Khmer Rumdo
Encyclopedia
The Khmer Rumdo also spelt Khmer Rumdos or Khmer Rumdoh ("Liberation Khmer" in the Khmer language
) were one of several groups of guerrillas operating within the borders of Cambodia
during the Cambodian Civil War
of 1970–1975. They were a part of the Front Uni National du Kampuchea
(FUNK), an association between Prince Norodom Sihanouk
, who had been ousted from power in 1970, and communist forces.
.
The faction had its origins partly in the history of the Communist Party of Kampuchea
and of the early Khmer Issarak
(independence) movement. Many of the early Cambodian communists had strong links with the Viet Minh
, received training and support from the Vietnamese Party, and in many cases supported Sihanouk as a figure of national unity. These cadres retained senior positions in many of the areas east of the Mekong
and near the Vietnamese border. The 'Khmer Rumdo' forces, accordingly, were recruited largely in the east of the country.
They were differentiated from the forces loyal to the hardline 'Centre' of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were strongest in the west and south-west, and who were generally referred to by European and American observers as the Khmer Rouge
(a name originally coined by Sihanouk to refer to Cambodian communists in general). The 'Centre', led by Saloth Sar, Son Sen
and Ieng Sary
, had a strongly nationalistic ideology, and did not cooperate with Vietnam, receiving most of its support from China
; it also opposed Sihanouk, regarding him as a 'feudal' figure. There were even periodic reports of clashes between the 'Centre' troops on the one side, and the eastern forces (and their Vietnam People's Army
support) on the other – although both factions coordinated their efforts against FANK
, the armed forces of Lon Nol
's Khmer Republic
.
During the early part of the Civil War, the Khmer Rumdo were estimated to be by far the stronger element of the Cambodian forces opposing Lon Nol. In August 1971, the Khmer Republic official In Tam
estimated the non-Vietnamese insurgents to number around 10,000: of these, he was forced to admit that only 4000 were true 'Khmer Rouge', the remainder being made up of Sihanoukists and Khmers fighting what they regarded as an "American occupation".
After Sihanouk's 1973 visit to the 'liberated areas', however, where he was greeted with vocal support from the peasants, the 'Centre' began to quietly remove both the Sihanoukists and pro-Vietnamese cadres from the administration in the areas they controlled. By 1974, it was reported that the forces loyal to the 'Centre' were using the term Khmer Krahom – i.e. Red Khmer or Khmer Rouge – to identify themselves, rather than 'Khmer Rumdo'.
As time went by there were reports that Khmer Rumdo were, in some cases, directly involved in activities against the Khmer Rouge administration within the 'liberated areas'. There were at least three incidents in Region 35 (Kampot Province) late 1973 in which Khmer Rumdo forces took part in action against hardline Communist Party troops, and rallied peasants protesting against attempts by Party cadres to requisition rice crops. By early 1974, a large pro-Sihanouk force was reported to be attempting to gain military control of main roads in the province. In Region 37 in the Western Zone, 742 Khmer Rumdo surrendered en masse to the Lon Nol regime in March 1974, claiming they were part of a force of ten thousand who would follow if Nol gave them operational autonomy to carry on their fight against their Communist Party rivals.
and Hu Nim
) – or marginalised (as in the case of Khieu Samphan
) – after the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea
.
The Eastern Zone was purged by the Party Centre in 1976–77. Chakrey was executed in Tuol Sleng Detention Centre in 1976, the first high-ranking official to be sent there; while So Phim, the Eastern Zone Secretary, committed suicide. Some of the ousted Eastern Zone cadres – such as Heng Samrin
– would later go on to lead the People's Republic of Kampuchea
after the 1979 Vietnamese invasion.
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
) were one of several groups of guerrillas operating within the borders of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
during the Cambodian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
of 1970–1975. They were a part of the Front Uni National du Kampuchea
National United Front of Kampuchea
The Front uni national du Kampuchéa, also called Front uni national khmer , often abbreviated as FUNK, was an organisation formed by the deposed King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk in 1970 while he was in exile in Beijing.-History:The front was supposed to be an umbrella organization of forces that...
(FUNK), an association between Prince Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
, who had been ousted from power in 1970, and communist forces.
Origin and history
Although the boundaries between the different factions were somewhat confused, the Khmer Rumdo are generally identified as those elements which were nominally loyal to Prince Sihanouk, but which were also leftist and supported by North VietnamNorth Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
.
The faction had its origins partly in the history of the Communist Party of Kampuchea
Communist Party of Kampuchea
The Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as Khmer Communist Party , was a communist party in Cambodia. Its followers were generally known as Khmer Rouge .-Foundation of the party; first divisions:...
and of the early Khmer Issarak
Khmer Issarak
The Khmer Issarak was an anti-French, Khmer nationalist political movement formed in 1945 with the backing of the government of Thailand. It sought to expel the French colonial authorities from Cambodia, and establish an independent Khmer state....
(independence) movement. Many of the early Cambodian communists had strong links with the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
, received training and support from the Vietnamese Party, and in many cases supported Sihanouk as a figure of national unity. These cadres retained senior positions in many of the areas east of the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
and near the Vietnamese border. The 'Khmer Rumdo' forces, accordingly, were recruited largely in the east of the country.
They were differentiated from the forces loyal to the hardline 'Centre' of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were strongest in the west and south-west, and who were generally referred to by European and American observers as the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
(a name originally coined by Sihanouk to refer to Cambodian communists in general). The 'Centre', led by Saloth Sar, Son Sen
Son Sen
Son Sen was a Cambodian Communist politician and soldier. A member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea/Party of Democratic Kampuchea, the Khmer Rouge, from 1974 to 1992, Sen oversaw the Party's security apparatus, including the Santebal secret police and the notorious...
and Ieng Sary
Ieng Sary
Ieng Sary was a powerful figure in the Khmer Rouge. He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979 and held several senior positions in the Khmer Rouge until his defection to the government in 1996....
, had a strongly nationalistic ideology, and did not cooperate with Vietnam, receiving most of its support from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; it also opposed Sihanouk, regarding him as a 'feudal' figure. There were even periodic reports of clashes between the 'Centre' troops on the one side, and the eastern forces (and their Vietnam People's Army
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
support) on the other – although both factions coordinated their efforts against FANK
Fánk
Fánk is a sweet traditional Hungarian cake. The most commonly used ingredients are: flour, yeast, butter, egg yolk, a little bit of rum, a sniff of salt, milk and oil to deep fry with. After the pastry has risen for approximately 30 minutes the result is an extreme light doughnut-like pastry...
, the armed forces of Lon Nol
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...
's Khmer Republic
Khmer Republic
The Khmer Republic or République Khmère, was the republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on October 9, 1970. The Khmer Republic was disestablished in 1975 and was followed by the totalitarian communist state known as Democratic Kampuchea.-Background:Formally declared on October...
.
During the early part of the Civil War, the Khmer Rumdo were estimated to be by far the stronger element of the Cambodian forces opposing Lon Nol. In August 1971, the Khmer Republic official In Tam
In Tam
In Tam was a former Prime Minister of Cambodia. He served in that position from May 6, 1973 to December 9 1973, and had a long career in Cambodian politics.-Political career:...
estimated the non-Vietnamese insurgents to number around 10,000: of these, he was forced to admit that only 4000 were true 'Khmer Rouge', the remainder being made up of Sihanoukists and Khmers fighting what they regarded as an "American occupation".
After Sihanouk's 1973 visit to the 'liberated areas', however, where he was greeted with vocal support from the peasants, the 'Centre' began to quietly remove both the Sihanoukists and pro-Vietnamese cadres from the administration in the areas they controlled. By 1974, it was reported that the forces loyal to the 'Centre' were using the term Khmer Krahom – i.e. Red Khmer or Khmer Rouge – to identify themselves, rather than 'Khmer Rumdo'.
As time went by there were reports that Khmer Rumdo were, in some cases, directly involved in activities against the Khmer Rouge administration within the 'liberated areas'. There were at least three incidents in Region 35 (Kampot Province) late 1973 in which Khmer Rumdo forces took part in action against hardline Communist Party troops, and rallied peasants protesting against attempts by Party cadres to requisition rice crops. By early 1974, a large pro-Sihanouk force was reported to be attempting to gain military control of main roads in the province. In Region 37 in the Western Zone, 742 Khmer Rumdo surrendered en masse to the Lon Nol regime in March 1974, claiming they were part of a force of ten thousand who would follow if Nol gave them operational autonomy to carry on their fight against their Communist Party rivals.
The administration in eastern Cambodia, 1970–75
Accounts obtained from refugees stated that not only did the eastern forces, under the command of Chan Chakrey, dress differently to the Khmer Rouge (wearing green military fatigues rather than the black peasants' clothing adopted by Khmer Rouge soldiers) but that in their zones of control they behaved with considerably more moderation (captured FANK officers, for example, were merely ordered to perform labour, rather than being executed as was invariably the case with the Khmer Rouge). There is also evidence that there was a greater degree of religious and economic freedom permitted in the eastern areas, even after the fall of the Lon Nol regime in 1975.Purges after 1975
The senior Khmer Rouge leaders who had publicly collaborated with Sihanouk, either prior to 1970 or in the 'Unified Front', were either killed (as in the case of Hou YuonHou Yuon
Hou Yuon was a veteran of the communist movement in Cambodia, and was of Sino-Khmer descent. A member of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge, he served in several ministerial posts during the 1960s and 1970s.Yuon, who repeatedly clashed with other members of the Khmer...
and Hu Nim
Hu Nim
Hu Nim, alias "Phoas" was a Cambodian Communistintellectual and politician who held a number of ministerial posts.His long political career included spells with the Sangkum regime...
) – or marginalised (as in the case of Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan was the president of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state and was one of the most powerful officials in the Khmer Rouge movement, though Pol Pot was the group's true political leader and held the most...
) – after the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic Kampuchea
The Khmer Rouge period refers to the rule of Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, Khieu Samphan and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea....
.
The Eastern Zone was purged by the Party Centre in 1976–77. Chakrey was executed in Tuol Sleng Detention Centre in 1976, the first high-ranking official to be sent there; while So Phim, the Eastern Zone Secretary, committed suicide. Some of the ousted Eastern Zone cadres – such as Heng Samrin
Heng Samrin
Heng Samrin is a Cambodian politician. He was the chairman of the People's Republic of Kampuchea and the State of Cambodia , and later vice chairman and chairman of the National Assembly of Cambodia since 2006....
– would later go on to lead the People's Republic of Kampuchea
People's Republic of Kampuchea
The People's Republic of Kampuchea , , was founded in Cambodia by the Salvation Front, a group of Cambodian leftists dissatisfied with the Khmer Rouge, after the overthrow of Democratic Kampuchea, Pol Pot's government...
after the 1979 Vietnamese invasion.