Thailand and Cambodia have an unusual relationship. Cambodia’s years under the most destructive regime of modern times left it in the shadow of its more powerful, wealthier neighbour. But things were not always this way.
Cambodia is the successor state to the Angkorian Empire, which controlled South East Asia for 600 years, and during this period Angkorian art, architecture, music, dance and food became deeply engrained in the lives of the people now living in Thailand. The age of the Angkor Kingdom came to an end in the 15th century when Thai invaders sacked the Khmer capital around Angkor Wat, causing its population to migrate south to present day Phnom Penh.
In the centuries since, the Thais have put down invading armies from everywhere from Burma to France, and the culture of the Ankgorians – the clothing, the art, the food, fight forms and the music – was allowed to thrive and develop with a Thai slant. The Khmers were not as fortunate. Their take on Angkorian culture was hammered for centuries by French colonialists until the outbreak of World War II and the arrival of the Imperial Japanese.
The independence at the end of the war promised the time and space the Khmers needed to rediscover their way of life but progress was slammed into reverse in less than a generation. The Khmer Rouge, which developed from a band of French educated Cambodians with an ideology copied from China’s Chairman Mao, harked back to the golden era of the Angkorian Empire for propaganda purposes, but at the same time sought to systematically wipe out all its forms of cultural expression.
When the Khmer Rouge were finally ousted by the Vietnamese, the liberators turned occupiers and far outstayed their welcome. This too had a corrosive effect on what remained of Khmer/Angkorian culture, and today it’s incredible that anything beyond old etchings in stone around Angkor Wat remains.
Over the past decade the Khmers have been making a concerted effort to rediscover the culture they almost lost, but the fact that so much of modern day Thai culture stems directly from the empire from which the Cambodians are seeking to resurrect their way of life means their modest efforts tend to be overshadowed. Cambodian food is like Thai food, although not as varied. Cambodian art is like Thai art, albeit not as developed. Pradal Serey is like Muay Thai, although not as famous.
Many in Cambodia resent the somewhat patronising views many Thais hold towards their poorer neighbour, and accuse them of being cultural kidnappers who have stolen their way of life and now call it their own. By being condescending towards the Khmers today, the Thais are saying their neighbour doesn’t matter. By refusing to acknowledge the role played by the Khmers in the developing their culture and country, they’re adding that they never did.
Meanwhile, Thais often feel that the Khmers are obsessed with the past and too keen to cast their neighbour in the role of villain. The Thais set up refugee camps along their border and took in thousands of desperate Cambodian refugees during the Pol Pot years – a much needed helping hand, they argue, which is not often remembered.
In reality, there seems to be little of any real substance to fight over among the two sister nations. If anything, similarities should be reason to get along. Sadly, conflict seems to be periodically engineered as a means of whipping up nationalistic sentiment when hidden hands deem it necessary.
The family feud boiled over into violence five years ago when a Thai soap opera star said that the Cambodians’ beloved ruined capital of Angkor Wat should rightfully be given ‘back’ to Thailand. The statement should have been written off, but rumours began to spread among the political class in Phnom Penh that this was the beginning of a Thai campaign to take their most treasured possession. Thai businesses were burned out of the city in response, but the source of the rumours began to become clear when Vietnamese firms, allies and financial backers of the Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen moved in to replace them.
More recently, the world was shocked to hear that Cambodian and Thai forces were firing at each other in a conflict over a disputed border temple that a UN court had declared to be within Cambodia’s borders. The trigger was supposedly the fact that the site had just been awarded the status of world heritage site.
The real reason was that the government of Thailand was on the verge of collapse due to claims that it had bought votes in its most recent election, and needed a sideshow to divert attention away from the thousands of PAD protesters occupying government buildings in Bangkok. So, troops were moved to the border temple and two Cambodian soldiers were killed. The Thais were suitably convulsed in furious nationalism and their government earned some breathing room.
It’s a crying shame that two big-hearted, generous peoples such as the Thais and Cambodians don’t see eye-to-eye despite the shared culture for which they should be collectively proud. Unfortunately, as long as politicians in the two nations hold power and self-interest above the good of the people, the family feud will probably continue to simmer.
Robert Carry is a former staff journalist at Metro Éireann where he served as chief sports reporter and headed the paper’s Northern Ireland news section. He is currently working in Thailand as the news editor of an English-language magazine.
