Lon Nol
Lon Nol (born November 13, 1913 in Kampong Leav , † November 17, 1985 in Fullerton , California ) was a Cambodian officer and politician .
Political career
Lon Nol was born in Prey Veng Province . After attending high school in Sisowath, he was hired by the French colonial administration, where he reached the position of provincial governor at the age of 32. He later became Cambodian police chief, governor of Battambang province in 1954 , and chief of staff of the Cambodian army in 1955 . At the end of the 1950s he was Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Minister of Defense , and Prime Minister from 1966 to 1967, a position he took up again in September 1969.
During this time, the government of Prince Sihanouk came under increasing pressure, both from the inside by the communist guerrilla group of the Khmer Rouge and from outside by the infiltration of the border areas to South Vietnam by the Viet Cong in connection with the Vietnam War .
head of state
While Sihanouk was on a trip abroad, he was overthrown on March 18, 1970 with the significant participation of Lon Nol, at that time Prime Minister. Lon Nol had organized demonstrations against the presence of the Vietnamese in the border area and ultimately demanded their withdrawal. Sihanouk threatened government arrest from abroad, but continued to travel. The Cambodian National Assembly declared Sihanouk to be deposed and Lon Nol was given special powers. Sihanouk's cousin, Prince Sirik Matak, remained deputy prime minister. The new government was quickly recognized by most states, including the USA and the Soviet Union - but not by the People's Republic of China , where Sihanouk was now living in exile .
Lon Nol's government was widely accepted by the urban middle and upper classes, but the overthrown Sihanouk continued to be worshiped in the countryside. On October 9, 1970, the monarchy was declared abolished, and in 1972 Lon Nol took over the presidency and the rank of marshal .
There are different perspectives on the role of the USA in the overthrow of Sihanouk:
- The US wanted and supported Lon Nol's coup against Sihanouk in order to get a freer hand against the Viet Cong.
- Sihanouk had lost support in parliament, government and administration. He was voted out of office without outside influence.
In the following years, Lon Nol's troops increasingly lost control of the country, and his government was considered unpopular, incompetent and corrupt (→ History of Cambodia ).
exile
On April 1, 1975, Lon Nol fled the capital Phnom Penh , which was shortly afterwards taken by the Khmer Rouge. His brother Lon Non and his former deputy Prince Sirik Matak stayed in the country and were murdered. Lon Nol first settled in Hawaii and went to California in 1979.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Andy Carvin: From Sideshow to Genocide: The Coup: Opportunities for Nixon and the Khmer Rouge. In: edwebproject.org. 1999, accessed January 17, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lon Nol |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cambodian politician, President of Cambodia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 13, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kampong Leav |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th November 1985 |
| Place of death | Fullerton , California |