazing at the moon. My neighbors stood in front of their house and a couple of passing motorcycles had stopped in the street. Everybody was staring skyward, pointing and talking. I looked up. The moon was clearly visible. It was almost at First Quarter (perhaps still a 49% waxing crescent.) Though high clouds obscured the view at times, the moon could be seen clearly for several minutes at a time. I looked at it for a good long while but couldn't see the face in the moon, at least not specifically Sihanouk's face. My neighbors, on the other hand, appeared quite convinced and stared in wonder. The guard across the street seemed far less persuaded, but didn't press his skepticism. Social media came absolutely alive with moon talk for hours after and again today. Many, many people saw it. Dozens of different photos of the moon were posted on Twitter, Facebook and internet forums, some obviously photoshopped to show Sihanouk's face. On internet, where people are less inhibited in expressing opinion, debates flashed, skeptics calling it mass hysteria and superstition, and some believers citing a lack of respect or even moral fault in those unable to see it.

Last night's moon is still a major topic of conversation today (October 22) amongst the mourners at the Palace. And as the moon was visible during the daytime today, people on the street were still craning their heads toward the moon in the hope of getting a glimpse of the King Father.

Today several of the photo vendors at the Royal Palace are selling photos of last night's moon alongside their regular selection of Sihanouk photos. All of the following photos were purchased from photo vendor in front of the Royal Palace.

Photo sold by vendors in front of the Palace. Moon on the night on October 21, 2012.

Photo sold by vendors in front of the Palace. Moon on the night on October 21 with a superimposed image of Sihanouk.

Photo sold by vendors in front of the Palace, purportedly of the moon on the night on October 21, but the phase does not seem correct. The moon on the 21st was at First Quarter. The moon in this photo looks like a waxing gibbous.

Photo sold by vendors in front of the Palace, purportedly of the moon over the Palace on the night on October 21, but the scale does not seem correct.

Links:

VOA Khmer: What Cambodians think about tonight moon on our Facebook Page
Phnom Penh Post: Sihanouk’s 'face in the moon'
Phnom Penh Post: One small step for vendors
CTN News (video, See 9:47): Face SM Norodom Sihanouk in the Moon
Au Cambodge, on voit le roi-père Sihanouk dans la lune

3 comments:

Khmer destroyed by the kingOctober 29, 2012 at 5:36 AM
I'm asking for those of you who believed King Sihanouk's face in the moon to use your commense. Why do you believe the king has that kind of ability to project his face on the moon after dead?
if he had that kind of power then you should be able to do the following:
1. He should be able to avoid deadth if he has that power.
2. He should not go and die at someone else land. he should be able to stay at his own and be proud. this is a simple ability and any mankind can do, why couldnt he?
3. He put millions of lives live in hell, like Khmer Krom, Khmer Sarin, people who died under Polpot. this is a simple ability..
4. He powerless in his kingdom, he wasnt able to make any kind of politic decission.
5. His own citizen kicked him out of the country. he as to died at someone else land.
6. if he possessed somekind of power after dead, why can't he project his image world wide to show his power?
7. Why can't he use his power to kick all the Vietnamese out from Cambodia? millions of vietnamese imgrate to cambodia every day.
9. why can't he use his power to gain back his kingdom power?

10.. etc..

This is common sense....
The Cambodian kingdom is destroy by this king generation, the current king and king sihanouks does not deserved to be respected, but they deserved to release from their power and be a normal citizen. Millions of lives were surffered and surfering by this king.
thank you...
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DelimaNovember 5, 2012 at 7:20 AM
Consider to visit Cambodia someday...thanks for sharing.
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Cambodia

Cambodia is Srok Khmer, the 'Land of the Khmer,' the primary ethnic group in the area since at least the Neolithic and an Indian influenced civilization with origins near 2000 years old. Centered on the lower Mekong and tributaries the Khmer people have dominated the region for millennia. From 2nd century AD Khmer kingdoms rose and fell, culminating in unification and the 500 year reign of the Angkorian Empire, the builders of the temples of Angkor near Siem Reap. The Empire stretched from Burma to the ocean. But by the 1400s Cambodia fell to centuries of change and decline squeezed between the expanding Siam and Vietnam. Colonized and by the French in the 1860s, independence 90 years later in 1954, a brief post-colonial 'golden period' under Sihanouk, coup in 70, civil war, fall to the communist Khmer Rouge in 75, 3 years 8 months 20 days of madness, Vietnamese rescue in 1979, occupation, low level war and international sanctions in the 80s, the UN, ostensive democracy and an adventure party destination in the 90s and now mainstreaming, tourism, rapid development, rapacious capitalism and NGOs, missionaries and other international busybodies aplenty.

Southeast Asia

As the term implies, Southeast Asia encompasses the southeastern corner of the Asian continent, loosely speaking, the area between India, China and Australia. It is made up of two distinct regions: the mainland zone, a bulbous peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, bounded by China to the north and India to the west; and the insular (island) zone in the Pacific Ocean. The name 'Southeast Asia' is a comparatively recent invention, first coming into use into the 20th century and still a bit indefinite in definition. Mainland Southeast Asia is generally considered to include Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and peninsular Malaysia. The mainland is sometimes referred to as Indo-China though Indochina (Indochine) also designates the 19th/20th century French colonial conglomerate of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Sitting south of the Tropic of Cancer, most of mainland Southeast Asia lies in the hot, humid tropics and sub-tropics with a climate dominated by a monsoon cycle which divides the year into two distinct seasons: a dry season and an extremely wet monsoon season. Much of the mainland is mountainous and thickly jungled, with large river systems and wide, low-lying, flood-prone plains, much of which is, in modern times, deforested and blanketed with geometrical rice paddies. Several major river valleys including the Mekong River, the Red, Ma and Ka rivers and the group of rivers draining to the Chao Praya Delta played host to the rise of early civilization in the area. The Mekong River is one of the world's greatest rivers, the seventh largest on the planet, and since pre-history has been closely associated with the land of the Khmer.