Dear KI-Media Readers,
In light of the recent “incitation to racial discrimination” charge brought up by the Svay Rieng court against Mr. Sam Rainsy, and the recent echo by Mr. Meas Sokchea of the Phnom Penh Post, characterizing the use of the word “Yuon” by Mr. Sam Rainsy as being a “racist epithet for the Vietnamese,” we are providing below a letter written by Mr. Kenneth So sent to the Washington Times in 2002. While the response by Mr. Kenneth So was sent in regards of an article written by Dr. David Roberts, we are dismayed by the characterization made by Mr. Meas Sokchea, a Cambodian journalist, who should know the Khmer use of this word better than others.
We would personally like to hear Mr. Meas Sokchea ordering a bowl of “Samlor Machou Yuon” (Vietnamese sour soup) in Khmer, if using the word Yuon is a racist epithet, would Mr. Meas Sochea rather order a bowl of “Samor Machou Vietnam” instead? If so, would Mr. Meas Sokchea write an article advising Vietnamese people all over the world to stop calling Cambodians as the pejorative “Mien” as well?
The current “racism” labeling campaign against Mr. Sam Rainsy led by Mr. Hun Sen’s regime is orchestrated to discredit Mr. Sam Rainsy in the eyes of the International opinion, and thus marginalizing the current encroachments made by Vietnam. The complicit echoing of such misunderstanding by a Cambodian reporter on a well-known local news media, such as The Phnom Penh Post, is simply unacceptable. Therefore, we urge all our readers to please send your protest and opinion on the use of the word “Yuon” to The Phnom Penh Post to correct this mischaracterization by Mr. Meas Sokchea.
Please send your email protest to The Phnom Penh Post at the following email addresses:
Thank you,
KI-Media team
--------
Dear Sir:
I am writing this letter in response to your Washington Times article of Dr. David Roberts (Lecturer from the School of History and International Affairs, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland) dated 09/13/02, who accused the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy as undemocratic and authoritarian. In addition, he implied that Mr. Sam Rainsy was a racist, when he used the word “Youn” to refer to the Vietnamese.
First, the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy is a true patriot and democrat. He is well deserving of the award that was given to him by Senator John McCain.
Dr. Roberts may be an expert in his field but he is no expert in Khmer language. In the Khmer dictionary, it says “Youn” means Vietnamese and is possibly related to the Sanskrit word “Yavana” that means savage. However, this possibility of a link between the words “Youn” and “Yavana” is just pure speculation and has no basis for it.
Anyhow, my own research indicates that the word “Youn” came from the word “Yueh”. The Mandarin Chinese calls Vietnam, Yueh Nam. The word “Nam” means south in Chinese. “Yueh” indicates the name of the people of that region. Therefore, “Yueh” means Viet or Vietnamese in Chinese and “Yueh Nam” means the “Yueh” people of the south. In this case, south means south of China. The North pronounces it Yeknam (with a “Y” sound).
Chou Ta-Kuan (Zhou Daguan), the celebrated Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia in the 13th century, indicated in his report that there was already a large population of Chinese settling in Cambodia at that time. He said that the Chinese preferred life in the Khmer Empire because it was easier than in China. There were a lot of Chinese men marrying the native Cambodian women. I don't know when Khmer started to call the Vietnamese “Youn”, but the habit may have been picked up from the Chinese settlers who lived in Cambodia at the time. The word “Youn” may have derived from the Chinese word “Yueh” to indicate the Vietnamese. If one starts to think about it, “Viet” (as pronounced by the North Vietnamese) or “Yeak” (as pronounced by the South Vietnamese) sounds very similar to “Yueh”; and “Yueh”, meaning Vietnamese, in turn sounds very similar to “Youn”. George Coedes, the French expert on the Southeast Asian classical study, found an earlier evidence of the word “Yuon” inscribed in Khmer on a stele dating to the time of the Khmer King Suryavarman I (1002-1050.)
