This is the second of a four-part series of a biography of Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey. This biography was compiled by Mr. Hass Savoeun, a member of the Buddhist Khmer Center in USA (http://www.ibuddhi.org/about.php) and was republished in the website of Khmer Center in Switzerland, adding the front page picture by Lok Ly Diep of Angkor Boei News in USA. The biography is translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization.
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Previously I cited Mr. Hass Savoeun as a member of Khmer Center in Switzerland. He is in fact a member of the Buddhist Khmer Center in the USA. I wish to thank Lok Perom Uch for bringing to my attention about my erroneous citations. I thank him for his correction and wish to apologise to all concerned for my errors.
The Struggle and the Committee for the Khmer National Salvation
3. The first Battle
When the Issarak forces have grown and were well-equipped with modern weapons all Issarak military commanders met to discuss the possible targets for their first military assault. They have chosen to attack the French targets in Siem Reap and launched their first raids on the 7th of August 1946.
The Issarak forces, which each brigade had only about 4 outdated guns and the other were carrying only swords, have travelled from Battambang city in separate routes toward a designated destination of Kralanh village. By Bunchan Mul’s account Dap Chhuon’ group had taken a shortcut by land, travelling through Sirisorphorn, which at that time was called Svay Sisophon by the Thais. Prince Chantaraingsey’s group travelled along the Tonle Sap River through Bakprea, Kbal Ko through to Anlong Sar toward Sampov Loun and then met up with the other groups at Kralanh village to devise military strategy for the attacks on Siem Reap.
In the attack plans they have divided into small groups, each responsible for their specific assigned targets. One group was assigned to attack the Civic Centre of Puok district and the other group was assigned to attack Siem Reap town. It was not clear which specific targets Prince Chantaraingsey’s group was assigned to attack, among the following five set targets in Siem Reap town:
1. The attack on the Provincial Hotel was led by Hem Savang and Hem Savath.
2. The Cheung Khmao Military Barrack was also attacked.
3. The Post Office was attacked in order to cut radio contacts.
4. The Prison was overrun and prisoners were freed.
5. Dap Chhuon led the attack on the headquarter of the Intelligence Unit, the headquarter of the Provincial Police and the Customs Office.
Hem Savath was killed during the raid on the Provincial Hotel and six French soldiers were also killed during the attack. Dap Chhuon’s brigade seized more materiel than other groups because his brigade had overrun the ammunitions warehouse and the treasury. After their successful raids they immediately retreated due to fierce and strong counter-attack from the French soldiers. So all the groups run their separate ways and Prince Chantaraingsey’s group travelled back to Battambang province through the same route they came. The majority of the soldiers who have regrouped did not return back to Battambang. This group, which was led by Dap Chhuon, had retreated north to the Phnom Kulen region.
The groups that have returned to Battambang, immediately upon their return, the Thai authority disarmed them and confiscated all their trophies. Several months later Thailand returned Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and Stung Treng provinces to the French-occupied Cambodia. The Thai authority told all the Issarak leaders that once these territories were returned to Cambodia the French authority will cut their throats and their heads and put them on display as a warning to others who dared to oppose the French rule. Fearing for their future fates all the important Issarak leaders, including Prince Chantaraingsey, boarded the train and retreated to Aran town at the same time when the Thai authority retreated at the end of 1946.
When those Issarak leaders arrived in Aran town the Thai authority arrested many of the their leaders, especially Ros Yeun and his assistant, Borin, and took them to be executed at Tapraya near Poipet town. So many of the survivors of the Issarak leadership, due to the fears for their life, had escaped to Surin and some even escaped to Bangkok. Achar Tum escaped the Thai authority and along with hundreds of his troops had established his base at Puok district. Those who escaped to Surin stayed at Mae Muon’s house which was also used as the headquarter of the “Khmer Issarak Association” and as a contact place between the groups that were based at the Dangrek Mountains and those who were based in Bangkok. Upon their arrival there those who were soldiers were sent to join the military units and those who woked as civilians were assigned to the civilian sections. So Prince Chataraingsey was given a military role as a group leader which was equivalent to the rank of a battalion commander.
