CAMPA MALAYS WISH THEY WERE IN MALAYSIA

SIEM REAP (Cambodia), Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Cambodia gained independence in 1953, four years earlier than Malaysia, but its people are still yearning for a better life, even as they remain haunted by a dark chapter in the nation''s post-independence history.

While Malaysians have been living peacefully since independence, Cambodia, located in the Malay archipelago, is mired in poverty following the bloodshed and untold suffering it once witnessed.

"Based on what I hear from my brethren in Malaysia, I could only consider myself lucky if I could live in Malaysia, unlike living here in poverty with the ill-effects of war that haunts us till today," noted Yusof Arshad, 75, a Muslim living in Kampung Speu in Kampongcham district.

He is among the thousands of Campa Malays living in the district who had witnessed a civil war between the Khmer Rouge and ruling junta in the 1970s and lived to recall the darkest chapter in the nation''s history – the Pol Pot-led genocide, occurring from 1975 to 1979, in which more than one million people were killed.

"I hear that in Malaysia the people live in peace and harmony, despite their diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. "The hardships and the sufferings here made me hate war and disturbances," he told Bernama, speaking in his Kelantan Malay dialect.

HAS BEEN TO MALAYSIA

Yusof, who had traveled to Malaysia for religious studies in Kelantan when he was younger, relayed his admiration of Malaysia to the writer who accompanied five staff and 20 undergraduates from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan''s Creative Technology and Heritage (FTKW) faculty during a recent week-long academic tour to Cambodia.

The UMK team, headed by the faculty''s dean, Associate Prof Ab Aziz Shuaib, also studied the Angkor Wat civilisation and the effects of the civil war from Siem Reap province up to the nation''s capital, Phnom Penh.

The plight of the Malay Campa people in the Kampongcham district, located between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, has received the attention of various organisations in Malaysia. Muslims represent a minority among the 17 million people in the country, with the majority of the population being Buddhist.

"I look forward to the arrival of community service groups from Malaysia who hold feasts, especially during Hari Raya Haji each year," he said.

UMK''S TOUR

A general review of the area, conducted by Bernama, found that the Muslims here, as well as people of other faiths, are generally poor and still psychologically haunted by the war and its accompanying genocide.

Also, houses with nipah-thatched roofs and walls made of bamboo, along with people living in poverty, were common sights throughout UMK''s tour from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.

Apart from that, most people still use wells for water, and cattle and buffalo roam throughout parched paddy fields. It was noted that when UMK''s team was cruising along the floating village in Tonle Sap that connects to the Mekong river, local residents did not waste the opportunity to win the sympathy of foreigners.

In fact, a local man with a small child and pregnant wife went as far as chasing after the team''s boat with his motorised sampan to beg for money. "They don''t even bother about their safety, as the river''s current and waves were strong," noted Noorhafizah Abd Razak, one of the undergraduates in UMK''s team who was shocked by the extent local people were willing to go to ask for alms.

Other than this, a group of children called out to UMK''s team asking, "One dollar sir, one dollar sir" and there were children selling carbonated drinks they carried in baskets.

UMK''S MISSION

While at Kampung Speu, the team met with Cambodian Mufti Haji Kamaruddin Yusof. At the Anniakmah mosque in the village there was a short programme, headed by the mosque''s imam, Haji Yusof Ali, where the UMK students were handed over to their ''adopted'' families.

The following morning the villagers joined hands with the team to help prepare for a feast ponsored by UMK. They also slaughtered two cattle. Additionally, the UMK undergraduates also conducted programmes at the mosque and religious school. These included religious and English classes, apart from mini sports that involved children from seven to 15 years old.

Meanwhile, Prof Ab Aziz noted that it was the first time such a field tour was organised by UMK since its establishment in 2007. UMK is the only higher educational institution to offer a course on creative technology and heritage.

"The trip is necessary to provide exposure to the students," he noted. Ab Aziz also said that the visit to several historical sites, including Wat Angkor, Wat Thom, and Wat Banteay, is part of a field study programme for FTKW undergraduates.

-- BERNAMA