Attitudes of the Cambodian people toward the Vietnamese : a case study of young educated Cambodians

Abstract

The history of Cambodian-Vietnamese relations has more to do with wars and conflicts rather than peace and understanding. The problem has lasted until recently and left the people with more than enough suffering. Today, problems between the people of the two countries still exist. There are a lot of anti-Vietnamese sentiments in Cambodian society. These are expressed in periodic anti-Vietnamese demonstrations and violent acts toward the Vietnamese people who live in Cambodia. This thesis is therefore conducted in order to study the attitudes of young educated Cambodians (YECs) toward the Vietnamese and the causes of the attitudes. Findings indicate that the attitudes of the Cambodians toward the Vietnamese people in Cambodia and the Vietnamese government are both positive and negative. The positive and some part of the negative attitudes toward the Vietnamese people came from favor and disfavor toward the characteristics of the Vietnamese people and are not related to politics. The YECs formed the attitudes from their real experiences and social interaction with the Vietnamese in Cambodian society. However, there are negative attitudes toward the Vietnamese people which are connected to negative views toward the Vietnamese government. Both the Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese government were seen as joining hands to invade, exploit and destroy Cambodia. This negative feeling was mostly provoked by the use of anti-Vietnamese propaganda by Cambodian politicians to gain political benefits. The propaganda translated historical relations in a negative way to create feelings of fear and hatred. Moreover, it could be effectively used along with the real problems and weaknesses of the ruling party in handling the current border issues and the Vietnamese settlements in Cambodia. The propaganda was delivered to the YECs through many means such as social surroundings and mass media which includes radio, newspapers, internet and books outside the educational system. Although the YECs processed the information with consideration, negative attitudes still were formed since information about the Vietnamese from most of these sources was presented in a negative way. It is possible to say that the lack of reliable information about the Vietnamese led to the negative attitudes of Cambodians toward the Vietnamese.