On 1 April 2009, Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry spokesman, responded to the press regarding the reaction by His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya’s remarks during the censure debate at the Thai parliamentary on 20 March 2009.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that the matter was a misunderstanding as to the correct interpretation of the terms used by Minister Kasit to describe the Prime Minister of Cambodia. The term the Minister used during the debate was “Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng”.
The Foreign Ministry as well as the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh already discussed with the Cambodian side to clear up this unfortunate misunderstanding.The Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, also talked to the Cambodian Ambassador to Thailand.
The spokesman further explained that in Thai language, the word “Nak Leng” or “นักเลง” has several connotations, including, among others, tough guy, big-hearted person and sporting. When the Foreign Minister combined this word with the term “Suparb Burut,” which means a gentleman, into the term “สุภาพบุรุษใจนักเลง” (“Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng”), it clearly shows that he meant that His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen was “a gentleman” (“Suparb Burut”) with “a big heart”. (“Jai Nak Leng”) or a sportsman-like gentleman. Any Thais, when asked what “Suparb Burut Jai Nak Leng” means, would concur that this term is a compliment.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th