Lon Nol
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General Lon Nol (November 13, 1913 - November 17, 1985) was a Cambodian politician and former Defence Minister of Cambodia.
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Biography
The ambitious Lon Nol emerged as an important figure in Cambodian politics as a lieutenant of the authoritarian King Norodom Sihanouk. Successful in repressing opposition from the Cambodian political left, the neutral Sihanouk regime was powerless to do more than complain about the massive "secret" U.S. bombing campaign of eastern Cambodia that began in 1969.
On March was away on a trip to Moscow and Beijing being treated for cancer, Prime Minister "General" Lon Nol, joined by rightist Prince Sirik Matak launched a successful [[coup d'�tat]] with the quiet endorsement of the Nixon administration. President Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wanted to bring Cambodia into the war against the PAVN and North Vietnam. On March 18, 1970, the National Assembly was convened, and voted unanimously to depose Sihanouk as head of state. Lon Nol, who had been serving as prime minister, was granted emergency powers. Sirik Matak, the jealous royal prince who in 1941, had been passed over by the French government in favor of his cousin Norodom Sihanouk as king, retained his post as deputy prime minister.
Following Sihanouk's exit, American and ARVN forces invaded eastern Cambodia, which then assumed a pro-American, anti-Communist stance. The goal of the invasion and the "secret" bombing campaigns of Cambodia was to destroy or a least damage the PAVN bases in the area. Massive bombing, foreign invasion and the illegitimacy of the Lon Nol regime helped the previously tiny Khmer Rouge recuit many new militants.
Lon Nol was widely unpopular among the Cambodian peasantry because he had abolished the monarchy and established the Khmer Republic. Support for King Sihanouk had been strongest in the countryside. Sihanouk formed a government-in-exile in Beijing known as the Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea (GRUNK,) and a political coalition known as the National United Front of Kampuchea (FUNK,) urging resistance to Nol. Sihanouk served as a useful symbol of resistance for the Khmer Rouge, who consolidated control in GRUNK and FUNK and rallied peasants to join the insurgency.
A believer in Buddhist numerology and other mystical practices who grew increasingly isolated from reality as dictator, Lon Nol's military decisison-making proved disastrous. His under-trained and badly led Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) was defeated in battle after battle. In addition to military incompetence, the runaway corruption of Lon Nol's government further waekened its legitimacy.
With his country descending into civil war, Lon Nol turned to his American sponsors for salvation. On November 18, 1970, U.S. President Richard Nixon responded by requesting Congress to approve $155 million in supplemental aid for the Cambodian government ($85 million was allocated for military assistance.) The Nixon administration and the CIA maintained friendly relations with Nol's government, having been frustrated with Prince Sihanouk's neutralist position while PAVN and Viet Cong units were operating out of eastern Cambodia. However, despite generous U.S. aid, Lon Nol's military failed miserably.
On April 1, 1975, Lon Nol resigned and fled the country into exile in Hawaii. His brother Lon Non and other Khmer Republic officials including Sirik Matak chose to stay behind; they were executed by the Khmer Rouge. His people suffered grievously in the next three years under Khmer Rouge rule. Their fate might have been very different had he not overthrown the Khmer monarchy.
Sources
- Elizabeth Becker. 1986, 1998. When the War was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. New York: Public Affairs. ISBN 1891620002.
Links
External links
See also: Cambodia -- Vietnam War
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Lon_Nol" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Nol, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