And the soldiers from those small groups who had not been able to escape to Thailand, have retreated to the small towns and other rural areas such as in the Ampil Bram Doem area, Borvel, Srey Snorm, Kulen and the Dangrek Mountain Ranges.
The Issarak forces, which each brigade had only about 4 outdated guns and the other were carrying only swords, have travelled from Battambang city in separate routes toward a designated destination of Kralanh village. By Bunchan Mul’s account Dap Chhuon’ group had taken a shortcut by land, travelling through Sirisorphorn, which at that time was called Svay Sisophon by the Thais. Prince Chantaraingsey’s group travelled along the Tonle Sap River through Bakprea, Kbal Ko through to Anlong Sar toward Sampov Loun and then met up with the other groups at Kralanh village to devise military strategy for the attacks on Siem Reap.
In the attack plans they have divided into small groups, each responsible for their specific assigned targets. One group was assigned to attack the Civic Centre of Puok district and the other group was assigned to attack Siem Reap town. It was not clear which specific targets Prince Chantaraingsey’s group was assigned to attack, among the following five set targets in Siem Reap town:
1. The attack on the Provincial Hotel was led by Hem Savang and Hem Savath.
2. The Cheung Khmao Military Barrack was also attacked.
3. The Post Office was attacked in order to cut radio contacts.
4. The Prison was overrun and prisoners were freed.
5. Dap Chhuon led the attack on the headquarter of the Intelligence Unit, the headquarter of the Provincial Police and the Customs Office.
Hem Savath was killed during the raid on the Provincial Hotel and six French soldiers were also killed during the attack. Dap Chhuon’s brigade seized more materiel than other groups because his brigade had overrun the ammunitions warehouse and the treasury. After their successful raids they immediately retreated due to fierce and strong counter-attack from the French soldiers. So all the groups run their separate ways and Prince Chantaraingsey’s group travelled back to Battambang province through the same route they came. The majority of the soldiers who have regrouped did not return back to Battambang. This group, which was led by Dap Chhuon, had retreated north to the Phnom Kulen region.
The groups that have returned to Battambang, immediately upon their return, the Thai authority disarmed them and confiscated all their trophies. Several months later Thailand returned Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and Stung Treng provinces to the French-occupied Cambodia. The Thai authority told all the Issarak leaders that once these territories were returned to Cambodia the French authority will cut their throats and their heads and put them on display as a warning to others who dared to oppose the French rule. Fearing for their future fates all the important Issarak leaders, including Prince Chantaraingsey, boarded the train and retreated to Aran town at the same time when the Thai authority retreated at the end of 1946.
When those Issarak leaders arrived in Aran town the Thai authority arrested many of the their leaders, especially Ros Yeun and his assistant, Borin, and took them to be executed at Tapraya near Poipet town. So many of the survivors of the Issarak leadership, due to the fears for their life, had escaped to Surin and some even escaped to Bangkok. Achar Tum escaped the Thai authority and along with hundreds of his troops had established his base at Puok district. Those who escaped to Surin stayed at Mae Muon’s house which was also used as the headquarter of the “Khmer Issarak Association” and as a contact place between the groups that were based at the Dangrek Mountains and those who were based in Bangkok. Upon their arrival there those who were soldiers were sent to join the military units and those who woked as civilians were assigned to the civilian sections. So Prince Chataraingsey was given a military role as a group leader which was equivalent to the rank of a battalion commander.
And the soldiers from those small groups who had not been able to escape to Thailand, have retreated to the small towns and other rural areas such as in the Ampil Bram Doem area, Borvel, Srey Snorm, Kulen and the Dangrek Mountain Ranges.
