Request to Remove Mahn Suh Park from the Position of Asian Liaison

Mayor John F. Street
City Hall, Room 143
Philadelphia, PA 19107


Re: Mr. Mahn Suh Park ("Echoes of the Killing Fields", 12/12/2004)


Dear Mayor Street:

Numerous members of the Cambodian American and Asian American Community are extremely infuriated by the unbelievably inappropriate remarks uttered by Mr. Mahn Suh Park, Philadelphia's Liaison to the Asian Community, in an article entitled "Echoes of the Killing Fields" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/12/2004):

"Killing Fields or whatever. Does that mean that they have to have the special treatment? ... Whether the Killing Fields or not, that's their fault If they say I'm not their leader, if they say I'm not representing their community, it's fine. If they do that, I have less work."

Mr. Parks profound comment clearly indicates that he lacks the capacity to function competently as the city's liaison to the Asian Community. His belief that the inhumane horrors of the Killing Fields is an event that is dismissible with the word "whatever" is equivalent to ignorantly holding a belief that the Jewish Holocaust can be dismissed with a yawn. Imagine living through an era where, on a daily basis, babies were staked before their parents' eyes; children's fingernails were mercilessly ripped straight off their fingers; women were gang-raped; and entire families were executed at random. These events are what victims of the Killing Fields witnessed firsthand. It is common sense to recognize that being forced to endure such traumatic experiences would have an enormous negative impact on any group of people. Apparently, common sense is not an asset that Mr. Park possesses.

As a city representative of the Asian community, Mr. Park fails miserably to understand what many Cambodian Americans have gone through. He is also so incredibly benighted that he wrongly credits Cambodians for the Killing Fields: Whether the Killing Fields or not, that's their fault." Blaming the victims for the torture they were forced to suffer against their will is extremely disrespectful, imbecilic, and should not be tolerated.

Philadelphians deserve a competent representative who understands or is willing to attempt to understand our problems and concerns. The liaison should be capable of accurately conveying our needs to city and be able to actively seek help to address those needs. Evidently, Mr. Park does not possess any of these qualities and is clearly unqualified for this position. He stubbornly refuses to make any attempts to understand the history of our people and he outwardly stated that representing our community is not part of his agenda: "If they say I'm not their leader, if they say I'm not representing their community, it's fine. If they do that, I have less work."

For Mr. Park's blatant, narrow-minded remarks to go unpunished by the city is an undeniable insult to the entire Asian Community. To benefit all Philadelphians and in honor of the valuable lives lost to human genocidal events worldwide, we request that the city fulfills Mr. Park's desire to "have less work" by permanently terminating Mr. Park from the position of Liaison to Philadelphia's Asian Community.


Sincerely,


Wutha Chin,
President of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia