A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 24 October 2012

The last Khmer god-king

The late Norodom Sihanouk speaks at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh in October last year. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Norodom Sihanouk Varman was a giant among political giants. 

Tuesday, 23 October 2012
By Kenneth T So
The Phnom Penh Post

“I experienced everything, won everything, lost everything, I saw wrong, I’ve seen too early, I have not seen the dagger stabbed in my back, I was mistaken, I often lied, I have told a lot of truth, too much truth.” - Norodom Sihanouk 

Fondly known as Samdech Euv by the older generation and Samdech Ta by the younger generation, he was the last Khmer god-king, the lofty epithet bestowed on Khmer monarchs during the Angkor era.
After the Maharaja of Zabag (Java) invaded Chenla, probably around 780 to 800AD, he chose an unknown Khmer prince named Jayavarman II to replace the decapitated Chenla king.
A few years after taking the throne, Jayavarman II renamed the country Kambuja and declared his independence from Java on Mount Mahendra (Phnom Kulen) in 802 through a ritual performed by
his purihota (chief Brahman).
This ceremony would elevate Jayavarman II from a simple king to a Chakravatin (universal ruler) who ruled Kambuja as a Devaraja (god-king).

Jayavarman II may have begun the ritual of Preah Khan Reach (“sacred sword”) that was used for the consecration of a new king when he ascended the throne.
Norodom Sihanouk Varman was the last Khmer king to accede the throne according to the Devaraja ceremony. Like Jayavarman II, he was an unknown prince when chosen by the French to take the throne on April 25, 1941. The French saw in the 18-year-old a person they could manipulate to fit their colonial rule.
Just as Jayavarman II had done, King Norodom Sihanouk declared Cambodia’s independence from France on March 13, 1945, but it was short-lived; after World War 2, the French returned to rule over Cambodia again.
After a “royal crusade for independence” that took the king to France, the US, Canada and Japan, and into self-imposed “exile” in Siem Reap, the French reluctantly agreed to his demand for Cambodia’s independence.
King Norodom Sihanouk returned to Phnom Penh in triumph, and Khmer Independence Day was proclaimed on November 9, 1953.
Recognising that for Cambodia to prosper, it must model itself on Switzerland, the king declared Cambodia’s neutrality in Geneva in 1954.
King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in March, 1955 in favour of his father, Prince Norodom Suramarit, so he could enter politics and chart a course for Cambodia.
He became head of state and founded the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, a populist party dedicated to modernising Cambodia and bringing it to prosperity.
Cambodia would have prospered after independence if it had been left alone, but it was caught between forces beyond its control.
America’s fight against communism caused Cambodia to become involved in the Vietnam war, thwarting the efforts of Prince Sihanouk, who had worked so hard to keep the country at peace.
Sihanouk wanted Cambodia to become the Switzerland of Asia, but the superpowers, for their own selfish interests, would not allow it.
Cambodia went through some economic hardship, but remained relatively peaceful until the overthrow of the prince as head of state.
The coup d’état of March 18, 1970 by Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak and General Lon Nol, his most trusted ally, ended Cambodia’s monarchy and replaced it with a republican government.
A Khmer republic was officially declared on October 9, 1970, and the National Assembly sentenced the prince to death in absentia.
Coerced by the Chinese, he made an alliance with the Khmer Rouge.
The Lon Nol government that brought Cambodia into the Vietnam war collapsed after the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.
The Khmer Rouge renamed Cambodia Democratic Kampuchea and Sihanouk was put under house arrest. He would have been killed if not for the intervention of Chinese prime minister Zhou Enlai, who told Khieu Samphan that Sihanouk was the link between the people and the revolution.
Vietnam invaded Cambodia on December 25, 1978. On the eve of Democratic Kampuchea’s collapse on January 7, 1979, a Chinese plane came to rescue the prince and take him to China. Vietnam installed a new Cambodian government called the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK).
Once again, Sihanouk had to make an “alliance with the devil”, in this case the Khmer Rouge, to liberate Cambodia from Vietnam’s yoke.
In April, 1989, the National Ass-embly voted to rename the PRK the State of Cambodia — Roat Kampuchea. Vietnam finally agreed to negotiate its withdrawal from Cambodia.
This event resulted in the Paris Conference on Cambodia in October, 1991. Sihanouk, who had been elected chairman of the Supreme National Council, represented Cambodia.
The other main participants were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the six members of ASEAN, Yugoslavia (representing the non-aligned nations), and Vietnam, Laos, Japan, India, Australia and Canada
The conference resulted in a comprehensive political settlement, and an agreement known as the Paris Peace Agreements was signed on October 23, 1991. Prince Sihanouk was vindicated and re-entered Cambodia as a hero.
The constitutional monarchy was established on September 24, 1993 and Prince Norodom Sihanouk was reinstated as king of Cambodia.
Because of poor health, King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated on October 7, 2004. After his abdication, the National Assembly voted unanimously to bestow on him the title of “The Great King-Hero, Father of Independence, of Territorial Integrity and of National Unity”.
The journey of Norodom Sihanouk is fit for a Shakespearean play. He had been to the mountain top, he had walked the deepest valley, he had been betrayed by those he trusted, he had been loyal to his friends, but he never gave up fighting for the country and his people.
As he put it, “I experienced everything, won everything, lost everything, I saw wrong, I’ve seen too early, I have not seen the dagger stabbed in my back, I was mistaken, I often lied, I have told a lot of truth, too much truth.”

