Monday, 13 September 2010

Protocol misstep or fervent display of subservience to Hanoi?


During the current visit of India's President Patibha Devisinh Patil to Cambodia, a large billboard in Phnom Penh proclaims the friendship between the two countries. As the protocol dictates, the sign bears the message in Khmer first, followed by the same message in another language below the Khmer message. Although, a Hindi message should be used, here, an English message is displayed instead.

HOWEVER...

What enrages Cambodians the most is the fact that, when Viet President Nguyen Minh Triet visited Cambodia earlier this year, the same billboard displayed the message in Vietnamese first above the Cambodian message. It is unclear if this was an honest mistake or a message of subservience to Hanoi, the benefactor of the CPP ruling party.

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