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{{Short description|Cambodian politician}}
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{{Infobox Officeholder
{{Family name hatnote|lang=Cambodian|Sam|Sary}}
|honorific-prefix =
{{Infobox person
|name = Sam Sary
|name = Sam Sary
|image =
|image =
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|office = [[List of Ambassadors of Cambodia|Ambassador of Cambodia to the United Kingdom]]
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|appointer = [[Norodom Sihanouk]]
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|term_start = January 1958
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|term_end = 1962 (?)
|predecessor =
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|successor =
|spouse = In Em
|spouse = In Em
|relations =
|relations =
|children = [[Sam Rainsy]]
|children = [[Sam Rainsy]]
|birth_date = March 6, 1917
|birth_date = 6 March 1917
|birth_place = [[Kampong Speu Province|Kampong Speu]], [[French protectorate of Cambodia|Cambodia]], [[French Indochina]]
|party = [[Sangkum]]
|death_date = circa 1962 (aged 44–45)
|disappeared_date = 1962
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|module = {{Infobox Officeholder | embed=yes
|death_place = <!--- [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] where does this come from ? -->
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|office = Ambassador to the [[United Kingdom]]
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}}
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|appointer = [[Norodom Sihanouk]]
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'''Sam Sary''' ({{lang-km|សម សារី}}; 6 March 1917 &ndash; c. 1962) was a Cambodian politician who participated in the so-called [[Bangkok Plot]] against Prince [[Norodom Sihanouk]].<ref>David Chandler,''A History of Cambodia''; 3rd edition 2003, p. 273</ref> He was a son of Sam Nhean, a prominent politician in the 1940s, and father of [[Sam Rainsy]], the leader of Cambodia's main opposition party. He was a close confidant of the then Prince Norodom Sihanouk but had a falling-out with the Prince when he was exposed in corruption, selling import licenses and a second time during his tenure as a Cambodian ambassador to London in 1958, for beating his pregnant servant. He was alleged to have beaten her so badly that she escaped to the protection of the London police. The scandal made headlines in the London tabloids and he was recalled to Cambodia and stripped of all of his duties.<ref name="time.com">http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868644,00.html</ref> He disappeared mysteriously in 1962, presumably killed by the government or CIA agents, for whom he was working.
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|term_start = January 1958
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|term_end = 1959
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|party = [[Sangkum]]
}}
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}}


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'''Sam Sary''' ({{lang-km|សម សារី}}; 6 March 1917 – late 1962) was a Cambodian politician who participated in the so-called [[Bangkok Plot]] against Prince [[Norodom Sihanouk]].<ref>David Chandler, ''A History of Cambodia''; 3rd ed. 2003, p. 273</ref> He was a son of Sam Nhean, a prominent politician in the 1940s, and father of [[Sam Rainsy]], the leader of Cambodia's main opposition party. He was a close confidant of the then Prince Norodom Sihanouk, but had a falling-out with the Prince when he was exposed in corruption, selling import licenses and a second time during his tenure as a Cambodian ambassador to London in 1958, for beating his pregnant servant. He was alleged to have beaten her so badly that she escaped to the protection of the London police. The scandal made headlines in the London tabloids and he was recalled to Cambodia and stripped of all of his duties.<ref name="time.com">{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868644,00.html|title=CAMBODIA: Sam the Whipper|magazine=Time|date=21 July 1958|publisher=TIME Magazine|accessdate=17 July 2017|via=content.time.com|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He disappeared mysteriously in 1962.
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== Political life ==


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== Political life ==
Sam Sary was Deputy Prime Minister in Prince [[Norodom Sihanouk]]'s government in the 1950s. He played an important role in seeking full independence for [[Cambodia]], in helping the newly independent Cambodia avoid partition at the Geneva conference (1954), and in helping King ''Norodom Sihanouk'' found the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (1955 onwards).
Sam Sary was Deputy Prime Minister in Prince [[Norodom Sihanouk]]'s government in the 1950s. He was [[Ministry of Economy and Finance (Cambodia)|Minister of Finance]] from 1955 to 1956. He played an important role in seeking full independence for [[Cambodia]], in helping the newly independent Cambodia avoid partition at the Geneva conference (1954), and in helping King ''Norodom Sihanouk'' found the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (1955 onwards).


