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Angkor Wat is a Hindu-Biuddhist temple and tomb located in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia. Construction began in the 12th century and was completed in 1150. It is considered the largest religious building in the world.

Source: History of Cambodia, by David Chandler (1996), Bangkok: Silkworm Books.

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Bayon Temple is part of the Angkor Wat temple system in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia. It was built in the late 12th century and is part of the larger temple community of Angkor Thom. The faces of Bayon is believed to be modeled after the face of King Jayavarman VII who commissioned the temple. It is one of the most popular sites for visitors to Cambodia.

Source: History of Cambodia, by David Chandler (1996), Bangkok: Silkworm Books.

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King Norodom Sihanouk (1922-2012) is the most well known modern day Cambodian king. He ruled Cambodia beginning in 1941 at the age of 19. He led Cambodia across many difficult periods during the country’s history including Japanese occupation during World War Two, independence from the French in 1953, the neighboring Vietnam-US war, the Khmer Rouge regime, and later on Cambodia’s post- cold war period. While at times controversial, King Sihanouk is beloved by Cambodians all over the world.

Source: History of Cambodia, by David Chandler (1996), Bangkok: Silkworm Books.

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Cyclos first came in 1936 and was among the most popular forms of transportation in Cambodia before motorcycles and automobiles came to the country. Today, Cyclo use is in rapid decline given many other alternative forms of transportation. Nevertheless, given cyclos’ cultural significance, the Cambodian government and other non-governmental organizations have organized to support cyclo drivers in efforts to sustain this national tradition.

Source: Saving the Cyclo from extinction. The Phnom Penh Post, December 24, 2020.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/opinion/saving-cyclo-extinction

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The year 2020 has been devastating on many fronts, but one of the starkest impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic has been on the livelihoods of Cambodian cyclo drivers, who have struggled to sustain their livelihoods over the past year.

Dating back to French Indochina, the three-wheeled bicycle taxi has been a mode of transportation in the Kingdom for the past 80 years. Once a utilitarian mode of transport, it was a means of getting around Phnom Penh, whereby the driver pedals behind the passenger who is comfortably seated in front in a slow-slung seat between two wheels. In the 70s, the cyclo was memorialised in the rock and roll pop culture by free-spirited rock singer Yuos Olarang in his song JisCyclo (Riding Cyclo).

Over the last two decades, however, the iconic cyclo has been on the verge of extinction, faced with the emergence of faster modes of transport like motorbikes and tuk-tuks, and the decline in ridership. These faster moving options coupled with the convenience of ride-sharing apps have largely shuttered the cyclo industry.

In 1999, there were more than 1,500 cyclos in Phnom Penh, according to the Cyclo Conservation and Careers Association (CCCA). The number has drastically dropped, with approximately 300 cyclos remaining active. Left to the status quo, the number of cyclo drivers and cyclos are expected to further decline due to the effects of the pandemic.

Within the Kingdom, two organisations are at the forefront of supporting the struggling cyclo industry. Founded in 2009, the CCCA seeks to support cyclo drivers by providing access to basic healthcare, education and housing at no cost. Today, the association supports 280 cyclo drivers between the ages of 32 and 82 in Phnom Penh.

Similarly, Prime Minister Hun Sen launched the Cyclo Foundation in 2018, providing cyclo drivers who register with the Foundation access to free medical treatment at public hospitals and a subsidy of $52.50 to cover rental fees and meals each month. Serving as the charity's honourable chairman, the prime minister has committed to donating 120 million riel (about $30,000) annually.

Cambodia's cyclo industry has arrived at an inflection point. Despite efforts to improve the livelihoods of its drivers through both organisations, the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges facing the cyclo industry. With the sharp decline in tourism, cyclo drivers earn roughly 10,000 to 20,000 riel per day. For perspective in pre-Covid times, tourism contributed to 70 per cent of Cambodian cyclo drivers' incomes.

Today, cyclo drivers are among the poorest of the urban poor in the capital. With dwindling tourist numbers, their socio-economic status is likely to fall further.
A Millennial Approach
Hao Tang, a 20-year-old millennial from Phnom Penh, has kick-started a social media fundraising campaign which has thus far has raised close to 19 million riel from more than 350 individuals in support of the CCCA. Through technology, he has been able to raise awareness while raising funds towards supporting the cyclo drivers' livelihoods.

With the majority of Cambodians using ride-hailing apps such as PassApp and Grab, he has recommended that these apps also include the option of hailing a cyclo instead. "GrabCyclo" has been coined to encourage Singapore-based technology company Grab to incorporate the transport service. Such an innovative modern solution could help connect cyclo drivers and riders on demand.

Through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, these young millennials and influencers have taken a renewed interest in the preservation of the cyclo and the improvement in the drivers' livelihood. Most of the donors supporting the social media fundraising campaign are younger millennials, using their tech-savvy skills and passions to bring about change in their community.

