Wired serves up a worth-reading Associated press report on Cambodia’s blogging former monarch.:
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — "I thank you for insulting me." Thus blogged
former King Norodom Sihanouk to a critic of his support of gay
marriage. He didn’t share any of the insulting e-mails with his
readers, but noted: "My country, Cambodia, has chosen to be a liberal
democracy since 1993. Every Cambodian … including the King has the
right to express freely their view."
It was one of thousands of commentaries that fill the website
of the world’s most colorful and pugnacious royal blogger, offering
Sihanouk’s views on anything from environmental rape through Hollywood
stars and killer spouses to the rough-and-tumble of Cambodian politics.
On the support for gay marriage mentioned in the first paragraph, it’s worth noting that this has added to speculation about Shianouk’s son, the current king Norodom Sihamoni. Shiamoni is a 52-year old bachelor and a Prague-trained ballet dancer, so such rumors are natural.
Rumors about the sexual orientation of members of royal families are common everywhere, so its no surprise that such talk exists about Sihamoni.
No, the weird thing about Sihamoni is that he’s also a Pyongyang-trained filmmaker.
