Ethnic Khmer
The Khmers are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the area, having filtered into Southeast Asia shortly after the Mon, displacing earlier Mon–Khmer arrivals and various Austronesian groups. They were the builders of the Khmer Empire, and now form the mainstream of political, cultural, and economic Cambodia.
The Khmers see themselves as being one race, but divided into three subgroups based on national origin and language. The Khmer of Cambodia speak the Khmer language. Khmer Surin are ethnic Khmers whose lands once belonged to the Khmer Empire but have since become part of Thailand. They have their own dialect but also speak fluent Isan Thai. Maintaining close relations with the Khmer of Cambodia, some now reside in Cambodia as a result of marriage. Similarly, the Khmer Krom are Khmers living in the regions of the former Khmer Empire that are now part of Vietnam. Fluent in both their particular dialect of Khmer and in Vietnamese, many have fled to Cambodia as a result of persecution and forced assimilation by communist Vietnam.
Read more about this topic: Ethnic Groups In Cambodia
Famous quotes containing the word ethnic:
“Caprice, independence and rebellion, which are opposed to the social order, are essential to the good health of an ethnic group. We shall measure the good health of this group by the number of its delinquents. Nothing is more immobilizing than the spirit of deference.”
—Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985)