He was involved in election fraud and intimidations, Keng Vannsak recalled: <blockquote>The evil genius behind the repression was Sam Sary—a bestial man. As an investigating magistrate in the 1940s, he had beaten suspects to death with his own hands. Then he went study in France. In 1955, he joined the Sangkum and became Sihanouk's closest aide ... After Sihanouk decided to use strong-arm tactics, Sary handed out money and arms to hire ruffians to come and break our meetings. </blockquote>
He was involved in election fraud and intimidations, [[Keng Vannsak]] recalled{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}: <blockquote>The evil genius behind the repression was Sam Sary—a bestial man. As an investigating magistrate in the 1940s, he had beaten suspects to death with his own hands. Then he went study in France. In 1955, he joined the Sangkum and became Sihanouk's closest aide ... After Sihanouk decided to use strong-arm tactics, Sary handed out money and arms to hire ruffians to come and break our meetings. </blockquote>


===''The Sam Sary Affair''===
===''The Sam Sary Affair''===
In January 1958, Sam Sary was appointed by Norodom Sihanouk as Cambodia's ambassador to London, thus extricating him from a scandal involving smuggling of large quantities of high grade Cambodian pepper.<ref name="time.com"/> According to ''[[Time Magazine|Time]]'' magazine, he brought an entourage of four woman who were his official wife, with their five children, including [[Sam Rainsy]] and three mistresses. Six months later, Sam Sary was involved in another scandal when one of his female servants—Iv Eng Seng, who bore him a child—went to the London police, accusing him of severely beating her for "minor mistakes".<ref name="time.com"/> By other accounts, her name was Soeung Son Maly and she used to date [[Saloth Sar]] ([[Pol Pot]]), later dumping him for more prosperous Sam Sary.<ref>Philip Short, ''Anatomy of Nightmare'' 2006 p. 82</ref> Sam Sary was recalled to [[Phnom Penh]], but not before he had put his side of the story to the [[United Kingdom|British]] press. He admitted to having beaten his servant,saying: <blockquote>
In January 1958, Sam Sary was appointed by Norodom Sihanouk as Cambodia's ambassador to London, thus extricating him from a scandal involving smuggling of large quantities of high grade Cambodian pepper.<ref name="time.com"/> According to ''[[Time Magazine|Time]]'' magazine, he brought an entourage of four women who were his official wife, with their five children, including [[Sam Rainsy]] and three mistresses. Six months later, Sam Sary was involved in another scandal when one of his female servants—Iv Eng Seng, who bore him a child—went to the London police, accusing him of severely beating her for "minor mistakes".<ref name="time.com"/> By other accounts, her name was Soeung Son Maly and she used to date [[Saloth Sar]] ([[Pol Pot]]), later dumping him for more prosperous Sam Sary.<ref>Philip Short, ''Anatomy of Nightmare'' 2006 p. 82</ref> Sam Sary was recalled to [[Phnom Penh]], but not before he had put his side of the story to the [[United Kingdom|British]] press. He admitted to having beaten his servant, saying: <blockquote>
I corrected her by hitting her with a Cambodian string whip. I never hit her on the face, always across the back and the thighs—a common sort of punishment in my country.
I corrected her by hitting her with a Cambodian string whip. I never hit her on the face, always across the back and the thighs—a common sort of punishment in my country.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
</blockquote>


After coming back to Cambodia, Sam Sary became more and more anti-Sihanouk. Despite the risk of incurring Sihanouk’s displeasure, Sam Sary started a newspaper, openly critical of the Prince’s policies. He tried to start his own political party but without success. His anti-Sihanouk activities were dubbed the Sam Sary Affairs.
After coming back to Cambodia, Sam Sary became more and more anti-Sihanouk. Despite the risk of incurring Sihanouk's displeasure, Sam Sary started a newspaper that was openly critical of the Prince's policies. He tried to start his own political party but without success. His anti-Sihanouk activities were dubbed the Sam Sary Affairs.