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't view Sihanuk as a"God king" god king won't do harms to his subjects,god king won't allowed enemies to used his territory to fought war against American caused American to bomb the hell out of his country.God king protects and preserves his land or literature culture and tradition but this king did none of that,he only protected and preserved his monarchy tradition worry about his throne and his families that all.

Sihanuk no where near or close to be God king in my view you may disagree with me for some reasons but god king didn't do what Sihanuk had done,as we all knew what god king during Ankor's era had done great thing for his kingdom Kambuja building majestic monument from stone for his kingdom [Angkor wat]delicated to God that he trusted and served that king deserved to be called God king.Sihanuk perhaps didn't believe in religion thatwise he lived in athiesm's land [communism] most of his life,using Buddhism for his advantages to gain support from his subjects,Sihanuk didn't even used khmers language to communicate in his messages,also he used North Korean body guard to protected him.Is that fear to call him last God king of Kambuja? You decide!...

Kmenhwatt.

Anonymous said...

I knew that my father wasn’t perfect but he was among the good ones, I always defend and protect my father from bad guys as he had done to me, he had done more good things than bad ones and because of that reason even he passed away in 1985 he’s still admired by neighbourhoods eventually, my father is still my father I have to respect him no matter what and I don’t want to be named as a son without father or a bastard son.

I decided to call him God King, why not? To name him as a God King from now on so that the world can recognize him as a Khmer God King. Aren’t you proud of that as a Cambodian?

Anonymous said...

យល់ស្របខ្លះៗដែរជាមួយ ក្មេញវ៉ាត់ !!!

បើបារាំងរើស ស៊ីសុវត្តិសិរិមតៈធ្វើស្ដេច

ប្រវត្តិខ្មែរពិតជាដើរផ្សេង ឯខ្ញុំក៏មិនពិបាក

មកផ្សងព្រេងដាំត្រកួននៅអាម្រិច !!!


purihota (chief Brahman)???
I thought it was Purohita
បុរោហិត which derived from
បារាំងហិត, french kiss !!!!!


សេរីអមតោ

Anonymous said...

Norodom Sihanouk should have known that Vietnam always wanted to annex Cambodia.
Thus he should and must prepare his country politically and militarily.
Prior to and during the Vietnam war, Sihanouk had the best opportunity as ever to protect his country by being friends with the United States. The US then wanted to be friends with Cambodia very badly.
But Sihanouk decided instead to help the North Vietnamese and the Vietcongs.

Now let's look at the logic .
You know your enemy wants to kill you, instead of killing him first , or protecting yourself from being killed, you decide instead to be friends with your ENEMY ?

That is what Norodom Sihanouk did.
Consequently, Khmers and the Khmer Nation have been paying very dearly today.
Norodom Sihanouk is an international Poster Child
" A national Hero gone Bad ".

Anonymous said...

I agree with 100% this one.
Good for Sihanuk credited for proclaimed independent from France in 1953 and took Siam's thieves to ICJ to take back Preah Vihea in 1962 won the case.

Bad for Sihanuk;too flamboyant,womanizer playboy movie star wanna be forget his duties as ahead of state,allowing Yiekcong to using khmers' land to fight American.Helping khmers' rouges incited his subjects from Beijing's Radio to joint K.R. to fight Lon Nol and American to help V.C because Lon Nol ousted him from his position due to his carelessness flamboyant life style.From then on a poster child became a loser child.Sihanuk credited for trying kick Yuon out from Cambodia in the 90's as well...

Yobal Khmer

Anonymous said...

4:39 AM, don't ever think that Sirik Matak would turn out to be a good leader. If he was a good leader, the Khmer Republic regime would have been the best regime after he staged a coup against Sihanouk in 1970.

He came from obscurity to become one of the most prominent public servants and diplomats because of Sihanouk and because he married to Monique's sister, but at the end he betrayed Sihanouk, forced Lon Nol to stage a coup against Sihanouk and eventually destroyed Cambodia.

He would not have been chosen as king because he was not an immediate heir apparent. If the French chose the Sisowath branch it would have been Sisowath Monireth who was Sihanouk's uncle, not Sirik Matak.