Why do the so-called Western scholars and journalists keep on perpetrating this kind of misinformation about the word “Yuon”? “Youn” does not mean savage as Dr. Roberts had mistakenly indicated in his writing. Savage in Cambodian means "Pourk Prey" or "Phnong". Cambodians calls Vietnamese “Youn” the same way they call Indian “Khleung”, Burmese “Phoumea”, Chinese “Chen”, and French “Barang”.
When the Vietnamese calls Cambodian “Mien” why did the Western press and scholars not report it to be a derogatory word also? If I were to follow the logical thinking of the Western press and scholars, then “Mien” must be a derogatory word also. In the late 17th century, the Vietnamese court of Hue had indiscriminately changed the names of the Cambodian princesses Ang Mei, Ang Pen, Ang Peou, and Ang Snguon to the Vietnamese sounding names of Ngoc-van, Ngoc-bien, Ngoc-tu, and Ngoc-nguyen, respectively. Also they changed the name of Phnom Penh to Nam Vang. Why do scholars and press stay silent on these subjects.
It is very dangerous for foreigners, like Dr. Roberts, to interpret the meaning of certain native words when they do not fully understand the languages and customs of those natives. It is people like Dr. Roberts who helps perpetrate the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the word “Youn” to mean savage. aggravate the mistrust and hate between Cambodian and Vietnamese.
Cambodians have been using the word “Youn” to refer to the Vietnameses before the word Vietnamese had even existed. Because of the ignorance of some scholars and journalists about the meaning of this word, are we therefore supposed to abandon using this word that we have done from time immemorial?
If Dr. Roberts insists on saying that the word “Youn” means savage, then I would ask him to prove to Cambodians how it is so. How does he know that this word means savage? What did he base his knowledge from? If he is a true scholar, then he must not base his understanding on hearsay. Otherwise, his credibility is at risk.
Sincerely,
Kenneth T. So
In light of the recent “incitation to racial discrimination” charge brought up by the Svay Rieng court against Mr. Sam Rainsy, and the recent echo by Mr. Meas Sokchea of the Phnom Penh Post, characterizing the use of the word “Yuon” by Mr. Sam Rainsy as being a “racist epithet for the Vietnamese,” we are providing below a letter written by Mr. Kenneth So sent to the Washington Times in 2002. While the response by Mr. Kenneth So was sent in regards of an article written by Dr. David Roberts, we are dismayed by the characterization made by Mr. Meas Sokchea, a Cambodian journalist, who should know the Khmer use of this word better than others.
We would personally like to hear Mr. Meas Sokchea ordering a bowl of “Samlor Machou Yuon” (Vietnamese sour soup) in Khmer, if using the word Yuon is a racist epithet, would Mr. Meas Sochea rather order a bowl of “Samor Machou Vietnam” instead? If so, would Mr. Meas Sokchea write an article advising Vietnamese people all over the world to stop calling Cambodians as the pejorative “Mien” as well?
The current “racism” labeling campaign against Mr. Sam Rainsy led by Mr. Hun Sen’s regime is orchestrated to discredit Mr. Sam Rainsy in the eyes of the International opinion, and thus marginalizing the current encroachments made by Vietnam. The complicit echoing of such misunderstanding by a Cambodian reporter on a well-known local news media, such as The Phnom Penh Post, is simply unacceptable. Therefore, we urge all our readers to please send your protest and opinion on the use of the word “Yuon” to The Phnom Penh Post to correct this mischaracterization by Mr. Meas Sokchea.
Please send your email protest to The Phnom Penh Post at the following email addresses:
- newsroom@phnompenhpost.com
- Seth Meixner, Editor in Chief, sd_meixner@yahoo.com
- Laura Snook, National News Editor, laura.snook@phnompenhpost.com
- Meas Sokchea, Reporter, sokchea.meas@phnompenhpost.com
Thank you,
KI-Media team
--------
Kenneth So's letter to the Washigton Time
September 20, 2002Dear Sir:
I am writing this letter in response to your Washington Times article of Dr. David Roberts (Lecturer from the School of History and International Affairs, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland) dated 09/13/02, who accused the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy as undemocratic and authoritarian. In addition, he implied that Mr. Sam Rainsy was a racist, when he used the word “Youn” to refer to the Vietnamese.
