Little Phnom Penhis my Stateside touchstone with Cambodian groups. The Anaheim Corridor in Long Beach is changing fast - over the last twenty years we are seeing Khmer businesses slowly migrating away. But 'The LBC' is still the city with the largest Khmer population outside of Cambodia. Every metropolis seems to have a Chinatown that is marketed as a tourist attraction. I'm all for a Cambodia Town, Khmerville, or whatever they want to call it. A simple label and a marketing campaign can change loads. And finally, someone's giving it an organized attempt; this idea has been floated around for many years. From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
News article: http://presstelegram.com/news/ci_4460252Opinion Piece: http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_4467342[tipoff courtesy KI-Media]Tags: Cambodia,immigration
As a KhmerAmerican and a resident of the city of Long Beach for quite some times now, I am very excited and delighted to have this community together-ness spotlight shining on Cambodians. It will give KhmerAmerican a sense of place and community. The decision had been long overdued, but it here and a very hot topic. A decade ago, I noticed that there were a lot more Khmer owned businesses in Anaheim Street and its vicinity, now I don't see as much. Khmer owned businesses are slowly turning to somewhere else. To have Cambodia Town would steer Khmer owned businessed to return. This will add a benefit of tax revenue for city of Long Beach, not to mention a sense of place of KhmerAmerican. Every Khmer or KhmerAmerican should "Samaki" or unite to help make Cambodia Town a reality. The leaders of KhmerAmerican must put their personal feelings aside and focus on this issue. There is a great need for strong leaders and unity to make Cambodia Town a reality.
