Chey Mongkol: I cannot sit idle when the Khmer language in Surin is dying

Mr. Chey Mongkol: "This is our pride to be born as Khmers.", seen here posing with with his children.

After I published an article titled "Khmer Surin pray to ancestors to help revive Khmer language in Surin" I received an email from Mr. Chey Mongkol as follow:

Dear Khmerization,

I have created a link to the pictures of the ritual performed on February 8th, 2009 at Phum Poh Kong, Srok Prasat, Khet Sren (Surin). I would also like to thank for your support. I have discovered that many people in Sren still look at Khmer in Cambodia as brothers and sisters because we are kin. http://picasaweb.google.co.th/khmersurin/The6thKhmerLanguageSchool#

ខ្ញុំសូមអរគុណចំពោះការយកចិត្តទុកដាក់និងរាល់ការជួយខ្នះខ្នែងចំពោះកម្មវិធីបង្ហាត់បង្រៀនភាសា
ខ្មែរនៅខែត្រស្រិន្ទ្ររបស់ពួកយើង។ ការបាត់បង់ភាសាខ្មែរនៅខែត្រស្រិន្ទ្រជាសោកនាដកម្មសំរាប់ពួកយើងដែលជាខ្មែរទាំងអស់គ្នា។ ប្រៀបបានយើងបាត់បង់បងប្អូនដែលមានបីនាក់។ ម្នាក់នោះនៅកម្ពុជាក្រោមហើយម្នាក់នៅស្រិន្ទ្រ។ ពុកម៉ែយើងនិងយល់យ៉ាងណាទៅបើយើងមិនអាចរក្សារឺខិតខំទោះជាយើងជាខ្សត់ខ្សោយជាងគេ
ក៏ដោយចុះ។

ខ្ញុំមិនអាចអង្គុយចាំមើលភាសាយើងដែលកំពុងតែឈឺចាប់យ៉ាងខ្លាំងដោយពុំបានធ្វើអ្វីឡើយ។ ខ្ញុំមិនចង់ធ្វើបុណ្យខ្មោចអោយភាសាខ្មែរយើងទេ។ ពួកយើងធ្វើបុណ្យចំរើនអាយុអោយភាសាយើងអោយជាតិយើងទោះជាយើងចុះរួញតូចប៉ុន្តែកុំភ្លេចថាយើងមានប្រាង្គប្រាសាទបុរម្យបូរាណ
ដែលជាអី្វមួយដែលយើងអាចប្រាប់កូនប្រាប់ចៅយើងបានថា តើអារយ្យធម៏យើងវារឹងមាំយ៉ាងណា? តើពុកម៉ែយើងឆ្លាតពូកែប៉ុណ្ណា? នេះជាមោទនភាពកើតជាខ្មែរ។
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For your information, the Khmer text reads:

"I wish to thank you for your interests and your efforts in helping our Khmer Literacy Project in Surin. The death of the Khmer language in Surin is a tragedy for all of us that can be compared to a separation between three brothers, ie: Kampuchea Kandal (Cambodia), Kampuchea Krom and Khmer Surin.

What will our ancestors think of us if we do not preserve (our identity), even though we are weaker than our neighbours?

I cannot sit idle and do nothing while our language is dying. I do not want to organise a funeral for the death of our language. We are currently organising a "prosperity ceremony" for our language. Even though we have shrunk, but don't forget that we still have our ancient temples that we can show to our children how strong our civilisation was in the past. How clever were our ancestors? This is our pride to be born as Khmers."

Chey Mongkol

"Rights in education also mean the right to language"

Chaimongkol Chalermsukjitsri
Human Rights in Indigenous Language Education Program
P.O.Box 27. Surin City, Thailand.
http://www.khmersurin.org
Email: khmersurin@gmail.com
Phone 0875815514, 0830860076

Want to help me continuing teaching Khmer in Surin please follow this link to Paypal https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1424016