Minister says minorities should rely less on forests

[Anchor Moy]

Particularly ironic since the Environment Minister is speaking at a launch of a campaign to save Virachy National Park and Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary.
And it's also kind of depressing since Cambodian officials don't do irony.He has really showed up at an attempt to save the forests of Ratanakiri and proceeded to lecture the local minorities on the benefits of allowing economic concessions to destroy these same forests and basically telling them to "get a job."
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/mini ... sts-80498/

Environment Minister Say Sam Al on Friday pledged to protect the culture of Cambodia’s indigenous minorities, before going on to say that those groups need to learn to survive without relying on the forests they have depended on for centuries.

Presiding over the launch of a new initiative—led by the NGO Save Cambodia’s Wildlife—to protect Virachey National Park and Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Mr. Sam Al first attempted to placate a group of about 30 indigenous people who had traveled to Phnom Penh from the two protected forests, which are in the far northeast of the country.
...
Following the launch of the new initiative Friday, Mr. Sam Al said that while “wood is part of our culture,” the time had come for indigenous people to look outside the forests for ways to earn a living, and that economic land concessions could provide such opportunities.

“What we are trying to do is develop our agriculture industry to create jobs for our people, so hopefully they don’t have to depend on the forests anymore,” he said. “They [should] depend on something else, like a skill.”

[Username Taken]

^^ Any chance the Minister has an advisor by the name of Tony Abbot?

[taabarang]

Yep, those social perverts are interfering with deforestation. Time for them to get a real job.

[StroppyChops]

Unrelated, generally do Khmer understand when other cultures use irony, or does it just cause confusion?

[Anchor Moy]

Unrelated, generally do Khmer understand when other cultures use irony, or does it just cause confusion?

Mostly causes confusion unless you add wink wink nudge nudge.Or if its someone you know really well who will pick up that what you are saying is the opposite to what they know you really think.ie; If I say to my nephew that He who can not be named is selling off the forests for the good of the Khmer people, he will get that I am being ironic.

In English anyway. Don't know if Cambodians use irony in khmer ?

[StroppyChops]

I don't think irony or sarcasm are used...

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

Man... Another depressing article. It's amazing how short-sighted Khmer officials can be. I think I'm realistic in terms of how much local policy makers can learn from the Western experience/mistakes. I don't expect them to do everything we do, but I do expect them to implement a few modern western long-term principles of development. Sad.

[prahkeitouj]

Unrelated, generally do Khmer understand when other cultures use irony, or does it just cause confusion?

Mostly causes confusion unless you add wink wink nudge nudge.Or if its someone you know really well who will pick up that what you are saying is the opposite to what they know you really think.ie; If I say to my nephew that He who can not be named is selling off the forests for the good of the Khmer people, he will get that I am being ironic.

In English anyway. Don't know if Cambodians use irony in khmer ?

Of course! We have that word. Jarm ark

[Anchor Moy]

Yeah, reports of jungle-trekking to the sound of chainsaws. Even the supposedly protected Virachey National Park is getting logged.
Absolutely no long-term vision. Lots of palm oil plantations up north now as well as rubber - and a lot of land cleared for the hardwood without any pretense of development.

Depressing indeed.
C'mon Cambodians - your heritage is being destroyed - and once it's gone, it's gone.

[Samouth]

Unrelated, generally do Khmer understand when other cultures use irony, or does it just cause confusion?

I think, most of Cambodia understand irony and some of us are really good at it. PS, we also have that culture.

Unrelated, generally do Khmer understand when other cultures use irony, or does it just cause confusion?

Mostly causes confusion unless you add wink wink nudge nudge.Or if its someone you know really well who will pick up that what you are saying is the opposite to what they know you really think.ie; If I say to my nephew that He who can not be named is selling off the forests for the good of the Khmer people, he will get that I am being ironic.

In English anyway. Don't know if Cambodians use irony in khmer ?

I don't think wink is needed. We really understand it. We also have good imagination and sense of understanding. We Cambodian also use irony in our language (Khmer). I am always being ironic with my friends and coworkers.

^^ Any chance the Minister has an advisor by the name of Tony Abbot?

I think some of Cambodians might not get this irony, if he or she didn't follow the recent news in OZ.