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| Chheang Vun |
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| Cartoon by Sacrava |
The Cambodia Daily
CPP lawmaker Chheang Vun yesterday said he would heed a call to apologize for using the name of one of the country’s ethnic minorities to insult a politician on the floor of the National Assembly, but he continued to insist that he never intended to slur the Bunong.
Mr. Vun used the term Bunong —the name of an ethnic minority in northeastern Cambodia—to describe Human Rights Party (HRP) President Kem Sokha as uncivilized during a debate at the assembly earlier this month.
Following the incident, the Cambodian Indigenous Youth Association (CIYA) submitted a letter to National Assembly President Heng Samrin demanding that Mr. Vun be made to publicly apologize for insulting the Bunong.
Mr. Vun, whose first reaction was to deny that the Bunong even existed, said yesterday that he would apologize at the next meeting of the National Assembly, which has yet to be scheduled.
“I will apologize in public the next time the National Assembly meets,” he said. “I very much regret it and I want to clear up this word that offended their feelings.”
Mr. Vun said his change of heart came after reading about the Bunong and learning that the ethnic minority had officially been placed under state jurisdiction in the 1960s and was recognized as a distinct minority by the Interior Ministry.
CIYA chairwoman Yun Mane said she welcomed the news of Mr. Vun’s forthcoming apology, but still expected more from the lawmaker.
“We also want Mr. Vun to apologize in our traditional way. When someone does something wrong among the Bunong, they have to apologize with an animal [sacrifice] for our ancestors,” she said, adding that usually a sacrificed ox would be donated to the eldest villager.
Mr. Vun declined to say whether his apology would extend that far.
The lawmaker did say that he was still upset with HRP leader Mr. Sokha, however, and that the opposition party leader ought to be punished for breaking the assembly’s rules of procedure.
The row began when Mr. Sokha used the occasion of a November 14 meeting of the National Assembly —meant to focus on international conventions on nuclear safety and non-proliferation—to talk about the deteriorating situation of human rights in Cambodia. When he finished, Mr. Vun stood up to berate him, at which point he referred to Mr. Sokha derisively as a Bunong—which in the Khmer language is a traditional slur to denote backward or uncivilized behavior.
Angered by the pejorative use of the word, Mr. Sokha slammed his fist on the table and led 20 other op-position lawmakers in a walkout from the parliamentary debate.
“I am angry with Kem Sokha and the rest of the opposition, who slammed and shouted when I gave my speech,” Mr. Vun said. “They should stand up to talk like me, not act uncultured like that and break the rules.”
6 comments:
use some other word if you didn't meant to say moron. Where is shit anh?
Yuon, Chheang Vun , does not know
about Khmer culture and history.
if he attended Khmer elementary school, he would have known about who is pnorng.
Is this reporter Khmer or what? How can Cambodian Daily editor let such writer misspelled the word Phnorng or Phnong? But, Bunong? what the hell is that? What an insult? Stupid reporter. Should be fired.
no CHEANG WON?
How can be this Youn or Viet get into Khmer 's government with a high Ranking like this?
How can All Khmer are so blinded by it?
Are we that stupids?
When Youn are saying that Khmer are Stupid, maybe Youn are RIGHT!
What do you expect from a typical retarded See Pee Pee lawmaker. I heard that this ugly looking dude was educated in France for over 20 long years. What a retard. I thought the French school system was a competitive one, unlike that of the Americans where everyone no matter how stupid they are can get an education. Man, this ugly looking dude went to school in France for 20 years and lived their as ethnic minority and he still thinks he is a top monkey. That is laughable. He is just a monkey. The French call all non-white in France as simply monkeys who need to be trained in order to be civilized. Now he is back in Cambodia and all of a sudden he thinks he is a top alpha monkey or something. The Phnong people are of the Mon-Khmer greater family, just like the Khmer are part of the same family as well. In fact, the Phnong and the Khmer have in living in the greater Southeast territory since be the beginning. Man Chheang Vun you really needs to go back to China because everything about is from there, you bastard.
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