WWI, 2,000 Cambodian volunteers were sent to France
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 1:50 am
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There was a similar article in the Post a few years back, but I recall it saying that Cambodians had only served as "trench maids" or something, like they'd bring ammo over and carry equipment through the trenches. Either way, seeing France must have been amazing but trench warfare was probably more adventure than they'd hoped for.As he reported a batch of just 28 new recruits from Kampong Cham and Kratie provinces in May 1916, War Minister Chakrey Ponn attributed slow recruitment “not to a hostile sentiment towards the protectorate, but to the fact that Cambodians are very attached to their homes and do not like to go abroad.
“Having a far from belligerent character, they content themselves with their farms.”