In Northern Preah Vihear, Lao Is a Way of Life

Kampong Sra Lao II consists of four villages with more than 380 families, nearly 2,000 people living along the Mekong. (Photo: AP)

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 18 February 2011

“Every village in the commune is accustomed to Lao, every household, every person, speaks that language.”

In a remote corner of Preah Vihear province, an identity shift is underway. Here on the border, where the Mekong river spills over rocky falls from Laos into Cambodia, a younger generation is increasingly adopting a Lao way of life.

“Their parents only speak Lao with them,” said Neang Phann, an eldery villager in Kampong Sra Lao II commune, in Chaep district. “Some parents aren’t even able to speak Khmer.”

Please click here to read more...