Khmer Republic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Coordinates: 1215N 10536E

Khmer Republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Khmer Republic (Khmer:

) was
the republican government of Cambodia that was
formally declared on 9 October 1970. It was replaced
in 1975 by the state known as Democratic Kampuchea.

Khmer Republic

Satharanakrth Khmer

19701975

Contents
1 Background
2 Coup
3 Declaration of the Khmer Republic and the
formation of FANK
4 Political history of the Khmer Republic
4.1 1972: Removal of Sirik Matak
4.2 1973: Ceasefire and the suspension
of the National Assembly
4.3 1974: Fall of Odong
4.4 End of the regime
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto

Sirphip Smphip Pitrphip Vdthnphip ning
Sophmngkl
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Progress and Happiness"
Anthem

Anthem of the Khmer Republic

Background
Formally declared on 9 October 1970, the Khmer
Republic was a right-wing proUnited States
military-led government headed by General Lon Nol
and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak that took power in the
18 March 1970 coup against Prince Norodom
Sihanouk, then the country's head of state.
The main causes of the coup were Norodom Sihanouk's
toleration of North Vietnamese activity within
Cambodia's borders, allowing heavily armed
Vietnamese Communist outfits de facto control over
vast areas of eastern Cambodia. Another important
factor was the dire state of the Cambodian economy, an
indirect result of Sihanouk's policies of pursuing
neutrality through virulent anti-Americanism.[2]
With the removal of Sihanouk, the existing Kingdom of
Cambodia became a republic, although the throne had
been officially vacant for some years since the death of
King Norodom Suramarit. The character of the new
regime was right-wing and nationalist; most
significantly, it ended Sihanouk's period of covert

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Capital

Phnom Penh

Languages

Khmer (official)
French

Religion

Buddhism

Government

Unitary parliamentary
constitutional republic
with military
dictatorship

President
- 19701972

Cheng Heng

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cooperation with the North Vietnamese regime and the

Viet Cong, and aligned Cambodia with South Vietnam
in the ongoing Second Indochina War. The Khmer
Republic was opposed within the Cambodian borders
by the Front uni national du Kampucha (FUNK), a
relatively broad alliance between Sihanouk, his
supporters, and the Communist Party of Kampuchea.
The insurgency itself was conducted by the CPNLAF,
the Cambodian People's National Liberation Armed
Forces: they were backed by both the People's Army of
Vietnam (PAVN) and the National Liberation Front
(NLF, better known as the Viet Cong), who occupied
parts of Cambodia as part of their ongoing war with the
South Vietnamese government.
Despite the strongly militaristic character of the Khmer
Republic, and quantities of military and financial aid
from the United States, its military the Khmer National
Armed Forces (Forces armes nationales khmres, or
FANK) was poorly trained and unable to defeat either
the CPNLAF or the Vietnamese forces of the PAVN
and NLF. The Republic eventually fell on 17 April
1975, when the Cambodian communists took Phnom
Penh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khmer_Republic&printabl...

- 19721975
- 1975
Speaker of the House
- 19701971
Prime Minister
- 19701971
- 19711972
- 1972
- 19721973
- 1973
- 19731975

Lon Nol
Saukam Khoy (acting)

Legislature

Parliament

Historical era
- Coup d'tat
- Fall of Phnom Penh

Cold War
18 March 1970
17 April 1975

Population
- 1975 est.

7,952,000-8,102,000[1]

Currency

Cambodian riel

Today part of

In Tam
Lon Nol
Sisowath Sirik Matak
Son Ngoc Thanh
Hang Thun Hak
In Tam
Long Boret

