With No Faith In Courts, Embattled Turn to Prayer
Clutching bunches of incense, mouths moving in tandem, those gathered before the Preah Ang Dang Keu Shrine on Sisowath Boulevard late last month migth have passed for any group of supplicants save for a notable exception: The prayer was aimed at the judiciary. When supporters of imprisoned Beehive Radio owner Mam Sonando gathered at the shrine to seek the intervention of spirits to release him-a prayer they have now staged twice since Mr. Sonando’s July 15 arrest-they unwittingly became part of a new trend. Having lost faith in the court’s ability to address their problems, many are seeking the intervention of higher powers. … Turning to religion in time of need is, of course, nothing new. But the growing vitriol of these prayer ceremonies, and the obligatory placing of curses, is doubtless reflective of a growing desperation. …