Some commentators contend that Sam Sary worked with U.S. intelligence services, which he might have contacted in 1956 while visiting the U.S. On 13 January 1959, in a speech delivered in [[Kampong Cham Province|Kampong Cham]], [[Sihanouk]] told his listeners that he knew about U.S. intelligence plots to overthrow him. While this speech had not clearly implicated Sam Sary, a week after the speech was delivered, he fled to [[Thailand]]. After a shadowy existence in exile, he disappeared in 1963.
Some commentators contend that Sam Sary worked with U.S. intelligence services, which he might have contacted in 1956 while visiting the U.S. On 13 January 1959, in a speech delivered in [[Kampong Cham Province|Kampong Cham]], [[Sihanouk]] told his listeners that he knew about U.S. intelligence plots to overthrow him. While this speech had not clearly implicated Sam Sary, a week after the speech was delivered, he fled to [[Thailand]]. After a shadowy existence in exile, he disappeared in 1962.<ref name="Osborne94">{{cite book |last1=Osborne |first1=Milton E. |title=Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness |date=1994 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0-8248-1639-1 |page=109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lyKHq1lZaDkC|language=en}}</ref> His son [[Sam Rainsy]] asserts that his father was killed in [[Pakse]], [[Laos]] on the orders of [[Son Ngoc Thanh]] in late 1962 or early 1963.<ref name="Rainsy13">{{cite book |author-link=Sam Rainsy |last1=Sam |first1=Rainsy |title=We Didn't Start the Fire: My Struggle for Democracy in Cambodia |date=2013 |publisher=Silkworm Books |isbn=978-1-62776-162-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4GwPBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[History of Cambodia]]
* [[History of Cambodia]]
* [[List of people who disappeared mysteriously: 1990–present|List of people who disappeared]]


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
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== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==

* [[David P. Chandler|Chandler, David P.]] ''A History of Cambodia''
* [[David P. Chandler|Chandler, David P.]] ''A History of Cambodia''
* Osborne, Milton E. ''Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness''
* Osborne, Milton E. ''Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness''
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sary, Sam}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam, Sary}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1960s deaths]]
[[Category:1960s deaths]]
[[Category:1960s missing person cases]]
[[Category:20th-century Cambodian politicians]]
[[Category:Assassinated Cambodian people]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Cambodia to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cambodian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Cambodian diplomats]]
[[Category:Cambodian nationalists]]
[[Category:Cambodian politicians of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Cambodian republicans]]
[[Category:Finance ministers of Cambodia]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Cambodia]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Cambodia]]
[[Category:Missing people]]
[[Category:Missing people]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Cambodia to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in Cambodia]]
[[Category:1960s missing person cases]]
[[Category:People from Kampong Speu province]]

Revision as of 06:58, 14 April 2024

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Sam. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Sary.
Sam Sary
Born6 March 1917
Kampong Speu, Cambodia, French Indochina
Disappeared1962
SpouseIn Em
ChildrenSam Rainsy
Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office
January 1958 – 1959
Appointed byNorodom Sihanouk
Personal details
Political partySangkum

Sam Sary (Khmer: សម សារី; 6 March 1917 – late 1962) was a Cambodian politician who participated in the so-called Bangkok Plot against Prince Norodom Sihanouk.[1] He was a son of Sam Nhean, a prominent politician in the 1940s, and father of Sam Rainsy, the leader of Cambodia's main opposition party. He was a close confidant of the then Prince Norodom Sihanouk, but had a falling-out with the Prince when he was exposed in corruption, selling import licenses and a second time during his tenure as a Cambodian ambassador to London in 1958, for beating his pregnant servant. He was alleged to have beaten her so badly that she escaped to the protection of the London police. The scandal made headlines in the London tabloids and he was recalled to Cambodia and stripped of all of his duties.[2] He disappeared mysteriously in 1962.