The Sisowaths are known to be traitors to Cambodia, but many republicans idolized them because they were against Sihanouk.

Sisowath, in the late 1800s, before he became king, destabilized his brother's, King Norodom's, rule and plotted with the French and the Thais against Norodom.

Subsequent Sisowath descendants like Sirik Matak, his son Sisowath Sirirath and so on have betrayed the Norodoms who gave them good positions within the government.

Anonymous said...

Oh,you're the son of Mr Lon Nol huh? 4:11 AM.Right!? I Google Lon Nol it came out that he passed away in 1985 in California U.S.A. Well,your father did what he can to stop V.C from using Cambodia as battle field but too bad Sihanuk allowed V.C or played a dangerous game with enemies all sides because of revenge to your father result were disastrous to our nation all because of Sihanuk supported V.C.Sihanuk is to blamed.Rest in peace your highness please stop haunt your childrents don't put your face on the moon you scare your childrents to dead....Not only that some one sold the dark moon poster that cost 1000 riel,they claims that your highness caused the moon to be darkening last Monday on the 15th the day that your highness passed away.Your highness you knew your childrents poor most of them please stop haunt them...R.I.P.

Kmenhwatt

Anonymous said...

6:54 am,

Nous somme d'accord.
Merci


Anonymous said...

8:15 AM

ខ្ញុំសូមអរគុណ ហើយខ្ញុំជឿស្របទាំងស្រុង
ចំពោះមតិនិងសេចក្ដីពន្យល់របស់លោក។
ឯលោកពូ សេរីអមតោ គាត់ជាពូខ្ញុំ !!!
គាត់ជាអ្នក "សម្ដេចសីហនុនិយម " ពិតៗ
១០០ ភាគរយ តែសម្ដីគាត់ប៉ប្លេចប៉ប្លូច
តែឥចឹង។ប្រាក់លៀងជីវិតគាត់លើសខ្ញុំ
ស្ទើរ បីដងមួយខែ តែថ្អូញប្រាប់គេថា
គាត់ជាអ្នកដាំត្រកួន !!!

កពឈស

Anonymous said...

Ah Hun Sen have no mercy on anyone except the Vietnamese. One Chinese owner apologised for the mishaps, but he plans on deporting her back to her country, leaving her business in crumble.

But says nothing about the millions of youn flooding, polluting and destroying the Khmer culture and Khmer future.

Why is Ah Hun Sen so scared of punishing the Youn that comes to Khmer to set up crimes and psoritution rings, but not afraid of sending an old Chinese woman?

More to the question, why is AH Hun Sen so scared of Mom Sonando? Why does Ah Hun Sen claims that Mom Sonando is the ring leader of an arm forced setting up a state inside a state, when the village have nomore then a few chicken and pigs?

Ah Hun Sen is so scared of Youn but never afraid of Khmer heroes such as Sam Ransii.

Anonymous said...

Norodom Sihanouk was a Khmer God-King, who later became God-Kong.

Anonymous said...

hun sen are powerless to go agianst yuon cus we are asean group. which is the group that hate china but favor USA,Europe,Middle East,and Australia. Plus he in too deep with the yuon agenda. now he have no where to turn to but to stick his head in it. as for sihanouk helping hanoi. its because he try to kill two birds with one stone. meaning 1. he dont want french to colonize us again 2. he want to take khmer krom back 3. khmer were to polarized like lon nol,khmer rouge. 4 we were china friend ever since. 5 srok khmer is buddhism not christain or islam. AND all of these the hanoi did even thank sihanouk for letting them use the ho chi minh trails in srok khmer but to take more land from us and infiltrade in khmer rouge to kill more us khmer. without this trails the yuon probably exctinct. and those who hate sihanouk is not a true khmer who doesnt understand his cause. just look at it when he became king. srok khmer were the only country in asia that are not poor. i mean we were ahead of all of southeast asia. no dont blame pol pot either cus he never admit that he order his comrades to kill khmers and he did not have full control of the khmer rouge faction either cus some of that khmer rouge factions were vietminh(khmer and yuon who fight the french colonizers). this vietminh just happen to backstab us khmer after the french were weak. this is way sihanouk have join pol pot cus of the vietminh twisted agenda and lon nol betrayal. to me it is ok to be a playboy cus he is still young and energetic and HE DESERVED to released all that hard work that he have done for srok khmer. dont blame him but the individuals that are not united for srok khmer cause.

Anonymous said...

24 October 2012 7:31 PM,

You have made good sense and are reasonable. Thanks for your input.

Everyone has different opinions, but don't fight each other within Khmer. It is a debate and helps every Khmer understand the good points of view.

Please ignore the CPP members who post the negative comments.

Peace upon us Khmer.

Anonymous said...

11:55 pm

Because posters have " negative " comments, you do NOT call them CPP members.
There are in fact against CPP.