Seer Khath Naran: Good behavior predicted.

Khmer New Year begins at 6 am on April 14, and as with every year it is a

case of out with the old and in with the new. Curious to know what kind of year

it will be? Wonder what malaise and troubles might strike Cambodia? Or are you

trying to discern who will win the World Cup? Here with their predictions of the

year ahead are some of Phnom Penh's finest seers.

Editor's note: for our

non-Khmer readership, Tevada is a "god". Each new year brings a new Tevada, some

of which have good characteristics, while others are less benevolent.

Fortunately the Tevada associated with this Year of the Horse is generally

considered to be good.

Chak Vey, 42:

 

"There will be a natural disaster this year, and in August and September

there will be drought that will cause some people to worry. However it will

cause no serious damage. Around 40 percent of the rice crop will spoil. Those

who grow beans and corn will harvest 80 percent.

"Cholera will afflict

children, as will other diseases associated with eating fruits and vegetables,

particularly watermelon. Choose the fruit carefully - if it is only a little bit

spoiled then throw it away. That is because the [new] Tevada [who rides the

horse] eats watermelon.

"Flooding this year will be unchanged from last

year. There will be floods in early September and October. They will alarm the

people, but they will not be as serious as in 2000.

"When it comes to

politics, the people will be safe. I cannot predict exactly as politicians are

never honest and are often tricky, so it depends on the parliamentarians. Also I

don't make predictions about politics because it is dangerous. Politicians and

leaders don't like hearing bad things said about them.

"The Khmer proverb

says the boat leaves, but the pier remains behind. If I make predictions about

politics your paper will publish them and people might come to see me. I might

not be safe.

"However, the country will not suffer blood spilled in war,

but there will be big problems with armed robbery and thieving. Robbery and drug

abuse will be worst during October, November and December.

"That is

because the Tevada cannot control that, because the Tevada will be meditating on

her throne to bring good deeds. She will take measures to clean society and

bring justice.

"I don't know what will happen with Cambodia's

relationships with Thailand and Vietnam because I cannot see them and they don't

have a birthdate. Therefore I cannot see their fate.

"As for the World

Cup football, now is not the time to predict the result. However, I will be able

to tell you next week, but if you win then you should share the prize with

me."

Khath Naran, 39:

"This year Tevada will have good moral conduct and good behavior, so the

country will be peaceful. In the Year of the Dragon [2000] the Tevada fought for

power and did not find justice for the people.

"The weather will be good:

there will be no floods and no drought. Tevada will sit on her throne and will

not go out and make war.

"The people will have to work hard if they want

to have a successful year. They will have some difficulties harvesting their

crops. The new Tevada will provide happiness for the people, and will meditate

and pray for peace for Cambodia.

"Relationships with our neighbors will

be good. The Year of the Horse brings safety to Cambodia, but there are concerns

about the element fire, since that is always present when the new Tevada comes

to fight against the ambitious [old] Tevada.

"The Tevada will come to

live in the mind of the King and Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Tevada will not get

off from the throne, but will help them to find justice for the

people.

"As for the World Cup, I cannot predict who will win the

competition unless the goalkeepers come to see me."

Kouch Ngoun Seng,

55:

"The Year of the Horse will bring thieving, robbery and chaos. The people do

not respect the King, students do not respect their teachers, and the people do

not respect government officials.

"At the end of the Year of the Horse,

when the Year of the Goat arrives, there will be much chaos and armed robbery.

People will have to look after their property and themselves.

"The female

Tevada will eat the fruit of the fig tree. That means the leaders of the country

are not good and the country will be in chaos. The two elephants will hit each

other for power.

"There will be rain early in the year; in the middle of

the year there will be no rain; and there will be only a little at the year's

end. The harvests of beans, rice and corn will be average, but there will be no

floods this year.

"The living conditions of the people will be secure

but they will have no income. The expenditure in individual families will be

higher than their earnings. The people will feel exhausted as the rich get

richer and the poor get poorer.

"Enemies will encroach on the border and

push the villagers away from their farms and destroy their animals such as pigs

or chickens. However, among individuals who are neighbors there will be unity in

their relationships.

"Government officials, though, will not respect the

law or the people. The powerful will be behind the robbers and thieves in order

to get them released from prison, so the thieves will take revenge on the

people.

"Agriculture is much better than the Year of the Dragon or the

Year of the Snake. There will be only peace for the CPP and Prime Minister Hun

Sen. The others will suffer."