In addition to their charitable donations, these millennials have self-organised cyclo tours taking the seat once filled by a tourist. For Cambodia, the digital innovations and ideas brought by these millennials could change the landscape in saving the cyclo industry.
Policy Intervention
Even as the economy begins to recover and tourists return to the Kingdom, the government will need to address the underlying issues facing the cyclo industry and its drivers. Despite valiant efforts by both the CCCA and the Cyclo Foundation, the pandemic has further highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by the industry, and the need for a robust response by the public, private and non-government sectors in concerted efforts to save the cyclo from extinction.

The cyclo isn't only part of Cambodia's transport industry but is also part of the country's cultural heritage. As part of the Kingdom's modern history, the cyclo should actively be safeguarded by the ministries of Culture and Fine Arts and Tourism. The two ministries should develop a strategy to better preserve the cyclo for future generations, and ensure it is also part of the tourist experience visiting Phnom Penh.

In key tourist zones, near the Royal Palace, National Museum and Wat Phnom, cyclo drivers could be given priority and access to tourists through the creation of an all-access tourist pass with the cyclo being the main mode of transport to each of the destinations, and a "cyclo station" that would provide drivers with exclusive waiting or pick-up locations. It would elevate the cyclo as a vital part of the experience of visiting Phnom Penh.

Although cyclo drivers have access to basic healthcare and financial subsidies, they continue to earn less than other professions and industries. If the cyclo industry is to survive the next decade, the profession will have to be competitive and compelling for a younger generation to enter its ranks. Greater cooperation and collaboration between the public, private and non-governmental sector can likely turn the industry around for the better.

Once enjoyed by my grandparents, parents, and myself, my children and grandchildren may never get to experience the three-wheeled bicycle taxi that has been a defining experience throughout each generation. This unifying experience is something special that cannot be replaced by an automobile, motorbike or tuk-tuk.

The cyclo takes riders through the quick-shifting landscape of Cambodia's rich history and heritage. They act as memory keepers of the flux we find ourselves in, and their presence is a conduit that connects the past to the present

We must ask ourselves: are we ready to let the cyclo disappear? Or, shall we collectively fight for its preservation? If our answer to the latter question is yes, we must act immediately.
Darren Touch is a Research Fellow with the Center for Inclusive Digital Economy (CIDE) at the Asian Vision Institute and a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University

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Apsara Dancers is an ancient form of dance popular in Southeast Asia including Cambodia. The figure of Apsara dancers is embedded within Khmer culture as these images appear in architecture regularly. For example, Aspara dancers are well represented as relief sculptures across Angkor Wat and other temples in Cambodia. This tradition was severely undermined during the Khmer Rouge period as many teachers did not survive. For Cambodians in Cambodia and in the Cambodian diaspora, there are great efforts to revitalize traditional Apsara dance.

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Apsara dancer relief sculptures in Angkor Wat.

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Central Market is a landmark in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Central Market was built in 1937 in an art-deco style and represents the French influence that is part of Cambodia’s history. It is a major tourist destination as well as a vibrate site of commerce for residents.

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Sinn Sisamouth (1932-1976) was a Cambodian singer and is considered the father of Khmer rock n roll. Sinn Sisamouth is very popular today with all generations of Cambodians. His life and work was discussed in the 2014 documentary “Don’t think I’ve forgotten, Cambodia’s lost rock n roll”.

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The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh was constructed in 1958 to memorialize Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953. The monument sits in the heart of the capital and is a site for celebrations and social life during national holidays.

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The USA Secret Bombing of Cambodia occurred between 1965 and 1973 and led to much loss of life and helped to destabilize the country before the Khmer Rouge took over. The US military dropped over 2 million tons of bombs in efforts to disrupt suspected Vietnamese communist supply lines believed to have crossed into neutral Cambodia.

Source: Chomsky and Herman.

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Pol Pot and the rise of the Khmer Rouge: From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge regime engaged in an aggressive agrarian communist experiment that would lead to over 2 million deaths. Led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge abolished all former institutions including schools, hospitals, and religion. This period of rule ended in 1979 when the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge and the genocide that occurred in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 would lead to a refugee exodus from the country and the formation of diasporic Cambodian communities all over the world, including the United States.

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S-21 (Tuol Sleng Prison and Torture Center) is one of the most infamous symbols of the Cambodian genocide (1975-1979). Tuol Sleng is a former high school that was converted by the Khmer Rouge into an interrogation facility. Today, it is a museum that is visited by thousands of people daily. Visitors are able to visit rooms where individuals were tortured and view documents and photos detailing the interrogations.

