Picture: Welcome to Cambodia’s Poipet, a Thai town or a Khmer town? A town full of Khmer people but all signs are written in Thai. The only things absent are the Khmer alphabets and the Khmer currency.Koh Santepheap newspaper
15th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization
Poipet - Banteay Meanchey Province: Near the gate of the Poipet International Checkpoint, signs in the front of all restaurants, casinos and shops are all written in foreign (Thai) language, without the Khmer language being written on them. And if there are any signs written in Khmer at all, they are just written in fine prints underneath the Thai alphabets.
This is not all. Furthermore, all financial transactions must be done in Thai Baht. From a meal in the restaurants, to a game of poker in the casinos and a night of stay in the local 5-star hotels, all monetary transactions must in Thai Baht.
Welcome to Poipet and the Siamisation of Cambodia. This is the reality of Cambodia today.
These trends have concerned many local officials. A Khmer senior military officer has told Koh Santepheap that he is very worried because these restaurants, shops and casinos are located inside Khmer territories. And he asks why there is a need to use Thai money at the expense of the Cambodian currency? The same military officer added that he cannot understand why all the signs in front of the shops, the hotels and the casinos are not written in the Khmer alphabets, but instead written in the Thai alphabets?
He added that, at a time when Cambodia has border disputes with Thailand, these practices could confuse unsuspecting international tourists who might think that the area is located on Thai soil. The officer added that this is a neglect of our Khmer culture, our national identity and our nation as a whole.
Mr. Keo Sen, Governor of O’Chrov district, said that under Cambodian laws, all signs in front of all shops, hotels and casinos that are located on Khmer soil must all be written in the Khmer alphabets. If there is a need to write the signs in foreign languages, they must be written under the Khmer alphabets and in fine prints. He added that what have been practised in Poipet now is illegal under Cambodian laws.
The governor of O’Chrov district said that he was aware of all these practices and the local authority has informed all the businesses and companies to make them aware of the Cambodian laws, but it seems that they did not heed the request of the local authority. Now he has passed this issue to the chief of the Poipet International Checkpoint to ask him to help tackle the problems so that people are not confused that this area belongs to Thailand.//
15th January, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization
Poipet - Banteay Meanchey Province: Near the gate of the Poipet International Checkpoint, signs in the front of all restaurants, casinos and shops are all written in foreign (Thai) language, without the Khmer language being written on them. And if there are any signs written in Khmer at all, they are just written in fine prints underneath the Thai alphabets.
This is not all. Furthermore, all financial transactions must be done in Thai Baht. From a meal in the restaurants, to a game of poker in the casinos and a night of stay in the local 5-star hotels, all monetary transactions must in Thai Baht.
Welcome to Poipet and the Siamisation of Cambodia. This is the reality of Cambodia today.
These trends have concerned many local officials. A Khmer senior military officer has told Koh Santepheap that he is very worried because these restaurants, shops and casinos are located inside Khmer territories. And he asks why there is a need to use Thai money at the expense of the Cambodian currency? The same military officer added that he cannot understand why all the signs in front of the shops, the hotels and the casinos are not written in the Khmer alphabets, but instead written in the Thai alphabets?
He added that, at a time when Cambodia has border disputes with Thailand, these practices could confuse unsuspecting international tourists who might think that the area is located on Thai soil. The officer added that this is a neglect of our Khmer culture, our national identity and our nation as a whole.
Mr. Keo Sen, Governor of O’Chrov district, said that under Cambodian laws, all signs in front of all shops, hotels and casinos that are located on Khmer soil must all be written in the Khmer alphabets. If there is a need to write the signs in foreign languages, they must be written under the Khmer alphabets and in fine prints. He added that what have been practised in Poipet now is illegal under Cambodian laws.
The governor of O’Chrov district said that he was aware of all these practices and the local authority has informed all the businesses and companies to make them aware of the Cambodian laws, but it seems that they did not heed the request of the local authority. Now he has passed this issue to the chief of the Poipet International Checkpoint to ask him to help tackle the problems so that people are not confused that this area belongs to Thailand.//
3 comments:
I see not only "thaï scripture" but english scripture too !
I think an average western visitor cannot make the difference between khmer and thaï scripture ...
But what's funny is that the english scripture is not a problem for those "authorities" ...
Everybody knows that the greatest "danger" for the Khmer culture is the Thaï culture, not the anglo-saxon one LOL
Wrong title - It is the re-Siamization of Cambodia.
Look at any old map and you will find Phnom Penh on the west side of Cambodia and Saigon inside the country. All of the land west of Phnom Penh was Siam..!! All the land East of the capitol was Cambodia..!! Cambodian refugees, escaping from the French and Vietnamese invasions of the 19th century, fled inside Siam and then took the country for themselves.
Ever wonder why so many place names are Thai and not Cambodian..?? Talay Sahp, not Tonle Sap or Prah Tabang, not Battambang...
Yea well Thailand can't really stay at twice its current territory like 100 years ago. A few concessions to the colonials for our sovereignty didn't turn out that bad.
On the Thai side of the border the signs come in both languages. If the Cambodians want more Thai tourists then so be it (Woo I'm playing poker and not getting arrested!). Although I can feel how the authorities are all huffy, it's like if all the signs in Pattaya were in English.. not that far a stretch.
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