Archive:Siamese Cambodians

Siamese Cambodians are Cambodians with Thai ethnicity. They are mostly located in Koh Kong Province , in western Cambodia, bordering Thailand, and accounted for 25% of the province's total population in 2008. They maintain a Thai traditional, linguistic, and cultural identity and are called "Koh Kong Thais/Koh Kong Siam" ( Template:Langx , pronounced "Siem Koh Kong"). In the past, they were culturally persecuted. Currently, they have received Khmer citizenship by law, but some people of Thai descent are refugees in Thailand.

History

Early period

The Thai or Siamese people have long been settled in the Khmer sphere of influence. The oldest evidence mentioning "Siam" is found in the Angkor Borei inscription , dated 1154 CE, which reads " Ku Syam" ("Siam [slave] woman") In the records of Zhou Daguan, a Chinese envoy who traveled to Angkor, he recorded the existence of the Siamese as a separate group from the Khmer. The Khmer bought mulberry and silkworms from the Siamese because the Siamese knew how to weave clothes, so the Khmer had to hire the Siamese to repair their clothes. There are also carvings of the "Siam Kuk" army on the walls of the Angkor Wat temple , with the inscription " Ne Syam Kuk" ("This Siam Kuk") and "Anak Rajakarya Bhak Paman Cheng Jhal Da Nam Syam Kuk" ("Military officials of Cheng Jhal city"). which brought the Siamese people" but the inscription has been erased by someone

Ayutthaya period

During the Ayutthaya period, due to low populations of Southeast Asian states, human resources were the most important and invasions to capture population were common. The Khmer kings led an army to attack Chanthaburi and Bang Khang before rounding up people and bringing them back to Chatomukh in the early 15th century. Ponhea Yat also sent a raid to attack Chanthaburi. After the Ayutthaya capitulation to the Taungoo Dynasty, Baraminreachea and later Khmer kings launched many raids on Siam and captured many Siamese civilians.

The Cambodian Royal Chronicle states that in 1621, a Siamese chieftain led an army to Chang Kang Mountain to attack Cambodia. But Chey Chettha II moved his troops to defeat the Siamese army. The Siamese chieftain escaped, while the commoners were captured as prisoners. These Siamese prisoners were called "Thai Chang Kang"

Thommo Reachea II sent an army to round up the people of Nakhon Ratchasima to Cambodia.

In 1630, during the reign of King Si Thammaracha, the King sent an army to round up the people of Nakhon Ratchasima and bring them back to Cambodia. In addition, there were a number of Siamese women who entered the service as concubines of Cambodian princes.

During the second fall of Ayutthaya, a large wave of Siamese refugees fled to Cambodia and the Principality of Hà Tiên. Later, King Taksin of Thonburi led an army into Hà Tiên and Cambodia in 1771 to eliminate all the Ayutthaya princes, nobles, and officials who had fled as they posed as potential threats to legitimacy since Taksin was considered a usurper.

Rattanakosin Era

The establishment of Inner Cambodia, a region of primarily ethnic Khmers but ruled by Siamese lords brought many Siamese people to the region. Cities like Mongkol Borey, Serei Saophoan, Watthana Nakhon, Aranyaprathet, Battambang, and Siem Reap were settled by many Thais. Thai lords in the region built strong fortresses and city walls to consolidate the city.

There were also Siamese theatrical troupes that crossed over to perform on the Khmer side. Many skilled male and female actors entered the service of the Khmer court, and some became drama teachers. In a letter from Monsieur Wilmain to Monsieur Decourvière, it is stated that during 1785–1786, in the reign of King Rama I , Siam lost the war to Cambodia on January 18, leaving 500 Thai people and 16 converts stranded on the east bank of the Mekong River in Cambodian territory. In June of the same year, a number of Siamese soldiers deserted from Cambodia and returned to Bangkok.

However, a considerable number of Thais went into Cambodia voluntarily, for example, to work as officials, and many entered into service as royal consorts of the Cambodian king. In the Siamese and Cambodian courts, there were kinship ties through marriage, especially in the inner court of King Norodom, who was always familiar with life in the Siamese court

There were many Siamese women or women of mixed Siamese descent serving him, such as Khun Phra Nang Suchat Buppha, the mother of Prince Duangchak. These Siamese consorts included both commoners and princesses from the Chakri dynasty , such as Mom Rajawongse Taad Palakawong, the royal wife of King Norodom. Mom Chao Patchani (original royal surname unknown) and Mom Chao Puk Isarasak was also the consort of King Norodom Boromram Devavata. The influence of the Rattanakosin court in various fields led the Cambodian aristocracy into adopting more Thai cultural practices.

