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| Kampong Sra Lao II consists of four villages with more than 380 families, nearly 2,000 people living along the Mekong. (Photo: AP) |
Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 18 February 2011
“Every village in the commune is accustomed to Lao, every household, every person, speaks that language.”
In a remote corner of Preah Vihear province, an identity shift is underway. Here on the border, where the Mekong river spills over rocky falls from Laos into Cambodia, a younger generation is increasingly adopting a Lao way of life.
“Their parents only speak Lao with them,” said Neang Phann, an eldery villager in Kampong Sra Lao II commune, in Chaep district. “Some parents aren’t even able to speak Khmer.”
In a village 100 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Neang Phann sat on the wooden stairs of a stilt house, surrounded by grandchildren who were likely unable to understand what she was saying.
“Even though I try to use Khmer with my grandchildren,” she said, “they don’t follow me.”
Kampong Sra Lao II consists of four villages with more than 380 families, nearly 2,000 people living along the Mekong.
For decades, Cambodians here have been much more isolated from their fellow countrymen than from their Lao neighbors to the north. Goods and services are exchanged across the border, as are nuptials.
That has meant heavy influence of Lao culture and language, from weddings and funerals to house styles and currency.
Lao has become the lingua franca of the area, said Thou Ham, a 42-year-old farmer and deputy village chief. “It has already become a habit,” he said. “Every village in the commune is accustomed to Lao, every household, every person, speaks that language.”
“I do it with my kids,” he admitted. “They don’t like me speaking Khmer.”
Each of the four villages has a primary school, but classes are irregular due to a shortage of teachers. Technically, Khmer literacy is a requirement, but Lao is more commonly spoken in everyday life.
That has Khuon Pann, the deputy commune chief, worried.
“If our people continue to speak Lao, this area will become part of Laos,” he said. “We’re losing both our family name and our identity now. So we’ll become Laotians.”
Chaep District Governor Ung Vuthy says the government is planning to build a road to connect the area to the province and to bring in Khmer concerts and cultural forums.
“We can no longer keep them quietly isolated,” he said. “Otherwise, it will be more difficult for us in the future.”
21 comments:
Thai also use anti tanks missile guide make from US to wipe out Hun Sen regime Tanks. Hun Sen's tanks cab be see from the satilite very clear because they are made from metal. Anti-tank missile can delivery very accuraccy to destry all Hun Sen tanks by using live GPS guide from satilide.
All cambodian army don't stay in the tanks if you want to survive OK!
Hun Sen can't update military weapons due to Hun Sen's regime so much currupted. They use the whole nation money for their pockets only that is why they are billionairs, millionairs but 90% cambodians are poor.
Idiot!! Go jump off the high rise building and kill yourself.
it's good for border villages to get accustomed to both culture, languages, etc; however, kompong sra lau village is in cambodia, thus khmer is the primary language, etc. gov't of cambodia should be mindful not to keep a certain area of cambodia, especially isolated pocket of villages, etc isolated by road network, etc from inside cambodia to the villages along the common border areas and so forth. camobdia must not keep them isolated any longer. and stop ignoring these border villages, they are in cambodia, thus, khmer should be the first language the villagers must know like speaking, writing and reading khmer, etc! cultural exchange is an exception, it's the khmer language that is more important for the villagers to know, period!
by the way, kompong sra lau, not kompong sra lao, sra lau is a type of tree in khmer, so, educate the writers to know this, not assuming it's kompong sra lao to mean a lao village or whatever! it's kompong sra lau, not kompong sra lao as in laos, ok! in this part of cambodia, although seemed isolated from the rest of cambodian society, many khmer villages, towns, cities, etc in both preah vihear province and stung treng province are commonly named after some types of khmer trees such as sra lau, treng, cheu teal, neang noun, koki, baeng, sangke, etc, etc, you know. yes, there are many khmer names for khmer trees in cambodia, ok! if you don't understand, make sure to ask the educated khmer people from inside cambodia, ok! that's all!
do not keep border areas of cambodia isolated anymore. build roads, schools, health clinic, etc to connect them all to the rest of cambodia! get educated, please! be proud of khmer and cambodia!
lao people are usually highland people, meaning they live on the mountains, etc as their country laos is a very mountainous country and landlocked as well. cambodia should not keep this border area isolated any longer from the rest of cambodia! gov't should start building and connecting roadways to these border areas of cambodia, and start bringing it teach and build more khmer schools, etc. this area is in cambodia, not laos, ok! wake up, people!
This the problem with Khmer People, not the Government. Khmer people tend to forget their ancestry.
for foriegners out there, the real khmer word for laos is "liev", however, most people in cambodia used both khmer word "liev" and lao to call laos people. just educating the public out there, so you know, that's all!
the problem is isolation! stop keeping border areas of cambodia isolated from the rest of cambodia, ok! wake up, people! be smart and be proud of khmer race, language, etc!
this case scenerio reminded me to think about the past, how cambodia lost territories, people, lands, etc from is type of slow, but isolated areas of the khmer empire got absorbed by neighboring countries such as thailand, laos and vietnam. it's from isolation like this prime example, i theorize! that said, however, it's not the only way how cambodia lost lands, people, territories, etc to neighboring countries in the past, it's hard to ignore this type of contributing factors, though! of course, it was a result of war, death of capable leaders, time elapsed, poltical and religous upheavals, climate change, etc, etc, i mean, of course, there are many contributing factors to the shrinkage of the former khmer empire. all of this present-day clue is a reminders of what may once be the case as well, again, i theorize this! so, time for cambodia to wake up and do not leave border areas isolated again, ok! be smart and wise and clever about it all, ok! that's all!
also, they say in nature, water will flow and collect in the area lowest in elevation. so, if cambodia continue to keep this border areas isolated from the rest of cambodia, then they tend to go with liev, the closest to them. wake up, ok!
