"The Kingdom of"/ Part Ten: "The King, His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni"

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for the interest in my book and for the number of letters I had received from you.
Also, please be advised that the full version of my book "The Kingdom of" will be exclusively posted on the site of Cambodia Business Network at: http://www.cambodiabusinessnetwork.com/ Blog of Gregory Shukhman

Read "The Kingdom of" part nine here.

Part Ten: The King, His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni

We had accompanied Bunnaroeun to his car and agreed that tomorrow at 8:30 we would be waiting for him at the lobby of the hotel to follow the meeting with the King.

The Cambodiana Hotel was festive and colorful with celebration because of a Khmer wedding that took place. It was filled with flowers and national costumes. For us, there was no desire to leave the hotel in search of something better.

We remained in the lobby, attracted to the wedding. After some time, an assistant of the hotel’s owner approached us. I had the pleasure of meeting the assistant on the beautiful evening of my initial arrival. He was always cheerful probably because his classes in Soviet’s circus school included the improvement of such a gift. Our friendly conversation moved to the Qba bar, where we comfortably situated ourselves in our corner table. After having a few drinks, our conversation became even more animated.

Our “circus man,” as we called our new friend, had invited us on behalf of his Boss, the hotel owner Oknha Kith Meng, to have lunch with them at Mr. Meng’s residence the next day. Such an invitation was accepted with great honor. With the hotel owner is was always a matter of respect. We confirmed that our party would have four people, including Bunnaroeun. I noticed that the news that Bunnaroeun would be with us puzzled our friend, but he said that everything was fine.

I noticed earlier that certain hostility was present between Bunnaroeun and the hotel owner. Bunnaroeun told some of his conjectures, which were more similar to gossip about Kith Meng and his family relations.

Neither story had any evidence of any sort. Moreover, for as long as I had highly respected Mr. Meng, I attributed the stories to jealousy. I decided that Bunnaroeun simply was afraid of further contact with Mr. Meng which is what caused him to refuse backing our vessel heading toward a bright future.

Therefore, the news that we were invited to a lunch with Mr. Meng, especially one day after seeing the King, had a kind of spiritual arrival instead of one of coincidence. This brought our group a feeling of excitement, like we would usually feel after receiving the prosperity of God’s will. The spirit of the Kingdom at the Cambodiana Hotel became more relative to us. It symbolized the future of Cambodia.

Waiting for Saturday did not take long. At 7:30am my brother Bunnaroeun phoned me, announcing that he was having breakfast at the Cambodiana and was waiting for me. I was ready to go, so I advised Vladimir and Murat that we would be in a café waiting for them.

It was a nice, sunny morning. In the lobby there were still traces of the beautiful memories of yesterday's wedding. The restaurant was not that busy yet with just a few people inside. Bunnaroeun saw me immediately. I walked by the smiling waiters and asked for a fresh orange juice. They seemed to have already known, and juice arrived at the table immediately. My brother Bunnaroeun was in a good mood, and for that I was very pleased. We exchanged news from my side that we had secured an invitation for lunch with the hotel owner Oknha Kith Meng. Bunnaroeun reported in exchange that the paper on the corporation already had been prepared and Mr. Kiri was to see us at the hotel after our meeting with the King.

I admitted that the harmony of events was pleasant, and it worked in our favor.

Bunnaroeun conveyed greetings from the President, whom he had met last evening; I was thankful for that. After a short pause, Bunnaroeun continued that, “he and the President decided that it would be better if they were to distribute rice to hungry people through the Cambodian People's Party.” He also mentioned that the issue “was discussed with the King, so that the Royal Palace’s procession with rice will be abolished.”

Therefore, instead of rice, he was given a basket of flowers worth $200. For me, there remained one last detail that had not been solved. I wanted to know how Bunnaroeun’s rice scheme would reflect my part; I did not want to stay in the shadows, especially with such a noble goal of giving food donations to the hungry. However, it was not as important as other upcoming events.

Meanwhile, Vladimir and Murat had also approached the table. The conversation went on; we were invited to see Duke Meng for lunch. As the joyful voice of Murat confirmed my earlier message, Volodya cordially joined him. Bunnaroeun behaved with restraint, not showing any particularly great admiration. I thought, “He is keeping the attitude expected from an Advisor to the President of the Senate.” So, with all the fundamental changes in our conversation, the exact plan for the future distribution of rice was, to me, unclear. After all, what is the difference if the result is the same? The rice will eventually be given to starving people anyway, so I no longer concerned myself with all the myriad details of the plan.