Cambodia

Coup
For more details on this topic, see Cambodian coup of 1970.
Sihanouk himself claimed that the coup was the result of an alliance between his longstanding enemy, the
exiled right-wing nationalist Son Ngoc Thanh, the politician Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak (depicted by
Sihanouk as a disgruntled rival claimant to the Cambodian throne) and the CIA, who wished to install a
more US-friendly regime.[3] There is in fact little if any evidence of CIA involvement in the coup, although
it seems that sections of the US military establishment notably the Army Special Forces may have had
some involvement in terms of offering support and training to the plotters after being approached by Lon
Nol.[4]
While Sihanouk was out of the country on a trip to France, anti-Vietnamese rioting took place in Phnom
Penh, during which the North Vietnamese and NLF embassies were sacked.[5] It seems likely that this
rioting was at least tolerated, and possibly actively organised, by Lon Nol, the Prime Minister, and his
deputy Prince Sirik Matak. On 12 March, the prime minister closed the port of Sihanoukville through
which weapons were being smuggled to the NLF to the North Vietnamese and issued an impossible
ultimatum to them. All PAVN/NLF forces were to withdraw from Cambodian soil within 72 hours (on 15
March) or face military action.[6]
Despite these actions, which directly contradicted Sihanouk's policy of partial tolerance of North
Vietnamese activity, it appears that Lon Nol himself had great personal reluctance to depose the Head of
State: he initially may merely have wanted Sihanouk to apply more pressure to the North Vietnamese. He
initially refused to commit to the plan; to convince him, Sirik Matak who appears to have had a coup in
mind from the start played him a tape-recorded press conference from Paris, in which Sihanouk threatened
to execute them both on his return to Phnom Penh.[7] However, the Prime Minister remained uncertain, with
the result that Sirik Matak, accompanied by three army officers, compelled a weeping Lon Nol to sign the

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necessary documents at gunpoint.

A vote was taken in the National Assembly on 18 March under the direction of In Tam, in which Sihanouk
was stripped of his power: Lon Nol assumed the powers of the Head of State on an emergency basis. On 28
and 29 March there were large-scale popular demonstrations in favour of Sihanouk in several provincial
cities, but Lon Nol's forces suppressed them with great brutality, causing several hundred deaths.[8] A
number of government officials were murdered by demonstrators, including Lon Nol's brother Lon Nil.
Foreign regimes were initially uncertain as to the level of support to give to the new government. The North
Vietnamese continued to hold talks with Lon Nol regarding the reinstatement of the cancelled trade
agreement, though subsequent events meant that these were soon to come to an end.

Declaration of the Khmer Republic and the formation of FANK

The most significant immediate effect of the coup was the
Cambodian Campaign of AprilJuly 1970, in which the South
Vietnamese army (ARVN), backed by US troops, entered
eastern Cambodia to attack North Vietnamese and Viet Cong
forces operating there. Despite this assault, many of the
communist forces escaped westward, deeper into Cambodia, or
to the rural areas of the north-east, where they would provide
support for the insurgency against Lon Nol.
Lon Nol's immediate reaction was to condemn the action as a
violation of Cambodian territory. He later informed Alexander
Haig that his country had been placed in serious danger as a
result; when Haig told him that American ground forces would
not be used to assist the Cambodian army, but that (in
accordance with the Nixon Doctrine) a programme of aid would be given instead, Lon Nol openly wept.[9]
American troops of the 11th Armored
Cavalry enter Snuol, Cambodia, 4 May
1970.

