The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 523
ACTORS NOT ALLOWED TO GO TO KOREA, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT ACCEPT $300
NOT ALL MONEY FROM THE Gyeongju Exhibition HAS BEEN PAID TO ACTORS
“Phnom Penh: Actors of the Department of Arts and Movies said that they will demonstrate, raising banners to protest against the leadership of the Ministry, asking to show them Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen’s writing to the actors which the leadership of the Ministry hides.
“The actors said on 28 August, Tuesday morning, that 228 actors had submitted a letter to Samdech Prime Minister on 3 July asking for sympathy to provide $700 compensation [for each of them] in exchange for leaving for a new location, which is said to be a temporary site. The actors, whose names are not given, said after submitting the request, Samdech Prime Minister wrote on 16 July to Mr. Khim Sarit, secretary of state of the Ministry of Culture, to solve the issue for the actors, but the writing of Samdech Prime Minister was not shown to them. The actors added that they will protest on 31 August.
“The actors raised questions and said that if they had seen Samdech Prime Minister’s writing to them, saying that they have to receive only $300 each, they would not have protested and they would have received such payments according to Samdech’s writing. – But why did the Ministry not bring the letter of Samdech Prime Minister so that it would have been shown publicly to the actors? Why is it hidden? They were shown only the upper part of the letter; as for the lower part, it was not shown to them by the leadership of the Ministry.
“The actors stressed, ‘We believe in the head of the Royal Government; therefore, we have worked for the government since 1979, so we know that Samdech pities us and all people who face difficulties.’
“Concerning the departure for performances at the Gyeongju Exhibition in Korea in the near future, the leadership of the Department of Arts and Movies removed those who protested and refused to receive only $300, replacing them with actors from the Royal School of Fine Arts and from associations of poor and orphaned children, whose performances are of limited quality when presenting the national symbols to the world.
“Ms. Kanha, who was removed from the list and is not allowed by the department to go for performances in Korea, because she refused to receive the $300, said, ‘I am not allowed to go to Korea because I refused to receive the $300.’ She continued, ‘The leadership of the department does not allow the actors of the department to go neither to Vietnam nor to Korea for performances this time, because we protested.’
“The actors said that Mr. Mao Keng, the president of the Department of Arts and Movies, threatened the actors, ‘If anyone refuses to receive $300, they will have to be excluded for five years and they will not be allowed to go for performances abroad.’
“Mr. Mao Keng, the head of the Department of Arts and Movies, could not be reached for comments on the accusation, because his telephone was switched off.
“Ms. Kanha and the actors in the department added that as for the money for the actors who performed in the Angkor-Gyeongju Exhibition in Siem Reap since last year, the whole amount has not yet been paid to the actors. They said, ‘The department leaders have eaten until their bellies were broken [= they have taken too much, so the scandal is finally revealed].’
“Regarding this issue, Mr. Chea Vanthan, vice-president of the Department of Accounting and Finance of the Ministry of Culture, said that at that time, the leadership of the Ministry thought to do their best [for the performances]; therefore they added the actors. He continued, ‘This is not a big problem. It does not relate to tens of thousands of dollars. It is less than $1,000. I will solve this issue.’
“Mr. Hang Sot, technical director-general of the Ministry of Culture, said that the reason why the money has not been paid to the actors is because the amount was already spent but not according to the budget line; therefore there is now a shortage of money for the actors. He went on to say, ‘If the implementation had been conducted appropriately, we would not have had this problem.’ He refused to say who caused the expenses outside of the budget line.
Mr. Khim Sarit, the secretary of state of the Ministry of Culture, who is in charge of providing the money of $300 to each actor, said that the Ministry cannot provide the money to the actors as they demand. The government decided to provide the actors only $300 each.
He continued that the relocation does not involve the sale of the old location – the government leases the old location out; thus, the actors have to move to a new location.
“Concerning the actors’ accusation against him for hiding the writing of Samdech Prime Minister and not showing it to the actors, Mr. Khim Sarit explained that Samdech did not write to him, but he told him directly to solve the issue in a specific way. He continued, ‘How can anybody dare to abuse Samdech’s writing, even if I swallowed 20 tiger gall bladders [to be brave like a tigers], I would not dare to put my head into such a trap.’
“He went on to say, ‘If it were the writing of another person, I would dare to do it; but the writing of Samdech, I would not – no no. If Samdech would have told me to provide the actors $700 each, I would have followed his advice.’
“Mr. Khim Sarit continued to respond about the selection of actors to go abroad, explaining that for the Angkor-Gyeongju Exhibition in Siem Reap a big number of actors – from 200 to 300 – was needed, but to go to Korea, Korea does not receive that many actors; therefore the department selects those who are important, because the number of actors and delegates to participate in Korea is only 50 to 60.
“Mr. Khim Sarit continued that the move to the new location is to be conducted in two or three months. This is also land of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. Luckily the ministry retains the land, so the Department of Arts and Movies does not have to more far to Prey Sar. Hence, there is no exchange [of pieces of land involved] like the actors said, claiming that the new location is a rented site.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4375, 29.8.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Deum Ampil, Vol.2, #33, 29.8-4.9.2007
- Prime Minister Warns Not to Request the National Assembly to Remove the Immunity of Samdech Euv [Father King]
- Rain Storm Destroys More Than 40 Houses in Dangkao District [Phnom Penh]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1430, 29.8.2007
- Demand for Removal of Samdech Euv’s Immunity Is Cruel [says Prime Minister Hun Sen]
- Delegation of German Parliament Studies Development in Cambodia
- Thai General Election Will Be Held on 23 December 2007
- Russia Sells 40 Warplanes to India
- Venezuela Buys 5,000 Sniper Rifles from Russia
- Plane Crash in Congo Kills 13 People on Board
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.1, #13, 29.8.2007
- Court Plans to Release 14 Accused Regarding Substances for Producing Drugs in Traeng Trayueng [Phnom Sruoch, Kompong Speu]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6130, 29.8.2007
- Preah Mohavirak Khsatr [the Great Heroic King Sihanouk] Expresses Thanks to the Cambodian People’s Party for Providing Him Justice [rejecting demand for removal of his immunity]
- Man Tries to Rape [22-year-old] Unmarried Woman, Kills Her, and Leaves Her Body Nude [he is arrested – Moung, Battambang]
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4375, 29.8.2007
- Actors Prepare to Raise Banners to Demonstrate Demanding Ministry of Culture Leaders Show Them Samdech Prime Minister’s Writing
- [Bambang Sudibyo] Indonesian Minister of Education Visits Cambodia
- Kratie Forestry Administration Officials Seize More Than 200 Logs of Sralao Wood Transported in Firewood Raft
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #3124, 29.8.2007
- Prime Minister Prepares to Defeat Group That Demands Removal of Samdech Euv’s Immunity
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #490, 29.8.2007
- Sam Rainsy Calls for Financial Contributions to Hold Party Congress in Early September
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