I watch Primetime news today where China has vowed to helped Cambodia strengthen economic ties. one of the Cmbodian spokesman said on the interview on primetime news had said that the Chinese/Cambodia ties are closed knit. estimating that a factory has open in Cambodia every 2 months. billions of dollars had been invested into Cambodia from China. My khmer AF. is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Bad thing. China doesn't care about Cambodia's economy. They are just using Cambodia to spread out their economy, power, influence. I hope Srok khmer is not going to be infested with Chinese ppl anytime soon where they control the media just like in Thailand.

^^ True. Almost everything in Thailand is run by the Chinese. Even most of their population isn't full Thai anymore. I am part Chinese myself, but what's wrong with help from China? Cambodia needs all the economic help they can get, because the way I see it, it's still a really poor country compared to Thailand and Vietnam.

Most of you are too paranoid about the Chinese. The Chinese of China today has leaving their country the last thing on their mind, they're already becoming a superpower. The ones that did migrate did so because they were poor, but now even poor people in China are better off than their middle incomes Southeast Asian kins.

I agree with this poster. Every country in the world only look out for their own interests.

I watched part of the show on line. The surprising thing they mentioned was that Cambodia is home to the largest Chinese language school outside of mainland China having about 8,000 students enrolled. WTF? That's a huge number. The bottom line is that China is going to be the next superpower and the Chinese population is big, greater than 1.3 billion people. They are not only in Cambodia but they are everywhere, just about in every corner of the earth. An Indian guy that was interviewed in the show said that the Chinese language is the key to the future and the key to prosperity and I agree with his statement. A few decades from now, instead of students wanting to study in Europe or the US, they are going to be studying in China.

Also, the Chinese have been pumping billions and billions of dollars to the Cambodian economy. They are now the largest foreign investor and greatest aid donor which is always a good thing for a developing country. They are also assisting Cambodia militarily. A while back ago, they supplied a few patrol crafts to the Cambodian Navy and recently, you can see some Cambodian soldiers at Preah Vihear carrying the latest Chinese-made assault rifles (QBZ-97's) protecting Cambodia's sovereignty. The good thing about China's influence is that now the US sees it as a threat to them. To counter the Chinese, the US gave Cambodia 31 GMC military trucks this year and pledged 3.2 million dollars in military aid. It kinda like a tug-a-war with the two superpowers with one country trying to out due the other to see who will have the strongest influence over Cambodia. Honestly, I think any help from any nation is a good thing, even if it's from China.

^That's a lie. Why would the largest Chinese school outside of China be in Cambodia? Let me see, every Southeast Asian countries except Laos has a much bigger Chinese population.

It's the largest Chinese "language" school outside of mainland Chinese. Yeah, I was surprised myself to hear that considering how small the Cambodian population is in all. Here's a clip of the interview of Bob Woodruff (Primetime ABC news) by Charie rose of PBS. It's not the actual Primetime show but the clip show segments of it relating to the Chinese relationships with Angola, Brazil, and Cambodia. The Cambodia part of the clip starts about 8:10 into the video: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/8/5/...odruff-abc-news. It's short clip but interesting nonetheless.

I love it when they don't fact check. It sometimes turn out hilarious.

^What do you mean?

These reports sometimes don't fact check their sources. The largest school outside of mainland china should be in places where there is actually a large Chinese population, like Taiwan, Singapore or Malaysia.

They say Cambodia have the lagest Chinese language learning class which is 8,000 khmer kid learning chinese. Not the largest chinese student class

i don't know man, cambodia been friend with china for centuries and..... you know the rest.

yeah been following chinese for centuries. " the rest" well just say Cambodian Land got much smaller, millons died under the chinese communist style movement..I'm telling you the chinese is behind just about everything. They dont' get involved themselves, instead they use other country to do their work. They are very cunning. I mean look at their empire right now. #1 economy, largest population, and what basically the largest land that is occupied , not counting Russsia where their land is mostly useless filled with snow.
My main point is if khmer back then never let foreigners in with OPEN arm, I don't think we would lose so much land.