On 9 October Sihanouk was condemned to death in absentia by a military court; his mother, Queen
Kossamak the symbolic representative of the monarchy under Sihanouk's regime was placed under
house arrest, and his wife Monique was sentenced to life imprisonment.[7] The new regime simultaneously
declared the Khmer Republic, and a new constitution was eventually to be adopted in 1972. Sihanouk, in the
meantime, had formed GRUNK, a Beijing-based government-in-exile incorporating the communists and
dedicated to the Republic's overthrow; he declared Lon Nol to be a "complete idiot" and characterised Sirik
Matak as "nasty, perfidious, a lousy bastard".[10]
The relatively small royal army, which at the time of the coup had around 35,000 troops (in accordance with
Sihanouk's stated policy of neutrality), was greatly expanded. Reorganising as FANK, the republican army
had grown to around 150,000 men as early as the end of 1970, mainly through voluntary enlistment as Lon
Nol sought to capitalise on a wave of anti-Vietnamese sentiment.[11] The US also implemented its
programme of structured military aid and assistance in training, and flew in several thousand Khmer Serei
and Khmer Kampuchea Krom militia, trained in South Vietnamese bases. The Joint Chiefs insisted on
massive expansion of FANK to over 200,000 men, despite concerns at the severe negative effect this would
have on Cambodia's economy, while the Military Equipment Delivery Team, led by General Theodore C.
Mataxis, demanded the 'Americanisation' of the army's French-influenced internal structures, in spite of the
chaos this caused in the supply chain.[12]
Despite the US aid, FANK (commanded by General Sosthne Fernandez) was seriously handicapped by
corruption, particularly by officers claiming salaries for non-existent troops, and military incompetence.
Although one of the FANK commanders the former rebel Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey, who was
coaxed out of military retirement by Lon Nol to raise FANK's 13th Brigade was to have considerable
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success in 'pacifying' the area around the strategic Highway 4 and the Kirirom Plateau, the majority of its
generals had little military experience or ability. The large-scale FANK offensives against the Vietnamese,
Operations Chenla I and II, ended in heavy defeat despite the conspicuous bravery of the individual
Cambodian infantrymen.

Political history of the Khmer Republic

For more details on this topic, see Cambodian Civil War.
As well as fighting the Cambodian Civil War against the pro-Sihanouk and communist insurgents and the
North Vietnamese, the Khmer Republic faced considerable internal problems. Sihanouk's domination of
political life during the 1950s and 60s meant that there were few confident or experienced Cambodian
politicians. Almost from the start, the Republic was plagued by many of the same political divisions and
infighting that had marked Sihanouk's regime; primary among these was a damaging power struggle
between Lon Nol and Sirik Matak. Sirik Matak had been acting Prime Minister during the Republic's first
year, when Lon Nol's health had been extremely poor, but had engendered considerable resentment due to
his administrative style and royal connections; there was also growing frustration amongst young, urban
Cambodians at the continued corruption and inefficiency of the regime.[13] On Lon Nol's return from
hospital in Hawaii in April 1971, he instigated a cabinet crisis by resigning, providing a means to dissolve
the government, with the probable encouragement of his brother Lon Non (a figure of considerable
influence, especially with the military). After much political squabbling, a new cabinet was formed, though
Sirik Matak continued as acting premier with the title of "Prime Minister-Delegate". On 16 October 1971,
Lon Nol took action to strip the National Assembly of legislative power, and ordered it to write a new
constitution, claiming that these actions were necessary to prevent anarchy; this provoked a protest by In
Tam and 400 Buddhist monks.[14]

1972: Removal of Sirik Matak

By March 1972, Lon Nol and his brother had managed to drive Sirik Matak from power. After Sirik Matak
had sacked Keo An, a dissident academic, Lon Non organised a series of vocal student demonstrations
against him calling for his removal.[15] Sirik Matak resigned, and (ostensibly for his 'protection') was placed
under effective house arrest.[16] Lon Nol used the crisis to oust the Head of State, Cheng Heng, and took
over the role himself, appointing the veteran anti-Sihanouk nationalist Son Ngoc Thanh as Prime
Minister.[17] Thanh, leader of the Khmer Serei, had recruited FANK reinforcements amongst the Khmer
Krom of southern Vietnam, and the loyalty he commanded amongst these comparatively elite, US-trained
troops meant that his support for the Republic's fragile government remained essential.[18]
Later that year, Lon Nol announced he would hold presidential elections, and was surprised when In Tam
and Keo An the latter a reputed Sihanoukist not only announced that they would run, but then refused to
withdraw.[19] The elections, despite an inevitable victory for Lon Nol, revealed considerable dissatisfaction
with the government even though they had been rigged in Lon Nol's favour: had they been fair, it is likely
that In Tam would have won.[19] The affair prompted In Tam to suggest that the Americans could now "stew
in Lon Nol's juice".[18]
The political situation continued to unravel throughout 1972: both opposition parties (In Tam's Democratic
Party and Sirik Matak's Republican Party) refused to contest the elections to the National Assembly held in
September, leading to a sweeping victory for Lon Non's Socio-Republican Party (Sangkum Satharanak
Rth). There were a growing number of terrorist attacks in the capital, one of which was directed at Son
Ngoc Thanh.[20] Thanh whose last political act was to ban Sirik Matak's newspaper was then forced to
resign, going back into South Vietnamese exile, and was replaced by the moderate leftist Hang Thun
Hak.[21] While the Khmer Republic's government was being weakened by infighting, North Vietnamese