First, the Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy is a true patriot and democrat. He is well deserving of the award that was given to him by Senator John McCain.
Dr. Roberts may be an expert in his field but he is no expert in Khmer language. In the Khmer dictionary, it says “Youn” means Vietnamese and is possibly related to the Sanskrit word “Yavana” that means savage. However, this possibility of a link between the words “Youn” and “Yavana” is just pure speculation and has no basis for it.
Anyhow, my own research indicates that the word “Youn” came from the word “Yueh”. The Mandarin Chinese calls Vietnam, Yueh Nam. The word “Nam” means south in Chinese. “Yueh” indicates the name of the people of that region. Therefore, “Yueh” means Viet or Vietnamese in Chinese and “Yueh Nam” means the “Yueh” people of the south. In this case, south means south of China. The North pronounces it Yeknam (with a “Y” sound).
Chou Ta-Kuan (Zhou Daguan), the celebrated Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia in the 13th century, indicated in his report that there was already a large population of Chinese settling in Cambodia at that time. He said that the Chinese preferred life in the Khmer Empire because it was easier than in China. There were a lot of Chinese men marrying the native Cambodian women. I don't know when Khmer started to call the Vietnamese “Youn”, but the habit may have been picked up from the Chinese settlers who lived in Cambodia at the time. The word “Youn” may have derived from the Chinese word “Yueh” to indicate the Vietnamese. If one starts to think about it, “Viet” (as pronounced by the North Vietnamese) or “Yeak” (as pronounced by the South Vietnamese) sounds very similar to “Yueh”; and “Yueh”, meaning Vietnamese, in turn sounds very similar to “Youn”. George Coedes, the French expert on the Southeast Asian classical study, found an earlier evidence of the word “Yuon” inscribed in Khmer on a stele dating to the time of the Khmer King Suryavarman I (1002-1050.)
Why do the so-called Western scholars and journalists keep on perpetrating this kind of misinformation about the word “Yuon”? “Youn” does not mean savage as Dr. Roberts had mistakenly indicated in his writing. Savage in Cambodian means "Pourk Prey" or "Phnong". Cambodians calls Vietnamese “Youn” the same way they call Indian “Khleung”, Burmese “Phoumea”, Chinese “Chen”, and French “Barang”.
When the Vietnamese calls Cambodian “Mien” why did the Western press and scholars not report it to be a derogatory word also? If I were to follow the logical thinking of the Western press and scholars, then “Mien” must be a derogatory word also. In the late 17th century, the Vietnamese court of Hue had indiscriminately changed the names of the Cambodian princesses Ang Mei, Ang Pen, Ang Peou, and Ang Snguon to the Vietnamese sounding names of Ngoc-van, Ngoc-bien, Ngoc-tu, and Ngoc-nguyen, respectively. Also they changed the name of Phnom Penh to Nam Vang. Why do scholars and press stay silent on these subjects.
It is very dangerous for foreigners, like Dr. Roberts, to interpret the meaning of certain native words when they do not fully understand the languages and customs of those natives. It is people like Dr. Roberts who helps perpetrate the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the word “Youn” to mean savage. aggravate the mistrust and hate between Cambodian and Vietnamese.
Cambodians have been using the word “Youn” to refer to the Vietnameses before the word Vietnamese had even existed. Because of the ignorance of some scholars and journalists about the meaning of this word, are we therefore supposed to abandon using this word that we have done from time immemorial?
If Dr. Roberts insists on saying that the word “Youn” means savage, then I would ask him to prove to Cambodians how it is so. How does he know that this word means savage? What did he base his knowledge from? If he is a true scholar, then he must not base his understanding on hearsay. Otherwise, his credibility is at risk.
Sincerely,
Kenneth T. So
66 comments:
does yuon offended by being call yuon or just the big mouth cpp whose being offended for the yuon. they must be very bored to bring this subject up. one crazy groupy disfuntional govt. may all of you rod in hell soon.
Where is the slimy shitty viet?
Is it dead in that public toilet?
