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34 AsiaLIFE Cambodia AsiaLIFE Cambodia 35 In 1869, Jean Moura the administrator of the French pro- tectorate in Cambodia wrote bitterly in a letter about “the pitiable reputation of Phnom Penh’s European community” and their “filthy affairs”. Less than six years had past since the French signed a treaty with King Norodom I to “preserve and protect” Cambodia and its popu- lation, which included a community of around 300 European expats living in Phnom Penh. With a population of roughly 50,000, the capital at that time stretched from the banks of the Tonle Sap to Norodom Boule- vard. The majority of the European popula- tion, mainly French, German and English, lived along the Grand Rue - the main boule- vard that stretched along the riverside from Wat Phnom to the Royal Palace. In the eyes of early colonial authorities, everything from their houses, recreational habits, and especially marriage to local part- ners, was a potential threat to the French colonial order. French Colonialism In his 2006 book Colonial Cambodia’s ‘Bad Frenchmen’, Gregor Muller sketches the dim view French officials took of the existing European community at the start of the protectorate - a view also shared by some of the city’s local inhabitants. One poison pen letter sent anonymously by a Cambodian to a French official in 1872 lays out the local reputation and pec- cadilloes of almost every foreign inhabit- ant of Phnom Penh at the time, including “Teacher Pelletier who gets drunk and never sees the light of day” and “Rosen- thal, always drunk, yelling the whole night with his harem of women.” For officials like Moura, seeing Europe- ans living with, doing business with and quarelling with local inhabitants was a threat to French prestige - especially while, writes Muller, “after years of successive failure one could see them borrowing from their Chinese neighbours to be able to afford a meal.” Foreign Feuds Muller writes that some expats like sawmill owner Paul Le Faucheur, the King’s translator Arthur Rosenthal and brothel owner Ibrahim “Roy” Sulivan lived well. But colonial society also had its fair share of washed-up Europe- ans chasing illusory business schemes. Among the most infamous of these early European expats was Frederic Thomas-Car- aman, a self-proclaimed French count who relocated to Cambodia in 1865 to pursue a number of failed ventures including criss- crossing Cambodia with railroads and grow- ing cotton along the banks of the Mekong. Caraman’s various feuds with other expats, royal officials and rival Chinese merchants “alone takes up more than half the time of the Representative of the Protectorate,” wrote Representative Moura in the 1870s. His case was only one in a long line, according to Muller, of the “motely crew of barely literate would-be merchants living be- low the poverty line” to arrive in Cambodia. The problem of policing the behavior of Phnom Penh’s growing expat community was a constant headache for French of- ficials, which Moura and later administra- tors tried to solve by hiring them to work as police officers and clerks and launching morality crackdowns on opium dealing and interracial marriages. Spanish Explorers But the misdeeds of the French protector- ate were not the first illustrations of expats letting loose. Almost 300 years before Moura criticised the moral character of Phnom Penh’s Europe- ans, a similar note of discomfit was sounded by Spanish explorer Juan Juarez de Gallinato. He led the country’s first diplomatic mission to Phnom Penh, a city known by the Spanish as Chudamarco, in 1596. Fully expecting to be greeted with fanfare, he found that the presence of several Por- tuguese friars at the royal court meant that new European visitors were regarded with little interest. Instead attention was showered on a donkey they brought with them “which was valued above all our gifts of gold and struck the natives with amazement,” according to a 1604 book describing the trip penned by Dominican friar Garbriele Quiroga de San Antonio. While the presence of Chinese, Malay and Siamese merchants in Cambodia had been reported as early as the 13th century by Chinese envoy Chou Ta-Kuan, Gal- linato’s account is the first to record the presence of a permanent community of Europeans based in Cambodia. Among the Europeans living at the royal court was the Portuguese mercenary Diego Bellosa, who settled in the Kingdom a decade before Gallinato arrived, and married a cousin of the King, and ‘Friar Silvestre’ who grasp of Khmer made him a favourite at court. Characterising Cambodia’s population as “more good hearted that the natives of other kingdoms,” Gallinato urged Spain to invade the Kingdom as part of a plan to “open to us the priceless wealth of the kingdom of Laos” and then set out to do just that. Quick Escape The resulting series of accidents, massa- cres and diplomatic disasters that followed, resulted in Gallinato and his men fleeing the kingdom in 1598, pursued onto their ships by an angry mob. Forced to leave behind their donkey which “brayed and showed much affliction as though it were saying goodbye,” Gallinato sailed off into the sunset cursing Chudamarco as a place “where no good Christian would ever wish to reside.” Given today’s thriving expat population, some of whom are still behaving badly, it seems he was mistaken. Colonial Cambodia’s ‘Bad Frenchmen’: The rise of French Rule and the life of Thomas Caraman, 1840- 87 is available at Bohr’s books. From 13th century Chinese traders, to 16th century Spanish diplomats and 19th century French colonialists, Phnom Penh’s expats have been behaving badly since they arrived. Michael Sloan delves into the history books and looks at what life was like for expats past.

