Mayor Bob Foster and Councilman Dee Andrews joined leaders from Cambodia Town for the unveiling of new banners signifying the area that will hang from light poles. (Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer)
LONG BEACH -- Welcome to Moon City?
For members of the local Cambodian community, it was no laughing matter when, due to a typo, the Khmer portion of recently unveiled bilingual banners in the Cambodia Town area of Long Beach translated to "Moon City."
Apparently a character was dropped in the Khmer alphabet, taking the "m" out of Khmer, effectively changing it to an informal name for moon.
Tippana Tith, a member of the Cambodian community, said the mistake was a big topic of discussion.
"It's very embarrassing," he said. "(Other residents) said it was disgraceful with the world watching."
Steve Meng, former president of the Cambodian Coordinating Council, said he was stunned when he saw pictures of the banners.
"I'm feeling bad. It's embarrassing for me as a Cambodian. If it can't be fixed it should be taken down," Meng said.
Pasin Chanou, head of Cambodia Town Inc., which spearheaded the banner project, was not available for comment late Friday.
However, John Edmond, chief of staff for 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews, said steps were being taken to fix the problem. He said it was unclear who was responsible for the oversight in failing to adequately proof-read the sign.
He said the banner company that was hired for the $12,000 project is being provided with a stencil that can be painted directly on the signs to correct the mistake. Fixing the 30 double-sided banners will cost about $1,000 he said.
It was unclear who would pay, but Edmond said, "Either way they're getting fixed."