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Refugee Camps: Most Cambodians who escaped from Cambodia during and after the Khmer Rouge’s rule found sanctuary in refugee camps in Thailand. The most well known of these sites is Khao-I-Dang camp which sits along the Thai-Cambodia border. It has been estimated that 160,000 Cambodians have been sheltered in Khao-I-Dang.

The accompanying photo is the family camp photo (dated JUly 2, 1984) of photographer Pete Pin. More photos can be found at the website below.

Source: petepin.com

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Refugee Resettlement Act: This legislation was passed by the US Senate in 1979 and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The Refugee Resettlement Act would raise the annual ceiling for refugee admissions from 17,000 to 50,000 and became a major mechanism for the resettlement of Cambodians into US communities.

Source: immigrationhistory.org

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Immigration History - Immigration History

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Explore the legacy of United States immigration policy over the last two and a half centuries. Find lessons suitable for high school students and a

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Ashley Chea is a Cambodian American basketball player that is featured in the recent documentary “Home Court”, directed by Erica Tanamachi. The film follows Chea’s rise as a basketball star while she navigates the challenges of growing up in a Cambodian refugee family.

Source: https://www.homecourtfilm.com/

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HOME COURT is an upcoming documentary film that traces the ascent of Cambodian American basketball prodigy Ashley Chea throughout her high school years.

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Long Beach, CA is home to the largest Cambodian community in the United States. It has been documented that the earliest Cambodians came to Long Beach in the 1960s to study at California State University, Long Beach. Some of these students would settle in the US and some could not return when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. These were likely the early seeds for making Long Beach the capital of Cambodian America. Today, there is a designated corridor of Long Beach that has an official proclamation as “Cambodia Town”.

Source: Needham, Susan & Quintiliani, Karen (2008). Cambodians in Long Beach. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1531635848

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Donut Shops: The great majority of donut shops in California are Cambodian owned. Some estimates have found that over 1500 donut shops are owned and run by Cambodian immigrants and their children. One of these stories is captured in a recent documentary on Ted Ngoy, also known as the “donut king”.

See The Donut King, PBS, directed by Alice Gu (2021).

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Sokhary Chau was the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States when he became the Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts in 2022. A Cambodian refugee, Chau came to the United States in 1981 and lived most of his life in Lowell.

Source: https://www.asianfortunenews.com/2022/01/1st-cambodian-american-mayor-in-u-s-takes-office/

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Asian American leaders have lauded the historic achievement of Sokhary Chau, the nation's first Cambodian American mayor.

Chau, 49, who came to America as a young refugee, has also made history on two other fronts. He is the first mayor of color of Lowell, Massachusetts. He is also Lowell's first-ever mayor unanimously elected by the City Council.

"SEARAC is thrilled to learn that Sokhary Chau has taken office as the first-ever Cambodian American to serve as mayor in the United States," Quyên Đinh, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, said in an email.

He noted: "Southeast Asian American refugees are more than our experiences with war and genocide. We are a vibrant, resilient community whose stories are woven into the fabric of this country. Elevating more Southeast Asian Americans into positions of leadership will ensure that we have a seat at the table where decisions are being made about our future."
Empowerment, Representation
"Sokhary Chau's historic mayoral election in Lowell, Massachusetts by the city council is an important step toward greater Asian American empowerment, representation and leadership in our nation's cities," Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, president & CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), said in an email.

"Lowell's population is nearly 25% Asian, and it is the home of the second largest Cambodian community in the country," she added. "Importantly, the city council's unanimous election-first in the history of Lowell-of Mayor Chau, demonstrates that he is a leader within the Asian American community and in the greater Lowell community."

APAICS is a national nonpartisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is "dedicated to promoting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) participation and representation at all levels." Its programs focus on leadership development and "building the political pipeline for AAPIs to pursue public office at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as other careers in public policy."
Chau's Priorities
Chau's sense of optimism and excitement, after taking his oath of office on January 3, was noted by The Lowell Sun. The story by Jacob Vitali quoted Mayor Chau as saying to Cambodians around the world, "we can no longer be just victims. It is our time to now be leaders and to succeed."

Mayor Chau's priorities include alleviating the pandemic's impacts by helping small businesses and improving health information access, and providing affordable housing, according to GBH News. In a "zoom" interview, he told Sarah Betancourt he wants to promote more diversity in the city government and increased access to city services among immigrants.

The 11-member City Council unanimously picked Chau for mayor. Chau will serve a two-year term. His closest competitor in the mayoral race, the Lowell newspaper reported, was Councilor Vesna Nuon, also a Cambodian refugee. Nuon withdrew his bid last December, in an effort to unify the Council.

Chau's incredible story reflected the journey of many immigrants in achieving the American dream. The Lowell Sun reported that as a child, Chau fled the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1979 with his mother, together with his six siblings. They dodged minefields and bullets before reaching a refugee camp. Chau's mother passed away in November, nearly two weeks after casting a vote for him.

