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Appropriation or Coincidence? Thai Princess Picks Up Silk Embroidery Days After Cambodia's Sbai Khmer Reveal
Phnom Penh, November 6, 2026: Thailand's Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya has been filmed trying her hand at traditional silk embroidery—just days after Cambodia's First Lady, H.E. Dr. Pich Chanmony, unveiled Sbai Khmer as the Kingdom's commemorative gift to Francophonie delegates.
According to footage circulated online, the Princess watched a demonstration by the SUPPORT Foundation—the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques—and personally tried embroidering a "phum khao bin" rice stalk cluster pattern during an appearance at a Khon performance of the Ramakien, Episode: Sita.
The sequence has renewed concerns in Cambodia over what critics describe as a long pattern of cultural appropriation—and, in some cases, outright culture plagiarism—by Bangkok.
Sbai Khmer is woven from fine silk or golden threads and embellished with Phka Chan and Chak Chan motifs that echo the carvings of Cambodia's ancient temples. It is regarded in the Kingdom as cultural heritage inherited from Khmer ancestors, not a decorative novelty.
Thailand has repeatedly faced accusations of adopting the heritage of its neighbours and presenting it as uniquely Thai. Cambodian commentators cite the Siha Nakhon temple complex in Buriram, built to replicate Angkor Wat, which Cambodia's Culture Minister previously condemned as a violation of "the identity and soul of Khmer culture" and "a serious lack of heritage ethics."
Observers note the pattern: when Cambodia elevates a piece of its heritage to international visibility, a Thai counterpart tends to appear shortly after. In this case, the First Lady's Sbai Khmer initiative had barely been announced before the Princess's embroidery demonstration surfaced.
Source: Social media footage via @Shi_147; Office of the First Lady of Cambodia, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
https://x.com/Shi_147/status/2117998094608715998/video/2
Reported by The Khmer Today