At 8:30 am, we were in the car and drove to our upcoming meeting with the King. Soon the gates of the Royal Palace opened before us, dividing my life before and after I met the King.

Unusual excitement seized me when I had the honor to see the King, whose portraits adorn both the offices of officials and the streets of Cambodia. His presence in the country is the guarantor of honor for all its inhabitants. His Majesty the King had the great honor to lead his people to a happy future after many years of deprivation. My mission in meeting with the King was to transmit to him the unity of our purposes, how we both wanted to make his country happy. Moreover, my first words to the King would be to express my gratitude for his extraordinary work for the well-being of his country. Where I saw, Vladimir and Murat, with the honor of officers bravery, attaching the right hand to the heart, assured the King of their loyalty to him.

Bunnaroeun in his turn would represent us. Our company was announced, before the King: “Bon-Bon World, American-Ukrainian Consulting and Investment Group.” Our company name correctly reflected the mission of our work in Cambodia, and our company had already taken quite a few steps towards the great goal. After our presentation, Bunnaroeun prostrated himself on his knees before his King, like asking for forgiveness, joining his hands in a prayer position at the base of his eyebrows, which was very symbolic. In one corner stood a tall ornamental arrangement, live tropical yellow lilies on a pedestal, which was lined with gold royal velvet. A card was attached, “from Bon-Bon World.” Bunnaroeun had told us about this arrangement over our breakfast that day.

After a brief ceremony at the entry hall, we proceeded at the King’s invitation to a bright room where we were invited to be seated in comfortable chairs. It was the King’s guest room, and the chairs were embroidered with the golden royal monograms. We were offered drinks.

We were located on both sides of the King, who stood in the center near the Royal chair.

The King immediately won our love and respect with his magical kindness and intelligence; he was able to communicate easily in English, Russian and Khmer languages.

I was honored to submit our company’s plans, which embodied the future of Cambodia and its people as well as our desire to work tirelessly in pursuit of the ideals of Cambodia and all humankind. We felt greatly honored that the King was kind enough to offer us the opportunity to restore six royal palaces, which were located in six different provinces, and use them as the primary attraction for a future tourism development. Bon-Bon World was looking forward not only to profitable and promising financial prospects, but also to the very purpose of such a venture. Such a project certainly reflects a noble goal, which is something our group had been planning throughout our involvement in Cambodia.

I was flattered that Vladimir offered his artistic mastery and agreed to paint a portrait of the Great King, which was to be either provided to the King as a gift or sold for the benefit of the Royal Foundation. Our meeting with the King gave us an extraordinary charge of energy; in turn, this energy gave our group a huge desire to devote ourselves to the benefit of this country.

We left the palace with big changes in our personalities. As I mentioned earlier in the chapter, our lives were divided before. After seeing the King, our lives clearly reflected the ultimate goal. With indestructible light, we could see the greatness of achievement.

We came back to the Cambodiana Hotel, where Mr. Kiri was waiting for us; we had all signed the final corporate document and completed the corporate minutes. We were assigned to positions as follows:

Bunnaroeun An – President and CEO of Bon-Bon World;

Gregory Shukhman – Founder;

Mr. Kang Rithkiry – General Counselor;

Mr. Aselderov Aselder-Murat – Chief International Officer;

Vladimir – General Manager.

The meeting took place at the Cambodiana Hotel at 11:00 on January 27, 2007.

In order to present a more accurate account to you, I recently asked Mr. Rithkiry to send me a copy of the corporate papers. Unfortunately, he never answered or sent me the requested information, which definitely lowers my opinion of his ethics. Nevertheless, at that time we were much exited with the new predictions for our joint venture.

Bunnaroeun had invited me to visit the President of Senate at his residence in order to discuss the future distribution of the $15,000 charity, which was supposed to be processed with the King’s participation. It was a great honor for me to meet with the President again.

When we arrived at the President’s residence, he met us cheerfully. Bunnaroeun translated our conversation, in which we discussed the future of Cambodia; he expressed his gratitude for all the efforts we had devoted to our goals. Upon hearing that I was going to be leaving the next day, the President wished me a safe trip, and I thanked him.

