Full Military Honor from USNDC 9th Khmer Division for the commemmration of 18 March 1970 at the tomb of
Marshall Lon Nol
in the city of Fullerton, California
Showing posts with label Khmer Republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Khmer Republic. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Commemoration of 18 March 1970 at Marshall Lon Nol's grave in Fullerton, California
Full Military Honor from USNDC 9th Khmer Division for the commemmration of 18 March 1970 at the tomb of
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Khmericans commemorate anti-Vietnamese fighters
19 March 2012
By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soy
Click here to read the original in Khmer
By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soy
Click here to read the original in Khmer
This is the first time that a Khmerican committee organizes the 42nd anniversary of the Khmer Republic.
Among the more than 200 Khmericans who came to the 18 March 1970 commemoration held on Saturday 17 March 2012 in the US state of Virginia, there were about 100 former navy officers, former infantry soldiers and former air force soldiers from the 70s Khmer Republic era who traveled from various US states to join the event.
Kuch Schanly, President of the Khmerican committee which organized the 18 March commemoration for the first time, said that the main goal is to thank courageous Cambodian soldiers, Cambodian people and Cambodian monks from the Lon Nol Republic regime who fought against the Vietnamese aggression in the 70s: “This is the first event held during the 42nd anniversary to commemorate soldiers from the 18 March 1970 era who dedicated their lives. We believe that this an important gesture and a testimony of the patriotism of the 3 armed forces: the navy, the infantry and the air force, with the participation of students and monks who used knives and axes to fight against the Vietcong forces which invaded Cambodia in the 70s…”
Sunday, March 18, 2012
March 18, 1970 ... Elation and tragedy
Dear KI-Media Readers,
42 years ago, exactly to the date, Cambodia underwent a major change: we overthrew Prince Sihanouk. As a kid in elementary school, I still remember very clearly that day. Under normal circumstances, my father, who worked as a civil servant, invariably arrives home for lunch between 11:30 and noon. However, on March 18, 1970, my father came home quite late from his work. It was not until about mid-afternoon before he got home. In response to my mother’s anxious questions, he started telling us about the event of the day: the National Assembly decided to vote Prince Sihanouk out of power. We were all stunned by the turn of event, although, having heard on the news about the various unrests in the country, we knew that something may happen, but none of us expected that Prince Sihanouk, who more or less ruled Cambodia with his iron fist, could ever be removed from power.
I remembered asking my father what will happen to our country now that Sihanouk is no longer in power. He looked at me, smiled and said mischievously: “Don’t you worry son, he is not the only one who can rule this country.” From that day on, I noticed that my father would spend more time listening to the news, especially Beijing radio in the evening and Voice of America early in the morning. Several of his friends would stop by to discuss with him about the change that took place. Although I had no idea where we were heading into, I felt elated to the news: finally we could freely talk, read and learn about the misdeeds of Sihanouk regime and those of his cronies. Rumors circulating about the transportation of supplies to the Vietcong from Sihanoukville to the Vietnamese border are now on the frontpage of major newspapers. Several of my father’s friends decided to join the military rank, however, he stubbornly declined the offer.
As my family came from the border with Vietnam, it was not long before we started to feel the impact of the regime change. Suddenly, our house was filled with relatives who had to flee our village with the advance of the Vietcong/North Vietnamese Army. Subsequently, our village also witnessed the arrival of the South Vietnamese army. One of my cousins who decided to remain in the village told us later: “The South Vietnamese soldiers are thieves, they looted everything, even entire wooden houses were dismantled and taken over to South Vietnam.” I believe it was after that event that he decided to join the Khmer Rouge, meanwhile, his brother, an army officer, was fighting for the Khmer Republic. Both brothers would never see each other again: the army officer was killed by the KR shortly after they took power in 1975 and the one who joined the KR died of starvation and/or disease during the KR reign of terror.
If I had to relive these events all over again, having seen what abyss Cambodia has fallen into nowadays, I would gladly endorse a movement to rid Cambodia of the current and past useless monarchy which only serves as a rubber stamp to the tyrannical CPP regime.
Politics aside, please allow me to share with you a few songs from the Khmer Republic era. I have chosen these songs because they are NOT the ones you are used to hear (such as Lea Srey Tov Chhbang by Sin Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea etc…), but they represent a fresh crop of songs from that era that expressed our hope and our apprehension. Some of the songs are from unknown groups (at least they are to me), if any of you know these groups, please share the information with us.
Thank you for your time,
P. from Long Beach
PS: To T. from Ldn! Thank you for explaining clearly what I couldn’t do too well.
