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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
Showing posts with label Khmer Republic anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Khmer Republic anniversary. Show all posts
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: March 18, 1970
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Eery voices from the Khmer Republic era
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| (Drawing by Pech Song) |
If you have about an hour to spare, I would like to invite you to join me to listen a "more or less" complete radio program from the Khmer Republic era which was hosted by Ms. Meas Metrey (aka Huoy Meas). In the program, Meas Metrey interviewed singer Sos Mat who, by then, was a full time army officer. Sos Mat discussed about his life in the army and he also introduced a few new songs which you can listen here.
With the approaching anniversary of the toppling of the monarchy in Cambodia on March 18, 1970, listening to the eery voices of Ms. Huoy Meas and Mr. Sos Mat bring a flood of memories back to me. I still remember clearly the day the North Vietnamese embassy (or the Vietcong mission?) located behind the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh was ransacked: it was one of my naughty day as a child when I sneaked out before lunch time to go see the ransack scene. Phnom Penh was in euphoria following the announcement of the toppling of Sihanouk's regime on March 18, 1970. But it did not take long before we started living in fear of war. I still remember my father urging us to learn to eat our meals quickly in case we have to run for the shelter. I have to confess that, even as we speak, I still have a hard time abandoning that habit of gobbling my food as if there is no tomorrow - a habit which is not too good for one's health.
Family separations became the norm: some of us live in the cities under the Khmer Republic government while others live in the countryside which, in my family's case, was immediately occupied by the Vietcong, then by the Khmer Rouge. Death was no longer avoidable: one early morning, my cousin came crying to our house with her children in tow. She informed my parents that her husband, a teacher, was killed overnight at his school during a Vietcong raid while he was on watch duty there. It was one of the saddest day in my life, followed by many more to come.
My first encounter with death was when the Vietcong attacked Phnom Penh and destroyed the Chroy Changvar bridge. Following an intense night of fighting, my father woke up very early that morning and he woke me up to go with him to tour the city to find out the damages. Along the deserted Monivong street, pass the Medical School in the direction of the French embassy, we were stopped by a PM (Military Police) barrage. They demanded my father's ID and asked him what he was doing there. After some explanations, they let us pass through. Near the French embassy, where the monument for the veterans for WWI was, I could see a burned tank. As we approached the tank, there was an acrid smell. Sure enough, next to the tank there was a badly burnt corpse. The man who was killed looked quite young to me, maybe in his mid-teen. Although his body was lying on the ground, his hand gesture showed that he was trying to climb on top of the tank when some kind of fire device (a bazooka?) caught him and took his life. Coming back home, I couldn't eat the whole day, all that I wanted to do was throw up.
My first encounter with death was when the Vietcong attacked Phnom Penh and destroyed the Chroy Changvar bridge. Following an intense night of fighting, my father woke up very early that morning and he woke me up to go with him to tour the city to find out the damages. Along the deserted Monivong street, pass the Medical School in the direction of the French embassy, we were stopped by a PM (Military Police) barrage. They demanded my father's ID and asked him what he was doing there. After some explanations, they let us pass through. Near the French embassy, where the monument for the veterans for WWI was, I could see a burned tank. As we approached the tank, there was an acrid smell. Sure enough, next to the tank there was a badly burnt corpse. The man who was killed looked quite young to me, maybe in his mid-teen. Although his body was lying on the ground, his hand gesture showed that he was trying to climb on top of the tank when some kind of fire device (a bazooka?) caught him and took his life. Coming back home, I couldn't eat the whole day, all that I wanted to do was throw up.
Waking up to the sound of rockets shelling Phnom Penh in the middle of the night was terrifying. I still find myself sometimes waking up with cold sweat following a bad nightmare of a dark sky streaked with rockets. Even with all the hardship of life during that period, I still feel grateful to have live in an era where I felt Cambodia had experienced a limited amount of freedom rights. It was definitely not democracy, but having seen how life was under Sihanouk's regime, the change under the Khmer Republic was quite welcomed. Nevertheless, it was a bittersweet experience to be followed later by the truly nightmarish Khmer Rouge regime.