Chau served on the Lowell City Council starting in 2019. He is known for his constituent services and outreach within the city neighborhoods.
About Mayor Chau
Sokhary Chau was raised in the Acre and lived in the Lower Highlands, Massachusetts for over 30 years. The Lowell newspaper reported that in his youth, he won a scholarship to the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover. He won another scholarship and majored in economics and political science at Macalester College.

Chau was elected as City Councilor-at-Large in 2019. He was re-elected last November in his neighborhood, The Lower Highlands, (District 6). He won as mayor by an 11-0 vote of the City Council.

As a "hands-on" working Councilor, Sokhary was known for his constituent services and outreach within the City neighborhoods. He served as Chair of the Public Safety Subcommittee. He was a member of the following subcommittees: Economic/Downtown Development, Education Partnership, Nonprofit Organizations, and Zoning. As a former small business owner, he has a deep commitment to the struggles of the city's small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Among Chau's major motions during his first term include: City subsidy of small businesses during COVID- Environmental cleanup of waterways; Protection from violence in the neighborhoods; Social justice in all city services; Diversifying the City workforce to reflect the City demographics; Transparency in city meetings and contracts; Tax relief for senior residents; and Neighborhood stability and resident input.

Working hard for tax relief and keeping seniors in their homes, Chau's presence was well-known throughout the city. During his campaign, he pledged to continue working hard to encourage planned and controlled economic development to provide tax relief to homeowners, and also generate money into the city.

Chau and his wife Samong Rattanayong, along with their two sons, Philip and Matthew, live on B Street in the Highlands neighborhood.

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1st Cambodian American Mayor in U.S. Takes Office - Asian Fortune

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By Jennie L. Ilustre Asian American leaders have lauded the historic achievement of Sokhary C

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Prahok is a fermented fish dish that is unique to Khmer culture. It was a way for Cambodians to preserve fish during these periods when fresh fish was not available. It is also added to many Cambodian dishes as a way to improve flavor. There are many ways to prepare and eat prahok. The accompanying photo shows that dipping vegetables into prahok is one popular way to consume this traditional dish.

For more information, see: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210707-prahok-the-pungent-fish-elevating-cambodian-cuisine

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Prahok: The pungent fish elevating Cambodian cuisine

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While the world is familiar with the food from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodian cuisine is still relatively unknown. Can a sharp-smelling fish change that?

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The deportation of Cambodian Americans: An important issue for the Cambodian American community is the deportation of individuals back to Cambodia for criminal convictions. Almost 1000 Cambodian Americans have been forcibly removed and sent to Cambodia. Some have declared this to be a major human rights violation because most of these individuals came to the United States as refugees as babies or young children. Most do not speak or read the Khmer language. The accompanying photo is from a protest in Minneapolis, MN in 2016.

For more information, see: Ambiguous loss for Cambodian American deportees and families, by Vichet Chhuon, Marina Aleixo, and Catherine Solheim, published in Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. (2022).

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Cham Muslim is a significant community in Cambodia. The Cham muslims originated from the Kingdom of Champa and many sought refuge later in what is now modern-day Cambodia after the Vietnamese conquest of Champa. Cham Muslims were heavily persecuted by the Khmer Rouge.

Source: History of Cambodia, by David Chandler (1996), Bangkok: Silkworm Books.

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Buddhism and religion for Cambodian Americans in the United States: There are many Cambodian buddhist temples across the United States. Many Cambodian refugees continue to center Buddhism in their social and cultural lives. The accompanying photo shows Wat Munistoram in Hampton, Minnesota  which is about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities, and is considered the largest buddhist temple in North America.

Source: https://religionsmn.carleton.edu/exhibits/show/wattmunisotaram/introduction

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Watt Munisotaram · Watt Munisotaram · Religions in Minnesota

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Will Yetvin (2016), Jonah Hudson-Erdman (2016), and Hannah Comstock-Gay (2011)

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Prach Ly is Cambodian American rapper, producer, and writer from Long Beach, California. He gained popularity for creating hip hop music that blended traditional Khmer sounds with contemporary hip hop rhythms and beats. In 2001, his debut album, Dalama: The End’n is just the Beginn’n became the top selling album in Cambodia. His verses often engage issues and traumas associated with the Khmer Rouge period of Cambodia’s history and grow up in the US inner city.

Source: https://asiasociety.org/texas/khmer-american-rapper-teaches-traumatic-history

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Fifteen years after his DIY debut album went to #1 in Cambodia, praCh (Prach Ly) looks back on his unlikely, unexpected career.

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Dengue Fever is a rock band that combines Cambodian rock music with American musical styles. Most of the band originate from Los Angeles, California and the lead singer, Nimol Chhom, grew up in Cambodia.

Source: https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/1444/dengue-fever