Picture: Welcome to Cambodia’s Poipet, a Thai town or a Khmer town? A town full of Khmer people but all signs are written in Thai. The only things absent are the Khmer alphabets and the Khmer currency.Koh Santepheap newspaper
15th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization
Poipet - Banteay Meanchey Province: Near the gate of the Poipet International Checkpoint, signs in the front of all restaurants, casinos and shops are all written in foreign (Thai) language, without the Khmer language being written on them. And if there are any signs written in Khmer at all, they are just written in fine prints underneath the Thai alphabets.
This is not all. Furthermore, all financial transactions must be done in Thai Baht. From a meal in the restaurants, to a game of poker in the casinos and a night of stay in the local 5-star hotels, all monetary transactions must in Thai Baht.
Welcome to Poipet and the Siamisation of Cambodia. This is the reality of Cambodia today.
These trends have concerned many local officials. A Khmer senior military officer has told Koh Santepheap that he is very worried because these restaurants, shops and casinos are located inside Khmer territories. And he asks why there is a need to use Thai money at the expense of the Cambodian currency? The same military officer added that he cannot understand why all the signs in front of the shops, the hotels and the casinos are not written in the Khmer alphabets, but instead written in the Thai alphabets?
He added that, at a time when Cambodia has border disputes with Thailand, these practices could confuse unsuspecting international tourists who might think that the area is located on Thai soil. The officer added that this is a neglect of our Khmer culture, our national identity and our nation as a whole.
Mr. Keo Sen, Governor of O’Chrov district, said that under Cambodian laws, all signs in front of all shops, hotels and casinos that are located on Khmer soil must all be written in the Khmer alphabets. If there is a need to write the signs in foreign languages, they must be written under the Khmer alphabets and in fine prints. He added that what have been practised in Poipet now is illegal under Cambodian laws.
The governor of O’Chrov district said that he was aware of all these practices and the local authority has informed all the businesses and companies to make them aware of the Cambodian laws, but it seems that they did not heed the request of the local authority. Now he has passed this issue to the chief of the Poipet International Checkpoint to ask him to help tackle the problems so that people are not confused that this area belongs to Thailand.//
15th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization
Poipet - Banteay Meanchey Province: Near the gate of the Poipet International Checkpoint, signs in the front of all restaurants, casinos and shops are all written in foreign (Thai) language, without the Khmer language being written on them. And if there are any signs written in Khmer at all, they are just written in fine prints underneath the Thai alphabets.
This is not all. Furthermore, all financial transactions must be done in Thai Baht. From a meal in the restaurants, to a game of poker in the casinos and a night of stay in the local 5-star hotels, all monetary transactions must in Thai Baht.
Welcome to Poipet and the Siamisation of Cambodia. This is the reality of Cambodia today.
These trends have concerned many local officials. A Khmer senior military officer has told Koh Santepheap that he is very worried because these restaurants, shops and casinos are located inside Khmer territories. And he asks why there is a need to use Thai money at the expense of the Cambodian currency? The same military officer added that he cannot understand why all the signs in front of the shops, the hotels and the casinos are not written in the Khmer alphabets, but instead written in the Thai alphabets?
He added that, at a time when Cambodia has border disputes with Thailand, these practices could confuse unsuspecting international tourists who might think that the area is located on Thai soil. The officer added that this is a neglect of our Khmer culture, our national identity and our nation as a whole.
Mr. Keo Sen, Governor of O’Chrov district, said that under Cambodian laws, all signs in front of all shops, hotels and casinos that are located on Khmer soil must all be written in the Khmer alphabets. If there is a need to write the signs in foreign languages, they must be written under the Khmer alphabets and in fine prints. He added that what have been practised in Poipet now is illegal under Cambodian laws.
The governor of O’Chrov district said that he was aware of all these practices and the local authority has informed all the businesses and companies to make them aware of the Cambodian laws, but it seems that they did not heed the request of the local authority. Now he has passed this issue to the chief of the Poipet International Checkpoint to ask him to help tackle the problems so that people are not confused that this area belongs to Thailand.//
31 comments:
Who should be blame in this matter?
- The business owner! It maybe but most of them are not Khmer. So why they care about it.
- The Governor and Authority of Province! Yes!! absolutely, they gave a permission to do that. The government did not take responsibility; otherwise, they only blamed it on the business owner that haven't nationalism.
What is in the government brain?
Full-of-shit. isn't it?
Our Khmer Patriotics:
No matter what had happened to the nation and its’ people in the past and in the present, it’s exclusively our Khmer’s to blame or responsible. We have to learn, not to point finger at the outsider or involvements of the foreigners when we sit back and think about it.
