School Principal Called "Neak" by Ex-Pupils Sues for Defamation
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 2:13 am
I Just Want an Apology, School Principal Says After Suing Ex-Pupils
3 min read
Va Sopheanut
| Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:43 pm .
The principal of a Takeo province high school says he has sued five former students for defamation as a warning after they posted critical comments on a Facebook video of him drinking and singing karaoke.
Chheuteal Chrum High School principal Panh Putheara said he was insulted by the ex-pupils calling him “neak” — a Khmer word that means you, but is considered as lacking respect — and would donate the potential 50 million riel in damages he is seeking for mental suffering, or about $12,500, to the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital and school constructions if he wins the case.
The video was posted on January 8 by the school’s deputy principal and shows Putheara standing and singing karaoke behind a table that has some beer cans on it. Putheara said this week that he was not drunk, and it was at home during the holidays in his private time as a “normal citizen.”
The five ex-students’ comments have been deleted from the Facebook video, but Putheara saved screenshots of two of them.
In one, Thun Piti, 19, says: “Sorry for the bad comments, teacher, but I would like to request that there be no posts on Facebook, because it is not a good model for many students.”
“Don’t follow the teacher’s bad points, only follow his good points,” Piti says.
In another, longer comment, Pan Nak, 26, says wine is one of Buddhism’s four evils.
“You are a teacher, you are a principal, you are an educator, you are a role model for children! Do you think this video is suitable for public posting like this? How many tens of thousands of children are under your leadership and are receiving bad influence from you?” Nak writes.
“I want to tell you that children who go to school have hopes, they need a guide, they need you to take their hand, they need a light to reach their goal. Please consider your actions and professional ethics.”
Putheara said he had sued the five ex-students for defamation because they insinuated that he drank to excess.
“They should apologize, first of all, [because] they insulted me, called me ‘neak,’ neak every time, neak should not commit the four evils,” he said. “I can’t accept it.”
https://vodenglish.news/i-just-want-an- ... ex-pupils/
3 min read
Va Sopheanut
| Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:43 pm .
The principal of a Takeo province high school says he has sued five former students for defamation as a warning after they posted critical comments on a Facebook video of him drinking and singing karaoke.
Chheuteal Chrum High School principal Panh Putheara said he was insulted by the ex-pupils calling him “neak” — a Khmer word that means you, but is considered as lacking respect — and would donate the potential 50 million riel in damages he is seeking for mental suffering, or about $12,500, to the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital and school constructions if he wins the case.
The video was posted on January 8 by the school’s deputy principal and shows Putheara standing and singing karaoke behind a table that has some beer cans on it. Putheara said this week that he was not drunk, and it was at home during the holidays in his private time as a “normal citizen.”
The five ex-students’ comments have been deleted from the Facebook video, but Putheara saved screenshots of two of them.
In one, Thun Piti, 19, says: “Sorry for the bad comments, teacher, but I would like to request that there be no posts on Facebook, because it is not a good model for many students.”
“Don’t follow the teacher’s bad points, only follow his good points,” Piti says.
In another, longer comment, Pan Nak, 26, says wine is one of Buddhism’s four evils.
“You are a teacher, you are a principal, you are an educator, you are a role model for children! Do you think this video is suitable for public posting like this? How many tens of thousands of children are under your leadership and are receiving bad influence from you?” Nak writes.
“I want to tell you that children who go to school have hopes, they need a guide, they need you to take their hand, they need a light to reach their goal. Please consider your actions and professional ethics.”
Putheara said he had sued the five ex-students for defamation because they insinuated that he drank to excess.
“They should apologize, first of all, [because] they insulted me, called me ‘neak,’ neak every time, neak should not commit the four evils,” he said. “I can’t accept it.”
https://vodenglish.news/i-just-want-an- ... ex-pupils/