This shitty toilet viet is a skinny pale blob of slimy toilet germ. It can take all the shit anyone can shit on it. Take it shitty viet. Take it. Come back and get much more, it's all yours, stinky.
Thank you Kenneth T. So. I hope those people understand your explanation and clarification on the word “Youn” I hope they'll your message clearly.
We have been using this word “Youn” since day one. All at a sudden, this word became an issue?
What a moron and ignorant those scholars and journalists are!
the english speaking countries call us cambodia. i found it very offended and discriminating. they should call us kampuchea or khmer
I am completely agree with Kenneth T. So. I know chinese well. I can confirm the Chinese word “Yueh” to indicate the Vietnamese.
AYOUN was short cut in Khmer language. American in Khmer short cut was AKANG. Is there any more explanations.
I just google and notice that 95% of Cambodian males is gay, 60% of them has a small dick and tiny asshole, so they chose to work as whores for the White farang to bang their ass to get a life. If you are a Cambodian and has a bad time with your tiny dick, please consider us at:
www.SamRainsySmallDick.com.us
Ahhh, there it is... getting hungry...
I thought it was dead in that public toilet?
This shitty toilet viet is a skinny pale blob of slimy toilet germ. It can take all the shit anyone can shit on it. Take it shitty viet. Take it. Come back and get much more, it's all yours, stinky.
Yuon came from Yunnan,
Vietnameses lived in Yunnan,
chased away by Qin (Chen),
long time ago ??
I just google and notice that 95% of Cambodian males is gay, 60% of them has a small dick and tiny asshole, so they chose to work as whores for the White farang to bang their ass to get a life. If you are a Cambodian and has a bad time with your tiny dick, please consider us at:
www.SamRainsySmallDick.com.us
Bonus: Dark Mien, lol
If you really obsess with Cambodian dick google yourself..
no need to tell people or creating a website.
Ahhh, there it is... getting hungry... again? Skinny needs alot of shit.
I thought it was dead in that public toilet?
This shitty toilet viet is a skinny pale blob of slimy toilet germ. It can take all the shit anyone can shit on it. Take it shitty viet. Take it. Come back and get much more, it's all yours, stinky.
Ahhh, there it is... getting hungry... big blob of toilet germ.
I thought it was dead in that public toilet?
This shitty toilet viet is a skinny pale blob of slimy toilet germ. It can take all the shit anyone can shit on it. Take it shitty viet. Take it. Come back and get much more, it's all yours, stinky.
sokchea.meas@phnompenhpost.com,
I am 55 years old. Fast for my life I always only the word "YOUN" or "Yeknam", esp. speakinh by khmer farmers, Children and al so the King father. After 1980, the RPK tried to use the word "Vietnam" instead "YOUN" or "Yeknam".
The word YOUN (org. YUNANN) is not racism like you wrote in the Phnom Penh post. As khmer jounalist, you must know this word YOUN (if you are really Khmer) and write the reality. Or you think that the others Khmer people and foreigners are dump stupid believing in what you wrote, NO Sockchea.
If wrote like this, could I ask you?
Why Vietnam called China as "CHONGKOR"?
Nakta Angkor
If the all Vietnamese do not like the word "yuon" get out of Cambodia or in hell you will never hear that word again.
For wide selection of Vietcong bitches!
Www.Vietconghornybithces.com.us
6:32 am
We do not need to google...based on facts, we know that a majority of you Thai Lady-boiz are GAY with small dicks and like suck on White men's "Farang" or "ฝรั่ง" dicks and swallow their sweet cum. Cambodian men are very handsome and muscular and shapely unlike your ugly ass ancestors from Nanchao, China. You are certainly not successful in stirring problems on the KI bloggs. I suggest you do it on your stupid "BANG-COCK POST" OR "NATION" newspapers!
--Khmer Surin
--ชาวแขมร์จังหวัดสุรินทร์
6:32 AM,
Using the miss argument like you (6:32 AM)is forbidden, you wanted to disturb this community forum in freely discussion..
Please give your argument softly for ather people and we are knowing where you are (= your IP), if you dislike www.google.com, please surf the other provider. If you wanted try again we will hack you online now or later.
