Was this greeting a matter of interpretation, or did Cambodia's First Lady actually greet President Barack Obama like a servant? Credits: Daily mail
Though many in the international press corps believe that President
Obama was treated disrespectfully in Cambodia on Friday, it may be Obama
who gets the last laugh.
When Obama was greeted by Cambodian President Hun Sen and First Lady Bun Rany on Friday, the First Lady’s posture and hand positioning, hands at chest level and tilting her upper body slightly, is believed to be the sort of greeting used to greet servants and not equals. This has created a small brouhaha within the diplomatic community.
The editorial board for Investor's Business Daily was quick to note
this slight may not have been noticed by Westerners, but is very obvious
to Asians.
“First lady Bun Rany greeted Obama with a traditional "sampeah" pressed-hands greeting reserved for servants, a little dig that was probably lost on him but not to Asians.”
The president and his advisers then met with Cambodian leadership to
discuss a variety to topics, ranging from human rights and elections
concerns to financial matters, such as Cambodia’s request to the United
States government for forgiveness of its debt.
That debt is where the First Lady’s cultural slip may cost her
husband dearly. Sen’s government is trying to get the United States to
forgive over $370 million, arguing that a pro-American government
incurred the debt in the 1970s as a means to repress its people. With
the current sesquestration talks at home entering a very heated phase,
collecting on such debts, paltry as they are in the broader scope, could
score Obama political points he could use as leverage in budget talks.
Cambodia's government wants the debt forgiveness because it claims
the money can go towards investing in the nation itself. Since many
nations have used outstanding debts as leverage in diplomatic relations,
Sen may indeed be concerned that any perception of disrespect shown to Obama by his wife could resolve in a "sorry, pay up" message from Washington.
1 comment:
There were nothing wrong on the greeting,you're foreigners[writer]didn't know anything about khmer's traditions [sompeah] Obama did a great job more propered posturing gesture than Bunrany,despite he is an American that got more power than Bunrany,Obama put his hands on the right position where his chest above his heart telling us that he respect a person infront of him that he was greeting to,plus he is tall guy with his head down a bit like bow toward a person whom he greeted.On the other hand Bunrany,did a bit impropered because she didn't put her hands above her chest and low her head down like Obama did.The proper ways of greeting is hands above the chest and head a bit down to show the respects for both party,in this case Obama did a really good job,he got A+ from me [Ykp]and Bunrany got C+ for this greeting performances.Mr Obama is down to earth type of guy he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he is multicultural type of dude grown up in Malaysia as a young boy plents in easy in any societies/groups unlike Bunranys greedies corrupted spoiled rotten from within.On the racist note:I didn't think Bunrany hates or racist against Obama.
Young Khmer profession
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