Defending an order to call Prime Minister Hun Sen “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo,” Sothea Nim writes in “Ministry Directive Over Titles Aligns With Cambodian Culture” (Letter to the Editor, May 16) that “Time and again, double standards are found in Western-based media organizations—especially those that operate inside the Kingdom. For instance, it is rare to find any paper that addresses any member of the House of Lords of the U.K. without their honorific title.”
—Letter to the Editor—
This is misleading. The House of Lords is an upper house of Parliament equivalent to Cambodia’s Senate, and calling a member “lord” is like calling Say Chhum a senator. It identifies a political position.
If Mr. Lim is implying that British papers (or the public) would be happy calling David Cameron “Lord Prime Minister and Supreme Military Commander,” he is mistaken. This would be considered boot licking, and everyone involved would be a laughingstock.
William Shaw
London
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