People & Culture - Cambodia - page 648

Multiculturalism
According to official statistics, more than 90% of the people who live in Cambodia are eth-
nic Khmers, making the country the most ethnically homogeneous in Southeast Asia.
However, unofficially, the figure is probably smaller due to a large influx of Chinese and
Vietnamese in the past century. Other ethnic minorities include Cham, Lao and the indigen-
ous peoples of the rural highlands.
Look out for Chinese and Vietnamese cemeteries dotting the rice fields of provinces to the
south and east of Phnom Penh. Khmers do not bury their dead, but practise cremation, and the
ashes may be interred in a stupa in the grounds of a wat.
Ethnic Khmers
The Khmers have inhabited Cambodia since the beginning of recorded regional history
(around the 2nd century), many centuries before Thais and Vietnamese migrated to the re-
gion. Over the centuries, the Khmers have mixed with other groups residing in Cambodia,
including Javanese and Malays (8th century), Thais (10th to 15th centuries), Vietnamese
(from the early 17th century) and Chinese (since the 18th century).
Friends of Khmer Culture ( www.khmerculture.net ) is dedicated to supporting Khmer arts and
cultural organisations, and Meta House ( Click here ) , an exhibition space in Phnom Penh, pro-
motes Khmer arts and culture.
Ethnic Vietnamese
The Vietnamese are one of the largest non-Khmer ethnic groups in Cambodia. According
to government figures, Cambodia is host to around 100,000 Vietnamese, though unofficial
observers claim the real figure may be somewhere between half a million and two million.
The Vietnamese play a big part in the fishing and construction industries in Cambodia.
There is still some distrust between the Cambodians and the Vietnamese, though, even of
those who have been living in Cambodia for generations.
There are just 20 female parliamentarians out of 123 seated in the National Assembly in Cam-
bodia, making up just over 15% of MPs.