evidence: The Lao name Xiang Teng later gave the Khmer "Stung Treng".[7] The Lao were not able to prevent the French from gaining control of the Sesan River Basin in 1893, including its most important center, the city of Stung Treng, located where the Sekong River, which the Sesan River flows into, enters the Mekong River. Lao people however succeeded in maintaining considerable influence in the region when it was part of French Laos. Despite the large Lao population, the French later transferred the northeastern-most part of Cambodia from Laos to Cambodia in 1904 following demands by the government of Cambodia motivated by historical claims. Even after Cambodia's independence, Lao influence in Stung Treng and Ratanakiri Provinces remained strong despite Khmerization efforts, including language restrictions imposed by the Sangkum Reastr Niyum government in the 1960s.[2]