Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ethnic Chinese
The government claims there are around 50,000 ethnic Chinese in Cambodia; however,
informed observers estimate half a million to one million in urban areas. Many Chinese
Cambodians have lived in Cambodia for generations and have adopted the Khmer culture,
language and identity. Until 1975, the ethnic Chinese controlled the economic life of
Cambodia and in recent years they have re-emerged as a powerful economic force, mainly
due to increased investment by overseas Chinese.
KHMER KROM
The Khmer Krom people of southern Vietnam are ethnic Khmers separated from Cambodia by histor-
ical deals and Vietnamese encroachment on what was once Cambodian territory. Nobody is sure just
how many of them there are and estimates vary from one million to seven million, depending on who
is doing the counting.
The history of Vietnamese expansion into Khmer territory has long been a staple of Khmer text-
books. King Chey Chetha II of Cambodia, in keeping with the wishes of his Vietnamese queen, first
allowed Vietnamese to settle in the Cambodian town of Prey Nokor in 1623. It was obviously the thin
end of the wedge, as Prey Nokor is now better known as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
The Vietnamese government has pursued a policy of forced assimilation since independence, which
has involved ethnic Khmers taking Vietnamese names and studying in Vietnamese. According to the
Khmer Kampuchea Federation (KKF), the Khmer Krom continue to suffer persecution, including lack
of access to health services, religious discrimination and outright racism. Several monks have been de-
frocked for nonviolent protests in recent years and the Cambodian government has even assisted in
deporting some agitators, according to Human Rights Watch.
Many Khmer Krom would like to see Cambodia act as a mediator in the quest for greater autonomy
and ethnic representation in Vietnam. The Cambodian government, for its part, turns a blind eye to the
vast numbers of illegal Vietnamese inside its borders, as well as reports of Vietnamese encroachments
on the eastern borders of Cambodia. The Cambodian government takes a softly, softly approach to-
wards its more powerful neighbour, perhaps borne of the historic ties between the two political dynas-
ties.
For more about the ongoing struggles of the Khmer Krom, visit www.khmerkrom.org .
Ethnic Cham
Cambodia's Cham Muslims (known locally as the Khmer Islam) officially number around
200,000. Unofficial counts put the figure higher at around 500,000. The Cham live in vil-
lages on the banks of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers, mostly in the provinces of Kom-
pong Cham, Kompong Speu and Kompong Chhnang. They suffered vicious persecution
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