Webdeveloper team
6:52 am
We do not need to google...based on facts, we know that a majority of you Thai Lady-boiz are GAY with small dicks and like suck on White men's "Farang" or "ฝรั่ง" dicks and swallow their sweet cum. Cambodian men are very handsome and muscular and shapely unlike your ugly ass ancestors from Nanchao, China. You are certainly not successful in stirring problems on KI bloggs. I suggest you do it on your stupid "BANG-COCK POST" OR "NATION" newspapers!
--Khmer Surin
--ชาวแขมร์จังหวัดสุรินทร์
Dear all,
That is why I suggest that we, khmers abroad come up with a document a book and a film to document all the atrocities commit to Cambodia by the Vietnamese since the turn of the century, behind the khmer rouge, the land of Khmer Kampuchea Krom etc... and bring it to the world so that the world will know the truth rather than relying on westerner to write our history? if it's right. it's o.k. but mostly wrong?
To 6:52 AM,
To all people in this forum. The website of Mr 6:52 AM (http://www.samrainsysmalldick.com.us) is invalid or not exist at all. We have just smelled on this IP.......
Webdeveloper team
What a diversion of the guilty Vietnamese of their sin by over marking the border boundary. Now they are crying "racism".
Carl Marx never had many friends. He had 6 children, 5 of them died of untimely deaths. He was the man who wrote the communist manifestos.
This is nothing but a political correctness, because they got caught stealing land from Cambodia.
THe idiot just googles hot guys all day long! I see that you cleaned your sticky Keyboard and you are back googling hot guys again!
Go to Vietnam and Thailand and google the hot guys in person!
Please send in your protest email to the Phnom Penh Post, I just did it about a minute ago, asking them to make the correction!
Oh and ignore the monkey that keeps googling for useless information, it is a pathetic Yuon creature with lots of free time on it's hand!
All this idiot does is google all day long! What a loser....learn how to do some real research, it usually involves periodicals and journals, not google! If you were educated you would know, Monkey brain!
Uhhh, take it... here it comes...
I thought it was dead in that public toilet?
This shitty toilet viet is a skinny pale blob of slimy toilet germ. It can take all the shit anyone can shit on it. Take it shitty viet. Take it. Come back and get much more, it's all yours, stinky.
The American calls them Charlie or gooks. South Vietnamese worked for the Americans during the day; At night, they worked for the north.
wake up, meas sokchea, we expect you to know the khmer language better than anyone overseas, you know! learn from khmers from this blog site, ok! are you being brainwashed by your salary or something at the post? wake up already, ok!
this question should be given on the test to see how many people flunk it for not know that the khmer term "youn is actually an ancient khmer word for vietnam, and trust all khmer people, it's not racist, until we add the word "ah" in front of it, really. please learn correct khmer language before excusing khmer people of racist. well, if the viet/youn still dreaming of stealing khmer lands, territories, etc, then of course, we khmer are racist against them for that reason. but don't try to teach khmer people our own khmer language when you can't even pass the khmer language test, really! so what if khmer wanted to make "youn" racist! i'm sure there's a good for reason for that, anyway! bite me!
stop misinterpreting khmer language for a change, please! when in doubt about the real meaning of khmer language or word, by all mean ask any educated khmer people so we can help correct you all out there, ok!
khmer nation wasn't born yesterday, you know! get used to it, ok!
Hey A 7:01 and A peal 7:04, I also used google-earth to zoom at your location and your specific spot and guess what? I found out that you don't have any sex at all? no dick nor pussy and on top there are no momis or pubic hair either???? you cannot be Katheuy either? how can that be? Son of a bitch! such a clear pictures! Vow! google-earth is goooood!
oh my god! who says khmer is racist? and they're not racist toward khmer? give me a break!
Saying Youn is not a racist act. All comments are correct. Youn is defined as Vietnamese and Khmers have used this word for hundreds years. Racism is an abuse to one race by another race. The abuse can be physical, verbal... But when we say Yuon we don't abuse them we use this word to identify Vietnamese. If Vietnamese do not like the word Yuon, this means Yuons have not been good in the past that's why they hate this word. But it doesn't matter they hate this word or not, but saying Yuon is not an abuse.
ជូនចំពោះភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្ត
ពាក្យថាយួនមិនរើសអើងទេ ។តែបើគ្រប់ជនជាតិយួនទាំងអស់មិនចង់ស្តាប់ពាក្យនេះសូមចេញពីស្រុកខ្មែរអោយអស់ទៅ !
បរាជ័យយួនកុម្មុនិស្ត
True. Yuons hardly call Khmer as Khmer, but call Khmer as "Mien". The Yuons call Khmer "nguoi Mien" and you hear a lot.
We Khmer Krom always call Viet as 'Yuon' when we converse in Khmer language. Never understand why using 'Yuon' word is considered racist, because never been in Kampuchea Krom.
I believe only the CPPs are to politicize the word 'Yuon' when they are trying to please their Hanoi masters. The CPPs are trying to make all Khmers be polite to the Hanoi masters-- by calling chon-jiet Vietnam. When the CPPs call Yuon "chon-jiet Vietnam", what would they call Khmer Krom, Montagnards, etc then?
Khmer Krom voice
Dear Phnom Penh Post,
Please ask your Farther and your mother ,before you said Youn Word is Racist. Vietnam use Khmer is mien, Prey Nokor is Saigon then Hochimin,and changed all Khmer Krom provinces to all Vietnames name. What do you think?
i think youn is trying to make the world call them "vietnam" forgeting that cambodia, like other race on the planet, do have our own term for them; we called them "youn", like it or not, get used to it, ok. it's a khmer way, really! end of story!
CPP party MP's are "Kbal Yuon kluon Khmer"
Hun Sen = Hun Yuon
Chea Sim = Yuon Sim
Heng Samrin = Yuon Samrin
They are so scared of Yuon...that they say nothing about Yuon taking Khmer land...shame on them!
All 3 Khmer Kbal Yuon kluon Khmer should move to Hanoi!
Yuons- name given to Vietnamese by Khmer people, which means “savages” The Black Book
Recent discussion of the word Yuon and its usage shows that many people are not willing to acknowledge the racist meaning of the above-mentioned. A word becomes a racist term not because of some dictionary stating so, it becomes racist when it’s used exclusively in racial overtones, in insulting and offensive ways. This is an exact context in which word Yuon is being used. No Khmer would say “My wife is Yuon“, maybe in joking nature and in carefully observed background. And no Yuon would wish to be branded Yuon. Isn’t it simpe? Yuon is used only with negative overtones and thus racist.
I bet if any of the defender of Yuon went and ask opinion of Yuon in Vietnamese community in Cambodia he would hear a 100% negative feedback. Yuon connected a way too much to Lon Nol and Pol Pot genocidal policies of recent past. It ceased to be a Chinese Yueh ’cause there is too much bloodied past smeared all neutral meanings. The word Yuon is a slang of nationalists of KI Media and Sam Rainsy’s party. Nothing stays behind it but stench of ethnic pogroms, segregation and racial discrimination.
"savage" is term used by "civilized" whites with derogative and racist connotation...
Yuon are arrogant killer racists toward Khmers. Yuon tortured Khmers for 500 years and we Khmers said Enough is enough. Encraoching and robbing our land then called us racists? It is not the black Americans called the White Americans, it is Khmers who are tortured by Yuon.
What the fuck is the word youn is racist?
Go to survey this word around the world where ever Cambodian live ,we have called youn people since we were born, what so ever they just change their name but they can't change our tongues.
NAT IS NOT RACIST (YOUN) except the reverse psychologies to manipulate the world in to the laws From encroach Cambodian territory to Cambodian racist to the youn .
Hey hey hey big jokes ,no wonder the youn won the American war because youn good at bullshitting
khmer express
Excellent reply by Kenneth So.
Oh ah jumkourt Yuon express 1;36pm.
How long you can learn the fact that your Yuon didn't win the war. It was the US who just pulled out from the pressure at back home. Furtheremore Soviet and China were fighting helping behind Yuon. If the US wanted to kill all Yuon they could like in Hiroshima, all Yuon would be dead.