As I had previously offered assistance to the President with his health condition by having Bunnaroeun connect him with the well-known New York doctors, I was very glad when Bunnaroeun mentioned that to the President. I noticed some hesitation on the President’s part to involve me in this personal matter, but I insisted, telling him that I wanted him to live longer and have more time to do the extraordinary work he was so eager to do for the people and the country. Mr. President handed me the results of some of his medical tests; I was to bring them to New York University for evaluation and consultation of his medical condition. I was honored to be entrusted with such a mission.

Once we were in the car and on the way to our meeting with Oknha Kith Meng, I tried to put aside all my doubts about Bunnaroeun’s honesty; until now, I had always believed in him. However, after meeting with Mr. President, I did not have any confidence that he knew anything about the $15,000 that was supposed to purchase rice for the hungry. Nevertheless, the more I began to analyze everything, the more questions were raised. I did not dare to ask Bunnaroeun about that.

In turn, Bunnaroeun sensed the cause of my reverie and said that the President had already ordered that the rice be sent to orphanages. In principle, this immediately dispelled any doubt, as children are sacred and Bunnaroeun is the father of three children. With this topic, lies just could not possibly be acceptable. I felt better, even if there was no direct gratitude or forgiveness of taxes. I was just happy to win the appreciation of children.

We had already entered the gates of the Duke’s house, which looked quite modest for a billionaire’s domicile. We saw that he shared striking similarities with the character of Warren Edward Buffett, and this made us respect him even more.

Vladimir, Murat and Mr. Kiri were already there, and they seemed to be filling themselves quite comfortably. The rich variety of tropical plants in the garden, which took up most of the land, instantly captured us in a state of relaxed confidence.

There was no lush fountain or mosaic of expensive granite, no columns or marble statues; there were fragments of the natural beauty of nature, attended by the refined taste of man. This beautifully landscaped garden design gave an excellent description of its master. This description counted intelligence and kindness, two of the most essential qualities that a person might have in relation to nature. In this garden, we saw the process of human awakening and the purpose of nature. We were pleased to agree to take our lunch in the garden, where tropical palm trees protected us from the scorching sun. There was no need to seek salvation under the air conditioning.

We settled in a beautiful garden. Aside from our original party, which included Bunnaroeun, Murat, Vladimir and Mr. Kiri, we were also attended by six persons who our friend “Circus man” and Mr. Meng had introduced as their friends.

At the table, a wonderful, friendly atmosphere reigned; we were all united by a love for Cambodia and the common desire to make her life better and more beautiful. In addition, the delicious goat soup, made by the owner’s recipe, of course, showed us the full extraordinariness of Okhna Meng.

I remembered my first encounter with Okhna at the Qba Club of the Cambodiana Hotel, where I had the pleasure of seeing the skill and ease with which he performed the Argentinean Tango. The dance showed his natural personality in everyday life, where his refined manners and

aristocratic upbringing did not automatically assert his superiority over everyone present. It made me remember a fragment of the beautiful poem "IF," written by the great Rudyard Kipling, which may partially describe the inner portrait of Mr. Meng:

“If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!”

Over lunch, I told the Kingdom about our recent visit with Mr. Armao and shared our plans. We also discussed a possibility of mutual business and cooperation with the Royal Group, which was a great honor and privilege for us. After being acquainted with Mr. Meng, he left me with a great opinion of him, as a man of high moral standards, uncompromising honesty, and warm love towards his country. Later on, I discovered more about Mr. Meng. The more I learned, the more I was convinced that I was right. This opinion never changed.

Later that day, I had the great pleasure of meeting with Bunnaroeun, his wife, and his three beautiful children. They called me uncle. God willing, they will live in happiness, love, and grow as decent citizens. I hope that they will continue to build their country as a safe ground for all coming generations. Amen.

The next day, Sunday the 28th, I departed from Phnom Penh heading to New York. I was so happy when I thought about what had been done over the visit. I was leaving Cambodia with a great sense of accomplishment, but realizing that more remained to be done. I overcame the most important thing; the confidence that the ultimate ideal will be achieved. This was still a necessary and righteous cause. It is a noble purpose to love the country and its people. I was blessed to be surrounded with great people who became my companions. Before leaving, I asked Bunnaroeun to send me at least some confirmation of the transfer of donations to the children. These would be necessary for the continuation of the charity funds to aid Cambodia. He promised…

Part Eleven: ABA Bank

To be continued: