Please find below the Letter of King Ang Duong of 25 November 1856 to Emperor Napoleon III of France. This is an English translation from the reprinted/reproduced French text in Cambodge, published by the Ministry of Information, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, (1962), p. 48. The King's letter was read in part by Princess Yukanthor to the National Assembly of the French Union during the meeting on 19 May 1949 dealing with the status of Cochinchina/Kampuchea Krom: A.U.F, Annales, no. 1(1949), p.515. Cambodia wanted the lost territories back. see Marie A. Martin, Cambodia: a Shattered Society,(1989) p. 350
Note:
Kay son=Tai son;
Saikong = Saigon
From Bora Touch, Esq.
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King Ang Duong (Photo: http://cambodiatheroyalandourland.blogspot.com)
Cambodia was formerly a vast country made up of large provinces, then followed the Annamites, men of bad faith, allied themselves with Cambodia looking to take for themselves sometimes one, sometimes two Sroks.
At the time of the revolt of Kay Son, the Emperor Gia-Long fled his kingdom and asked for help from the Kingdom of Krong-Tep [Thailand]. He met there Our August Father then King of Cambodia with whom he formed an alliance. After having fled Kingdom Krong-Tep and settled at Srok Preah Trapeang [Travihn] where he organized his army to fight against the Kay-Son, Our August Father sent him men to help until he conquered the Kay-Son and mounted the throne of Annam. Then taking into account that the Srok of Preah Trapeang was his benefactor he asked Our August Father to exempt the Srok from all tribute [for Cambodia] and not to make the inhabitants of the Srok work.
Our August Father considering that this was an act of confession on the part of an ally, acquiesced to his demand and no longer subjected them to any duty.
A long time afterward, Gia-Long made the Srok an Annamite colony until the reign of Our elder Brother [Ang Chan] who turned toward the emperor Gia-Long to ask for his help. On our part, we allied with Kingdom Krong-Tep. The son of Gia-Long named Minh Mang mounted the throne and dug the canal that crosses the Kingdom of Cambodia from Peam [Hatien] to Chaudoc to establish mandarins and Annamite subjects.
On His death, Our August father left only a daughter (of the first lit bed(?)) The Emperor Minh-Mang, as a measure of oppression, ordered to bring in captivity to Saikong the daughters of Our August Brother, Our August Mother, Our own Child, to put to death a daughter of Our August Brother to make him disappear, ordered the grand mandarins and inhabitants of Cambodia to go live on one of the islands and the others at Tonkin near China. The Cambodians, made aware of the evil intention of the Annamite Emperor, rose up and massacred a lot of Annamites.
The state of affairs that existed in Cambodia must have made His Majesty the Emperor of the French reflect on the establishment of the domination of Annamites in the Cambodian territories. The Srok Donnai became Annamite by simple peaceful occupation 200 years ago. The Sroks that the Annamites seized after were Saikong [Saigon], Longho (Vinh-Long) Phsar-Dek (Sadec), Smeythor, Meat-Chrouk (Chaudoc), Kramuon-Sar (Rach-Gia), Omom, Tuk-Khmau, Srok Peam and the islands of Tral [Phu-Quoc] and Tralach [Poulo Condor]. From now on if the Annamites ceded to the Emperor of France all of these territories and others, We pray His Majesty Emperor of France will not accept them because these are really the Cambodian territories. The part going to the west bank of the Saikong river to Peam (Hatien) comprised of 2 islands, must remain Cambodian as before. As for the region that is found on the east bank of the Saikong river that the Annamites have occupied for a long time, We do not reclaim....
Made in Our Palace at Oudong and marked with Our seal, Tuesday, month Kadoeck, the 13th day of the waning moon, in the year 1215 of the small era, year of the Dragon, 8th of the decade cycle.
Sent to Sing Ka po [Singapore]
His Majesty signed "Ang Duong"
[Reprinted in Cambodge (Phnom Penh, 1962) p. 48]
Note:
Kay son=Tai son;
Saikong = Saigon
From Bora Touch, Esq.
