|
|
|
Dear Khmer Institute, I read your reply to Mr. Farrell and greatly appreciate your diplomatic approach in trying to make people like him who does not know much about Khmer people and country, but accepting biased accounts of individuals like Miss Ung, to understand the real tragedy behind the destruction of Cambodia. Miss Ung appears to possess deep hatred and on many occasions repeats this feeling. Moreover, she is vague regarding whom she hates. It is completely understandable that she despises the Cambodian communists, but when her definition of the Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodian) consists of people with "curly hair, flat nose, full lips, and dark skin" who destroyed Chinese, this kind of hatred or distortion is dangerous to the Cambodian community and society. Furthermore, she stresses many times that she will seek revenge against these people. As a Khmer, I am deeply offended by such attitude and endorsement. I was one of the many young Khmers who went to purchase this book and excitingly anticipated reading it, but only to find out that she trashes our history, culture, tradition, and people to play the victimization role. Her accounts of the Khmer Rouge could have been easily acquired from other people's stories (if anyone reads "Shattered Society" by Alexandra Martin, you can sense where Loung's inspiration comes from), but her experiences are implausible because they don't make any sense to Cambodians. For example, crickets cannot be found in April nor does it rain in April in Cambodia. The word YOUN is not derogatory. There is no such thing as a Chicken fight! Angkor Wat does not cover more than twenty-five miles (Angkor city does) and it is located in Siem Reap, not in Pursat, Ro Leap, or Phnom Penh. Wat Phnom is located in Phnom Penh. Ro Leap is not where she had mapped it. Furthermore, she said that her uncle originally lived in "Bat Deng" (Bat Deung), but why later said he originally lived in "Kang Troup"? How could she and her father have visited Angkor Wat when it was being contested in active battles? Do Cambodians celebrate their New Year eating Chinese food and practicing Chinese tradition (giving money in red pouches)? I don't think so. These fallacies may not have anything to do with the KR atrocities, but it is questionable whether or not this is a true memoir. If she recreated those things at the expense of the Cambodians, then it is possible that she made up her experiences during the KR regime to smear the Khmer race. Many people try to turn the tragedy of 1975-1979 into a Neo-Nazi thing. This book is no different. This is a great injustice to the Khmer people! Sure, some of her fallacies and inaccuracies when put into questions may sound petty, but her description of Cambodia and its people in general is petty. However, if she is a Cambodian and had lived in this country, why doesn't this woman know anything about Cambodia and her people? The above is just a few of the "petty" cases that we have against this woman. I reserve the stronger fallacies created by Miss Ung for a personal project to educate Cambodians and Westerners who are being duped by those who play or commercialize victimization for their personal reasons. Our objection to this woman is not that she is Chinese or that she wrote about the KR. Our great concerns are her racism against the Khmers, her distortion of our history, culture, tradition, and her continued crusade to misinterpret what happened in Cambodia based on her ignorance of the country and people. In Asiaweek and CNN, they call the Khmer Rouge era as theKhmer government because Loung had led them to perceive it as such. As the saying goes, “the blind is leading the blind.” Please continue to educate our fellow Cambodians and foreigners about the true tragedy in Cambodia. All of us (Cambodians or foreigners) deserve to know the truth! Thank you. Angelie
|
© 2001 The Khmer Institute. Los Angeles, California. All rights Reserved. |