Thailand: A few days ago, Antoine Pinto, a well-known actor and boxer in Thailand, revealed that he was of French-Khmer descent, through his Khmer-French mother.
More surprising still is, that on May 31, he revealed the face and identity of his grandfather, Lon Non, younger brother of Lon Nol and a senior military official in the Khmer Republic. Lon Non, was the Minister of Interior and an Ambassador for the Khmer Republic, and was killed by the Khmer Rouge after they took control of Phnom Penh.
Three days ago, Antoine Pinto posted on social media that everyone was surprised that he was of Khmer descent- his father was French and his mother was of French-Khmer descent. The announcement came after many questions asked him if he was Thai descent- due to his Asian features.
On his Facebook page, he said that his father was French and his mother was born in France, but he was of French-Khmer descent, so that means he is 25% Khmer. This announcement has surprised many because he built a reputation in Thai boxing and moved to live in Thailand at a young age.
Antoine Pinto/ AKA Antoine Siangboxing was born in France. He had his first fight at the age of 11. He was the youngest foreigner to have fought at Lumpinee Stadium at the age of 14 (2005) and is the youngest to have fought at Rajadamnern Stadium at the age of 15.
On his Facebook on May 31, he revealed his grandfather was Cambodian, and posted a photo of Lon Non on Facebook with the caption, “This is a picture of my grand father. I never knew him, but I did get a chance to visit some family members before and I really hope to be able to go back soon.”
The post has caused quite a stir in Cambodian media, but it is not clear whether the claims are true.