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  • 34 asialife Cambodia asialife Cambodia 35

    In 1869, Jean Moura the administrator of the French pro-

    tectorate in Cambodia wrote bitterly in a letter about the pitiable reputation of

    Phnom Penhs European community and their filthy affairs.

    Less than six years had past since the French signed a treaty with King Norodom I to preserve and protect Cambodia and its popu-lation, which included a community of around 300 European expats living in Phnom Penh.

    With a population of roughly 50,000, the capital at that time stretched from the banks of the Tonle Sap to Norodom Boule-vard. The majority of the European popula-tion, mainly French, German and English, lived along the Grand Rue - the main boule-vard that stretched along the riverside from Wat Phnom to the Royal Palace.

    In the eyes of early colonial authorities, everything from their houses, recreational habits, and especially marriage to local part-ners, was a potential threat to the French colonial order.

    French ColonialismIn his 2006 book Colonial Cambodias Bad Frenchmen, Gregor Muller sketches the dim view French officials took of the existing European community at the start of the protectorate - a view also shared by some of the citys local inhabitants.

    One poison pen letter sent anonymously by a Cambodian to a French official in 1872 lays out the local reputation and pec-cadilloes of almost every foreign inhabit-ant of Phnom Penh at the time, including Teacher Pelletier who gets drunk and never sees the light of day and Rosen-thal, always drunk, yelling the whole night with his harem of women.

    For officials like Moura, seeing Europe-ans living with, doing business with and quarelling with local inhabitants was a threat to French prestige - especially while, writes Muller, after years of successive failure one could see them borrowing from their Chinese neighbours to be able to afford a meal.

    Foreign FeudsMuller writes that some expats like sawmill owner Paul Le Faucheur, the Kings translator Arthur Rosenthal and brothel owner Ibrahim Roy Sulivan lived well. But colonial society also had its fair share of washed-up Europe-ans chasing illusory business schemes.

    Among the most infamous of these early European expats was Frederic Thomas-Car-aman, a self-proclaimed French count who relocated to Cambodia in 1865 to pursue a number of failed ventures including criss-crossing Cambodia with railroads and grow-ing cotton along the banks of the Mekong.

    Caramans various feuds with other expats, royal officials and rival Chinese merchants alone takes up more than half the time of the Representative of the Protectorate, wrote Representative Moura in the 1870s.

    His case was only one in a long line, according to Muller, of the motely crew of barely literate would-be merchants living be-low the poverty line to arrive in Cambodia.

    The problem of policing the behavior of Phnom Penhs growing expat community was a constant headache for French of-ficials, which Moura and later administra-tors tried to solve by hiring them to work as police officers and clerks and launching morality crackdowns on opium dealing and interracial marriages.

    Spanish ExplorersBut the misdeeds of the French protector-ate were not the first illustrations of expats letting loose.

    Almost 300 years before Moura criticised the moral character of Phnom Penhs Europe-ans, a similar note of discomfit was sounded by Spanish explorer Juan Juarez de Gallinato. He led the countrys first diplomatic mission to Phnom Penh, a city known by the Spanish as Chudamarco, in 1596.

    Fully expecting to be greeted with fanfare, he found that the presence of several Por-tuguese friars at the royal court meant that new European visitors were regarded with little interest.

    Instead attention was showered on a donkey they brought with them which was valued above all our gifts of gold and struck the natives with amazement, according to a 1604 book describing the trip penned by Dominican friar Garbriele Quiroga de San Antonio.

    While the presence of Chinese, Malay and Siamese merchants in Cambodia had been reported as early as the 13th century by Chinese envoy Chou Ta-Kuan, Gal-linatos account is the first to record the presence of a permanent community of Europeans based in Cambodia.

    Among the Europeans living at the royal

    court was the Portuguese mercenary Diego Bellosa, who settled in the Kingdom a decade before Gallinato arrived, and married a cousin of the King, and Friar Silvestre who grasp of Khmer made him a favourite at court.

    Characterising Cambodias population as more good hearted that the natives of other kingdoms, Gallinato urged Spain to invade the Kingdom as part of a plan to open to us the priceless wealth of the kingdom of Laos and then set out to do just that.

    Quick EscapeThe resulting series of accidents, massa-cres and diplomatic disasters that followed, resulted in Gallinato and his men fleeing the kingdom in 1598, pursued onto their ships by an angry mob.

    Forced to leave behind their donkey which brayed and showed much affliction as though it were saying goodbye, Gallinato sailed off into the sunset cursing Chudamarco as a place where no good Christian would ever wish to reside.

    Given todays thriving expat population, some of whom are still behaving badly, it seems he was mistaken.

    Colonial Cambodias Bad Frenchmen: The rise of French Rule and the life of Thomas Caraman, 1840-87 is available at Bohrs books.

    From 13th century Chinese traders, to 16th century Spanish diplomats and 19th century French colonialists, Phnom Penhs expats have been behaving badly since they arrived. Michael Sloan delves into the history books and looks at what life was like for expats past.