Yours truly,
P. from Long Beach
Sos Mat - Phum Srok Kabbas Pras Sneh
Sos Mat - Ithipol Korng Pol Toch Lekh 5
Sos Mat - Roeung Ork Neoung Kh-nhom
Sos Mat - Kar Ban 7 Th-ngay Bek Khnea
Sos Mat - Khleat Pi Aun Pruos Teuk Dey
Sos Mat - Ork Khleat Tronum
Sos Mat - Teuk Phnek Kaun Khmer
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Historic Day of March 18, 1970
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)Wednesday, March 18, 2009
CACJE: 39th Commemorative Anniversary of Khmer Republic
Cambodian Action Committee for Justice & Equity (CACJE)
March 18, 200939th Commemorative Anniversary of Khmer Republic
March 18, 1970 -- March 18, 2009
March 18, 1970 -- March 18, 2009
Cambodian Action Committee for Justice & Equity (CACJE) and new generation of Khmer Republicans are very pleased to celebrate the 39th Anniversary of Khmer Republic, March 18, 1970 – March 18, 2009.
It is a celebration of one of the most significant turning point of our history when our nation found its very survival at risk. It is also a commemoration of the sacrifices of so many of our comrades, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters.
March 18, 1970 was the day we began to stop the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese Armed Forces, the Vietcong and Hanoi Army in connivance with Cambodian clans of traitors who sell out our country to Vietnam and China. If there was no March 18, 1970 Cambodia would end up certainly and completely under Hanoi yoke as it is Khmer Kampuchea Krom today. Simply put, it was the creation of Khmer Republic, on March 18, 1970 that began to stop Hanoi regime from swallowing integrally Cambodia, hence, Cambodian resistance was able to fight back to these days.
CACJE and new generation of Khmer Republicans thanked so much the American administration of President Richard Nixon which had fully supported Khmer Republic to fight Cambodian puppet traitors who sell out their own country to Vietnam and China.
March 18, 1970 was the day when those men and women had ultimately and heroically sacrificed to defend the principle of Cambodia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and democracy. They died for this principle last forever.
We, young generation Khmer Republicans, can never afford to forget nor to let Cambodia forget what those men and women have done for our country. This commemorative day is a reminder of our duty to those who have gone before us, especially KANSEIGN SAR movement who have given the last full measure of devotion to their country in order to defend that principle.
For this 39th commemorative day of Khmer Republic, March 18, 1970 – March 18, 2009, CACJE and new generation of Khmer Republicans express the immense debt of gratitude we owe to you all. We salute you and thank you and solemnly vow to continue your heroic struggle to defend that principle and return the Republicanism to Cambodia in the near future.
Sincerely,
SOURN SEREYRATHA
Chief Mission of CACJE
It is a celebration of one of the most significant turning point of our history when our nation found its very survival at risk. It is also a commemoration of the sacrifices of so many of our comrades, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters.
March 18, 1970 was the day we began to stop the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese Armed Forces, the Vietcong and Hanoi Army in connivance with Cambodian clans of traitors who sell out our country to Vietnam and China. If there was no March 18, 1970 Cambodia would end up certainly and completely under Hanoi yoke as it is Khmer Kampuchea Krom today. Simply put, it was the creation of Khmer Republic, on March 18, 1970 that began to stop Hanoi regime from swallowing integrally Cambodia, hence, Cambodian resistance was able to fight back to these days.
CACJE and new generation of Khmer Republicans thanked so much the American administration of President Richard Nixon which had fully supported Khmer Republic to fight Cambodian puppet traitors who sell out their own country to Vietnam and China.
March 18, 1970 was the day when those men and women had ultimately and heroically sacrificed to defend the principle of Cambodia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and democracy. They died for this principle last forever.
We, young generation Khmer Republicans, can never afford to forget nor to let Cambodia forget what those men and women have done for our country. This commemorative day is a reminder of our duty to those who have gone before us, especially KANSEIGN SAR movement who have given the last full measure of devotion to their country in order to defend that principle.
For this 39th commemorative day of Khmer Republic, March 18, 1970 – March 18, 2009, CACJE and new generation of Khmer Republicans express the immense debt of gratitude we owe to you all. We salute you and thank you and solemnly vow to continue your heroic struggle to defend that principle and return the Republicanism to Cambodia in the near future.
Sincerely,
SOURN SEREYRATHA
Chief Mission of CACJE
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