See these viral photos of Indian Envoy Devyani Khobragade dressed as “Apsara” during the Cambodian New Year
The current Indian ambassador to Cambodia, Devyani Khobrogade, used a unique technique of wishing the people of Cambodia a happy Khmer New Year. During a picture session, the Indian diplomat, who was previously at the center of a scandal that escalated relations between India and the US, dressed as a “Khmer Apsara” and displayed traditional Cambodian garb.
According to a post on the Indian Embassy in Cambodia’s X account, the diplomat—who is renowned for her deep respect for Khmer customs and culture—dressed magnificently to celebrate the country’s New Year’s celebrations.
“Devyani Khobragade, the ambassador, has a great respect for Khmer customs and culture. She wore a beautiful Khmer Apsara outfit in celebration of the holiday, evoking the close relationship between our two cultures. A heartfelt Khmer New Year celebration to all of our friends in Cambodia, the tweet said on the Indian Embassy’s official X account in Cambodia.
In 1999, Khobragade started working for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), holding diplomatic positions in the Indian embassies in Rome, Berlin, Islamabad, and New York. But it was her posting in New York that attracted negative attention from the media on a large scale. Due to accusations of visa fraud, she was placed under detention and made false statements about the situation. On December 12, 2013, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) filed the accusations against her.
She was also accused of paying her domestic assistance less than the US minimum wage in a different incident. She refuted the accusations, calling them “false and baseless,” nonetheless. A US judge later dropped the accusations, claiming diplomatic immunity.
At the time, India refused to give her diplomatic immunity at the US’s request. Khobragade then took a plane to return to her own country.
The diplomatic relations between India and the US had a rough patch due to the Khobragade controversy, as New Delhi reduced the privileges of certain US diplomats stationed there.
