Actor Nop Nem (L) talking with the "Red Prince" (R) in Sihanouk's fiction and propaganda film "Shadow over Angkor"
Sihanouk receiving surrendering weapons from Dap Chhuon Khmer Issarak groupLon Nol’s plotting started back in 1959
Monday, 22 March 2010
John Conner
Letter to the Phnom Penh Post
Dear Editor,
The events of March 18, 1970, actually began in 1959 with an attempted coup by General Dap Chhuon Mchulpich, military commander of the Siem Riep area.
Supported by the US military and its puppets in South Vietnam and Thailand, this plot could have resulted in Cambodia ceasing to exist. The plan was to divide the nation between its neighbours, with the total area under de facto US control.
King Norodom Sihanouk’s film, Shadow Over Angkor, dramatises these events, which are detailed in his book My War With the CIA. A DVD of this film and a book are available in Phnom Penh.
Plots to remove King Sihanouk, due to his neutrality, began in the 50s. Neutrality was “unacceptable” to Cold War warriors like Allen and John Dulles, who constantly pressured Sihanouk to accept American aid and thus domination.
The 1959 coup was thwarted, and General Dap Chhoun arrested. King Sihanouk instructed Lon Nol to bring the general to Phnom Penh for questioning.
Lon Nol’s reaction was to have Dap Chhuon shot so as not to reveal Lon Nol’s involvement with the plot.
It took another 11 years before another coup was successful and Sihanouk was removed.
Perhaps if Lon Nol had been shot with Dap Chhuon, Cambodia may never have endured the horror inflicted on it by US aggression. In 1959 the Khmer Rouge were nothing, Cambodia was at peace, and its people lived in harmony.
In the 1971 Paris Peace Accords, Nixon agreed to pay Vietnam reparations of US$3.25 billion. Of course the US government never paid this money, which would be worth nearly $20 billion if paid today.
If Cambodia was to take action for damages, it could consider a figure of $10 billion to $15 billion as fair compensation for illegal US activities from the 1950s onwards.
The US has the gall to claim the Lon Nol era debt must be repaid.
Perhaps Cambodia can deduct this amount from its damages claim, which should be made soon while the US remains an existing nation.
John Conner
Phnom Penh
Supported by the US military and its puppets in South Vietnam and Thailand, this plot could have resulted in Cambodia ceasing to exist. The plan was to divide the nation between its neighbours, with the total area under de facto US control.
King Norodom Sihanouk’s film, Shadow Over Angkor, dramatises these events, which are detailed in his book My War With the CIA. A DVD of this film and a book are available in Phnom Penh.
Plots to remove King Sihanouk, due to his neutrality, began in the 50s. Neutrality was “unacceptable” to Cold War warriors like Allen and John Dulles, who constantly pressured Sihanouk to accept American aid and thus domination.
The 1959 coup was thwarted, and General Dap Chhoun arrested. King Sihanouk instructed Lon Nol to bring the general to Phnom Penh for questioning.
Lon Nol’s reaction was to have Dap Chhuon shot so as not to reveal Lon Nol’s involvement with the plot.
It took another 11 years before another coup was successful and Sihanouk was removed.
Perhaps if Lon Nol had been shot with Dap Chhuon, Cambodia may never have endured the horror inflicted on it by US aggression. In 1959 the Khmer Rouge were nothing, Cambodia was at peace, and its people lived in harmony.
In the 1971 Paris Peace Accords, Nixon agreed to pay Vietnam reparations of US$3.25 billion. Of course the US government never paid this money, which would be worth nearly $20 billion if paid today.
If Cambodia was to take action for damages, it could consider a figure of $10 billion to $15 billion as fair compensation for illegal US activities from the 1950s onwards.
The US has the gall to claim the Lon Nol era debt must be repaid.
Perhaps Cambodia can deduct this amount from its damages claim, which should be made soon while the US remains an existing nation.
