Reflecting the charitable spirit of the Hakkas, Taiwan Hakka Association in Cambodia (THAC, 柬埔寨臺灣客家聯誼會) Chairman Liu Chien-yu (劉建佑) donated 80 desks to a Mandarin language school at a Hakka settlement in Veun Sai County, Ratanakiri Province on Nov. 23.

Accompanied by Asia Taiwanese Hakka Association (ATHA, 亞洲臺灣客家聯合總會) President Peng Chung-nien (彭仲年), Chairman Liu also attended the opening ceremony of several newly constructed school buildings on Dec. 4.

Chang Yu-cheng (張育成), chair of the Khmer Chinese Association in Ratanakiri Province of Cambodia (柬埔寨拉達那基里省柬華理事會), stated that the century-old educational institution, which now has 147 primary and middle school students, is the sole Mandarin school in the province. Once suspended during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, the school resumed operations with help from Taiwan, he added.

On behalf of all the members of the Hakka community in Cambodia, Chang expressed his deepest gratitude to THAC, the Taipei-based non-profit organization Field Relief Agency (FRA, 知風草), and Taichung’s National Chin-Yi University of Technology (國立勤益科技大學) for being long-term donors of daily goods, book bags, stationery, desks, and chairs, as well as for being fundraisers for constructing new school buildings.

Representing the Hakka Affairs Council, ATHA President Peng offered his congratulations on the school’s successful expansion. He also pointed out how the occasion helped members of Hakka associations in Cambodia to connect with Hakka people from various countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Laos, and the United States. Thanks to Chairman Chang’s invitation, experiences about the Hakka diaspora and preservation of Hakka culture can be shared with each other during this short visit, Peng added.