Yuon are afraid of being known by the world that they were indigenous in China. Now Kenneth So lectureed the White trash to understand and stop acting they know everythings.
In many respects, ah jouy mar rai pouch ah Youn is a savage. If they don't want to be called "savage" then get the fuck out of Cambodia. By encroaching other nation soverignty is a savage....that is pouch ah youn savage....mother fucker...go a head Dr. Roberts define it...!
1:45PM
Please accept the truth ,if the US did not lose , Cambodian people would
not perished and devastating ,Cambodian people and I want to see number-ii Hiroshima in Viet Nam as you stated very bad , so if you have any idea can make The United States of America do so pleassssssssssssssse.
khmer express
2:25pm.
Vietnamese and their boss(es) Soviet and China did not win the war in Vietnam. The US pulled out due to the peace agreement.
Cambodian people were killed by the Communist Vietnam's expansionism strategy who had long infiltrated in Cambodia for centuries. No country can help Cambodian not even Cambodians themselves.
No need to continue 1:45's insults. But let's examine his statement here for a second for the non-Khmer speakers.
"In many respects, ah jouy mar rai pouch ah Youn is a savage."
"ah jouy mar rai pouch ah"- meaning "The M.F#ckr bastard race" and then he said "Youn" ooooh! There he go again.
Funny how he needed all that insulting adjective to add insult on a word that is supposedly a derogatory word already in itself.
If youn means savage already, why the need to redefine it again, "in many respect.... is a savage" ?
1:45 is impolite and he is insulting Vietnamese people, but not because of the term Youn, but of the strings of adjectives before that.
You replace any thing else beside youn after those strings, you still get the same result.
I.e "ah jouy mar rai pouch ah American" -"those M.F bastard race, The Americans"
or i.e "ah jouy mar rai pouch ah Aleman" "those M.F bastard race, The Germans".
Heck since we're speaking English now, we can use the "ah jouy mar rai pouch ah Vietnamese" and we get a Khmerlish of "those M.F bastard race, the Vietnamese" but here its not Khmer, it's what we Khmer Kmenglish, or Khmerlish.
To speak Khmer, to refer to Youn, there is only one Youn, no other Youn, to discriminate this term, you need adjectives, just like any other nationality terms, by itself it is nothing, but when you combine together with adjectives like "ah" and others sorts then it is an angry message.
By the way "ah" in Khmer literally translate to John McCain's "That one!" lol.
See to a Khmer, a person without reputation or face or honor is a high insult. So to be added the "Ah" to anything is to say "That thing" or take away which mans that valuable in honor, face and kind reputation.
Yeah You here a lot of mad people on here calling Youns "Ah", now that i would not disagree is derogatory. Just as these people deride Mr. Hun Xen with "Ah Xen" or "Kem Sokah or Sam Rainsy" with "Ah Kem Sokha or Ah Sam Rainsy".
Put an "Ah in anything, you begin to strip them of reputation and honor". What do Khmer honor most in society? Face, honor and reputation.
Unfortunately, it seem Vietnam as a nation, many Khmer, is a nation of ill repute, and without honor. So the people are without honor and honesty.
That explains "Ah". As far as "Youn" goes, I can do no better explaining to you that "Youn" means nothing but "Youn", and if you think Youn means savage, I guess you just have to settle for "Savage Soup" when you what "Somlor Mchu Youn" hmmm Yummy savage soup right! tsk tsk, how did white people get to be at the top of the world by being so dumb?
2:51 pm
Thanks but the same token can you help Cambodian ppl and the world understand Vitnam expansionist on Cambodia ?
khmer express
correction:
Unfortunately, it seem Vietnam as a nation, to many Khmer, is a nation of ill repute, and without honor. So add "Ah" before their nationality means the people are without honor and honesty.
the words Yuon is nothing ,it come from Chinese language,cantonese call vietnamese Yek Nam .stupid cpp Yuon Srok khmer try to make it big trouble. Cpp hun sen clans are terrist as Thaksin.