I really appreciate everyones feedback. I too are really skeptical with chinese influences. but as of now we are in need of help and much more until we are stable. that is the goal of our new khmer empire... lets rebuild.

This is what I heard, a rumor, perhaps. I don't know. I heard that the ordinary Cambodians in the "urban" areas love to decorate the outside of their houses with glossy paper filled with Chinese characters? Inside each of their houses, they put a Chinese-style altar that is typically found in Cambodian restaurants outside Cambodia. I also heard, when it is Chinese New Year, most Cambodians claim that they are Chinese and as a result, the government buildings are closed, schools are closed, shops are closes, and the city of Phnom Penh becomes a ghost town. Tell me what you think.

^ A lot of that is true. At first I thought 'Wow there's a lot of Chinese people in Phnom Penh, like, 95% of the population!' Then I realised that most of these decorations are for good luck and prosperity, particularly for businesses. So Chinese decoration in urban areas doesn't necessarily indicate Chinese heritage. During Chinese New Years a lot of Khmers also take the time off too, any reason to relax and have a drink I suppose =D. I don't think that they're claiming Chinese heritage though.. but you never know.

Yup is just for decoration and good luck cause all my family in srok khmer does that lol

Cambodia can't have a large chinese population, chinese immigrants always try to keep in contact with their ancestrial area back in china as long as possible, if there was a large chinese populaion then we would know for sure.

^^

More in-depth information about the history of Chinese in Cambodia.
http://www.cascambodia.org/chinese_cam.htm

I totally agree. Cambodia tries so hard to be like China it isn't going to help us out in the long run. Nothing against the Chinese but I just feel Cambodia should look up to other countries other than the Chinese. I rather let Cambodia have a closer relationship with Japan, South Korea, Great Britian & The U.S.
If the Chinese were such a great friend why didn't they stop the genocide from happening? Eversince we got in to contact with them our land gets smaller, our strength begins to weaken, ect. I know this is the modern era but history repeats itself if you don't correct yourself.

Cambodia and Cambodians needs to stop riding the chinese d!ck cause in the long run I feel it is bad for business.

I am glad that you have responded. I learned a lot from reading your observation and knowledge. Just one more issue: Cambodian students. I heard that officially students must come to schools because they are not closed on an unofficial holiday such as the Chinese New Year. However, the problem is that almost all the Cambodian students chose not to show up at schools on Chinese New Year because they claimed "part Chinese" or "Kone Kat Chen". For me, it seems the non-Chinese Khmer students are underrepresented and there must be a policy or program or quota system for them or something. Because way too many students did not show up at schools on Chinese New Year day, most teachers just could not teach to the empty classrooms. As a result, the school administrators closed their schools as well. Another observation is the recent Cambodian immigrants to the United States. They are proudly claiming that they are of the "Chinese" despite the fact they they simply look "Cambodians". They even practice speaking Khmer with a Chinese accent and stuff. When explained that the Chinese do not consider them as "Chinese", they were shocked. hahaha. This is true. OK. I am not making this up. The story goes like this: This one Cambodian girl from Cambodia thought that it was cool and ethnically satisfying when she is being called as simply as "Cheeena" by the Mexican classmates. Then this Cambodian girl made sure that she had nothing to do with other Khmer students in the class. So she tried to befriend his pure-blooded female Chinese student from China. The pure-blooded Chinese person told the Cambodian girl straight in the face like this: "You are not Chinese. Chinese people don't look like you. You speak Cambodian and we speak Mandarin and other Chinese dialects." In addition, the Chinese woman told her like this: "Stop letting them Mexican women calling you "Cheeena". It is a bad word. Tell them to call you by your own name." Now imagine how the Kon-Kat Chen or Chinese wanna Cambodian girl felt at that moment. Kone Kat Chen Pride!

