============================================================== |SJD's Fifth annual conference is June 30-July 2, 2000. We're| |almost there. Please help the hosting crew by registering if| |you plan to attend the conference. Log on to the conference | | homepage at http://www.satjadham.net/sjd5sd/ | ============================================================== There was one incident related to the opening of casino in Thakek. During the Boun (festival) at the temple, a bomb was planted in a LumVong (Lao dance) floor from a big time lost gambler. When the bomb exploded, it took away many lives. Among one of the many victims was my friend's dad. He was a colonel with a promising career laying ahead of him. With the loss, my friend's mom had to take him out of the school and devoid me of a friend when his family moved away from Thakek shortly. I met him again briefly in Vientiane before he fled across the Mekong river right after the Communist had taken Laos. Also, at about the same time, the Christians came to proselytize Thakekian. To me, it was odd to make people change their faith. Of course, I was familiar with Catholicm since I was schooled in a Catholic school but they didn't come out strongly against Buddhism as these Protestant missionaries were doing. Their language was harsh, crude and self-congratulating. I was not surprised to learn that many Thakekian just ignored their presence despite the fact they distributed books, leaflets, and even made an attempt to vilify the teachings of Buddha at the very Buddhist temple. You can say foreign ideology and foreign religion come and go but true ideology (Khuam Penh Lao) and longtime religion (Buddhism) would always be with the Lao. That shows how strong our Lao culture is. Talking about culture, there was one person who could typify Lao culture. Unfortunately, he took the path that most Lao people found detestable. Born of a royal blood from the South, he enjoyed the privilege most Lao could only dream of. Instead, he misused his power. First, his family sided with the Siamese. When it was his turn to make a mark, he sided with the French partly out of distrust of the royal family from the North and partly out of his own vested interest. I guess any Lao older than 30 would know him. He was Chao Boun Oum Na Champassak. Some claimed that he could render himself invisible or by shrinking himself into the bottle. Some more claimed that wherever he went, he always had the village, the town provided him with a young girl. Strange as it was, those images lingered in our people's minds. One time, he came to the post office with the French bodyguards. Because of his big body and French bodyguards, he seemed to be an alien even in his own country. That was the only time I saw him. I, sincerely, hope that his descendants will learn from his mistakes and serve their people/country as their high status and privilege are entitled them to. (to be contined) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ _ ***************************************************************** To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: LanXang Siengkhene *****************************************************************