PM Hun Sen's Vulgarity

On recent event, Prime Minister Hun Sen has just received a honourary PhD degree in Education from Hanoi National University . Professor Nguyen Viet Thinh from Hanoi awarded him the certificate at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Phnom Penh .

I’m wondering how many PhD’s has PM Hun Sen received? I know at least one university in the United States also gave him the PhD. I can’t remember what's the name of university and in what year they awarded him.

Now since Dr. Hun Sen is highly educated, he should at least behave and speak like one. I’ve noticed he’s so vulgarly contemptuous in his language almost every time I saw him on TV. He yells with words a mafia thug would choose to use. (Refer to the Khmer caption/picture). The language Dr. Hun Sen uses is beyond my translation’s capability into English. You just have to know Khmer language/culture in order to understand a deeper meaning. For example, calling or addressing people as 'ah' is very condescending and very rude.

One time I posted onto one Khmer blogger webpage saying something like " នៅស្រុកខ្មែរ អាណាមានលុយ អាណាមានអំណាច គឺអាហ្នុងឈ្នះ Noev Srok Khmer, ah nah mean luy, ah nah mean om-nach, ah nung chnass -- translation: In Cambodia, whoever has money, whoever has power that person wins". I felt very bad for I chose Khmer word "ah" អា​ rather than "neak"​អ្នក. I wowed not to use this kind of language ever again.

In a civilised world no matter how educated or not educated we are, we don’t need be vulgar in our language. Dr. Hun Sen needs to be civilised himself. As a leader, he should tone down his choice of wordings to the respectable level of a prime minister.

A little awkwardness...

"...I hope[...] we might see each other again."

"Do you mean that?"
He put his arms around her. "I'm scared to tell you how much I mean it."
"Scared ?"
"Of frightening you off. I said a foolish thing earlier."
"About marrying me and having children ?"
"I mean it, but I said it in an arrogant way."
"That's OK," she said. "When people are perfectly polite, it usually means they don't really care. A little awkwardness is more sincere."
"I guess you're right. I never thought of that."

Jackdaws--page 247. (c) 2001 Ken Follet

I really like the open attitude of the main character, her nickname is Flick in the novel "Jackdaws" by English writer Ken Follet. Above passage is the conversation between Flick and Paul taken from the story.

Our Khmer girls should remember if the guy is a little awkward when he speaks and acts, it's because he's sincered. But, beware if the guy is proper and polite for he has so much to hide.

This maybe true. I know some people are so proper and polite but inside they're bad; they look down on people with dark skin. They think dark skin are people from Srok Sreh (countryside ជាអ្នកស្រែ).

Regardless how each one of us looks on the outside, we should be valued people who have true motive with good intention from their hearts.

--Vanak.

Who's who behind destruction of Cambodia (Book Review)

This is the book I think our PM Hun Sen and the cohorts of his CPP party would love to ban. The title of the book is “Angkar Chea Norna ? “ Who is Angkar ?” The book reveals who’s who behind the organization which led to the destruction of our Cambodia. On the cover of the book has 6 headshot pictures: Ho Chi Minh , Sen Gnoc Minh, Tou Samuth, Salot Sar (Pol Pot), Chea Sim, and Hun Sen. The book is written in 1994 by Kim Thi Uy, nickname “Yey Tieng” (Grandma Tieng).

I just started to read the first couple of pages and now I am hooked. It’s extremely interesting to me. Now at page 17 where it’s describing the expansionist Yuon of Tonkin killed and completely annihilated the entire Cham race. The Chams kingdom of Champa was wiped out from world map by Vietnamese in year 1696 AD. Yuon then changed the name Champa to Annam and continued to expand southward. Our Khmer provinces were falling one by one and eventually our entire Kampuchea Krom region was swallowed up by the Vietnamese in year 1840 AD.
I highly recommend this well researched book. It came in 3 volumes. You can easily find “Angkar Chea Norna ?”at booksellers everywhere throughout of our country.

Thank you, Kim Thi Uy (Yey Tieng) for putting the pieces of our history together for the young Khmer generation like me to read. Through this book, I’m even more aware the intention of our neighbour Vietnam was, still is , and always up to no good.

(Poem is taken from introduction of the book. Click on the content for enlargement)

រដូវច្រូតកាត់ប្រមូលផល-Rice Harvesting Season

Ah...'tis the season of harvesting.

When harvesting time comes every one of us is very happy.Rice yield this year is more than the previous. Thanks the heavens for the abundant rainfall we had.

It's cold and windy in morning, we're always wrapping ourselves in our ក្រមារ​ krarma (scarf). Our long-sleeve

shirts and kramars help shield from the nature's elements of cold wind and sun ray.

Rice exporting from our Cambodia are mainly to Vietnam and Thailand. There is no direct export from our country going to America, Europe or Australia at all. This is due to the corruption of our government who top leaders expect some money under the table or as we call it here

'tea money' លុយទឹកតែ​ or simply bribery when any Khmer entrepreneur wanted to start an import/export business. I hope one day our government will eliminate bribery practice. Rather than taking bribery, the government should encourage and even give incentive to entrepreneurs who want to start up an import/export business.

Our Khmer homegrown rice tendered from the growing to harvesting seasons, through sweat and hard work. I am so sadden once they exiting to our neighbouring countries, our authentic Cambodia rice are labeled as 'Product of Vietnam' or 'Product of Thailand' and ready to be exported to America, Europe and the rest of world. :(

ស្រាធ្វើអោយមនុស្សស្រវឹង Wine makes people drunk

A drunkard. Heracles statue, from the House of the Stags, Herculaneum. (1st century AD)

ស្រាធ្វើអោយមនុស្សស្រវឹង តែស្រវឹងនិង <<អំណាច>> គឺស្រវឹងខ្លាំង ជាងស្រាទៅទៀត Wine makes people drunk. But, “power” makes people drunk even more.

American Congressman from California, Dana Rohrabacher directed the question to Gnoun Ngel ងួនញ៉ឹល, our country’s law maker of CPP suggested the current prime minister Hun Sen of our country to retire at around the same time he's retiring. He said Hun Sen should not ក្រាញអំណាច hold on or cling to power for so long.

Mr. Gnoun Ngel ងួនញ៉ឹល responded to Mr. Rohrabacher stated the election laws warrant to elect a prime minister when the party has won the election. Then Mr. Rohrabacher replied it has nothing to do with the election law. It’s very much based on ‘personal decision’ that Hun Sen should retire.

I agree with Mr. Rohrabacher. Retirement is a personal decision to act for the benefit of the country. If any individual hold on to power for so long that person is truly drunk with or addicted to power. Thus, the country continues to be corrupted and advances to nowhere.

ស្រឡាញ់ស្រីខ្មែរ-Srawlanh Srey Khmer

ខ្ញុំមិនមែនជាអ្នកចេះតែងកាព្យគ្លោងអីក៏ប៉ុន្តែ I wish I know how to write poems like this one.

I found this poem at www.khmervoice.com. All my praise and admiration to the author.

(Click on the picture for enlargement)