The statues of Preah Thong and Neang Neak – Cambodia's biggest copper monument depicting the legendary co-founders of the Funan Kingdom – in Preah Sihanouk province. SPM
Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 16 inaugurated the statues of Preah Thong and Neang Neak – Cambodia’s biggest copper monument depicting the legendary co-founders of the Funan Kingdom – in Preah Sihanouk province, while also calling on the authorities to halt the enforcement of Covid-19 law during this traditional Khmer New Year holiday.
The statues are made entirely of copper and weigh a total of 60 tonnes. They are 21m high from the legendary king’s foundation to the crown and are placed on a throne that is 6.34m high.
They are installed in the centre of the Preah Thong-Neang Neak traffic roundabout, which has a diameter of 99m and faces the Ream Beach, the location in the legendary tale of the king Preah Thong who married a naga princess, Neang Neak, and met her parents at the bottom of the sea there.
According to legend, Preah Thong fell in love with Neang Neak at first sight when he saw her dancing on the beach with other Naga women, leading to their marriage where Preah Thong held the train of her bridal gown. They are considered the symbolic source of Khmer culture, civilisation, traditions and customs.
At the inauguration ceremony on the morning of April 16, Hun Sen spoke highly of the design done solely by a team of Cambodian sculptors. He said the monument reflects Khmer culture – one in which a man must approach a woman to propose marriage.
The premier said he was delighted back when he saw the statues on the first day of the Khmer New Year on April 14, when more than 860,000 people reportedly travelled as the government eventually permitted celebrations after a two-year Covid-19 hiatus.
He noted that the number of New Year revellers increased to more than 1.5 million on the second day, as Songkran festivities are organised across the country – in villages, pagodas, schools, public venues and tourist attractions.
“All of these are the results of our efforts from last year. What we have done in the past few months is for today. As I have publicly declared, this year we must allow Khmer New Year celebrations because we had missed it for two years already. Back then, we had not vaccinated enough people to reach herd immunity,” he said.
“Thanks to the high rate of vaccinations and comprehensive peace that we have achieved over the past 24 years, our people can now travel everywhere ... This is what makes me happy. We will see what happens after the New Year,” he said, referring to the possibility of an outbreak.
Hun Sen said he was also happy to see that there was no sign of a split or discrimination among Cambodian people, although they support different political parties that will contest the upcoming commune council elections.
On the pandemic, Hun Sen told authorities at all levels not to enforce Covid-19 law during or within a week after the holiday, unless there is a dangerous situation that warrants an official announcement. Meanwhile, he urged the public to join hands to practice preventive measures such as wearing a mask.
“As much as I am concerned, I will permit our people to travel and have fun at all places across the country. I also invite our compatriots living abroad to visit Cambodia because we don’t require a proof of PCR test 72 hours prior to their arrival. When you are here, you don’t need to take a test either,” he said.
The prime minister also recalled his bitter experience when he became partially blind in his left eye from injuries sustained 40 years ago on April 16 during the fall of Phnom Penh while initially fighting for the Khmer Rouge. He said the lesson from war which brought the country to its knees has since inspired his love for peace and strengthened his commitment to maintain it.
“Don’t wait until a war breaks out and then shout for peace; don’t wait until there is a war and then say peace is paramount. We have to see now that peace is paramount in all times, requiring us to protect it. No matter which party you are in, we all need to protect peace together,” he said.
And though the pandemic has been brought under control, he called on the public to remain vigilant and get tested should they have suspicious symptoms and get treatment when they test positive to avoid spreading the coronavirus. He noted that it would take one to two weeks to see if there is a large-scale outbreak after the New Year.
He also called on the public to respect the road traffic law and the authorities to maintain safety and public order for the public to enjoy the holiday.