We need to learn how to come around and live up to the 21st century and pledge to save the people and the country from further degradation.
God bless Cambodia and its’ people.
This is just another way Thai is slowing taking over our dey srok Khmer. Do you think we have Khmer alphabet is Thailand? Hell, no! So why are we allowing this kind of practice on our soil? I can really say I'm going to point the finger to our government for allowing this to happen. Sooner or later Poipet will be another Thai territory whether you know it or not. Please do not let this happen to our dey khmer. Somebody needs to tell Hun Sen's regime to tackle this problem right now and not tomorrow. The thais are not to be trusted just like the Viets. All they are doing is chipping away little by little without people noticing it and once they claim that the city is theirs it will be too late. I advise the gov't to do something right now to prevent this from happening any deeper into khmer territory. C'mon khmer government stand up for your people and nation for all khmers' future. They are on our soil so they need to respect our law and if not we need to kick them out!! This is not all about money open your damn eyes and take care of your people and nation.
Hopefully, the problem will soon be corrected.
The mentality of many Khmer leaders nowadays is still pretty weak and can easily be manipulated and confused with just a drink of "sra sar muoy keo", or a few bucks beneath their armpits.
We still have a long way to go before all the weak minded Khmers die out and replaced with new & better educated Khmer next generations. God bless the Khmers.
in this case the mass media plays an important role to stigmatize those who practice this on Khmer soil. This act can be considered treason and carries maximum punishment.
No need to blame on Business owner. They put any sign to attract people to their business to make money.
It is the government that regulate all rules and regulations.
If government don't care, who else will care. Plus comment people can enforce because then the puppet government of Hanois will hunt down its own people.
Hun Sen is to blame, no one can do anything to him now. When his power is gone, he will be judged.
hun sen and an other leader no idea for our country let country with full corruption and corruption
where is khmer
maybe khmer people forget all sleep wait yeun walk over head just know and tear fall ,when khmer know about what are yeun doing some ?in our coun try now
7:42am and 9:11am, I totally agree with your rationale. The businesses are not at faults, they are owned by foreigners and their customers are mostly foreigners so they will do any to attract their customers. The bottom line is the Khmer authority.
They must regulate these sorts of practices: businesses signs on Khmer soil must be written in Khmer, foreign languages at the bottom in small letters. All financial transactions must be in Khmer currency. If foreigners got foreign currency they have to exchange into Cambodian currency first before they could spend at the markets, restaurants...etc. Otherwise Cambodia will lose its identity and lands to our neighbors.
oh wow this is a great opportunity for money making for police and officials. Penalties with fines. Or are you good just making poor people pay fines?
This is sickening when I hear or read about this kind of story. Khmer-Thai borders are being run by Thai, and while Khmer-Viet borders are being run by Viets. A Lose-Lose situation for Khmer always!!!
The Hun Sen government is rotten to the core. All they care are corruption money and feeding their own families in Phnom Penh. They care nothing about the Khmer interests.
All Hun Sen's police, army leaders are too busy chasing Viet's women and Thai's women, selling drugs, and trafficking womens.
How much longer can Khmer stand the Hun Sen's rotten regime? They are too busy terrorizing poor Khmer people rather than protecting the nation from the Viets and the Thais.
Government and local governor as the legitimate parent should be held responsible for publicity of this sign boards as well as banners.
Look at all the idiots on here who think you are so great. What are you doing? Blaming. That's all you can do. Blame the government? If the government officials enforced people to do something, wouldn't you self-righteous pricks call it authoritarian? Stop being a fucking contradicting flip-flop, dummies.
The problem is a border town where the only business the Khmer townies get is from Thai side. So, it's obviously in their favor to attract Thai with Thai signs so they can read. That being said, something ought to be done about it. The unnecessary problem that people like all of you instigate is BLAMING. You find any shot to blame government and anyone you don't like. Cheap shot, buddies. Be a man and take a real punch and not some cheap-ass sucker punch like you've all been accustomed to.
Because of Ah hund Xen,Heng Xamrin, and Ah Chea Xim!!!They are the most corrupt and don't know their idetity,Hund Xen doesn't understand what is the Identity?He is youn's Hanoi pupet!!!
We have to chang!!
We need the democrate movement for chang!!!!!!
That's Hun Sen regime.
How can Khmers have lost her national identity to Siam if Thai Royal Family members speak Khmers and practice Khmer culture only?
Siam and Khmer share the same culture for thousand of years.
There are more Khmers in Thailand than Khmers in Cambodia.
In Cambodia less Khmers but more Yuon invaders. Khmer, Laos and Siam should be one nation, and Yuon should join with China.