That is one of the main reasons why Sino-Khmer often come crawling back to Khmer folks, because their own Chinese kinsmen doesn't even accept them, even if they look like ethnic Chinese, there's always something different about them and they being able to speak Cambodian automatically gets them outcasted. If they were able to speak Chinese, it would be a different situation but whatever the case, its always Sino-Khmers come back to their Khmer friends who accepts them because we Khmer accepts anyone who speaks our common tongue. I feel It is virtually useless to even mention whatever Chinese blood a Cambodian person has, especially if that person doesn't feel the least bit "Chinese".

i don't understand the bold part, would you like to elaborate a little? But let me take a shot first, are you saying that any mix cambodian are often come back to hang with cambodian because you think they don't get accepted with the other ethnic of there? I don't know where you got your research from but its not true, people tends to hang out with people whom they grew up with, its not like they think who is better to hang out with, its a natural selection. well lets say the sino-khmer or whatever mix khmer it is, like to hang out with their other ethnic and not cambdodian, are you going to call them hater or racist?


i accept everybody, you sound like a hater toward chinese or mix nationality. You sound bitter dude. to be fair i do not agreed with your points at all since we all are asian. Are you trying to spread hatred because someone is not 100% cambodian? There are a lots of mix cambodian out there beside sino-khmer, now there are white/cambodian, african/cambodian, so on. Whether you or I like the mixing or not, people are mixing. Stop spreading hates man, there are better $hit to talk about than this. whats matter is that they love khmer and not hate khmer.

Are you reading too much in between the lines or what? Your points are all wrong.

I know Chinese-Cambodian families that can speak their Chinese language (some) and Khmer fluently, practice both cultures, but would rather hang around with Khmer folks than ethnic Chinese folks. Now the Chinese people from Cambodia are just as HAN as the Chinese from China, yet socially are these two groups likely to click? In my experience its hardly. However, Khmer people have no problem with these Sino-Khmer because they can relate to us by way of speaking a common tongue. On the other hand, these same Sino-Khmers are often wealthier and more successful than Khmers, so obviously there's going to be arrogance which is a nasty bi-product of wealth. Also, these are the same sino-khmer that intermarries into Khmer families Crazy isn't it?

Now how the hell does this sound like I hate Chinese or Sino-Khmer? How am I spreading hate? This is the way I see it in my experience and if you don't agree you can always share your experience. By the way, everyone is mixed to some extent whether they want to believe it or not.

i do agreed that rich people tends to hand out with other rich people,some, it doesn't have to be any specific ethnic mix or not, its a universal human behavior.

you also said that these mix chinese rather hang out with cambodian rather than chinese, but where was these mix cambodian grew up or was raised though? Like i said its depend on where they grew up and not which race they chose to hang out with. as for me and many other,probably you too, we hang out with people we grew up with and it has nothing to do with which ethnic is better.

You got a point there, it does depend on who and where the person grew up but there are also many more factors to it. Its not all based on race or heritage, its more about acceptance is my main point.

I recommend that both Goombaking and Applepanic should read this research paper. It might help you guys understand the complex relationship between the Chinese and Khmer people in general. Note worthy of all is the depth and scope of the historic relationship and changes through times.

O.K, too obsessive about the Chinese. I've read that paper months ago Lemon, and It has some factual issues. The part about ancient Bas-reliefs is lacking in depth. I think most people are too fu-king obsessed with the Chinese and this paranoia isn't going to lead you anywhere. We need their economic assistance, just like we need every other fu-king developed country's assistance, South Korea, Japan, the U.S. You are way too fu-king obsessed about something that isn't even an issue. You act like we're Malaysia or Thailand.

That article is waaay too long and I really doesn't apply to me or my family. I guess in some ways it does kinda make sense, but I know for sure my parents and grandparents are not in denial about their Chinese-ness. No they don't know the language and lost all ties with native country China, but they always seem to go back to Cambodia. My mom's side of the family is only Chinese by name, but everything else is Khmer.

Oh, about the Chinese new year thing. I think everyone celebrates that just to get out of school, work and get red envelopes. Pure Chinese are about one percent of the population, while 6 percent are Sino-Khmers. Most of the Sino-Khmer has been in Cambodia for more than a century and they're mostly fourth generation. I've read an article in the Phnom Penh post about the Chinese in Cambodia. When asked, the leader of the Hokkien community said that although they were Chinese by blood, they felt more Cambodian.

