This entry covers several thousand years, starting with the maritime Funan civilization, continuing to the shrine-building Angkorean civilization, cruising through French colonialization and bringing us to 1970, and the involvement of the US in Cambodian politics. Clearly, this is meant as a brief overview and not a thorough thesis on the subject. Again, see the references on the previous blog for more information, particularly David Chandler's The History of Cambodia.
Evidence of human occupation of Cambodia can be found as early as 4,000 BC, but there is no reason to believe that humans didn’t occupy this land before then. It is unclear where exactly these first Cambodians came from, India through Burma and Thailand, China through Vietnam, or Indonesia across the sea. What is known is that the first permanent and organized civilization on record in Cambodia emerged around 100 AD, in what scholars have termed the Funan civilization. Descriptions of this society are found primary in Chinese scrolls written by traveling scholars and adventurers, and hence, are subject to some bias. The center of the Funan civilization was near Phnom Pen, on the Mekong River. This civilization served as an important trading port between India and China.
The Funan civilization diminished by about 600 AD, when the Angkorean civilization (the civilization that built Angkor Wat and pretty much every other sacred temple site in Cambodia) came into being, and with it, the first historical writings by the Khmer in Sanskrit. And this brings up an important point. Much of the culture of Cambodia was imported from India. Not only in terms of a written language, Sanskrit, but also in terms of religion. Khmer civilization adopted both Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, and in many cases, combined the two. Indeed, during the Angkorean civilization, which last from roughly 600-1400 AD, every ruler felt it his duty to construct a temple to a patron saint. The rulers felt that without pleasing the deity, who controlled the rain, and hence the survival of their agrarian society, that they could not be successful in their rule. It is then no surprise that religious shrines, dedicated to Siva, Vishnu, and Buddha are scattered all over Cambodia, and are considered some of the greatest works of ancient architecture. Ankgor Wat is one such temple.
Angkor Wat is the central temple of the ancient city of Angkor, which includes many temples and shrines, and served as the center of Khmer civilization for the majority of time that the civilization existed. It was built by Jayavarman VII, who is considered to be the greatest ruler of the ancient Khmer civilization. He consigned more temples and structures than any other ruler. After him, the civilization declined and broke up into individual city states by 1300 or 1400. At this time, bordering kingdoms, including Siam, Vietnam, and China,. were beginning to carve out pieces of Cambodia for their own.
Around the start of the 19th century, European superpowers began invading Southeast Asia. The French took over Vietnam and Cambodia, the Dutch controlled most of Indonesia, including Java, the British took over Burma and India, and the Phillipines fell to the Portugese. Colonial rule persisted until World War II, when the Japanese swept through Southeast Asia and conquered nearly every country therein, including Cambodia. After WWII, the French were given back control of Cambodia as a protectorate.
However, in 1953, Cambodia was granted independence. Its leader, King Sihanouk, an avid filmmaker, stayed in power until a US sponsored coup ousted him in 1970, while, ironically, he was in New York at a United Nations meeting. The Khmer Republic, led by Lon Nol, was established. The impetus behind US involvement was its desire to bomb the border territory with Vietnam, where many Viet Cong were hiding. King Sihanouk wouldn't allow it, but with the new government in place, US troops were given free reign to invade Cambodia, and carpet-bombed much of its jungles, and so they did. Unsurprisinlgy, this led to a public relations and humanitarian nightmare. The majority of Cambodians, especially those from rural communities (many of which were destroyed in the "strategical" bombings) became violently opposed to the new government. It was at this moment that the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist group, led by the European-educuated Pol Pot, starting picking up momentum, and recruits. Exiled King Sihanouk, though opposed to the Khmer Rouge, plead with his people to join Pol Pot and rise up against the Lon Nol government. Many loyalists to the King joined forces with the Khmer Rouge, barely even knowing, or caring, what communism was. As we will see in the next and final entry in this series, this mistake would have cataclysmic effects on the Cambodian people; effects whose reverberations are still felt vividly today.
