Professor Fired for Teaching From His Anti-Gov't Textbook
By Prak Chan Thul
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
A 30-year-old lecturer of political philosophy at Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University in Phnom Penh has been fired for teaching his own textbook, a profanity-filled screed against the government, the university said Monday.
Tieng Narith had taught at the university for four years, but in May began teaching from his self-published book "Political Philosophy," which features a photo of himself on the cover along with images of prominent historical figures including Machiavelli, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.
University Vice Rector Hing Yan said that, tipped off by rumors, he discovered that Tieng Narith had changed textbooks without permission Aug 15. On Aug 22, he was fired.
"We cannot let him to continue teaching here anymore," Hing Yan said. "The book attacks the leaders too strongly... [the class] became a forum to criticize the government."
He said that Tieng Narith alone will face any defamation lawsuits that could be launched by Cambodian leaders referred to in the text.
"Why did he dare to behave like this?" he asked.
In the book, the author repeats rumors in circulation for years that have also resurfaced in recent statements from the disgraced former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov.
These include allegations linking senior government officials to the killing of much-loved dancer and singer Piseth Peaklica and to the 1997 grenade attack outside the National Assembly.
The book also claims that the outlawed Cambodian Freedom Fighters, who led a botched attack on government installations in Phnom Penh in 2000, were sponsored by the government.
Tieng Narith on Monday called his firing an illegal dismissal of a civil servant and said he has filed a lawsuit at Phnom Penh Municipal Court demanding $5,366 in compensation. He said he wrote his incendiary textbook to liberate Cambodia from domination by Vietnam.
"In the next 50 years, everything will be Yuon," he said, using the term considered derogatory to the Vietnamese.
"This book is capital to help Khmer politicians and to prevent the transformation into Yuon," he said.
"I want to liberate the puppet regime in Cambodia because I don't want to see Cambodia like Laos, which is all swallowed up except in its name," he said.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that those mentioned in the book would file lawsuits against the author.
"He has the right to write, but they also have the right to sue," he said. "What evidence does he have?"
Tieng Narith had taught at the university for four years, but in May began teaching from his self-published book "Political Philosophy," which features a photo of himself on the cover along with images of prominent historical figures including Machiavelli, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.
University Vice Rector Hing Yan said that, tipped off by rumors, he discovered that Tieng Narith had changed textbooks without permission Aug 15. On Aug 22, he was fired.
"We cannot let him to continue teaching here anymore," Hing Yan said. "The book attacks the leaders too strongly... [the class] became a forum to criticize the government."
He said that Tieng Narith alone will face any defamation lawsuits that could be launched by Cambodian leaders referred to in the text.
"Why did he dare to behave like this?" he asked.
In the book, the author repeats rumors in circulation for years that have also resurfaced in recent statements from the disgraced former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov.
These include allegations linking senior government officials to the killing of much-loved dancer and singer Piseth Peaklica and to the 1997 grenade attack outside the National Assembly.
The book also claims that the outlawed Cambodian Freedom Fighters, who led a botched attack on government installations in Phnom Penh in 2000, were sponsored by the government.
Tieng Narith on Monday called his firing an illegal dismissal of a civil servant and said he has filed a lawsuit at Phnom Penh Municipal Court demanding $5,366 in compensation. He said he wrote his incendiary textbook to liberate Cambodia from domination by Vietnam.
"In the next 50 years, everything will be Yuon," he said, using the term considered derogatory to the Vietnamese.
"This book is capital to help Khmer politicians and to prevent the transformation into Yuon," he said.
"I want to liberate the puppet regime in Cambodia because I don't want to see Cambodia like Laos, which is all swallowed up except in its name," he said.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that those mentioned in the book would file lawsuits against the author.
"He has the right to write, but they also have the right to sue," he said. "What evidence does he have?"
7 comments:
why not look around? the population of Khmer people is about 9 millions or so. and guess how many yuon are there in Cambodia now? 5 millions. Hun Sen give the land border away because we have tooo much free space. When i was in Cambodia the Yuon does not call the capital Phnom Pehn, they call it something else cant remenber what it was. and if you know the regime was elected by the yuon (the regime let in from every corner)who doesnt have any id-card. I call this a forge voting. and the world also let it be. the rest you all already know......
I think this professor is corrected. If we keep Hun Sen to lead Cambodia, in next 50 years, Cambodia will be same as Laos which have only name but under Vietnamese controlling. Cheers for our hero professor!
Under CPP, Cambodia will be soon transfered into Vietnam. Look, recently, there are many of Vietnamese investment that is not even benefit Cambodian at all.
In the 80's Vietnamese were moving into Cambodia with Hun Sen to save Cambodian from Ar Pot. I am sure, we were so happy to have them in our belove home land and to let those Vietnamese clearing our trees.
Now, in the 90's and 200's, Vietname come as investor to Cambodia. Don't worry Hun Sen and Vietnam will transform Cambodian into rich and famous, and that one day, Vietnamese investments will help us to forget who we are now.
Khieu Kanharith asked, ""What evidence does he have?"
Ar Chuol Ma-Shit Head!
Thanks to this achievement, we all should think of that book. What he wrote is correct or not?
We are still in the condition worst than Laos. In Laos, others know that there are yourn army, but in Cambodia they know only that there are Khmer no yourn.
26 years already, there would and must be Koun yourn working for government and some would be working in high positions as well.
Cambodia situation becomes worst and worst.
Let think of the Vietnamese globalization.
Friends, uncle, aunt, all Koun Khmer, when should you understand as professor Tieng Narith.
We do not want to see our lovely country become yourn…….
The professor Tieng Narith, alone, putting his life in danger, has dared to denounce, to fight the Vietnamese traitor HUN XEN and his collaborators.
we, Cambodian inside or outside the country, should form a committee to support his action.
Why us, Cambodian internautes, don't we start to do together in waiting?
Koh Tral Khmer
The professor published this book based on his research and study. Although not a hundred percent true, but it is a merror to reflect his political belief and cannot be sued by any party. lawsuit is only a veapon of the government to intimidate the intelectuals. Millions of books in UAS are published every year critising the leaders and government policies but non of those authors face the defamation charge except violate the copyrights. Cambodia is a thorny society, every move we get a pin.
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