The former monarch under the Khmer Rouge regime

30 August 2008
By Huy Vannak
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

“In reality, Sihanouk is a meek tiger, which only has its skin and bones left, and waiting for his death" - Pol Pot

While qualifying the demand to lift the Hero King’s immunity as a savage, as a severe scorning of the king, and as a tactic to destroy Cambodia, prime minister Hun Sen also declared to the public on Tuesday 28 August that King Norodom Sihanouk is a king who met the most suffering among all other royalties in the world.

Hun Sen said: “Reading the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standing Committee of Pol Pot dated 11 March 1976, this is a very scary case.”

The meeting of the Democratic Kampuchea Standing Committee in 1976 was conducted after Samdech Sihanouk sent a letter to the Khmer Rouge Angkar (organization) to resign from his position as president because of his health, and he wanted to rest so he can look after his family.

RFA is quoting detailed portions of Samdech Sihanouk’s resignation which was reported in the KR document.

RFA located at least 5 KR documents regarding the KR political lines which are currently stored at the Document Center of Cambodia (DCCam).

Samdech Sihanouk resigned from the revolutionary movement of the Khmer Rouge, at least twice. In 1971, he resigned from the revolutionary movement once.

At a meeting in the Northern region regarding whether “Samdech Sihanouk is allowed to continue his participation in the revolutionary movement or not”, the meeting led by Pol pot and Khieu Samphan rejected his resignation.

One more time, after they came to power, the KR held another discussion on 22 September 1975 about Sihanouk’s case.

The KR document quoted Pol Pot as saying: “Sihanouk, we hold him in our hand because he has nothing, no finance, no power. Everything depends on us, even the royal palace is our palace. Later on if he changes, we consider him like a scab that will fall off by itself.”

At the beginning of 1976, Samdech Sihanouk sent another resignation letter from his position as president, after his return from Beijing, China.

His letter led to a meeting of the KR Standing Committee on 11 March 1976, with the participation of Pol Pot, Nhuon Chea, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan, Doeun, Tum, and Touch.

Khieu Samphan reported to the meeting that Sihanouk sent two letters in French to the Angkar, one to resign and the other one was his declaration to the Cambodian people stating that he was resigning prior to 20 March 1976.

Pol Pot reminded: “Sihnaouk did not resign just once only, he resigned in 1971 already.”

At the same time, Pol Pot gave his opinion on the good and bad consequences of this resignation by saying: “If he resigns, we will not allow him to leave the country. If he leaves, it will complicate China.”

Two days later, on 13 March 1976, Khieu Samphan reported to the meeting one more time that Sihanouk decided to make a categorical decision to resign. He asks Angkar that it takes pity on him. He lowers and humbles himself only requesting Angkar that it accepts his resignation.

Pol Pot replied back by saying: “In reality, Sihanouk is a meek tiger, which only has its skin and bones left, and waiting for his death. The goal of the Revolution is to end the feudal system in this manner. The kings who existed for 2,000-year, at the end, it must be cleansed. Henceforth, Sihanouk shall not be allowed to meet foreign diplomats. We shall give them valid reasons to explain the situation.”

At the same time, Pol Pot added that: “Dispatch telegrams to the sons of Sihanouk asking them to return as soon as possible, pointing out that they must come for the New Year and the National Day celebration. We must solve this problem once and for all.”

On 4 April 1976, the DK government issued a statement about Sihanouk’s retirement. The statement expressed the regret over his resignation and stated that the council of ministers agreed to give him the title of “Highly patriotic hero.”

In 2001, Samdech Sihanouk sent a letter to Chang Youk, DCCam director, following DCCam’s publication of an article involving Sihanouk’s resignation.

Chank Youk quoted Sihanouk’s rejection: “On the minutes of the meeting of the KR Standing Committee which stated that I asked for my resignation from the president position in French, this is not true. The KR were lying because, in reality, I wrote to them all in Khmer. I wouldn’t dare write to them in French. H.E. Chhorn Hay is my witness because he was in charge of handing my resignation letter to KR leaders.”

Nevertheless, in April 1976, The KR sent telegrams to Sihanouk’s sons, by cheating that it was their father’s calling them. At the time, Prince Sihamoni, the current king of Cambodia, was studying in Pyongyang, and Prince Narindrapong was studying in Moscow.

In the book “Prisoner of the Khmer Rouge,” authored by Samdech Sihanouk, the latter recounted the crying of Prince Sihamoni when he arrived in Phnom Penh, he said: “Please Papa find a mean to get out of Cambodia, I am ready to sacrifice myself for Papa.”

Sihanouk replied back to his son: “The Angkar cheated by using my name as the sender of the telegram to you, the Angkar will now allow us to get out of their grip. From now on, we are all prisoners of the Khmer Rouge.”

Under the KR regime, Samdech Sihanouk lost at least 14 members of his family, including relatives and children.

Regarding the former monarch’s position with respect to the ECCC, the king used to write a number of letters in which he stated that he stands ready to receive judgment with other KR leaders, as well as to provide clarifications on the criticisms that he played a role in the genocide in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.