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forces who had previously carried out much of the fighting against FANK, as in Operation Chenla I and II
gradually and deliberately scaled back their presence within Cambodian borders, leaving mainly logistical
and support staff. Their place was taken by native Cambodian communist forces of the CPNLAF, which had
been greatly increased when Sihanouk gave his support to the insurgency, rural Cambodians remaining
overwhelmingly pro-Sihanouk.

1973: Ceasefire and the suspension of the National Assembly

The Paris Peace Accords of early 1973 seemed to offer a temporary respite from the civil war; Lon Nol
declared a unilateral ceasefire, despite FANK's very weak position on the ground. There were in fact a few
contacts between some of the more moderate elements of the Khmer Rouge communists notably Hou
Yuon and the Republic. The North Vietnamese pressured the Cambodian communists to accept the terms
of the peace accords; their interests lay more in keeping the war active at a low level (tying down South
Vietnamese troops in the process) than in an outright victory for the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge
leadership, however, remained intransigent.
The fighting resumed on the night of 7 February 1973, when communist forces attacked the FANK
perimeter around the besieged city of Kompong Thom.[20] By April, the Republic regime was in general
disarray, with FANK troops refusing to fight and looting their own capital, and the CPNLAF advancing in
many areas of the country. In response, the US finally threatened to cut off all aid unless Lon Nol acted to
broaden the power base and support of the government specifically, to reinstate the US ally Sirik Matak
and reduce the influence of his brother Lon Non.[22] Accordingly, on 24 April, Lon Nol announced that the
National Assembly would be suspended, and that a Political Council formed of himself, Sirik Matak, Cheng
Heng, and In Tam, would effectively rule by decree. The CPNLAF advance on Phnom Penh was eventually
halted by American bombing, which caused horrific casualty levels amongst the communist troops. Some
commentators state that the experience is likely to have contributed to the brutality shown by the Khmer
Rouge cadres in later events.[23]

1974: Fall of Odong

By early 1974, the Political Council had been sidelined, and Lon Nol was once again ruling alone. The
military situation, in the meantime, was deteriorating further. Communist forces came within shelling
distance of Phnom Penh, and captured the former royal capital of Odong in March: they 'evacuated' its
population shooting government officials and teachers and destroyed or burnt much of the town. There
was a brief improvement as the year progressed, however, as FANK retook Oudong, and was able to secure
supply routes through Lake Tonle Sap.

End of the regime

Despite this, the Khmer Republic did not survive the 1975 dry season offensive. The communist forces had
by this point surrounded the capital, whose population had been vastly increased by refugees from the
fighting; Lon Nol, who was extremely superstitious, ordered that consecrated sand be spread around the city
from helicopters in order to protect it. Though FANK was by this time fighting with extreme tenacity, and
the Khmer Rouge soldiers were suffering from poor morale, malaria, and even higher rates of casualties than
FANK, fresh supplies of arms and ammunition from China gave them the impetus to overrun the Republic's
remaining outposts.[24] Proposed peace negotiations repeatedly stalled as Sihanouk refused to deal with Lon
Nol directly, requesting his removal as a precondition. A plan proposed by tienne Manac'h, the French
Ambassador to China, in which Sihanouk would return to Cambodia as the head of a national unity
government (leading to the likely immediate defection of a large proportion of the Khmer Rouge's peasant
soldiers), failed to materialise.
On 1 April 1975, Lon Nol resigned and fled the country into exile: FANK almost immediately disintegrated.