John Conner
Phnom Penh
26 comments:
i think people did it because they don't agree or don't like someone's political affiliation and their style of gov't, etc... i think that's the real reason behind people did what they did, really!
back then, it was about me me me me me... forget you! everything in cambodia revolve around me me me me me me mentality, really! glad to see it was history already! no wonder cambodia was plunged into war and killing of KR! wake up, people. get rid of that stupid, useless mentality. there are more to cambodia than you and i, really! wake up and see the world and smell the coffee, etc...!
thanks to lon nol...that why i am in usa.....however...during lon nol...people suffered so much...and during the current gov....people had no sole...loving their country....they love only themself ...and $$$$$....and destroy all our natural god given....no gems..no trees..no fish...no..sole as khmer...that why...yuon can take over...our everything.....economy and land...and may be religion and culture and...hope not our language.....may our god buddha open their eye to see the truth....of our land before all be
grown "cao souuu by yuon......
It makes no sense:
1. Sihanouk was so ignorant of the conspiracy between Lon Nol and Dap Chhuon that he had to depend on Lon Nol's forces to capture Dap Chhuon.
2. Had Lon Nol have a plan to overthow Sihanouk, He could protect or help Dap Chhuon in the plot or simply kill Sihanouk by himself.
3. Lon Nol was so trusted by Sihanouk to the point that he was appointed to be Sihanouk's PM. They both had a good relationship until Sihanouk's over throw in 18 March 1970.
4. Dap Chhuon was a Colonel not General.
sounds like sihanouk and lon nol was a dependent personality, one depends on the other for whatever reason, until one showed his true color, then there goes the trust! i don't think anybody is right 100% of the time, really!
To All Khmer:
Please remember that Cambodia has been destroying and trying to eliminate from her existence for almost a thousnad years now. Never forget those destroyers. They are Siam, Viet, Original Cham. After World War II, not only Siam and Viet that continue to destroy Cambodia, but also French,Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Americans. Of course there were and there are some Khmers who are nothing but self-centered ignorants and who think no further than their own feet and cooperate with those destroyers. Help Your Khmers instead of viciously eliminate Your Own. DON'T BE STUPID.
Hun Sen could be one of them,
he went to jungle in 1970 for Sihanouk, that's normal that he gives king chair to Sihanouk and Sihamony.
Another politic party will do the same ?
The writer is too loyalted to Sihanouk and then his writting has more weighted to give Sihanouk more right then wrong. Also his writing didn't represente Cambodian people at all.
I respect his belief but he needs to learn more about Cambodian political problem which led to the real destruction and to find out who was behind those destructions.
Between 1975-1979, both Dap Chhuon and Lon Nol were not in Cambodia. Sihanouk was the leader of the killing regime and therefore we cannot link Dap Chhuon and Lon Nol for the killing Cambodian people from 1975-1979 at all. I hope even a young boy of 5 years old can also point his finger to the killers too.
So I expect the writer needs to learn more about Cambodia problem.
Areak Prey
am wondering was it sihanouk or yuons who paid this ill white crook to write such the shit, falsify history to protect sihanouk and vietcon?
This idiot writer Conner have be an advisor to the communist regimes vietnam Khmer rouge or cpp. He must fuck too many viet girls. Ho chi minh start the idea of indonchina in 1930 and now Vietnamese is eliminating Cambodia including the royals. They took kampuchea krom thru administrative strategy. Vietnam has been administering and continue to do so untill Cambodia gone like their king told to swallow the silkworm slowly. Can Conner write anything to explain about that instead of casting conflict views to devide Khmers .
Vietnam is like pests cochroaces they eat you only bones left. They buy land and run business they don't give jobs to Khmer because they can bring workers from Vietnam with. Becoz cpp give working visa to Vietnamese
John Conner as well as Sihanouk and Hun Sen clique has no conscience and instead they fought each other to place their big brain/head under the Vietnamese anuses!and goes for the entire Hun Sen administration.