Political life

Sam Sary was Deputy Prime Minister in Prince Norodom Sihanouk's government in the 1950s. He was Minister of Finance from 1955 to 1956. He played an important role in seeking full independence for Cambodia, in helping the newly independent Cambodia avoid partition at the Geneva conference (1954), and in helping King Norodom Sihanouk found the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (1955 onwards).

He was involved in election fraud and intimidations, Keng Vannsak recalled[citation needed]:

The evil genius behind the repression was Sam Sary—a bestial man. As an investigating magistrate in the 1940s, he had beaten suspects to death with his own hands. Then he went study in France. In 1955, he joined the Sangkum and became Sihanouk's closest aide ... After Sihanouk decided to use strong-arm tactics, Sary handed out money and arms to hire ruffians to come and break our meetings.

The Sam Sary Affair

In January 1958, Sam Sary was appointed by Norodom Sihanouk as Cambodia's ambassador to London, thus extricating him from a scandal involving smuggling of large quantities of high grade Cambodian pepper.[2] According to Time magazine, he brought an entourage of four women who were his official wife, with their five children, including Sam Rainsy and three mistresses. Six months later, Sam Sary was involved in another scandal when one of his female servants—Iv Eng Seng, who bore him a child—went to the London police, accusing him of severely beating her for "minor mistakes".[2] By other accounts, her name was Soeung Son Maly and she used to date Saloth Sar (Pol Pot), later dumping him for more prosperous Sam Sary.[3] Sam Sary was recalled to Phnom Penh, but not before he had put his side of the story to the British press. He admitted to having beaten his servant, saying:

I corrected her by hitting her with a Cambodian string whip. I never hit her on the face, always across the back and the thighs—a common sort of punishment in my country.

He argued his right to do so because

the embassy is "Cambodia in London."

After coming back to Cambodia, Sam Sary became more and more anti-Sihanouk. Despite the risk of incurring Sihanouk's displeasure, Sam Sary started a newspaper that was openly critical of the Prince's policies. He tried to start his own political party but without success. His anti-Sihanouk activities were dubbed the Sam Sary Affairs.

Some commentators contend that Sam Sary worked with U.S. intelligence services, which he might have contacted in 1956 while visiting the U.S. On 13 January 1959, in a speech delivered in Kampong Cham, Sihanouk told his listeners that he knew about U.S. intelligence plots to overthrow him. While this speech had not clearly implicated Sam Sary, a week after the speech was delivered, he fled to Thailand. After a shadowy existence in exile, he disappeared in 1962.[4] His son Sam Rainsy asserts that his father was killed in Pakse, Laos on the orders of Son Ngoc Thanh in late 1962 or early 1963.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ David Chandler, A History of Cambodia; 3rd ed. 2003, p. 273
  2. ^ a b c "CAMBODIA: Sam the Whipper". Time. TIME Magazine. 21 July 1958. Retrieved 17 July 2017 – via content.time.com.
  3. ^ Philip Short, Anatomy of Nightmare 2006 p. 82
  4. ^ Osborne, Milton E. (1994). Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness. University of Hawaii Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-8248-1639-1.
  5. ^ Sam, Rainsy (2013). We Didn't Start the Fire: My Struggle for Democracy in Cambodia. Silkworm Books. ISBN 978-1-62776-162-8.

Bibliography

  • Chandler, David P. A History of Cambodia
  • Osborne, Milton E. Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness
  • Short, Philip Pol Pot: Anatomy of Nightmare
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