Ronan Keating, Live in Cambodia!

[Love,]

I could not believe my eyes!

I have been an admirer of this British singing artist for many years now.

...and where have I been for the last tenn days? He performed a concert in MY COUNTRY of CAMBODIA!

He did it with the most sincere and generous intentions. I have an even greater respect for him than before, because now I feel an even greater connection. My country has suffered many, many years of civil wars, genocide, corruption, destruction, poverty, and so much suffering. To see my country grow right now, during its redevelopment, is SO AMAZING!

 

First, Angelina.

Then, Bill Clinton.

Now, Ronan.

I wonder who else will be next to help my country? Maybe, Celine!

 

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more photographs after article

 

Crooner Keating rocks Cambodia into the spotlight

 

Wed May 9, 3:26 AM ET

 

Irish pop star Ronan Keating, who is playing Cambodia's first major international concert Wednesday, said he hoped his appearance would encourage tourists to visit the impoverished country.

 

"I hope that me coming here opens up doors and allows people to understand that: Come on, let's go to Cambodia -- and more bands should come over here and hype it up, big it up," Keating said at a press conference.

 

"I hope that this opens a massive door to allow other artists to come through and do shows here and also for tourism in Cambodia, to make more people understand, come on over and check it out," he added.

 

The former frontman of boy band Boyzone will perform in Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night.

 

Cambodia has hosted a number of minor foreign music acts in recent years, but Keating's concert is intended to open the way for greater international exposure for the country.

 

One of the poorest countries in the world, Cambodia is struggling to recover from decades of civil war, and tourism is one of the kingdom's few viable money-spinners.

 

Tourist arrivals in Cambodia jumped more than 20 percent to about 1.7 million in 2006.

 

Keating's concert is part of a one-week Asian tour which also included performances in Bangkok and Taipei.

 

Since first hitting the stage with Boyzone in 1994, Keating has racked up 28 top 10 hits and sold more than 21 million albums worldwide.

 

 

 

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Ronan even learns to do the formal Cambodian greeting by clasping his hands together and bowing!

CHAM REAP SOIR, RONAN! :w00t:

 

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Edited May 20, 2007 at 03:39 AM by Love,

[Célinefull]

Why does Cambodia have an olympic stadium?

[Love,]

It is a title of prestige, mainly.

There are many nations out there who have their own "Olympic Stadium." Many have been named in honor of a Summer or Winter Olympics held within the premises of the stadium. Others were named because they were built for a bid for the Olympics. Some, like the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh were named, "just because" and for example, here are two: Askkhabad Olympic Stadium in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan and Estádio Olímpico in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

 

Regardless, the glory of athletics is exemplified in this tribute by Cambodia, not to the trademarked word, but to the ancient Olympic games, a celebration of human beings.

 

Here is a nice article. >> source <<

 

...

 

The stadium's history is a grand one. It opened in 1964, inaugurated by then-prince Norodom Sihanouk as a symbol of the self-sufficiency and neutrality of post-colonial Cambodia.

 

"Yes, despite the criticism and slander of some of our neighbors and their imperialist masters, we have proved our capacity to transform our ancient Kingdom into a modern nation," he said at the stadium's opening. Except for the advice of a few foreign experts, the stadium was built entirely with Cambodian funds.

 

As many as 100,000 people are said to have attended the stadium's inauguration and the Games of the New Emerging Forces in 1966. Another symbolic event, the GANEFO gathered the world's "non-aligned" countries-Third World nations seeking Cold War neutrality.

 

Also in 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle gave a landmark speech at the stadium, lauding Cambodia's neutrality and calling for peace in Indochina. "France's stand is taken," he said-the US must pull out of Vietnam, whose people are entitled to self-determination.

 

For Vann Molyvann, then a rising star in his 30s, the opportunity to undertake such a massive project was exhilarating. It was the perfect chance for him to explore his central idea-the marriage of a modern aesthetic with traditional Khmer forms and techniques.

 

He sought a continuity between the sacred shapes of the Angkor temples, the simple grace of traditional rural construction and the sleek, minimalist international style of the day. This idea resulted in individual touches like the flat-roofed grandstand, the breathtaking indoor arena-slats between the seats let in enough gentle light and air to illuminate and cool it-and the pools of water, small ones near the main building and large reservoirs in the surrounding grounds.

 

But Vann Molyvann's inspiration was more holistic than that. He wanted to reproduce the remarkable effect of Angkor Wat, whose builders created not just a structure but an experience: They determined what the view would be from every doorway and causeway, leading the viewer through a series of perfect vistas.

 

"We know the Khmers calculated everything in building Angkor Wat. All the dimensions have meaning," Vann Molyvann says. "The eye walks through the promenade, through shadowy spaces. Then this explodes into light. You look up and you are in the open." The same near-transcendental effect occurs as you enter the stadium.

 

...

It's actually quite a complex story. The internet gives vague information, but the have some! Games of the Emerging Forces were an independent sports competition organized by a committee later to be called Olympic Council of Asia, for newly independent nations. They did intertwine athletics with politics, which were totally against the will of the International Olympics Committee (IOC). Cambodia hosted the first leg of 1966 GANEFO during November 25 to December 6, 1966, with the second leg held in Bangkok, Thailand.

[Cheerfuljane]

That's fantastic Sopha.

I love Ronan. He is such a genuine guy

 

It was fantastic in South Africa - after apartheid - all the international artists, who previously had sanctions against us - started coming to the country. I finally got the chance to see all my favourite singers like Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Roxette, UB40 etc.

And soon CELINE will be there

[Love,]

That's fantastic Sopha.

I love Ronan. He is such a genuine guy

 

It was fantastic in South Africa - after apartheid - all the international artists, who previously had sanctions against us - started coming to the country. I finally got the chance to see all my favourite singers like Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Roxette, UB40 etc.

And soon CELINE will be there

That's so awesome!

I hope you got the gala seats for Celine's concert in South Africa. By the way, since the concert will be held on Valentine's Day... you ought to bring your honey with you... (I'm talking about your Wis. honey... NOT ME! )

 

and Ronan..

 

MY MISTAKE!

 

He's IRISH!

[Cheerfuljane]

Yes I did get Gala Seats !!

 

Valentine's day

I'm afraid I'll only have my sister by my side