Pls check this word from f..k masterchief on this website (http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t174536.html)
masterchiefSep 22 2008, 04:35 AM
what kind of f**ken maps are those nhoona?. first of there are no "thai" tribes thousands of years ago . the word ailao existed lond before any "thai" tribe was made up by you. what the hell is up with khmer tribe? sh!et. the map is seperating khmer from funan & chenla (jenla). they got funan down in cambodia then above that there's khmer tribe?, what the fudge. chenla in its history were seperated by two khmer chenla kingdoms, north & south chenla. where the hell is that on your map?. khmer are indigenous to south east asia, just like mon folks. that means we were the 1st people to settled in the regions that later became parts of khmer or mon kingdoms or empire. historians & scholars don't doubt that the funan & chenla kingdoms were khmer & khmer are indigenous to those regions.
then i see this stupid map that trying to seperate khmer people from our ancient kingdoms/civilisation. f**k that, when the mon & khmer people settled in south east asia, we settled in different regions. the mon occupied burma & parts of thailand. while the khmer occupied other parts of thailand, laos, cambodia & south vietnam. why are there so many question marks on those map anyways? so it's 1 of those speculation maps is it. it's not even an accurate historical map. if it was then there would'nt be so many question marks & false information, & you want to show this map around like you proud of it?. take the map & use it as toilet paper thats all it worth when it's not 100% historicly accurate . should of known those maps were dodgy when i 1st saw "thai tribes" haha just another thaisified version of south east asian history is it.
if you want to go back that far. then where is the 5000 year old bronze age ban chiang civilisation in what is know present day essan/khmer border region in thailand?. they were said to be the 1st people to work bronze in the world. bronze metal works artifacts like spear heads, pots & sculptures older than 5000 years old have been found in what is todays essan/khmer border region. where the hell is that on your map?. it deserves a mention on the map since it marked a milestone in human civilisation by the coming of the bronze age?. & it's not even there. huhhh.... get a better map to show of fool.
you can try to cover up the truth with lies & bull sh!et, but the truth is still there. remove the lies & bull sh!et & what you get is still the truth.
masterchiefSep 23 2008, 04:25 AM
if podinarath kim is khmer, then he's a khmer fool. hahahahahehehehehe
coming up in here with a map like that a map that shows a "thai tribe" thousands of year ago & don't even recognise the funan & chenla kingdoms as khmer. then you forget about the 5500 year old bronze age ban chiang civilisation in the essan/khmer border region of thailand.
ban chiang- the word chiang is like the khmer word jiang. which means specialist in a certain area.
like jiang daekh (metal workers) jiang larn (mechanic) jiang pteah (builder, carpenter). ban is like bunge in khmer, like bunge gapleing (fire a gun) something to do with a firing action. if you put ban chiang together it means an expert in a firing action like the firing, heating process that is needed to extract bronze from a rock. the civilisation was called ban chiang because of their expertise in bronze metal work. they were said to be the 1st people in the world to work with bronze metal. & it's not even on your beloved map .
take your rediculous map fold it up or scrunch it up, how ever you prefer it. then use it as toilet paper. thats all it's worth, oh & if it's laminated then take the laminate of before you use it as toilet paper.
masterchief sounds like masterfuck with his/her fucking silly word with very shameful to every thai/Siem people.
Siem has been washed their brain by thier changed history, everyone known except themselve that still living with a shame but acting very proud of their robber baron growing to the world.
Let proofing and talk to your people, thai/siem, at Boriram, Sorin, Trat,... let say from down to your up country, do they speak khmer? do they have their ancient as khmer people? do they have khmer blood? well, ambitious cannot protect people from robbery, event brother and sister can be killed to reach their ambitious.
Everyday you bow your head and knee down to our Khmer Letter to pray for happiness and success, that is what we are very prouding of, but backward you look down on your ancient and guardian spirit, how's come can u do that? We don't really understand of what u are doing to show the world? Please don't try to ashamed your people to the world, STOP IT!
Well Siem, blaiming your ancient will bring every of yours go to hell soon or later. Don't trying to cheat yourself, let showing the true, buddha will pity u!!!!
Posted by: miracle | July 19, 2009 at 05:34 AM