… With great pleasure to be able to return and join with all of you in this important ceremony, I am grateful to our people for entrusting me with this task of inaugurating the temple. I am considering this an honour. I wish to thank those involved in the construction of the temple under the leadership of venerable Ros Sin and currently of venerable Mut Ngorn. HE Tao Seng Huor and Mme are also playing important role in all progress achieved in the pagoda.
… The pagoda is said to be 175 years old, according to the report by HE Tep Nunnary, Governor of Kandal, but because Cambodia had gone through many disasters caused by wars, and the pagoda area was in one of the strategic and fighting zone, the pagoda suffered severe destructions. As far as I could remember, infiltration by (the liberation) forces (during the time of war of liberation between 1970 and 1975) had been made from Kiensvay and Koh Thom into what was then the special zone – Phnom Penh vicinity. What were left by war in that period was totally finished by the genocide regime and the fate of this pagoda was no different from others. This clearly indicates that no matter what has been done or achieved, as long as peace and political stability are absent, armed conflict would be taking place leading to human casualties and (material) destruction.
… It seems that now the pagoda is making a recovering turn. I wish to also mention the assistance rendered by the APSARA Association Fund administered by Ms Atuku Sato and various other fellow countrymen living abroad. I also wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the local authorities as well as our people residing along the Mekong River for the efforts they made collaboratively in overcoming the floods in 2000, 2001 and flood and drought in 2002. Taking this chance I would like to thank the CPP work team for Kandal province, especially for the district of Kiensvay, for their prompt interventions to assist our people in time of difficulties. It is this group in Kandal – which composed of HE Tao Seng Huor, Chumteav Ho Naun, Khuan Sudary, HE Heng Taikry, Hong Them, Em Sam An, Sam Pumnea, Lim Keanhor, Mom Chimhuy, Dul Koeun, etc.— who have reported our people’s living conditions and situation to me.
… As I am here today for the Buddhist event I wish to say a few things with regard to our people’s understanding of the Buddhist instruction. I wish to have your attention to the fact that despites we have belief in Buddhism and our practice have focussed in the pagoda, we should in any instance not neglect our duties for our parents, who are still well and alive. They are in fact our living Buddha. Talking about this I lost my mother because of (the incident in July 5-6, 1997, which resulted in) rocket launching to nearby my house and my mother was shocked and had fallen down causing her ribs to be broken. If there was not such incident I might to this day still have my mother with me. I lost my mother but I did not do anything in retaliation against anyone and kept patience for the sake of national interest. That is why I mentioned that the idea of “fish eating ants when the water rises, and ants do it otherwise when the water falls ” would result in an endless retaliation…
During the event, Samdech Hun Sen offered Riel 26 million to the pagoda of Russei Srok, Riel 3 million for the pagoda of Kompong Svay, one school building of five classrooms to the Primary School of Choeu Teal, one five-classroom school building to the village of Chanlak Krao, a sewing class building with fifty sewing machines to the Hun Sen-Serei Dey Doh College, and US$ 11,000 for the construction of a rural road in the commune of Choeu Teal.
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