-------
King Ang Duong (Photo: http://cambodiatheroyalandourland.blogspot.com)LETTER OF KING ANG DUONG TO EMPEROR NAPOLEON III
Cambodia was formerly a vast country made up of large provinces, then followed the Annamites, men of bad faith, allied themselves with Cambodia looking to take for themselves sometimes one, sometimes two Sroks.
At the time of the revolt of Kay Son, the Emperor Gia-Long fled his kingdom and asked for help from the Kingdom of Krong-Tep [Thailand]. He met there Our August Father then King of Cambodia with whom he formed an alliance. After having fled Kingdom Krong-Tep and settled at Srok Preah Trapeang [Travihn] where he organized his army to fight against the Kay-Son, Our August Father sent him men to help until he conquered the Kay-Son and mounted the throne of Annam. Then taking into account that the Srok of Preah Trapeang was his benefactor he asked Our August Father to exempt the Srok from all tribute [for Cambodia] and not to make the inhabitants of the Srok work.
Our August Father considering that this was an act of confession on the part of an ally, acquiesced to his demand and no longer subjected them to any duty.
A long time afterward, Gia-Long made the Srok an Annamite colony until the reign of Our elder Brother [Ang Chan] who turned toward the emperor Gia-Long to ask for his help. On our part, we allied with Kingdom Krong-Tep. The son of Gia-Long named Minh Mang mounted the throne and dug the canal that crosses the Kingdom of Cambodia from Peam [Hatien] to Chaudoc to establish mandarins and Annamite subjects.
On His death, Our August father left only a daughter (of the first lit bed(?)) The Emperor Minh-Mang, as a measure of oppression, ordered to bring in captivity to Saikong the daughters of Our August Brother, Our August Mother, Our own Child, to put to death a daughter of Our August Brother to make him disappear, ordered the grand mandarins and inhabitants of Cambodia to go live on one of the islands and the others at Tonkin near China. The Cambodians, made aware of the evil intention of the Annamite Emperor, rose up and massacred a lot of Annamites.
The state of affairs that existed in Cambodia must have made His Majesty the Emperor of the French reflect on the establishment of the domination of Annamites in the Cambodian territories. The Srok Donnai became Annamite by simple peaceful occupation 200 years ago. The Sroks that the Annamites seized after were Saikong [Saigon], Longho (Vinh-Long) Phsar-Dek (Sadec), Smeythor, Meat-Chrouk (Chaudoc), Kramuon-Sar (Rach-Gia), Omom, Tuk-Khmau, Srok Peam and the islands of Tral [Phu-Quoc] and Tralach [Poulo Condor]. From now on if the Annamites ceded to the Emperor of France all of these territories and others, We pray His Majesty Emperor of France will not accept them because these are really the Cambodian territories. The part going to the west bank of the Saikong river to Peam (Hatien) comprised of 2 islands, must remain Cambodian as before. As for the region that is found on the east bank of the Saikong river that the Annamites have occupied for a long time, We do not reclaim....
Made in Our Palace at Oudong and marked with Our seal, Tuesday, month Kadoeck, the 13th day of the waning moon, in the year 1215 of the small era, year of the Dragon, 8th of the decade cycle.
Sent to Sing Ka po [Singapore]
His Majesty signed "Ang Duong"
[Reprinted in Cambodge (Phnom Penh, 1962) p. 48]
17 comments:
The letter composer appeared as not too confident in reasoning and lack of assertiveness.
Letter was rambling and incohesive in argument.They were inferior of their own conviction.
It is almost an embarassement to say for Khmer Mighty Royalties even nowaday. They were uneducated, unwitty and dumb as nails as much Sam'ach Samre Chea Shim,Sam'ach Samre Heng Shamrin and Sam'ach Samre Hun Shen.
we need to trade with the North Korea, and get a few nukes. drop one in north and one in south, and then claim our land back.
you going to killed all the Khmer in Vn so you can claim the land back?
8:07 have PhD from Hanoi!
