The sexy Apsaras and the negative reactions from cultural officials

The   Cambodian Minister of Women Affairs and Culture has requested a group   of Khmer artists based in the United States to stop drawing sexy  Apsaras  (celestial dancers) and change their sensual appearances after  those  drawings were put up for sales on a website called reahu.net.

Dr.   Michel Tranet, a renowned Khmer historian said that that website has   gone too far from the original context of the famous Khmer Angkorian   cultures. He said that the sexy drawings of the European-styles is the   deliberate intentions of the artists in the promotions of prostitution.   Some tourists are seeking sexual pleasures and this is no secret or not   new.

What Dr. Tranet wants is a cultural tourism  about Cambodia,  not sex tourism. Dr. Michel Tranet said that all the  Apsara drawings on  that website have deviated from the bas-reliefs  carved during the  Angkorian period because the drawings show the  Apsaras as bending down  to show their sexy bottoms or hug each other in  a sensual way. He said:  “This is what our culture never have before or  never have promoted.”

He  said this is an influence of  a culture that incites sexual fantasy  which is a deviation from the  form or the characteristics of Khmer  culture. It is true that the  achievements of our ancient artists were of  high standards and are to  be proud of and unrivalled. But in contrary  to the values of Khmer  culture, those Khmer-American artists have not  put the values of Khmer  women to the highest echelon as did during the  Angkorian period.

Many Khmer  philanthropists have appealed to those artists to modify or  to just  change the appearances of those drawings that is un-Khmer. Dr.  Tranet  said that, if those artists have goodwill and good judgements  they  should do what is good and what is appropriate.

Dr. Tranet  appealed to those three artists to help maintain Khmer  national soul as  they are Khmers as well because whether they like it  or not the flags  our the Khmer soul are in their hands.

Cambodian Minister of  Women Affairs, Mrs. Ing Kantha Phavi, has  expressed concerns that the  website will degrade the values of Khmer  women and the fine Khmer  culture and traditions. She is trying to  contact those three artists to  ask them to clarify about their motives  for those drawings.

Mr.  Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman and minister of  information,  agreed with Mrs. Ing Kantha Phavi, but said that the  drawings have no  political messages.

Mr. Chuch Phoeung, secretary of state of the  ministry of culture and  arts, said that the website was not based in  Cambodia. He said that the  Cambodian authority cannot do anything. If it  is based in Cambodia we  can invite them to explain to us. He agreed  that those drawings can  cast a bad image of the Khmer culture but said  that the Khmer authority  is unable to do anything (to stop them).

Mr. Reahu, one of the animator at reahu.net,   who have visited Cambodia recently, said that reahu.net has three   artists who have studied arts/drawings in the United States and they do   drawings as a hobby during their free time.

The Apsara drawings  which are currently on sales include two sitting  topless Apsara girls,  topless Apsaras with see-through dress, topless  Apsara leaning on the  rock in front of the real Angkorian  walled-Apsaras and a sensual topless  Khmer Rouge woman soldiers  carrying a gun.