A Khmer Surin Hero needs your help

Khmer Surin children learning to write in Khmer under the tutelage of Mongkol (Photo: Witta)

Mongkol and his children in his Khmer teaching classroom in Surin (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Dear Readers,

Khmerization received the following appeal from a fellow Khmer Surin, whom I think is more Khmer than some of us. He is doing it tough trying to teach Khmer language to our Khmer Surin children due to shortage of money and teachers. Above all, he is a scholar who is well-versed in Khmer and Thai history. If anyone has any doubt about Preah Vihear and the 1907 treaty, ask him.

The following is his appeal for financial help in his crusade to revive Khmer language in Surin. Please give a helping hand so that our Khmer Surin brothers and sisters can help keep their Khmer identity.Read more about Lok Kru Chey Mongkol crusade click here: Khmer Surin: Will They Survive The Language And Cultural Genocide?
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Dear Kmouy,

I am sending you a MAYDAY!! Now, we having a big problem with financial crisis. For months that I don't receive donaiton. Please send my cry for help to all Khmer who see my cause.

This is a new front line for the Khmer people. If I lost in Surin, history of the Khmer Surin will be completely wiped out. Now, Thai government's Mahidol University has started up Khmer program for Khmer Surin but they use Thai scripts written Khmer words. My program is a rival program for them. They don't like me because I have often attacked them whenever we go out for a conference.

Please send this message to all Khmer people that I need their help at Surin Front Line. This is gonna be a long long uphill battle.

Sincerely,
Mongkol

Chaimongkol Chalermsukjitsri
President
Language and Culture Association of Surin Province (LCASP)
P.O.Box 27, Surin, Thailand.
Fixed Line: 044-520-179
HP 0875815514

http://www.khmersurin.org
email: khmersurin@gmail.com

Khmer teacher from Surin came to look for Khmer language books in Cambodia

Chey Mongkol gave an interview to Kok Santepheap (Photo: Chamnab, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Friday, 15 February 2008
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

Phnom Penh city – Chey Mongkol, a native Khmer from Surin province (Thailand) and a Khmer language teacher from Sisaket province (Thailand), declared on 13 February 2008 that the majority of Khmer people living in Surin no longer know how to speak Khmer anymore because they are not using their own language. However, now, Chey Mongkol has set up his small elementary school which is attended by about 60 children. The goal of his teaching is so that the younger generations know the Khmer language, otherwise, in the future, Khmer Surin will no longer know Khmer language at all, and they will only know Thai and Lao instead.

In an interview with Koh Santepheap at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) in Phnom Penh, Chey Mongkol indicated that his presence in Phnom Penh is to purchase books used to teach young Khmer children in Surin. He said that book merchants in Phnom Penh had given him 250 books also, and most of these books are for first grade level.

Chey mongkol indicated that only about 1-2% of Khmer people in Surin know their native Khmer language and still speak Khmer in Surin currently, but most of them are already very old. He added that the younger Khmer people no longer speak Khmer, they only know Thai: “I spend a lot of time teaching them, I want to preserve our Khmer language, otherwise, our Khmer language will disappear.”

Nevertheless, Chey Mongkol said that his teaching to young Khmer children did not meet with any opposition from the Thai authority. He added that, in the past, about 40-years ago, Khmer people were afraid to use their own language because they were forced to speak Thai at school and in public places, later on, Khmer people lost the habit of speaking their own language, and some say they are ashamed, and they stop speaking Khmer altogether.

Chey Mongkol claimed that, in spite of all this, the preservation of old Khmer customs in Surin still remains somewhat even if there is an influx of foreign culture or modern culture which seriously affect the preservation of Khmer Surin original culture. He added, currently, only old Khmer people still speak Khmer at home, whereas the younger generations no longer speak Khmer anymore.

Chey Mongkol said that he started a library for the students to read Khmer because he believes that Khmer teaching is not sufficient yet, therefore the additional book reading could complete part of the education. He added: “We want Khmer in Surin to preserve Khmer language so that it would be easier for them to communicate with Cambodians inside Cambodia.”

From Phnom Penh, Chey Mongkol will take back to Surin documents in Khmer language. He indicated also that he is giving a lecture to RUFA students where he showed slides about the situation of Khmer students in Surin, about dances performed by Khmer people in Surin, so that RUFA students understand about the current issues faced by Khmer people in Surin.

