Oknha


Oknha is an honorary title in Cambodia. It has different meanings depending on the period it was used.
In premodern times, "Oknha" were envoys appointed by the king, who were expected to perform a wide variety of duties, take elaborate oaths of loyalty, and present the monarch with regular gifts. Oknha is one of the noble titles, above Preah and below Neak Oknha. It equals to Okya of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, also roughly equals to marquess in Western countries.
The title Oknha is created since the 18th century to replace the title Ponhea, which could be translated as Phraya in Thai. The word Oknha is referred to as Ốc nha in ancient Vietnamese records.
After the Cambodian coup of 1970, the Khmer social structure changed drastically. All royal and noble titles were revoked by the Khmer Republic. Later, many Cambodian nobles died in the Cambodian genocide.

Today

In present-day, Oknha is the highest title bestowed on civilians by the Cambodian king. The word means "nobleman" or "lord". Since 20 March 2017, anyone hoping to be bestowed with the title must make contributions of $500,000 or more to the government. There are three levels of Oknha: Lok Oknha, Neak Oknha and Oknha.