Cambodia: LIFE UNDER MARSHAL LON NOLs REPUBLIC REGIME [FR&KH]

During Lon Nol's Republic Regime, I was still too young to know what was happening in Cambodia. After a bloodless coup of Prime Minister, General Lon Nol and Sirik Matak who overthrew Norodom Sihanouk monarchy regime in March 1970, all the children went to Primary School as usual. During the war, I've witnessed many horrible sights. Dead, swelled, naked body floating down the river where we bathed and drank. I remember body in a bag floating down the river.
But when the War was getting fiercer and fiercer, I saw many US giant planes (Uncle Sam) dropped its B-52 bombs nearly on every province, which terribly had shaken the roof of my house. I heard the sounds of machine guns and bombs around me, but it was far away from my village. Some guns sounded like a fat man farting and I laughed a lot and thought it was very funny and I enjoyed that.
Within months of 1970 invasion the Communists had isolated Phnom Penh, gained half the country and over 20 percent of the population. Each year they captured more. It became a war over the lines of communication. Despite the ambitions Kissinger expressed in Strategy Three. Variant Three the government controlled only a number of enclaves around Phnom Penh and provincial capitals-Kompong Thom, Kompong Cham, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kampot, Kompong Som (the renamed port of Sihanoukville), a large area around Battambang in the northwest, and a strip of land between Battambang and Phnom Penh. Apart from Battambang, none was self-sufficient and all depended increasingly on Phnom Penh for rice and other essentials. Lon Nols troops were engaged principally in trying to keep the roads to them open. As they failed, more and more goods had to be transported first by water and then by air.
Within months of 1970 invasion the Communists had isolated Phnom Penh, gained half the country and over 20 percent of the population. Each year they captured more. It became a war over the lines of communication. Despite the ambitions Kissinger expressed in Strategy Three. Variant Three the government controlled only a number of enclaves around Phnom Penh and provincial capitals-Kompong Thom, Kompong Cham, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kampot, Kompong Som (the renamed port of Sihanoukville), a large area around Battambang in the northwest, and a strip of land between Battambang and Phnom Penh. Apart from Battambang, none was self-sufficient and all depended increasingly on Phnom Penh for rice and other essentials. Lon Nols troops were engaged principally in trying to keep the roads to them open. As they failed, more and more goods had to be transported first by water and then by air.
For the North Vietnamese too, communications were the key. After the invasion they rebuilt their supply routes into South Vietnam. They came down from southern Laos along the Mekong by water, path and road and some then turned straight east into Vietnam, while others curled westward and southward around Phnom Penh, eventually ending in the Mekong Delta. In the northeast, where the North Vietnamese began training the Khmer Rouge recruits, some Communist battalions defended these new supply lines while other forces were used to push Lon Nols troops back toward Phnom Penh and keep them preoccupied with their own survival. For Hanoi, as for Washington, Cambodia was a stalemated war. The aim was not to capture Phnom Penh but to tie down as many South Vietnamese and Cambodian troops as possible while Hanoi pursued its unchanging ends in Vietnam.
From Peking, Norodom Sihanouk launched his appeal to the Khmer people that they rise up, join the maquis, and begin an armed fight against the treacherous Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, and their masters, the American imperialists. Sihanouk specified that once they had formed guerrilla army patriot volunteers would find friends ready to give them riffles and ammunition and furnish them with adequate miliary training.
While they were happy with Sihanouks appeal to the Khmer people, the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese became mortal enemies, because on the one hand Pol Pots followers categorically denied the Vietnamese the least right to take the Khmer joining the maquis as a result of Lon Nols unpopular and antinational coup; and on the other hand the Vietnamese went right ahead and openly competed with the Khmer Rouge for the fresh recruits. They were aware not about to become Communists, that quite to the contrary they were firm nationalists and Sihanouk supporters, so the Vietnamese enticed them to enlist with thundering pro-Sihanouk slogans and the generous distribution of badges with a picture of Samdech Euv ("Prince Father") as the people called Sihanouk.
The Khmer Rouge advanced on Phnom Penh in the 1973-74 dry seasons, but the capital held firm against the onslaught.

Category:

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Tags:

• Sisowath
• Cambodia
• Lon
• Nol

[JokerBoxer]

Non of these kids were spared from execution by Khmer Rouge. However, a sad lesson for Cambodia that war only bring kids to fight man and it's shameful to Sihanouk who blindly wants power.

[AhmekKhmer]

Sihanouk is not blind, if you have time and manage to read on.

[KhmerSerey1]

These kids are Cambodian martyres,heaven bless their soul.

[Khmer22cambo]

Thats a true and real Khmer!

[Norlake]

@lonlim Lon Nol and Prince Sirik Matak are dead lonlim .Dow Khmer republic!

[lonlim]

to tell the troops i belive The Khmer Republic lost the war because of FUCKING nixon, the bastard was dropping bombs in cambodia!!!!

LONG LIVE: Lon Nol, Sirik Matak , and The Khmer Republic

[Freeman38parallel]

In thanks and appreciation to our cambodia soldiers for their dedication and service to our country.The young soldier sisowath is a strong and brave man to fight in the army. Your brave and courageous acts for patriotism will long be remembered. ' Thank you for fighting for our freedom !'

[PoliticalGangster]

the kid stance was crazy at the start

[SingHaRockstar]

Go Sisowath !! Khmer Pride !!

[looneywestmo1]

man i fuckn love my khmer race,brave kid....

[KhmervsThais]

yep the Ta-yoang jake, B-40>aka RPG! the best weapon!

[roxygirlpoa]

I know lon nol

[lumpagogo]

Don't all Khmers speak French, mang?

[Vanthey]

He is brave. Respect.