Groupings

Koh Kong

According to oral accounts, the ancestor of Siamese Koh Kong people originated from Ban Lat Phli Ratchaburi to flee Burmese invasions. But migration to the region has occurred since the Ayutthaya period as the kingdom exerted more hegemony over Khmer territories. The region was established as Prachan Khiri Khet by the Siamese.

After the Siamese government agreed to cede Trat and Prachan Khiri Khet to France according to the protocol of 24 June 1904 in order for France to withdraw its troops from Chanthaburi, another agreement was later signed between Siam and France on 23 March 1906, agreeing to cede Battambang , Siem Reap , and Sisophon to France in exchange for Dan Sai and Trat. However, France did not return Prachan Khiri Khet. The Thai people who remained there thus became displaced persons until the present day. Thai people in Prachan Khiri Khet who did not want to be under the rule of the French colonial rulers migrated to establish communities in Koh Kood District and Khlong Yai District, Trat Province.

Before 1971, there were about 40,000 Thais living in Koh Kong, but during the Khmer Rouge regime , the number of Thais in Koh Kong decreased rapidly. Some migrated to the Thai side, while others were killed by the Khmer Rouge, leaving only about 8,000 Thais in Koh Kong by 1985.

During the time when Norodom Sihanouk was King-Minister, he forbade the people of Koh Kong from speaking Thai. Those who disobeyed would be arrested by the police, and some unlucky ones would be killed. At that time, General Lon Nol, who worked closely with Sihanouk, said, "Even if five thousand of the Thais of Koh Kong died, it would not make the Cambodian land tilt." Due to this oppression, Thai people in Koh Kong have therefore migrated to Thailand in four waves: the first wave (1959–1969) during the reign of Norodom Sihanouk, the second wave (1970–1975) during the reign of Lon Nol, the third wave (1975–1977) during the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia, and the fourth wave (1977 onwards) are considered to be illegal immigrants. Currently, most Thai people in Koh Kong have relatives in Thailand, prefer to send their children to study in Thailand, and have a strong sense of their Thai identity. A considerable number of Thai people from Koh Kong remain in Thailand and have not migrated back to Cambodia, as many as 13,410 people as of 2008.

Many Thais from Koh Kong have played political roles in Cambodia, such as Say Phouthang, Cha Rieng (or Chamrieng Siriwong), and Tea Banh (or Sangwan Hinkling). Because the Thais in Koh Kong were aware of their otherness in Cambodia, they formed independent groups and the Koh Kong Thai Party, hoping for safety and independent self-government power for the Thai people. After the end of the Khmer Rouge era in 1979, the Cambodian central government declared that the Thais in Koh Kong were a minority ethnic group, legally citizens of Cambodia, equal to the Khmer people, with self-government freedom and the right to determine local administrative policies based on customs and traditions. In the Hun Sen government, several Thais have continuously held the position of governor of Koh Kong Province, including Yut Phuthong, Boonlert Phramkesorn, Rung Phramkesorn, and Mithuna Phuthong. These Koh Kong Thais who were the ruling class They are all related through marriage.

Currently, there is more interethnic marriage among the Thai people of Koh Kong. Many are married to Khmers from Kampot and Takeo provinces. They communicate with each other using the Southern Khmer dialect in their daily lives, but the accent is strange because the Koh Kong people tend to add Thai tonal sounds to it.

Battambang and Banteay Meanchey Provinces

Battambang and Banteay Meanchey Provinces were under the region of Inner Cambodia which was controlled by the Siamese. These people speak Central Thai. During the early Rattanakosin period, many Khmer princes sought refuge under the benevolent protection of the Siamese king before returning to rule Cambodia. They brought Siamese court traditions back to the Khmer court. Khmer monks were sent to Siam to be ordained and teach religion, and also brought art forms back for use. Siamese monks went to spread religion and reside in Cambodia during the reign of King Rama III until the reign of King Rama V, as evidenced by the numerous Buddhist religious sites built in Thai architectural and art styles according to royal preferences.

Many Thais have resided in Battambang, such as the Abhaiwongse family, Luang Rueangdet Anan (Thongdi Thanarat), and Chit Phumisak . Currently, this group of Thais has largely assimilated into the Khmer population, and those over 80 years old can still speak the Thai language well.