LAOTIAN ACCENT!
Laotian (Laos)
Khmer Lao (NE Cambodia)
Khmer Khorat (Oddar Meanchey)
Issan (NE Thai)
Nyaw (Western Cambodia)
Phuan (SE Thai)
Tai Dam (NW Vietnam)
Majorities of Nyaw are in Poipet, Nimit, Sisophon and Phnom Bich.
ខ្ងុំអានទាំងអស់ !
ผมอานทั้งหมด !
ຊອຍອານທັ້ງຫມດ !
maybe they're illegal liev(lao)invading cambodia or something! sounds like that, really! don't forget this is northern preah vihear province, not some kind of lao province or something, you know! demand they all speak and learn khmer, ok! or they all should migrate back into the mountains of laos, really! khmer like me, don't like hearing liev(lao) minority taking over an isolated pocket of border areas of cambodia, ok! now go back to the mountains of laos, ok!
it's stupid of them to claim to be closer to lao way than khmer, especially they are in cambodia, really! kompong sra lau town is in cambodia, not laos country, ok! don't be stupid, promote khmer, instead, you ignorant people!
I'm Khamen dam like him!
Loa people in cambodia country are just like others chines,thai,cham,Viet nam,french that what Sihanouk king father want to be killed all people ,except Khmer people.If you did not know, you must know,now Ethnic variety in combodia,Not pure khmer.
The Government must play role like Us Government,there three Branch of governments.othewise,killing never ended.Yhanks.
stop taking advantage of isolated villages of cambodia, ok, liev thugs! wat phu was khmer and even laos too stole from khmer! l'bak koun always belongs to cambodia, not laos, ok! now go back to your mountain hideaway and stop stealing and violating khmer law, ok!
since when did cambodia's northern preah vihear province and khmer border villages become liev (lao)! give me a break, please! another biased report, here!
i think cambodia should buil another bridge across the mekong river from stung treng town to the other side of the mekong river western bank to connect all cambodia to preah vihear province and northern cambodia, etc. this way, the villages and town in some areas of cambodia won't be left behind and isolated from the rest of cambodia, etc!
Many of Khmer comment here is seriously scary idea for neighbor country and many ethnic group in Cambodia.
If some Khmer leader try to play pro "Pure Khmer" nationalism, that are strong real genocide will happen.
Hitler already use this tool for second world war. I hope Somdech Decho or another Khmer leader not use this case to make political power.
So amazing, I used to study many of Khmer comment from many Khmer website. Khmer are seriously for human right only for people who have Khmer acesstor in Thai and Viet Nam. Khmer idea is looklike everything not fair for their nationalism, but in the same time. They have idea to pressure another minority ethnic group who live in Khmer. For me Khmer empire is golden age of Khmer leader with multiculture in that accient time.
Many comment for this case that mean many of Khmer people who are look down another ethnic group ,because Khmer history book and many of Khmer leader used this political tools with thier people along history!!!???
Sihanauk era killed and destroyed many of minority people village and culture etc.
Re-thinking what is real Happen for Khmer Sren and Khamphuchea Krom???
i think most khmer people don't mind multiculture society, however, in this article, the reporter pointed out the fact that this area of cambodia was isolated and thus liev took advantage of this area of isolation which i don't like when anyone took advantage of cambodia like this, ok! so, stop take advantage of cambodia just because an area of my country is isolated, etc, ok! that's all! do it the right way is what khmer people like me are trying to say here, ok!
khmer history tells us that many siem, youn and liev all took advantage of cambodia, that's why we hated them to that fact, ok! so, don't take advantage of cambodia, ok! leave cambodia alone to be cambodia!
Let people decide their own future which country they want themself belong to; which government will take care of them? If Khmer government don't care of them and the other will, let it be!
PM H.S. needs to take good care of Khmer people near&far: building road, hospital, & school for far away Khmer communities especially along borders and islands. Look beyond P. Penh, S. Reap, and K. Som for example. You can't take those money, villas, luxury cars with you when you die; Share it with your own people!!!
This is pretty much how southern Laos became a part of Laos. The Khmer people in those areas were culturally influenced by the Lao from the north. When times were hard in the Khmer kingdom due to wars with their enemies, those Khmers abandoned the Khmer kingdom and joined their Lao neighbors from the north. They abandoned their Khmer identity in favor of being Lao. The Khmer kingdom lost its people and land to the Lao. Khmer people, land, and even temples got absorbed by the Lao and they were turned into southern Laos. Those people no longer say they are Khmer, but live their lives as Lao. It seems the same thing is happening again where Khmer people living in the border areas are becoming Lao due to influences from Laos. One day they will have to choose a side and I'm afraid they will choose to be Lao, which means Khmers will lose more people and land to the Lao. When southern Laos becomes bigger, Cambodia becomes smaller.
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