A former Thai world bodybuilding champion delivers a heated response after Cambodians claim the traditional folk tale "Khun Chang Khun Phaen" as Cambodian.
On 19 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Prakasit Khrueabut, also known as Toon Vegan, a former Thai bodybuilding world champion, posted a fiery video countering a Cambodian netizen who claimed the folk tale "Khun Chang Khun Phaen" belongs to Cambodia, not Thailand.
Prakasit posted in the video, "'Khun Chang Khun Phaen' is a long-standing Thai folk tale. Its true origin is the Suphanburi kingdom, predating the Sukhothai kingdom. The language blends Thai and Mon elements, such as the term 'Phlai,' which means a strong, robust young man. This clearly shows Thai-Mon roots, with no Khmer language influence."
"The evidence is the Suphanburi-Kanchanaburi accent, which has a Mon lilt. During the Ayutthaya period, royal families with Suphanburi lineage existed. Thus, these stories were passed down orally in various versions with similar plots but differing characters. The original version was lost after Ayutthaya's fall."
"The version seen today was compiled and co-authored by King Rama II along with poets of his time. Cambodia was influenced by Thailand during the early Rattanakosin era; Cambodia was a Thai vassal then, effectively a rural area of Thailand, adopting many Thai customs including folk tales."
The video has received over 70,000 likes, more than 3,000 comments, and over 2,000 shares.