4. The Committee for the Khmer National Salvation
Dap Chhuon’s group, including Sarou’s group, after they have regouped at Phnom Kulen-Tbeng region, have re-united as a larger group and have expanded their occupied territories to the Thai-Khmer borders to north of Surin province of Thailand. Later they have convened a major meeting on the 1st of February 1948 to form a central organisation in which to lead the Issarak movement as a large and strong movement by naming that body as a “Committee for the Khmer National Salvation”. The creation of this body had enabled the movement to grow larger and stronger than before. If one looks at the administrative structure of this body it was very similar to the government of an autonomous region. Due to the formation of this organisation they had gained more and better experiences and the Issarak movements have called that event a “Third Issarak Resistance Movement”.
According to Ny Vanthy, this committee had regular contacts with the Viet Minh movement of North Vietnam. And that Ho Chi Minh had invited the leadership of this committee many times to the meetings at Nam Buu in Vietnam, which often this committee always sent Mae Muon and Achar Duong to participate. Only later that Leav Keo Moni and Mey Pho were added to the list of delegation to the meetings. It was these two individuals who were later to become very close to Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh. They had also co-operated very closely with Son Ngoc Thanh’s group, with Sieu Heng and Tou Samouth (the Viet Minh’s Khmer Issarak) in the northwest region of the country.
The composition of the Committee for the Khmer National Salvation were:
1. Leav Keo Moni was the President.
2. Dap Chhuon was Minister of Defence and was Commander-in-Chief of the Army with the rank of a 7-star general.
3. Kao Tak was a Deputy Cammander-in-Chief with the role of purchasing weapons from the Thais.
4. Mey Pho (who used to study at Lu Lo Ba? High School) was Minister of Propaganda.
5. Moha Chhan (former senior Buddhist priest) was Minister of Interior.
6. Lim Khim as Minister of Finance (attached to Mae Muon).
7. Achar Chhoy in charge of Department of Warehouse.
8. Mae Muon, advisor to the Committee or as the President.
9. Achar Duong, as an advisor to the Committee.
For peace, at the 1954 Geneva Peace Conference, Pham Van Dong (the PM of Vietnam) had actively asked the Conference to allow the Khmer Viet Minh faction to join the conference. But because China did not support the proposal the Khmer Viet Minh faction was not allowed to join the conference.
The last meeting at Nam Buu in Vietnam which was attended by Mey Pho ( he never returned to Cambodia after this meeting) Ny Vanthy said that he had accompanied him as baggage carrier and as an officer of propaganda. But when he arrived at Surin Mey Pho’s assistant asked him to return home alone because those who were in charge of publishing the newspaper cannot draw, read and write Khmer as good as him. They wanted him to be in charge of this work that’s why he was not left stranded in Vietnam after the Geneva Conference.
He remembered that at one time he was asked to draw a person wearing a shirt with a round necklace, wearing a pajama-type trousers with a kramar ( a towel-type piece of cloth) wrapped around his waist with one hand holding a red flag with the five-tower Angkor Wat in the middle with the word “communist “ at the bottom. That drawing was printed on the cover of a political propaganda book but, to his surprise, after its publication the book had disappeared. In the 1980s, when Vietnam was still occupied Cambodian, Ny Vanthy said that he overheard the Vietnamese political prison guards discussing about Mey Pho’s fate. He overheard them saying that Mey Pho was put in charge of political training with the task of indoctrinating the senior cadres of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Cambodia from the People’s Republic of Kampuchean regime who were sent to be indoctrinated in Vietnam.
In fact there were many more Cambodians who have mysteriously disappeared in Vietnam whom the informants could not recall their names. Please note that even though Leav Keo Moni was the president of the movement the real military power was in the hands of military commander Dap Chhuon. All the big military barracks were in “Maung” near Kralanh Teuk Cho, located along the roads toward Samrong Chong Kal in Siem Reap province which was the birthplace of Leav Keo Moni…..//(To be continued in part two (B), parts 3 and 4).
To read part two (B) click here.
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