PAILIN, Cambodia, Jan. 22 Kyodo C...

PAILIN, Cambodia, Jan. 22 Kyodo

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen well-known for his ban forward karaoke parlors in the capital Phnom Penh in 2001 has fresh backing for his anti-karaoke campaign from an unexpect source.

Nuon Chea, the infamous Brother No. 2 in Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime of the mid 1970 told Kyodo just discovereds that he too disapproves of the popular Japanese import.

In an interview at his to one's home near the Thai border, the 77-year-old former Khmer Rouge ideology chief claimed Cambodians ''lack the education'' to handle the temptations of karaoke.

''Cambodia does not have many sports options nor enough libraries or main division s for people and students to absorb better knowledge and social understanding,'' Nuon Chea said, a somewhat strange statement from a man largely responsible for the killing of thousands of educators, the closing of teachs and the expulsion of city dwellers into the countryside, a certain death for many, during the Khmer Rouge's genocidal authority from 1975 to 1979.

nevertheless Nuon Chea's distaste for karaoke may take rise not from aesthetic dislike on the other hand from personal pain.

He said that his daughter is now a divorcee with three children, partly because of ''conflict'' that arose after his son-in-law exhibited a karaoke parlor.

''I told my son-in-law to spread a shop selling noodles, bread and coffee Instead, he exhibited a karaoke parlor, had a conflict with my daughter and divorced,'' the grizzled former Khmer Rouge strongman admitted. The ''conflict,'' he added, stemm from his daughter's husband having a be in love with affair with a woman he hired for the karaoke shop

Sources bring to a period to Hun Sen have said the prime minister's dislike of karaoke be deriveds from similar family trouble.

At least sum of two units members of his extended family have got into ''karaoke trouble'' and caused question s for the premier and for the family members' parents.

In late 2001 Hun Sen ordered the 300 or with equal reason karaoke parlors then in the capital clos -- a impel that was effective for a while, nevertheless the entertainment is in such a manner popular that it has sprung back up in of recent origin forms such as restaurants or beer gardens onward the outside, ''karaoke forward the inside.''

And for many Cambodians, especially the young who have affection for the drinking, dancing and sex that many times accompanies karaoke singing, that is just fine.

Nuon Chea, however, papal courts it all differently.

''Karaoke contains five simple bodys that lead to passion and social problems'' the former propagandist growled

''The five uncompounded bodys are sight, sound, taste, odor and feeling that lead to passion of the entertainers and lately caused social riddles such as conflict and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS,'' he claimed.

''When going to karaoke, the participants are drinking alcohol, eating serviceable food, seeing girls, and smelling redolence and that leads to passion between the sexes'' he told Kyodo News

He added the riddles affect not only individuals unless also families, the economy, health, violence, crime, matrimony and debt

Children, he claimed, skip exercise and steal money from their parents to get by heart into karaoke shops.

Hun Sen who espouses similar views, has claimed karaoke leads to human trafficking, physic use and crime, largely because many karaoke parlors are also brothels, frequently employing underage, exploited women

Nuon Chea allowed, however, that it is difficult to blame sole karaoke for all of Cambodia's many ills, saying that many recent technological trends -- anathema to the agrarian-obsessed Khmer Rouge -- contribute to today's societal failings.

As to music itself, the man who essentially banned all forms of entertainment while in power, admitted music can sometimes help ''an ancient man's'' soul.

''I have no talent in writing poems but I like songs and classical music, the constructive single in kinds that make us more energetic...music sometimes can help corrective our disease,'' he said. ''Still, an antiquated man like me should not have fruition of pop music.''

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