Unknown Group - Yuvachon Yuvatey Cheat Khmer
Unknown Group - Sa'ek Bang Chol Thveu Yuth-chon
Unknown Group - Neak Poar Krahorm
Unknown Group - Korng Pol Thmeur Cheung Ti 12
Unknown Group - Ayuk Min Oss Min Slab
Thet Sambath and Pen Ram - Para Toap Khmer
Pen Ran - Khnhom Phnheur Chamrieng
Duch Kim Hak - Cheat Trov Kar Neak Heuy
Why we threw Sihanouk out - By Yem Sambaur, Cambodian Justice Minister
http://www.box.com/s/010b42f7ecaef548b152
Why we threw Sihanouk out
by Yem Sambaur, Cambodian Justice Minister
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
To give a general view of the problem being set actually in my country, to the distinguished delegates present, 1 am going with your permission to set forth successively:
Firstly, what was the Vietcong-North Vietnamese forces implantation in Cambodia at the beginning of March 1970, that means before the characterized aggression of my country by those forces.
Secondly, what was the chronology of the recent political events which preceded, then followed that aggression perpetrated by the Vietcong-North Vietnamese forces.
Thirdly, what is the present record of damage caused in Cambodia by that aggression.
Lastly, what were the means used by the Cambodian Government with a view to avoiding the crisis provoked by the Republic of North Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, and then when the crisis exploded, with a view to solving it by means of safeguarding my country's neutrality.
Sacrava's Khmer Republic Cartoon: Sihanouk's Royal Army
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Commomeration & memorial service for Marshal Lon Nol on 18 March 2012
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| Marshall Lon Nol and his children |
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Our Tribute to the Revolutionary and Poet/Composer/Songwriter Samneang Rithy and his lost/found masterpieces
Sunday, February 19, 2012
By Neay Krud'th
Dear KI Media and our friend P. from Long Beach:
I was absolutely awestruck like running into a dead old friend who has just risen up from his grave. In my previous life of forty five years ago, I was a fortunate young man to be briefly part of a Phnom Penh combo orchestra that had “All Star” musicians and singers in it, including Bung Yang Chheang aka. Samneang Rithy — a name and a title I believe he deserves every bit of it.
By Neay Krud'th
Neay Krud'th - Bomplich Bong Chol Tuv
Neay Krud'th - Thpoal Khuoch
Neay Krud'th - Annie
Dear KI Media and our friend P. from Long Beach:
I was absolutely awestruck like running into a dead old friend who has just risen up from his grave. In my previous life of forty five years ago, I was a fortunate young man to be briefly part of a Phnom Penh combo orchestra that had “All Star” musicians and singers in it, including Bung Yang Chheang aka. Samneang Rithy — a name and a title I believe he deserves every bit of it.Everything mentioned in the previous posting about Bung Chheang are true and correct. As a young person and now a senior citizen, I have been so inspired by his attitude, artistic style and works which were strikingly different from the rest of his contemporaries who were primarily motivated by money and fame while living under the hypnotic spell of Sihanouk. I was too young and did not understand much about his philosophy or ideology back then. But since I’ve been away from home, every time I try to reminisce the “good old days” of my generation, the emerging style, and substance of the promising cultural mindset which pervaded that era, Bung Chheang’s personality, his brilliant choice of words and sounds he strategically embedded in his music and songs always assured me that I have not everything I knew were gone forever, I still have the map and the blueprint from the previous revolutionaries like Bung Cheang have passed on to me to carry on.
I realized a bit too late as I knew more about Khmer elite’s ideology, and the nuance and beauty of Khmer contemporary music Bung Chhieng was trying to bring to light for us to contemplate. Personally I believe Bung Chheang was a revolutionary, and a poet who was callously exploited for his artistic genius, but not his noble one-man crusade against Sihanouk tyranny. He was virtually an outcast; his contemporaries shunt him because almost all of them subscribed to Sihanouk’s demagogueries and lies. I remember many of my colleagues from the big bands (Yuthea Phirum and the Vithiyu Cheat orchestra: Sihanouk slaves) avoided him like a plague and did everything to stay away; the very few who embraced him were very brave indeed.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Ros Sereysothea in the army (1972) - A seclection by Bora-the-Hunk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI3ZWySJeHU
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Searching for a copy of "Khmer Republic" magazine published in 1973
Dear Readers,
Thank you,
KI-Media team
An anonymous reader wrote us the following email looking for the content of the "Khmer Republic" magazine published by Mr. Chhang Song in 1973. If you have access to this magazine or know the person(s) who have access to this magazine, we would appreciate it very much if you could let us know how to contact you. Please send us an email at: kiletters@gmail.com.
Thank you,
KI-Media team
Dear KI,
I recently saw a post on your website, about Sirik Matak's Open Letter to Sihanouk, that was an excerpt from Chhang Song's "Khmer Republic" 1973 bulletin.
I wonder if you or your readers have the whole bulletin of the issues listed there as I'm doing research on that particular period of the Khmer Republic regime.
Best regards,
Anonymous
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: My Father's Flag
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Warning from Lon Rith to Sourn Serey Ratha regarding the use of the Khmer Republic flag
KI-Media: While we do not understand the full extent of the law in this case, to our knowledge, the flag of the Khmer Republic belongs to the public domain, therefore, anybody can use this flag as they wish.
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