Religions ‘resurrected’ on Jan 7, 1979, says PM
BETWEEN 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime attempted to destroy all traces of every religion in Cambodia, but on January 7, 1979, they were resurrected, said Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The premier recalled this while presiding over the inauguration of a new building at Preah Barami Vongkot Borey Pagoda in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on April 24.
“A Muslim once said that religions have no single brother or sister, but were all born on the same day, January 7, 1979,” he said.
He added that this was a true reflection of the history of Cambodia.
“Although the country had practiced Buddhism or Hinduism for a long time, the Khmer Rouge believed they could erase that by destroying the pagodas and temples,” he said.
“They could not erase the beliefs of the people. Whether they encountered Buddhism, Islam, Christianity or another religion, they could not claim the spiritual victory they tried to win,” he added.
Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng agreed that religion in Cambodia is different to most other countries.
“Most countries can trace their religious history back hundreds or even thousands of years. In Cambodia, Buddhism and all other religions are just 44 years old,” he said.
“Religions in Cambodia were resurrected after the liberation on January 7, 1979, and has continued to grow to date,” he explained.
He noted that Phnom Penh currentlyhas150pagodas,which are home to 8,029 monks.
Preah Barami Vongkot Borey Pagoda covers 18,290sqm and houses 24 monks. Construction of the new building began in December 2016 and was completed in August 2022, at a cost of more than $880,000.