The letter might not be very strong in its claims of the territories, but at least the king has done his best to get back the territories. Napoleon did promise to return back the lands when he received Ang Duong's letter, but the next generation of French government in 1949 did not honor Napoleon III's promise. If they did, Kampuchea Krom would have been returned to Cambodian control in 1949.
Well, have you ever read Rannaridh's French? Some have just wondered how he got his Ph.D, in France? Enough said...
This goes to show that the Heng Samrin regime did not cede the islands of Tral [Phu-Quoc] to Vietnam in the 80's in those 80's accords like some of the SRP accused the CPP of doing so. I wish KI posts more historical/technical facts so we cannot accuse each other just because some of us don't like the CPP/Vietnamese or we just wanted to trash each other because of our ignorance.
say what now 7:17 AM???
King Ang Doung, at least, put his gut to call back Cambodia land from Annamite. The coming of French protectorate ensured the current Cambodia territory land, and King protested the taking over of Prey Norkor and the Mekong Delta River by Annamite.
King Ang Doung had done the work patriotically. It is different from current government especially Hun Sen who said that he will make coffin who dare to protest Vietnam about land that took away from Cambodia
It is true that Napoleon III was symphatetic to Ang Duong, but Napoleon III was detroned after he lost the war to Germany's Bismark in 1871. The 3rd French republic after world war II of 1949 under President Francois Aureol was too busy fighty the Vietminh. Aureol wanted to give Kampuchea Krom (South Vitnam)to Emperor Bao Dai to make him look better than Ho Chi Minh. So we were the least loved child of the French. Vietnam was more loved by the French than us.
@7:17 AM: Did CPP paid you to come here? Did you know all official Khmer maps before Vietnamese installed Heng Samrin regime had Koh Tral as Khmer island/territory? Riddle me that!
Khmer Voice
King CheyeathaII is the worst Khmer King in the Khmer history! the guy has problem keeping his penis inside the pants...
Bravo, bravo.....to all Khmer patriots. Go, Go patriots go get Khmer land back.
What's make us all patriots? Nothing, just blah, blah, and blah...............
11:31 AM,
You got almost right but you still couldn't find the weakness of your countrymen or ask why French didn't like Khmers, but Vietnamese.
I copied from the French viewed of Khmers and Vietnamese. "Because the Vietnamese accepted the Roman alphabet and were considered by the French, the smartest people in Asia. The Vietnamese had true intelligence, desire for higer education and cunning would prove the undoing of France as a colonial power."
To me I think the French or other Europeans considered Khmers are stubborn and lazy, don't know how to get along or work with others; though French later admitted they made the mistakes of placing al administration and power in the three countries into the hands of the Vietnamese.
Today, I think many Khmers (extremists) are still not learning from the past maistakes. Just a little experiment in KI, some Khmers are still cursing other Khmers who are trying to play politics to survive, to them (extremists), others are Youn or Chinese's slaves.
But if we ask them, what can they do better, their answers "put Rainsy be the leader he will make Cambodia better. But they won't say "How? if Youn agents are all over in Cambodia since the French was here?" Then they say "Where? I don't see Youn but Khmers?"
How can they see if Youn are also Khmers? Even Ly Ngoc Dinh now Ly Diep claimed he was Khmer Krom.
Yep every Youn spy is Khmer Krom and every Khmer Krom is no body cares for.
Without King Ang Doung, Cambodia may be disappeared by Thailand and Vietnam for a long time. Thanks to his patriotism.
9:11
I disagree with you! kHMER built roads, Bridges, buildings Temples, farm land, irrigation Thousand of years before Viet or Thai. So, it was not matter what French said but we should looking At what Khmer have done. French went to South East asia for profit only nothing else. who ever do what French wants they have the advantage over Khmer.
11:31pm.
It is matter what French or European or US said. Old civilization like Greece, or Persia or Mongolia or Champa can be disappeared if they cannot adopt or adapt with new civilization. Just because we came from old great civilization does not mean we have to act backward?
Khmers get to adopt and adapt with the issues have been presented not reliying on old ancient civilization.
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