A Change of Guard

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Thursday 9 April 2015

Gate’s design blamed in arson

Locals remove damaged parts of a burnt gate yesterday that was erected in Siem Reap for Khmer New Year festivities. PHOTO SUPPLIED

“In my opinion, the Angkor Sangkran welcome gate looks Vietnamese, because of its colour and style”,“Before doing something inside the world heritage area, they should understand Cambodian culture.”




A decorative gate erected in Siem Reap province’s Angkor Archaeological Park for the upcoming Khmer New Year festivities was burned down in the early hours of yesterday morning, following a backlash against its so-called Vietnamese design.
Siem Reap Deputy Governor Bun Tharith said the gate – one of two designed for the province’s annual Angkor Sangkran event that marks the New Year – was set alight at about 1:30am yesterday.
“Someone burned one of our welcome gates that we prepared in front of Angkor Wat temple, and now our workers have started to repair it again,” he said.
Acts of vandalism and other crimes during the three-day event – which is expected to attract some 500,000 visitors – will be kept at bay by an increased police presence, he added.
Local villager Sok Thom, who was sleeping outside his mother’s nearby grocery store at the time of the incident, said that he awoke to see the gate engulfed in flames. “After that, we tried to find water to put the fire out, and not so long after … the police arrived and also helped”, he said.
Police were still searching yesterday for the perpetrators of the arson, which followed criticism on social media about the gate’s nontraditional design, with some describing it as “yuon” – a term for Vietnamese considered derogatory by many.
Thom agreed yesterday that the design was too similar to Vietnamese and Chinese styles, but said he did not condone burning it down.
“I feel very sorry for what happened, because I saw the workers work night and day to finish it,” he said.
Others said such a design should never have been constructed in the first place.


“In my opinion, the Angkor Sangkran welcome gate looks Vietnamese, because of its colour and style”, said 22-year-old university student Sokun Thea. “Before doing something inside the world heritage area, they should understand Cambodian culture.”
Yesterday’s fire followed the partial destruction of the gate on Monday evening, when one of two goat statues on top of it fell down, reportedly because of strong winds.
Local tour guide Thy Vuth said the winds led him to believe that “the spirit in the Angkor area also disliked the decoration, which does not follow our tradition and culture”.
Analyst Ou Virak, who has been a strong critic of anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia, said that, while he too did not like the design of the gate, the racially pointed nature of some of the criticisms was “a sad reaction”.
“While I think this design in particular is cheesy, I would welcome creativity,” he added.
Som Ratana, spokesman of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, which organises the event, said the gate’s design will be changed in response to the backlash.
“His Excellency Hun Many went to see the welcome gates with me, and he said that he does not want to see our Cambodian people feel unhappy because of the gate and said we should . . . just change it” he said. “Now we have a new decoration on the welcome gates, and we hope all of Cambodian people like it.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ALICE CUDDY

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah Ov (Hun Sen) Kor Leukeu Ah Kaun (Hun Mani) Kor Lgni Lgeu !!

Prime Minister Kanduoy Mer Vear v!!

Anonymous said...

LOL the epic 'wrath of Imperial Vietnam' seem so great, so powerful, so dreadful, so overwhelming right!? Just because that thing bear the color of red and yellow then it's Vietnamese's style? LOL then everything with red and yellow are Vietnamese or Vietnamese relate? So funny for these criticizers.

It's pure racism and totally lack of knowledge

#comcomWF

Anonymous said...

Begin of Drgunzet's comment.

Do a google image for "Bangkok temple" like this:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1232&bih=565&q=bangkok+temple&oq=bangkok+temple&gs_l=img.3..0l10.3183.7453.0.7840.14.9.0.5.5.0.208.1655.0j5j4.9.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..0.14.1705.Fl9AwxAeV30

Then do another image google for "Hanoi temple" like this:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1232&bih=565&q=bangkok+temple&oq=bangkok+temple&gs_l=img.3..0l10.3183.7453.0.7840.14.9.0.5.5.0.208.1655.0j5j4.9.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..0.14.1705.Fl9AwxAeV30#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=Hanoi+temple

See for yourselves. The yellow color is the Thai color. Khmer is copying from the Thais.