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While Sirik Matak, Long Boret, Lon Non and several other politicians remained in the capital in an attempt
to negotiate a ceasefire, the Khmer Rouge finally entered the city on 17 April. Within a few days they had
executed many representatives of the old regime, and the Khmer Republic had effectively come to an end.
During its brief existence it had received almost exactly one million dollars of US military and economic aid
a day.[25]
The final area held by the Republic in any form was the Preah Vihear Temple in the Dngrk Mountains,
which FANK forces still occupied in late April 1975.[26] It was finally taken by the Khmer Rouge on 22
May.

See also
Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK)
Cambodian Civil War
Khmer Republic at the 1972 Summer Olympics

References
1. Sharp, Bruce (April 1, 2005). "Counting Hell: The Death Toll of the Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia".
Retrieved January 21, 2013.
2. Milton Osborne, Sihanouk, Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness. Silkworm 1994. ISBN 978-0-8248-1639-1.
3. Norodom Sihanouk, My War with the CIA, Pantheon (1972). ISBN 978-0-394-48543-0, p.37
4. Kiernan, B. How Pol Pot came to power, Yale University Press (2004). ISBN 978-0-300-10262-8, p.300
5. Shawcross, W. (1981). Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia. New York: Washington
Square Books. p. 118. ISBN 0-671-23070-0.
6. Sutsakhan, Lt. Gen. S. The Khmer Republic at War and the Final Collapse Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of
Military History, 1987, Part 1, p. 42. (http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/star/images/239/2390505001A.pdf) See also
Part 1 (http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/star/images/239/2390505001A.pdf)Part 2 (http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu
/star/images/239/2390505001B.pdf)Part 3 (http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/star/images/239/2390505001C.pdf).
7. Marlay, R. and Neher, C. (1999). Patriots and tyrants. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-8476-8442-7.
8. Kiernan, p.302
9. Shawcross, p.163
10. Marlay, p.166
11. Kiernan, p.303
12. Shawcross, pp.190-194. The US insistence on requisition forms being printed in English, rather than the dual
French and Khmer forms previously used, meant that quartermasters had to be recruited from the Philippines.
13. Leifer, M. Selected Works on Southeast Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (no ISBN), p.418
14. Sorpong Peou, Intervention and Change in Cambodia. MacMillan (2000). ISBN 978-0-312-22717-3, p.52
15. Kiernan, p.347
16. Kamm, H. Cambodia: report from a stricken land, Arcade (1998). ISBN 978-1-61145-126-9, pp.110-112
17. Kiernan, p.346
18. Kahin, G. Southeast Asia: a testament, Routledge (2003). ISBN 978-0-415-29975-6, p.310
19. Clymer, K. J. (2004). The United States and Cambodia, 1969-2000. Routledge. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-415-32602-5.
20. Clymer, p.65
21. Kiernan, p.348
22. Clymer, p.71
23. Shawcross, p.293
24. Shawcross, p.367
25. Kiernan, p.413
26. Fenton, J. To the bitter end in Cambodia (http://www.newstatesman.com/society/2007/11/khmer-rouge-takenend-thailand), New Statesman, 25-04-75

External links

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National anthem of the Khmer Republic

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(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb1GWE6vCKw)
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Lon Nol- The Khmer Republic (http://www.youtube.com
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/watch?v=wvmRYkvTm8E)
(French) Rpublique Khmre 1970-1975 (07/15) (http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=30cf7JNQVpY&feature=related)
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Categories: Former countries in Southeast Asia States and territories established in 1970
States and territories disestablished in 1975 Former countries in Asia Former republics
1975 disestablishments 1970 in Cambodia History of Cambodia Republicanism in Cambodia
Former polities of the Cold War 1975 in Cambodia Cambodian Civil War
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