History students who listened to Chey Mongkol’s lecture said that they are interested about the history of Khmer people in Surin who has the same customs, and same origin as other Khmer people, and they want to preserve our Khmer language also in order to facilitate the communication between themselves and Khmer people in Cambodia. The RUFA students added: “Even though we are separated because of past history, but we are still one single people, we must connect with each others.”

Chey Mongkol indicated also: “In my family, they do not talk Khmer that much, some speak Thai, others speak Lao. Only I persevere to speak Khmer, even at the market, they don’t want to speak Khmer, but they speak Thai and Lao instead.” He added: “I am calling for the generosity of people who want to help expand Khmer language to help provide their support to me.” He added that he is working hard to help educate young generations of Khmer children to know their Khmer language, and to preserve their Khmer language.

For those who wish to support Chey Mongkol and Khmer Schools in Surin, please contact Chey Mongkol at the following email address: KhmerSurin@gmail.com.

Cambodians in Norway raise funds to help Khmer in Surin learn Cambodian

Left: Men Nath, Ear Channa, and Chham Chhany; Right: Chey Mongkol

To Help Khmer Surin Cambodian School,
please contact Chey Mongkol at:

Language and Culture Association of Surin province (LCASP)
P.O.Box 27, Surin City, Thailand
http://phumpon.blogspot.com/
email: khmersurin@gmail.com
HP 0875815514
Tel & Fax: 044520179

Sunday-Monday, 17-18 Frebruary 2008
By Sila
Sralanh Khmer newspaper
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

Noticing the struggle of the Khmer Association in Surin to preserve Khmer culture and customs, and its effort to provide Khmer education to younger Khmer children born in Surin who almost forget completely the Khmer language because they live under the Siam pressure, a number of Cambodian expatriates living in Norway have collected funds to help support a Cambodian school in Surin, Thailand.

Ear Channa, a representative of Cambodians living in Norway told Sralanh Khmer over the phone yesterday that: “We collected some funds to provide to Mr. Chey Mongkol, the teacher of Khmer language in Surin, Thailand. The reason we put effort to collect funds for the teaching of Khmer language to Khmer children is because we want them to preserve their identity and to preserve our national interest on this former Khmer land, and because we want to preserve the value of Khmer language and renown which existed since long ago.”

Ear Channa said that the funds which was handed to Chey Mongkol amounts to about 3,000 krones or about US$500. The funds came from generous Cambodian donors living in Norway: (1) Cambodian Buddhist Association in Norway: 1,000 krones, (2) Ear Bunrin: 500 krones, Men Nath: 300 krones, You Saravuth: 200 krones, Chham Chhany: 200 krones, Nov Veasna: 200 krones, Yin Kim: 100 krones, Om Virakbotr: 100 krones, Ear Channa: 300 krones, giving a total of 3,000 krones.

Ear Channa added that this small amount of funding which he collected was handed over to Chey Mongkol already and this action was done to encourage Khmer people living there to continue their struggle and their mission to preserve Khmer literature for younger Khmer generations, and to preserve Khmer identity in the name of Khmer people who can read, write their own Khmer language. He said that this fund will encourage Khmer Surin teachers to continue preserving Khmer literatures in Surin province.

Sralanh Khmer praises the generosity of Khmer people living in Norway for their help to preserve our literature and culture, even though they live in a country far away from their own, our Khmer people still remain in their minds.

Cambodia lost many provinces to Thailand, among these provinces, Khmer people in Buriram, Surin, Kok Khan, Sisaket still speak Khmer. Provinces where Khmer is almost forgotten are: Chanbury, Trayang, Paschimbury, and Nokor Reach Seyma. None of the Cambodian governments have thought about the lost of Khmer lands in Thailand at all, not only that, they never asked Thailand to allow Khmer people in Thailand to study Khmer so that they would not lose their national language, and their customs. No Cambodian governments have ever taken these actions.

Some documents indicated that Cambodia lost about 60,000-square-kilometer to Thailand, these lands cover 10 Thai provinces where 7 million Khmer people are still living in. Khmer people aged less than 40-year-old do not speak Khmer anymore, because Khmer children must attend Thai schools. Currently, Khmer Surin songs are (famously) known as Kantrem music.

41-year-old Chey Mongkol is married to Akhara, the couple has a daughter by the name of Apsara. This Khmer family comes from Kauk Khan province, and Chey Mongkol opened two Khmer language schools in Surin province.