Let the yuon invaders to control our ancestor great temples like Angkor Wat, Preah Vihea? No way, Khmers in Thailand will fight to the end.
This war at the border created by yuon invaders, and their troops are all over in Cambodia.
Com on'. I would rather join nation with Laos, Siam because we have the same culture and we won't lose our identity.
What is the big deal? They do this all over the world for centuries and it's very safe. Juat look at china town in the US, UK, ..., or AU. There are Chinese sign all over the places.
Please, don't listen to Ah Gorilla Fucker. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
China and viet are bloody enemies,they can not be friend by its nature.
Thank you for all patriotic comment.
I used to live along the thai border from 1975 to 1979 in that time
thai never look down on Khmer territory,even viet,they run to death when they know where the KR are,but in this Hun Sen regime viet and thai stepping on Khmer's heads.
viet using a cool way and thai using a hot way to kill Khmer.
We all have to find ways not let them practicing on our Khmer nation.
So then, when will you be liberating us from this messes, 1:02?
J'en ai marre de toujour BLAMER SOIT LES THAIS SOIT LES VIETS IL FAUT que tous ces bloggers aient une honnette intellectuelle C'est parce que ces KHMERS SONT NEES POUR ETRE FAINEANT TOUJOUR QUEMANDER LA PREUVE SAMDACH TA S'EST CONSIDERE COMME UN SDF , SE FAIRE LOGER NOURRI BLANCHI PAR LES CHINOIS SAMDACH HUN SEN EST PARTI POUR QUEMANDER LES KOWEITIENS C'EST CELA LA REALITE KHMERE JE SUIS KHMER JE VOIS TOUS LES JOURS DES CHOSES C'EST PARCE QU4ILS SONT FAIENEANT ARRETER DE CRITIQUER UN TEL OU UN TEL SI ON SE S'AIDAIT PAR SOIT MÊME LE CIEL POURRAIT ATTENDRE
It's the FAULT of the Poipet local authorities and the governor himself for NOT enforcing the Khmer law that ALL signboards MUST have Khmer characters written IN BOLD n BIGGER size than any other foreign charatcers be it Thai or Viet or Chinese... Don't blame the Thais, it's the FAULT of the local Khmer authorities as simple as that
What fault? Chinese restaurant often have chinese menu and sign, ..., and that goes for Thai, Lao, Viet, Korean, Malaysia, ...
12:46pm, So you think the CPP's Gorilla fucker senior military officer who told Koh Santepheap is the liar? Brainless CPP supporters like you who blindly support the CPP and foreign interests are called traitors.
It is a wrong start to allow unrespected Thais to using Thai currency and Thai alphabets. However, it is not too late yet to correct it before it become a habit and spreading.
1:02 PM
you live along Thai-border from 1975-1979 and you know a lot about how Thai felt about Khmer? You must be fucking Khmer Rouge then. Not alot of Khmer know that the first wave of refugees allowed into the US were the Khmer Rouge. This guy here might be one of them. Be careful people in Calif, especially because that Cambodian guy next door to you might be the Khmer Rouge that killed your family, friends, and relatives.
In 2006 I went to visit Cambodia, but I bypassed poipet. I drove thru Sisophone and met my friends who just came back from Poipet. It was the first time he visited Poipet since he left Cambodia in 1975. He told me that the business in Poipet do not accept Khmer currency, only Thai Bath and dollars. It was alarm me when I heard that.
I blamed the stupid Khmer government who let that to happen. Khmer government are stupid idiots who know nonething, but corruption. Do Thai and Youn let Khmer do that in their country?
But, Khmers are stupid too to buy their products. If the store owners don't accept Khmer currency, don't buy it. Let their business ruin and protest it.
cambodia needs to ban the use of thai in poipet. of course, we welcome the good trade and economy from thailand there, however, the thai must not impose their language and writing in our town of poipet!
cambodia must regulate and ban the use of thai baht and thai writings on khmer soil.
Bullshit, you commie (9:37), this our freedom of choice.
one thing to correct this kind of problem is to empower the khmer for a change, instead of always empowering foreigner. empowering gives powerful meaning to our khmer people and cambodia. we should be proud of who we are, the khmer! god bless cambodia.
9:37am, it makes sense to ban thai and viet imposition in cambodia because if they don't allow khmer writings in thailand or vietnam, how should cambodia allow them to do so in cambodia. it has gotten to be a win-win situation, not a one-way, one-sided, bias like the the thai and youn are doing to cambodia. i, too, say, cambodia should ban them from cambodia, especially if they are so biased and so discriminatory with khmer people and cambodia.
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