Flag of Cambodia.
Cambodia ( /kæmˈboʊdiə/; Khmer: Kampuchea, IPA: [kɑmˈpuˈciə]), officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Its total landmass is 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi), bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
Cambodia in 1632[]
The butterfly effect touched Cambodia with the arrival of a Dutch seaman named Blom in Phnom Penh in 1635. In 1630, Blom had helped evacuate Japanese expatriates from the Ayutthaya Kingdom (in modern-day Thailand) after the king had ordered them to be violently expelled.
Among those Blom was able to save was his good friend Nishioka Yoriaki, a seller of bento meals who happened to speak good Dutch. Blom had returned to check on his old friend and told him the story of Grantville's arrival from the future and the massive changes it had brought to Europe.
The Americans' fervor for religious tolerance was especially important to Blom as Nishioka, like many of the expatriate Japanese, was a Christian convert, and Blom himself was very devout. After convincing Nishioka of the truth of his words, Blom asked him to gather the Japanese men at his ship that evening.
Nishioka did so and acted as interpreter for Blom as he told the story of Grantville to the gathered Japanese. Blom then explained that he'd spoken with the Grantville authorities who confirmed that they'd be glad to take in a group of "Catholic refugees" that Blom knew of. The Dutchman went on to say that he'd secured permission from the ship owners to transport the Japanese Christians to Europe.
The exiles discussed Blom's offer briefly before, among cries of "Grantville! Grantville! Grantville!", agreeing to embark on new lives in the United States of Europe.