Kula People

Kula (Thai: กุลา; Khmer: កុឡា, Kŏla [kolaː]; also spelt Gula and Kola) are Tai peoples who immigrated from Yunnan, China and the Mon and Shan States in Myanmar to Isan, Thailand during the last few decades of the 19th century. The Kula once lived mainly in Pailin Province as refugees during French Protectorate of Cambodia, where many worked as gem traders. The immigration of the Kula led to economic developments and commercialization in the region. The Kula, still a minority ethnic group, are among the wealthiest ethnic groups in modern Cambodia.