However, descendants of the Abhayawong family residing in Battambang choose not to use the Thai surname Abhayawong for fear of political repercussions, as the Cambodian side views the actions of Chao Phraya Abhayabhubesra as treason, even though the family's ancestors were Khmer. After Thailand regained the territories of Battambang and Phibun Songkhram from France under the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibun Songkhram in 1941, initially the new territories had no troops stationed there, only Thai police. After that, Thai refugees migrated to settle in the new territories, especially Battambang, where the cost of living was low because it was a breadbasket and the Thai government had not yet announced tax laws. This exempted them from taxes on raising livestock or fishing.

After Thailand returned the four provinces to France on December 9, 1946, the Thai government began sending Thai officials and their belongings back to Bangkok from October onwards. Thai citizens, along with some Khmer and Vietnamese people , requested to evacuate with the Thai officials and settle on the Thai side in the Aranyaprathet district. Although the territories returned to French and Cambodian rule respectively, the movement of Thai people from both sides continued, as evidenced by the fact that in the 1970s a number of Thai people drove cars to buy goods at the Srisophon market , which is about 50 kilometers from the Thai border.

Another group of Thai people, the Korat Thais, began migrating to Cambodia both before and after 1941. When Thailand lost the Second World War and returned the inner Cambodian territories to France, these Thai people became displaced persons. Currently, they are intermarrying with Khmer, Lao, and Kula people . Their only distinguishing characteristic is their use of the Thai language, which is becoming used less.

Languages

Thai people in Cambodia today can speak both Thai and Khmer. They are divided into Thai people in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces , some speaking Central Thai and Korat Thai dialects However, some of their descendants have begun to not use Thai because they mainly use Khmer for communication , and it is found that few people can use Thai Meanwhile, Thai people in Koh Kong speak Central Thai with the same accent as Trat province , and still communicate mainly in Thai Originally, in 1963, Koh Kong had a law prohibiting its residents from speaking Thai , with a fine of 25 riel per word, no Thai money, and no Thai books in the house. If officials found any, they would be destroyed. Later, in 1964, the fine for speaking Thai increased to 50 riel. Failure to comply would result in public humiliation. In the book Tamil Government and Patjantakiri Khet, City of Memories, it mentions Mrs. Long, a Thai woman from Bang Krasop village, quarreling with her husband, Mr. Heng. Mrs. Long accidentally cursed her husband in Thai, and the matter reached the village committee, who punished Mrs. Long by making her do hard labor. Mrs. Long refused to accept this and drank poison to commit suicide, causing distress to the Thai people in Koh Kong who could not use their ancestral language. But today the Thai language is very important. Cambodians, whether Thai or Khmer, like to send their children to study in Thailand for the benefit of the language. Many have to study in the same class as younger Thai students. Once they become fluent in Thai, they will drop out mid-course and return to work in Cambodia.

Currently, the Thai people of Koh Kong use the Khmer language with the Kampot and Takeo accents in their daily lives, but they have a distinct accent because of the addition of tonal sounds that are not present in the Khmer language, and they tend to avoid the many consonant clusters in the Khmer language, which few can pronounce like native Khmers.

Famous Thai people of Koh Kong.

• Koi Luon or Luan Amphon – Governor of Kampot Province , 1979.
• General Kaev Tam or Kaeo Tam – Inspector General of the Armed Forces
• Cha Rieng or Chamrieng Sirivong – Former Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia.
• Tea Seiha – Governor of Siem Reap Province
• Tea Banh or Sangwal Hin Kling – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Member of Parliament for Siem Reap Province, affiliated with the Cambodian People's Party
• Tea Vinh (ទៀ វិញ) – Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian Navy.
• Thong Chon or Chon Inthasuwan – Deputy Minister of Commerce, Minister of Interior, currently a member of the Senate.
• Boon Lert or Boon Lert Phramkesorn – Former Governor of Koh Kong Province.
• General Porn Nara – Director of the Royal Thai Army Signal Corps
• Paitoon Phramkesorn – Deputy Governor of Koh Kong Province
• Mithuna Phuthong – Governor of Koh Kong Province
• Yuth Phuthong – Former Governor of Prey Veng and Koh Kong Provinces.
• Rung Phramkesorn – Former member of the National Assembly and former governor of Koh Kong Province.
• Ly Yong Phat or Phat Supapha – a Thai businessman from Koh Kong
• Say Phouthang – Former member of the Central Committee and Political Bureau of the People's Revolutionary Party, Vice President of the State Assembly (equivalent to the head of state at that time, Heng Samrin ).
• Eh Phouthong - Cambodian boxer (Kun Khmer) and kickboxer.