Hundreds of years ago, in the 13th century, the Tai people left Yunnan in southern China. They came with little — no written script, no temples, no kingship system. They were newcomers looking for land and survival.
Where did they find it? In the heart of Khmer civilisation. At that time, Angkor was the shining centre of Southeast Asia — a land of vast temples, advanced irrigation, sacred traditions and royal customs refined over centuries.
It was under this Khmer influence that the Tai migrants began to grow. They borrowed Khmer script, they adopted Khmer architectural styles, they practiced Khmer court rituals. Even the Thai alphabet has its roots in Khmer. In truth, without Khmer guidance, Siam could never have become Thailand.
When the Younger Turns Against the Elder
But history took a painful turn. After the decline of the Khmer Empire under King Jayavarman VIII, Siam began to rise. And instead of honouring the hand that raised them, the Siamese turned their ambitions on their cultural parent.
From the 15th century onward, waves of Cambodian lands fell into Siamese control. Provinces that once formed the living heart of the Khmer world — Surin, Buriram, Sisaket, Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Lopburi, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Nayok, Ubon Ratchathani, Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Udon Thani, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan and Bueng Kan — were absorbed into Thailand. These thirty provinces, once governed by Angkorian roads, inscriptions and temples, are today considered “Thai”, yet their roots remain unmistakably Khmer.
With the land went the temples. Some of the greatest jewels of Khmer civilisation, now promoted as “Thai heritage site”, still stand across this territory:
- Prasat Phimai (Phimai)
- Prasat Phnom Rung (Phanom Rung)
- Prasat Muang Tam (Muang Tam)
- Prasat Sikhoraphum (Sikhoraphum)
- Prasat Sdok Kok Thom (Sdok Kok Thom)
- Prasat Phnom Wan (Phanom Wan)
- Prasat Prang Ku (Prang Ku)
- Prasat Ban Phluang (Ban Phluang)
- Prasat Prang Sam Yot (Prang Sam Yot – Lopburi)
- Prasat Prang Khaek (Prang Khaek – Nakhon Ratchasima)
- Prasat Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai (Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai – Sisaket)
…and dozens more scattered sanctuaries across Buriram, Surin, Sisaket, Prachinburi and Korat.
Khmer temples were rebranded “Thai”. Khmer villagers in Surin, Buriram and Sisaket were pressured to abandon their mother tongue and renamed “Thai”. Even the term Khom was invented to disguise Khmer heritage under a new identity.
The irony is bitter: the younger brother, raised by the Khmer civilisation, chose to erase the very parent who gave him life.
The Wounds of the Present
This story is not just history. It lives on today.
In 1979, after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, more than 300,000 Cambodian refugees fled into Thailand. Instead of safety, many were forced back into the Dangrek Mountains, into minefields. At least 30,000 innocent lives were lost — men, women children.
And now, in 2025, the pattern repeats. Despite a ceasefire signed on 28 July, Thai troops broke the agreement within 24 hours, capturing 20 Cambodian soldiers. Eighteen remain in captivity. Thai jets, drones and heavy weapons have been used against Cambodian soil, while their media spreads propaganda that paints Cambodia as the aggressor.
Even more shocking: Thai officials and Thai media recently said they would not bring the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) because “Cambodians are our brothers and sisters”.
But if we are brothers and sisters, then I ask:
- Why invade us?
- Why erase our identity?
- Why send F-16s, drones and poison weapons against our people?
- If you truly believe Cambodia is at fault, why not bring the case to the ICJ or ICC?
Brotherhood cannot be a slogan to avoid justice. Brotherhood must be proven in action.
Cambodia’s Voice: We Want Peace
Cambodia is small. We cannot match the armies or weapons of our neighbours. But we are strong in something else: our culture, our patience and our desire for peace.
We do not dream of conquering anyone. All we want is to live without fear of losing more land, more people or more history. That is why, time and again, we have invited Thailand to resolve disputes through international law. But Thailand has refused.
Our patience should not be mistaken for weakness. It is our moral choice. Because we have seen enough war. What we need now — what our children need — is peace.
A Message to the World
This is not just a border dispute. It is not simply about lines on a map. This is a war of memory, of truth and of identity.
For over 800 years, Cambodia has endured invasions, territorial loss and systematic attempts to erase our heritage. Empires have risen and fallen around us, yet we remain. We are still here. And despite the weight of history, we continue to believe in the power of truth, in the rule of law and in the universal right to peace.
But peace cannot survive on silence. Justice cannot live in denial. The international community must no longer turn away. This is not an isolated quarrel between neighbours. It is a deliberate campaign to appropriate culture, to rewrite history and to weaken a people until they vanish from the world’s memory.
To the leaders of the world, to the UN, to ASEAN, to the guardians of human rights and international law, I say:
- Do not let this conflict be dismissed as another “flare-up”.
- Recognise it for what it truly is — a campaign of cultural domination and historical erasure.
- Support Cambodia’s call for justice and peace through international law, not through military might.
- Demand accountability when ceasefires are broken, when agreements are violated and when smaller nations are bullied into silence.
- Stand with the principle that no country, however small, should have its dignity stripped away.
Because a map may show borders, but behind those lines live people, families, memories and cultures. To erase them is not politics — it is an assault on humanity itself.
And because brothers and sisters do not invade each other’s homes. Brothers and sisters do not erase each other from history. True brotherhood is built on respect, honesty and justice — not slogans to mask aggression.
The Khmer people have suffered enough. We do not ask for power or wealth. We ask for fairness, for dignity and for the right to live in peace. And if the world truly values justice, then Cambodia’s voice must be heard, and Cambodia’s truth must be told.
Dr. Thourn Sinan is a spiritual & tourism professional. The views and opinions expressed are his own.