NGOR HAY THONG YANNH HONG KONG DECCENT>
Pourk ah.me "Yue Nam" are barbarians from China.
I have seen a very good peace of thorough research by Lok Kenneth So and Dr Sophal Ear in addition with Sacrava cartoon, it's clearly explained about the term youn in great details. I reckon that we have to urge King Sihanouk and Mr Akashi to make join statement to admitt their bias comment during the UNTAC election in Cambodia in 1993, declaring that the word youn is not racist and they had misled the term to confuse the internal community at that time purely out of their IGNORANCE. I clearly recall that Sihanouk told Akashi the youn is a racist term referring to Vietnamese people and Akashi used his position of the head of UNTAC tried to stop the word being used. These two culprits ought to be responsible and publicly apologize for causing confusion with the word youn. I wonder if they are men enough to come forward to do so or acknowledge their grave mistake in adding more harm than help to Khmer people and Cambodia.
4:58 PM
Yes, I too remember exactly what you said about the ex King and AkASHIT. That's was terrible blow to all Khmer people with the statement. And now Hun Sen and his cronies bring the YOUN issue to the debating game again. How can they be so stupid to do this? luckily this time it's opposite to 1993, because 17 years on Khmer people have seen the true color of Sihanouk and his clone Hun Sen and what they have done to destroy this beautiful country and its people. What goes around comes around.
If YUON don't want us to call them like that I ought them to leave or get out of Cambodia. That's a simple request and case close.
Kenneth So, you nailed it sir!! Thanks!!
ah Yuon = Khmer
ai Yuon = Thai
buk Yuon = Laotian
Year of the Tiger 04/14/10.
your article explained everything. thank you. we should expose ourself more to the world via internet. thais and viets have exposed themself with their foods to the world. PHO for example is well known. For me, I think PHO don't taste better than Kuyteuv Phnom Penh. I agree, YOUN is not a racist word to khmer people. We used to call them for thousands of years. I prefer them call me KHMer rather than Cambodian. However, if the vietnamese think it is insulting by calling them Youn, let use Viet instead. end of story. canadian used to called native people living up north ESKIMO, now we called them INUIT. It is ok. we called american, AH KENG. american don't care. San fransico in chinese, Sanfanzie. Toronto in chinese Tolonto. america in thai, meka. bangkok in american, bang cock. laos in khmer, lao euw. we called viet, " youn, ka toup, a sueng". khmer language is great. ahahahhaha. Thank you, Merci, arh kun, kam oung, kap khun, toy che, arikato. ahahahha.
And ah Barang( Francai) calle us Cambidian! motherfucker French men you so fucking racist our is Kampouchean or Khmer!!!!!!!
To Phnom Penh Post Auditor and Directior,
You better to stop calling us Cambodian you braine are so racist we are called Kampuchean!
Whach your mouth from to day on or I will break your nose!
O come on, stop wasting time trying to explain away the word Youn. Khmer use this word Youn because we hate them, yes it is racist and to express our hatred and disgust about the Viet.
So Khmer,please stop wasting your time to explain away. We call them Youn with the intention to insult and degrade this savage, trickery people.
form now on in CAMBODIA .You call youn is youn ,police youn will bit you up wait n see boy !
all you guy khun khmer
later when youn walk by KHMER get out of the way .if khmer wear hat have to take the hat off
Well, I'm not going to defend Mr. Sam Rainsy, but I wouldn't go as far as the word "Youn" is unacceptable. True, as an educated politician, Mr. Rainsy should have known better. The word "Youn" is more of an informal language, but I don't find it offensive. So I would say Mr. Rainsy should have tried to be a little more formal in his public comments. However, no one should be punished for using such a word. After all, it's free speech. If calling Vietnamese "Youn" is racist, then referring to people as "white" or "black" is also racist. Then from now on everyone has to shut their mouth.
Yeah, try to use the word Niger with black people in America and see what is the reaction!
Khmer use the word Youn to call Vietnamese is to express our hatred and insult them. It is like calling them animal savage etc. So I don't see why we should try to explain it the other way, tell it as it is.
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