The fact of the matter is that Sihanouk as well as Hun Sen dare not fight or stand up against Vietnam unlike Lon Nol and the brave and courageous Khmer Republic? Sihanouk and Hun Sen surrender before war started and Sihanouk declared that he can see far and he bragged himself that he's a genius? All the FARK or military personnel were under Lon Nol and if Lon Nol wanted to get rid of Sihanouk, he could do so since the early 60's and Conner, you don't know shit about General Lon Nol? he's been faithfull to Sihanouk but it's Sihanouk who's a coward for Sihanouk should know the history of Cambodia vis a vis Vietnam, history that his forefathers has been through but nevertheless, he's so ignorant by trusting the North Vietnamese to give them sanctuary in Cambodia and accepting bribed from the Chinese and the NVA and when they refused to move out of the country in turn Sihanouk runaway and turn around against his compatriots the Khmer Republic and it's the Khmer Rouge lead directly and indirectly by Sihanouk since 1970 until 1976 or so until he realized that he may be implicated in the killing fiels in which he resigned just like in March 1970 same story and it kept repeating itself again in 2005 this time under the pretext of retiring medical conditions etc...so Conner get your fact straight before needle others, you scumbags!
Lon Nol shot Dap Chhuon in 1959 because he might have been implicated? interesting speculation that may have come from Nhiek Choulong or Ngo Hou or perhaps Samdech UppaYuvareach himself!
To the stupid king, whatever you do, you do it to yourself. Now, you and your children are at risked of being assassinated because the victims or Pol P are very angry with you and your family as you have ruined their lives. You have a multi-personalities, e.g. which one are you with, chinese, viets, ussr of usa?....non is clear... and then stated neutral? why...
Amerika probably will not forgive the debt which was money the U.S. gave the so called Khmer Republic for arms and munitions as it is now bankrupt and needs the $$$!
it's just a movie, a classical khmer movie. i love classical khmer movies because it showed the golden age of cambodia in the 1960s. god bless cambodia.
Why this king needs this honorary degree for?
He is a king of Nation. He should be promoting Cambodian glory and Cambodian culture to represente Cambodia. He can accepte this honorary degree if he give up the trone.
Areak Prey
Sihaknouk never stop being so stupid and being used as a clown.
Sihaknouk never stop being so stupid and being used.
Readers and all,
If you are relying on history, rewritten, to guide you to understand khmer history, then you be fustrate and at worst finger-pointing at our own people. The fact is we were a weak nation. Just like the native indians in North and South America. The powerful nations has no consideration for us. Because we are in their way. Take Pakistan for example, can they remain neutral? Please keep in mind, this nation have nuclear weapons. I am not defending the king or Lon Nol or any one else. It funny, that Lon Nol and I have the same views, united khmer krom, khmer kandal and Khmer ler. Keep in mind, I am young and just beginning to read up on politics. Anyway, I embrace their actions. Our nation was not in a winning situation, dam you it and dam if you don't type of scenario. Our future of success will depend on us uniting and preserve little of what we have. From what little I have reads so far, every era, there is always hatred among khmers...this hatred among us leading us to nowhere except destruction. I think we can start by teaching our children khmer language at home, if we truely love our ancestry, khmer. And teach them to love khmer despite of where they live. To me this is one of the war we can fight against and win.
7;27PM
GOOD I WOULD LIKE TO POST ON EVERY PAGE
THANK YOU
7:27 PM I do whining it called BLOODSHED!
Sihanouk is brilliant as always.
We should also know that many Cambodian Issarak left Cambodia then to Thailand and never returned.
Ordinary Khmer
Someone should check out P.M Abhisit's root just for the fun of it :)
It makes you wonder why Lon Nol was having such a close realationship with Khun Arun Cheuy (aka Khun Ping)? Many Cambodian people know that Khun Ping was the daughter of Chhum Aphaiwong's younger brother. Both men were former Battambang's governors during the early 1900's. A stupa at the top of Phnom Sam Pov had their names ingraved on it. Khmer Rouge hated Lon Nol. Khun Ping was taken away to be killed a horrible death by them behind Phnom Banon, because of this relationship. Even though, she was a none.
Battambang
It looks like Lon Nol is not at all Vietnam. His behavior along with his government didn't seem like they were about to turn Cambodia into Vietnam like Hun Sen does today. In fact many Cambodian -Thai relation had improved during the Lon Nol's Era. It wasn't bad at all. Cambodian people had a lot of fun too between 1970 and 1975. What do you think?
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