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| Dap Chhuon surrendering to Sihanouk in 1953 |
Monday, Mar. 16, 1959
Time Magazine (USA)
In his dealings with the big powers, Cambodia's saxophone-tootling Prince Norodom Sihanouk tries to play it real cool at both ends of the scale. The 36-year-old Prince (who resigned as King in 1955 because he likes being Premier better) has welcomed aid missions to Cambodia from the U.S., France, Russia and Communist China alike. After tours of Red China and the U.S., he proclaimed himself impressed by both. But Neutralist Sihanouk is sadly out of tune with his next-door neighbors on the Gulf of Siam.
Neighboring Thailand and South Viet Nam strongly disapprove of Sihanouk's diplomatic recognition of Peking last July, but their differences really date back to ancient tribal feuds and jungle rivalries. South Viet Nam declares that Cambodia allows Communist Viet Minh guerrillas to cross its territory to stage raids in South Viet Nam; in retaliation, South Vietnamese troops picked up a border marker, moved it 1½ miles into Cambodia and threw a minefield around it. Thailand has given haven to opponents of Sihanouk. In a huff at these acts by his anti-Communist neighbors, Sihanouk accepted increased economic aid from Red China, broke diplomatic relations with Thailand. In recent months the volatile Prince has grown more nervous.
Something to Chew On. The most respected soldier in Cambodia was Dap Chhuon (pronounced Chew-on). As a reward for his brilliant rise from French army corporal—dap means corporal—to guerrilla leader, against first the French and then the Communist Viet Minh, Dap Chhuon had been named Royal Delegate and Governor of the Siemréap area, which includes the renowned ruins of the lost 12th century Khmer civilization of Angkor Wat. Slim, natty Dap Chhuon made Siemréap his personal fief with three battalions of Cambodia's 31,000-man army under his personal command.
Recently Communist informers reported to Sihanouk that Dap Chhuon planned, with help from Thailand, to assassinate the Premier, overthrow the monarchy and establish an anti-Communist republic. Sihanouk dispatched a battalion to Siemréap with orders to get Dap Chhuon, dead or alive.
Dap Chhuon fled in the night into the jungles in his under-sarong. Last week, acting on another tip, Sihanouk's forces captured him. Shortly afterward the government announced that Dap Chhuon had died "of injuries," but had made "important revelations" first to his captors.
Message to Ike. Pictures of Dap Chhuon's bleeding body were posted in triumph on the trees lining Pnompenh's avenues, and Sihanouk flew a delegation of foreign diplomats into Siemréap to show them the "proof" of a plot—two captured Vietnamese radio operators, $4,000,000 worth of gold, and a purported message to Cambodian exiles in Thailand asking the strength of their forces. Brushing aside the denials from Thailand and South Viet Nam, Sihanouk thanked the Communists for tipping him off, and then turned on a "certain leading power" that furnishes arms to both Thailand and South Viet Nam. Demanding to know why the U.S., if not involved, had not told him of the plot, Sihanouk fired off a message to President Eisenhower asking U.S. intervention to prevent "further subversion" of Cambodia with U.S. arms.
The U.S. had certainly not been in on any plot to get Sihanouk, for it regards the ex-King as a likable but volatile fellow whose popularity among his country's 5,000,000 people is undisputed. U.S. diplomats in the area fear that South Viet Nam and Thailand, by putting pressure on Sihanouk, may bring about the very tragedy they wish to prevent. Sihanouk, who has twice rejected Red China's offers of military aid, might in a moment of pique become neutralist on the Red side.
18 comments:
Our Khmer leaderships are only good at killing their own patriots and at the same time serving enemies' interests without knowing it.
If you want to rescue your own Khmer Nation from extinction, this is not the way we should do things.
Papa King (X King that is) South Vietnam tipped him off about the Khmer nationalist Dap CHoun....wow!
Wasnt it all Viet shit victory on that part.
Man.... papa you don't know who is real or who is not real do you?
I would go again the king too if he let the VIet shit garrilla enter my country!
Papa king love VIet shit or what? Whaat a fool he is.....
now a day we have the shit haed hun sen ... why khmer have such a bad blood living in Cambodia?
To abandon the throne for the full power as head of state was almost the only reason why Cambodian people have been suffering today.
This dump, stupid prince should not have been Cambodian Leader.