A lot of information in the article sounds much like how the former Khmer provinces of Trat, Khorat, Surin, Sisaket, Buriram, and Chantaborey were colonized, as told by my parents and the elders. So how is it that Khmer Loeur were able to retain Khmer identity over the centuries? Is it because the Siamese have loosened their Thaification policy in the last 100 years?

Have your parents live in Khmer Leur territories or are they were researchers? I like to hear their insight.
To answer your question; it is the opposite. The Thaification policy started during the time of Phibon, around 1939. Before that, under Siam, Khmer people that live under the Siamese Empire were left alone to live their lives as they always do. The only change was that they pay tribute to the Siamese King instead of Kambuja. There were no colonization either. However, after 1939 history and history lessons started sound strange about Khmer people. This is when the occupation/colonization begin. We are still rule by military orders from Bangkok. The age of ancient Kingdoms and Empire were not like the age of Nationalism of today where everybody try oppress their minorities.
By the way, I am not from Surin. You need to go there to really know the complexity of the people.

My parents were average Khmers from Battambong who learned history from their elders passed on by word of mouth. They said Khmer in Thailand were colonized hundreds of years ago by the Siamese. They used the same tactics as what the Vietnamese did in the Mekong Delta, relocate your people in villages and outnumber the natives so you can be the majority and establish administer control. Province by province, the Khmer loer was being detached from Kampuchea via the Siamese who used brutal and violent anti-Khmer policy against the natives. No one was allowed to speak Khmer for any Siamese to hear, or else they'd be punished. To this day, Khmer-Thai speak Khmer in secrecy of the Thai masters, as so they say. They weren't allowed to gather, practice culture, language, and identity. Many of the Khmer-Thais were taught to despise anything and everything Khmer, and so that is why === My step-dad had to hide from Khmer-Thai soldiers who were pillaging Khmer Rouge victims. More than half of his family died trying to get to the camps of Thailand, at the hands of the ethnic Khmer-Thai soldiers. To this day, my step dad still believes that he was wronged by the Khmer-Thais. Women were raped, people were robs, and babies where killed. How he described was painful even to hear but it was worse to accept it. Many stories are similar, some accuse the Thais and some accuse the Khmer Surin (ethnic Khmer of Thailand) for what happened in the late 70s.

how is it bad for cambodia when these factories create jobs for the people of cambodia. u just dislike the fact that the chinese are helping us out. its not chinese that u should worry about infecting the country. its the vietnamese. china last year gave cambodia six hundred million dollars in donation without telling cambodians what to do. thats half of all foreign aid. how much did u give? and accept it dude. cambodia will continually get more light skin because light skin is deem desirable. just look at our royalty, they are all light skinned people. because from what i read, didnt some of our royalty give up lands for some vietnamese women. and isn't our former king favorite wife is half french and half vietnamese. get used to it. rich men in cambodia like the lighter skin women. just look at american hip hop music videos.

needs your research paper please, its not about skin color, its about human emotion for each other. If you don't love each other your relationship will fell doesn't matter what skin color you are. if you marry some one because of skin color, i think there is something wrong with you. i'll marry a good looking dark skin asian rather than marrying a not so pretty light skin girl. all i'm saying don't base your love on the skin color of your partner. my points is only on asian darkskin, not african ethnic, that's another story.

Ah ah , half Khmer half Franco-Italian. And actually, tan skin is actually becoming more common in magazines and such. The most famous Khmer model in Cambodia is tan.

And men in the media is always supposed to be dark/tan too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5s8xfk7_rg

Have you guys heard of this movie "staying single when" ? I'm still waiting for the DVD release.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG3GkCQo6zM...feature=related

Chinese people live in Cambodia mostly operates business like: restaurant, hotel, entertainment, factory and supermarket.

To Cambodia, it is not hurt to have them dominate on these sections.

