Darn it!

At first, I thought it was K.I media mocking Her Excellency Madame "Men Sam An" or "Men Sam Orn" by corrupting her Cambodian name to become Vietnamese-sounded "Men Xom On."

But it was not K.I Media, it was VOV or the Voice of Vietnam which spelled Her Excellency's name as Men Xom On.

H.E Madam Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister, and High-level representative of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Patei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Kingdom of Cambodia should inform her Vietnamese counterpart about the correct spelling of her name.

One of the international diplomatic protocols is the get the spelling of the key country leaders' name correctly. Unless it was agreed upon at the "traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation" meeting between Vietnam and Cambodia, Her Excellence "Men Sam An" or "Men Sam Orn" should keep her Khmer sounded name rather than "Men Xom On".

Where are we going from here? Lately the spelling of Cambodian leaders' name have become Vietnamized. Many people begin to spell Samdech Decho Hun Sen's name as Xamdach Hun Xen, Heng Samrin to Heng Xamrin, Chea Sim to Chea Xim etc...

It should be outlawed :-)! Otherwise the Cambodian Prime Minister's name will read like this: Xamdech Akka Moha Xena Patei Techo Hun Xen.

Below is the great news from VOV:
http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Party-leader-assures-friendship-with-Cambodia/20113/124896.vov
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Party leader assures friendship with Cambodia

(VOV) - Vietnam has always attached great importance to promoting solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia for mutual interests, for peace, stability and development in the region and the world as a whole.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized this at the reception for a delegation of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendly Parliamentarian Group, led by the Group’s chief, Men Xom On, in Hanoi on March 18.

Mr. Trong emphasized that the Vietnamese Party, State and people highly valued support and assistance from the Party, State and people of Cambodia to the past struggle for national independence and unification as well as national construction and defence at present.

Men Xom On, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Cambodian People’s Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, expressed admiration at the great achievements recorded by Vietnam in the renewal process and national development.

She also thanked Vietnam for its valuable, sincere and effective assistance to Cambodia’s past struggle for national salvation and revival in the past and during the current national development.

The Cambodian head delegate congratulated CPV for its recent successful Congress and Trong for his new position as CPV General Secretary.