It is ironic that this kind of person was so popular with our people.
Now, look at the current Leader, Ah Kwak, do we see any similarity with that clown prince? No education and big mouth.
There is another clown who relinquished his work at Human right and created his own party called Human pain party. He knows, and we know that by creating his party, he would only serve the puppet government and Ah Kontorb.
What a dumb traitor?
Khmers people, please stop asking this question: why the two main democratic parties do not unite?
If "Kha" is truly a nationalist, he should not create his party to indirectly strengthen the puppet government. "Kha" is the one that created 2 parties.
Khmers people should learn how to distinguish between good and bad Leaders, otherwise don't blame anybody when we don't have country.
Have Cambodia ever tried to reclaim the border that was moved????????? Vietnam is playing exploiting game on Cambodia. Hun Sen must realized that Vietnam is pleasing him for more Cambodia's land. We must reclaim Khmer Kampuchea Krom before it reaches the status of limitation of 100 years. It has been 62 years past already since the they took from Cambodia in 1949. So please demand that huge piece of land and our Koh Tral back from Vietnam.
These people who made comments above have no clues about back the Cold War that impact Cambodia, Thailand, N Veitnam and S Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Dap Chhoun was no way a nationalist, he was a crazy mafia in Siem Reap sold Cambodia to Thailand, S Vietnam and US for money/gold. He was the richest man in Cambodia back then. It's a COLD WAR between the US/West and China/Soviet Unions.
N Vietnam was with Soviet, S. Vietnam and Thailand were both with the US, and Sihanouk was with China.
Sihanouk had to make decisions quick and to whom he would join with. If Sihanouk joined with Soviet then he was a stupid man. Why? Soviet helped N Vietnam at all cost to take Laos and Cambodia. If Sihanouk joined with the US, Thailand and S Vietnam Cambodia would have to divide 1/2 and 1/2. Neither the US, nor Soviet nor China care about small poor nations, such as Cambodia, they care for themselves and they would support the strongest who can help them to win the cold war, and the strongest one is North Vietnam who has a strongest army in South East Asia.
Chou En Lai (China) had no other games to play like the US (Kissinger) told French President except closing his eyes helping Sihanouk for her own interest.
Sihanouk knew that his life would be shot to death like King Ananda and his country' fate would be doomed, so his last choice was with China. Sihanouk liked Capitalist (US) but he didn't see the US would help Cambodia while N Vietnamese already infiltrated inside Cambodia country side.
Billion of dollars the Soviet put on the price of Laos and Cambodia by helping N Vietnam, about a million or a little less of the Vietnamese disguised among Laotians and Khmers; politically N Vietnamese already invaded Cambodia and Laso, though officially not.
The writers did not see or may not want to write the facts. The genocide in Cambodia created by N Vietnamese. Pol Pot was a monster for starving his own people, but the Vietnamese disguised among Pol Pot sacrificed their lives to build a name for Pol Pot as the worse enemy of human race.
Sihanouk had no cards to play, because Cambodia was taken by the Communist long times ago since the day he was born. He wanted to save Cambodia but he had no chances. The Capitalist didn't just lose to the Communist but the leaders of small nations who embraced Communist like King Ananda was executed either by his own young brother American born who was forced to do so or by the CIA, it was a warning sign "do not engage with Communist"; and for years why China kept protecting Sihanouk from being assassinated by the CIA?
Now Yingluck wins the elections in Thailand, who knows how many N Vietnamese infiltrating into Thailand? Thailand will be no difference than Cambodia after King Bhumibol dies.
there's always a hero somewhere in history and in cambodia. that's the beauty of democracy, you allows others capable people to show their care and love for the country. we should honor all national hero/heroine, etc, really!
and don't worry about youn and siem colonizing cambodia because they can't, look at south sudan just gained their independence, so cambodia always have our independence. we just have strengthen our national institutions, etc, that's all! be educated and be proud of khmer people and cambodia, ok!
don't worry, people never easily forget the national hero/heroine, etc, you know!
only stupid and crazy khmer that want to kill their own people, i think! people who respect the rule law, etc can never do that, really! stop being ignorant and stupid forever, ok! there are more to cambodia than you and i, really!