@Goomba, you realize that despite the magazine pictures, in the video the people are usually tan?

@Nikkie, what do us Khmer Cambodians operate?

I don't know where you're getting at but that is the reason why I posted those videos.

I know that you did not read the paper or understand any of the topics that the author discussed. You seem to just skim an sentences here and there, then just go off on a tangent.
This topic is about China and Cambodia, therefore discussing about Chinese people and their relationship with Khmer people on this thread is on topic.
Point out to me, what are the things that I post is so paranoid and anti Chinese. I am calling your bluff, because thats all you have been doing, bluffing.

It is not that hard to teach/brainwash people to hate. You can train people to hate anyone or any people. Just as Thai taught their people to hate Khmer, the Khmer Rouge were taught to hate other Khmer that don't meet their ideals people who came from the cities as well.
To just blame Khmer-Thai is unfair because they were only a small part of the problem. It is very hard for city folks to tell the difference between Khmer-Thai and Khmer-Cambodian apart because in the northern Cambodia and Eastern Thailand, those Khmer sound the same and look the same.
Refugees were easy prey for common thieves and murderer. They could be Thai soldiers, Khmer-Thai soldiers, Cambodian rebels, Khmer Rouge, or just plain thugs. I have seen it all because I grew up in that general area. I am Khmer Leur, I know about these places and I spoke from experience. It was the lawlessness that gave thugs their opportunities to rob and kill people with impunities.
Those thugs tried to prey on me too when I was young. They tried to rob me and my friends for our buffaloes. What saved us was that we have guns too.
There is no excuses for these people to behave in such a way. They need to be punish for their crimes but who is going to arrest them?

In rural areas, most Cambodians are farmers. In cities and towns, some work in office and for government, some others runs smaller scale businesses.

If I remember reading correctly, most, if not ALL the administration (village leaders, governors, mayors), most government sectors, and head of provinces, are all represented by Khmer people.

Don't assume, because Lemon you're a fool. You act like you know every god done $hit in Cambodia, everything, but you're Thai.

Your anti-chinese? During the whole Preah Vihear issue, you blamed the Chinese in Thailand and Cambodia for rousing up trouble. When Aero posted that thread about Khmer patients in Thai hospital, you assumed they were Chinese. You claim only the Chinese people had money to go abroad. If you didn't fu-king read, he clearly said those people were poor.

When you open up a magazine, you see that the pictures of celebrities are photoshop to a very light skin tone. When you watch the movies, like Staying Single When, they are tan.



Administration is usually preserved for Khmer people.



Don't forget that we also run clothing stores, and some also operate the same things the Chinese usually do, like restaurants, supermarkets and hotels. An increasing number of Spas has been going up.

Khmer people are ethically Chun also so they can claim what they want to claim.

So if I am Thai, what does that make you?
Why do you always have to resort to name calling? Have I ever called you names? Where do you live now?
I don't know everything but I do know about people. To say that Chinese people have money and go where they please is not anti Chinese. Its a statement from an observation. To call people a paranoid is not correct either, when all a person doing is pointing out the facts.
If I to say that the Khmer Rouge killed city-Khmer, is that anti Khmer Rouge? No, it is a fact of observation. If I said that Thai soldier dumpted Cambodian refugees at the Preah Vehear region. Is that an anti-Thai statement. It is rather a factual statement.
The paranoid one is you and every time I mention anything about Chinese or Cambodian-Chinese, you blew a fuze or just having a complete break down.
If you are a Khmer or Cambodian of Chinese decent, it is alright to call yourself Khmer and as long as you don't start bashing on other Khmer, then it is alright by my book.
I am Thai, so what! Does that make me none Khmer? Being Khmer is more than nationality and that something you need to learn when you grow up.
You reminded me of someone who called himself Leaking juice or juicey leaky or something. Very emotional and very young.

I was born and raised in the USA and I don't feel the least bit at all as an American for crap. The main point is that I never claim to be an American I always claim to be Khmer or Asian. I think lemongrass is Khmer in my book I honestly never saw him as a Thai.