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Gov’t officials criticized the half-naked Apsara dancers on Website |
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Gov’t officials criticized the half-naked Apsara dancers on Website
December 19th, 2008
Author: vutha
CAMBODIAN BLOGGER
With publication of half-naked Khmer women dressed in the traditional clothing of Apsara dancers on the local-Khmer newspapers, government officials, political politicians and Cambodian people expressed concerns about the negative impact of the bare-breasted illustration on Cambodian women, culture and the country.
Reahu, owned by Cambodian-American, is the US-based website featuring the illustration of half-naked women dancers and the owner of the site said that
“I believe in constructive criticisms! But lately, I’ve received many unwanted complaints regarding some of my works disgraced the Khmer culture. Judging from the complaints, I wonder how we as Khmer will be able to make it in the 21st Century. Please be open-minded, you must be able to see beyond the four walls surrounding your hut. So please! My prohook eating brothers and sisters this is art, one mans point of view captured on canvas: An admiration of Apsaras as celestial beings. If this brings down the Khmer culture, then your Khmer culture is still under the Khmer Rouge. So, I take the pleasure of deleting them. A good Khmer Rouge is a naked one”
The ministry of Women Affair plan to send letter to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications to shut down the Site and send other letter to Site owner about the dedication of the Cambodian women on the Site, but it is impossible to shut down the site.
According the Cambodia Daily, the owner of the Website, Cambodian-American Rich Lor, defended his art by saying that even though he had received many complaints about his site, and he did not agree with the criticism. He added that he does not see how admiration can turn into disgrace and said that people need to keep an open-mind.
Chuch Phoeurn, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said that the images were only available on the Internet and therefore, their impact would be minimal, The Daily reported.
Message on the site read that On August 24th, we can put our artworks on T-shirts, mugs, mouse pads etc. and sell them at the festival. All proceeds will go to charity in Cambodia and it is a chance for us to promote Khmer arts.
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