សតវត្សន៍ទី២១នេះគឺជាតំណាក់ការមួយដែលពលរដ្ឋក្នុងពិភពលោកត្រូវនាំគ្នាកំចាត់ពួកមេផ្តាច់ការរបស់ពួកគេ ដូច្នេះប្រទេសខ្មែរយើងក៏ដល់ពេលវេលាហើយដែរ។
ធ្វើនយោបាយឱយមើលស្ថានការពិភពលោក, បង្ហោះខ្លែងទាន់មានខ្យល់។
KILL SIHANOUK IS BETTER THAN KILL A DOG
10:55 pm,
Thank you for sharing this information. I used to hear similar thing story from my father said as you! And of course many others have the others points of view as well. I really want to know the true on this subject! Thus, if you have any suggestion book to read--I am hightly appreciated.
Only the true that will allow us to understand of who we are! And where our leaders had and have lead our country too vis-a-vis geopolitical in the region and within global contact at large!
Thanks in advance with my regards,
Whoever you saying this "KILL SIHANOUK IS BETTER THAN KILL A DOG", please be a bit educated than stupid! Tell me one thing that your father had done better for our country...
Thx
Dap Chhuon was dead in 1958.
Who was Dap Chhuon?He was governors
of Siemréap and K.Thom provinces;
he asked Sihanouk one province,
B.bang,but Sihanouk rejected his
request.
I moved from B.bang to Siemréap in
1960.My grand aunt lived this city.
My friends and my grand aunt told
me that Dap Chhuon was a mad man.
His house was in the right side
from Siemréap town to Angkor Wat.
His house built near Suryavarman II
High School.
When he saw few beautiful High
School girls,he told his bodyguards
to get them and had sex with them.
So,Dap Chhuon was not nice too.
Dap was his nickname,Dap=(Thai word means sword ;so people called
him Dap Chhuon.He was not Thai.
Sihanouk loved China and North
Vietnam,specially his lovely Ho Chi Minh.
Sihanouk loved Communist,Lon Nol
loved free world,USA.Later the
war broke out in 1970.
Sihanouk is a Khmer killer,traitor.
11:46 am are you the same one as 10:55 pm?
There were seems to be many killing going on ... why Mr. Dap want to his own province? Well, pertaining to his charector of capturing youngers...it seems to be a norm for the country at that time...it wasn't a big deal for the society at the time. Event now, many Khmer men in high position have many wives ...this seem to be exceptable by the society as well...of course there is the law against it....
When 10:55 pm said Mr. Dap is a Naitional list, and of course you said the Lon Nal regime is also a Nationalist and if I remember well, the KR claim themselves to be nationalist as well! Why than all these nationalists have been gone so wronge??? Weak charectors, spirit, dignity, morality...what were/are these leaders lack off???
AH!,2:27AM,I'M ON BEHALF OF KHMER'S PEOPLES,I SHOULD DO THE FIRING SQUATTED TO YOU!.IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANY POLITICS IN CAMBODIA,JUST SHUT YOUR FUCKING STINCKY MOUTH UP!...OK!.WITHOUT SIHANOUK,PROBABLY,YOUR GRAND PARENTS DON'T EVEN HAVE HAD YOU UNTIL NOW!.YOU SHOULD GO TO STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHY OF POLITIC IN CAMBODIA AND THE(ASEAN)...FROM THE KING-FATHER.A PERSON LIKE YOU TO LEAD A COUNTRY AS IN CAMBODIA,THERE MUST BE DIVIDED BY TWO PLATES...ONE FOR THE VIET-MING AND THE OTHER ONE FOR THE SIAMES!,WHOSE HAS THE U.S.A.BEHIND THEIRS BACKS.
pouk ah! khmeng ot pouch oss nis ni yeay min chess kit!.che doun che ta promm teang euv maevr vear min chess pro dauv!.ah! no rouk auve chhay!.ah! khmauchh tay hourng!.ah! preas para mouk!,ah! ngourb kaurt chhear bey sachh kroub chheirth!.
The main cause of the wars in south east Asia from 1935 to present by the Viet. Do your research.
1:14 pm,
Why are you just making a sweaping claim that everything is going wronge is Vietname?? How about during th cold war that those two supper powers (Soviet and the US) use little countries as the proxcy war to test their power? And those leaders that are weak, or have no options... have to go a long!
Come on 1:14 pm, if you don't mind and if you so be kind ... write a one page with your sources back up.
Thanks,
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