Sihanouk: Ruom Ritt is not Ruom Ritt (sic!)

It takes two to Tango: Did the master get caught in his own game?

Sihanouk making appearance to reject the appearance of Ruom Ritt

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Source: Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media

King-Father Norodom Sihanouk was forced to make an appearance to declare that the person who claimed to be Ruom Ritt and whose voice can be heard on interviews recently, is not his childhood friend Ruom Ritt.

In a communiqué dated 23 Feb, Sihanouk wrote that Ruom Ritt, his childhood friend, who is currently living in France (in the Pyrenees), is very old and very ill. He could no longer write articles for publication anymore. Therefore, the hero-king said from Beijing that: “Right now, if there is any group or any individual who claimed to be Ruom Ritt, then he is a fake Ruom Ritt.”

Sihanouk’s reaction came immediately after Prince Thomico, Sihamoni’s advisor, officially informed him to the fact. Thomico who is Sihanouk’s own nephew, reported to the ex-king that a radio station known as the “World Khmer Radio” broadcasted on 19 Feb phone interviews with Ruom Ritt on border issues. In his report, Thomico claimed that the interview used the border topic as a mean to attack King Sihamoni and the monarchy because these two institutions are accused of being lax in the defense of Cambodia’s territorial integrity. Thomico said: “All observers know that Mr. Ruom Ritt does not keep contact with anybody else other than the revered king [Sihanouk]. Therefore, the appearance of Mr. Ruom Ritt is nothing more than a bad trick. Furthermore, in addition to this trick, the interview was a subterfuge to blame and to create hatred against the Cambodian monarchy.”

More than 5 years ago, Ruom Ritt, whom Sihanouk claimed to be his childhood friend, made his appearance in the Cambodian political scene through correspondence exchange with Sihanouk. At that time, Ruom Ritt severely criticized Hun Xen’s regime, so much so that the latter reacted and attacked back by using vulgar words on Ruom Ritt. Since then, Ruom Ritt disappeared into oblivion.