-Drgunzet-

Anonymous said...

Begin of Drgunzet's comment.

For so long the world only heard about "Muay Thai", not "Muay Khmer or "Bokator". But you accused the Thai for copying your martial arts.

I think the Khmer guys invent this martial arts to gang rape women, it's called "Baukator".

A Thai named Leeporter also complained about the Khmer who could only knew how to count to five, then copied from the Thai numeral system based 10 to do math.

Khmer Apsara copied from Thai dance. Thais folks said Khmer were stupid, could not invent anything, and copied from Thais.

So, now you are mad at each other for copying stuffs again, don't you?

-Drgunzet-

Anonymous said...

You are totally wrong.khmer never copied traditional,customs,or culture from Thai.it is Thai that copied everything from Khmer.if you are not clear about it you can go to read some books.and I have not wonder you said that because as I know you used to have a Thai girlfriend,right ?

Anonymous said...

#comcomWF

HAHA. You think you are funny, but the truth of matter is that you lack knowledge and poorly educated. HAHAHA.

You may have the backing of other Vietnamese maggots, but soon the wrath will come from your Chinese master. HAHA.

Ironic that you think the gate isnt related to the Vietnamese style. HAHAHAHAHA

Deny all you want you maggots, just like how you maggots denied the genocide of millions of Khmer.

Anonymous said...

Please don't pay too much attention to this drug-on-shit shitcong youn.

It jealous of the Khmer because the shitnames has NOTHING to show the world of what it has created.

Everything in the shitnames culture are copied from the Chinese. This what happen when you are were rapped by it's masters for a thousand years.

Now stop eating dog meat, but START eating dog shits instead, shitnamese.

Sincerely,
STUPID youn...

Anonymous said...

@9 April 2015 3:44 pm
but the truth of matter is that you lack knowledge and poorly educated.
------
The truth here is that you're racist toward Vietnamese, personally attacking and insulting other people and paranoid

------
You may have the backing of other Vietnamese maggots, but soon the wrath will come from your Chinese master.
------
LOL Chinese's wrath? Only Cambodian fear that wrath, not Vietnamese, Oh hey didn't the last times Vietnamese beat both Cambodia and China at the same times all alone?

--------
Ironic that you think the gate isnt related to the Vietnamese style.
-------
So what's Vietnamese's style?

-------
just like how you maggots denied the genocide of millions of Khmer.
-------
Some people keep claiming but they never provide justified sources

Anonymous said...

@9 April 2015 6:08 pm
It jealous of the Khmer because the shitnames has NOTHING to show the world of what it has created.

Everything in the shitnames culture are copied from the Chinese. This what happen when you are were rapped by it's masters for a thousand years.
------

Once who have zero knowledge about something should sit back and learn instead of barking about what he don't know

#comcomWF

Anonymous said...

Haha. You Vietnamese maggots have lots of knowledge yet you still can't see anything right in front of you.

What you maggot need is a full extermination. Why don't you maggot go ram your little boat into your master's ship again.

Haha

Anonymous said...

Begin of Drgunzet's comment.

This weekend I will go to a German forum and expose the Khmer race to the world. There are a lot of non-Germans who are trolling there.

-Drgunzet-

Anonymous said...

Yes, go and get some helps my little shitnames friend. Oh, don't forget to pack some dog shits for lunch while you're on your way there.

The Germans love you yellow Gooks and I'm sure they'll help you to hate the Khmer even more.

Sincerely,
STUPID youn...

Anonymous said...

The german loves the Khmer. They know how the Youn maggots conspire with the Russian to turn Cambodia into a Communist country.

It all goes back to the Youn maggots. Without the Youn maggots, there wouldnt millions of mines planted in Laos and Cambodia.