MUAY THAI: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called for an end to the “pointless” bickering over whether traditional boxing should be called Muay Thai or Kun Khmer, the term used by Cambodians
BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Thailand will boycott the kickboxing competition at this year’s South-East Asian (SEA) Games in protest against hosts Cambodia using the sport’s local name of Kun Khmer rather than Muay Thai.
With preparations for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games which are to take place in Phnom Penh in the next few months underway, questions have arisen over a martial arts event that is a great source of pride for both Thailand and Cambodia.
Muay Thai superstar Sombat “Buakaw” Banchamek has clarified that he has Thai nationality after Cambodian boxing fans had claimed he is of Cambodian descent.