Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
characteristics,” Buddhism, a key facet of Khmer cultural identity, has naturally been of
crucial importance.
On September 10, 2011, a Buddhist monk gathered up his scant belongings and strolled
through the shady grounds of Wat Ounalom, the center of Cambodian Buddhism. After
passing frangipani trees and a sacred grey stupa believed to contain an eyebrow hair of
the Buddha, he walked through the tall carved gates facing the Tonlé Sap River, where
the tranquility of the walled temple grounds gave way to the heat and noise of the city
streets. The monk's name was Loun Sovath. He was 32 years old, with a broad jovial face
framed by thin-rimmed glasses. He had been evicted on the personal order of Non Nget,
the Supreme Patriarch of one of Cambodia's two main Buddhist sects. His crime was to
have taken part in public protests and to have offered blessings to people demonstrating
against the urban land evictions and other government abuses. According to the monastic
authorities, these activities “contradicted” Buddhist principles.
Sovath had been courting conflict with the authorities since March 2009, when a land
dispute erupted in his home village in the Chi Kraeng commune of Siem Reap. After po-
lice shot four protesting villagers, including his brother and nephew, the young monk took
over the demonstrations. “The community broke,” Sovath told me. “They were afraid,
scared, quiet … We needed to stand up. We needed solidarity.” Sovath's activism gained
momentum. He traveled the country, speaking to communities fighting land-grabs and
protecting forests. He became a fixture at protests across Cambodia, instantly recogniz-
able by his flame-colored robes, sunglasses, and beaming smile.
For as long as he can remember, Sovath had his heart set on entering the monkhood.
He began studying the
dharma
at the age of 12. Four years later he went to Oudong,
the former Cambodian capital, where he studied under Sam Bunthoeun, a charismatic
monk with a strong popular following. In sunbaked grounds at the foot of Oudong hill,
Bunthoeun had established a flourishing Buddhist Meditation Center that focused on
an imported strand of
vipassana
insight meditation. While at Oudong, Sovath came to
see a disjuncture between the cardinal values of Buddhism and his country's self-de-
structive political dynamics. “When I was studying Buddhism, I learnt about the laws of
Buddhism—justice, happiness, non-violence—and I compared it to the situation in Cam-
bodia,” he said, swiping a finger across his smartphone to check one of what seemed like
a constant stream of messages from allies and well-wishers. “I saw many problems in
Cambodian society.”
When he was 19 years old, Sovath attended the “Democracy Square” protests after the
1998 election. What he saw left a deep impression. Monks chanted and waved Buddhist
flags, leading demonstrations through the streets of Phnom Penh.
Wats
housing restive
monks were barricaded by the police, while others were beaten by government thugs.
During one protest two monks were shot outside the US embassy and fire trucks were
