“Sihanouk: The Early Life of Cambodia’s Last Monarch”
Norodom Sihanouk, born in the autumn of 1922 in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, passed away in Beijing, China, in 2012.
In 1941, at the age of 18 and studying in Saigon, Vietnam, Sihanouk became the king of Cambodia under the careful consideration of the French.
At that time, as a puppet of the French colonialists, the king had little power. Despite having minimal authority, the weak-natured prince shed tears when he was unexpectedly bestowed the throne.
“I cried a lot when I heard the news. I wasn’t happy at all; instead, I was a bit afraid. I felt very frightened, and my whole body went cold. I told my parents that I couldn’t bear this heavy burden: I was too young, and it didn’t suit me.”
However, he later enjoyed the privileges of being a king.
He had six wives throughout his life, each one his beloved, and fathered 14 children.
He gained Cambodia’s independence from the French and proclaimed himself the father of Cambodian independence.
Unlike other Third World dictators, he, having received a royal education, was gentle, kind, moderate, and generous. He implemented “Buddhist socialism” in Cambodia, focusing on altruism and compassion. He did not seek ultimate power and control but rather invested more energy in himself.
During his reign, he tirelessly “visited” various countries worldwide and found women to his liking in each.
He had a special fondness for his former suzerain, France. Even when he was overthrown in a coup, he was on vacation on the French Riviera.
He loved films, music, horseback riding, fine French cuisine, and red wine.
He could often be found talking passionately about fine wines and dishes at his parties throughout the night.
He even used national resources to direct and act in several films, hosting his own film festival in Phnom Penh to showcase Cambodia and himself to the world.
When he went into exile, he didn’t forget his film reels: “Anticipating that the Khmer Rouge revolution would fundamentally change our country, I sent a letter to President Gerald Ford in Beijing, asking him to persuade the Cambodian government to return the 35mm film shot in Phnom Penh in 1970 to me in my personal capacity… Let’s set aside political issues for now and do our best to save my films.”
In his autobiography, “Sihanouk — Memoirs,” he vividly described the first half of his life journey. What fascinated me was the extreme self-centeredness he exhibited.
We can feel the inflation of his weak self in his greasy, self-indulgent language. The unabashed confidence and arrogance he displayed were precisely what I am losing and missing.
“Everyone is born a king; most people just die in exile.”
Excerpts from “Sihanouk — Memoirs”:
He said, “I am Cambodia, and Cambodia is me.”
“Why did Sihanouk dare to treat personal matters as national matters? I can answer this question clearly because the honor, dignity, or so-called ‘pride’ of all Khmer people are manifested through me or by me.”
“In fact, more than five million people and Sihanouk have become one, so insults and slanders against me are insults to the Cambodian people.”
“Young Laotian girls, like those on Tahsai Island and Bali, like to decorate themselves with flowers. The young Lao girls, who are not tall and have a dignified and delicate appearance, lower their heads with a smile. Therefore, I decided to add a beautiful Lao girl to my list of beloved women.”
“Later, the hotel owner asked me to allow this beautiful woman (also the most beautiful French girl I met) to sit next to me for a souvenir photo. Why not? After taking the picture, I invited this young lady to have a glass of champagne with me. Then we chatted casually together. She told me that she had divorced a husband who was unfaithful. I was excited and asked how such a person could be unfaithful to such a beauty… Due to Cupid’s teasing, I can’t help to invited her to have dinner with me at the Ritz Hotel the next day… I thought if she hadn’t been divorced and hadn’t been a housewife, she could have been a charming queen of Cambodia.”
“Regarding Monique and her siblings, I knew them from the day they were born… I believe that one day I will become her lover… My wife is undoubtedly the most beautiful and irresistible woman in the world; she has brought honor to Cambodia.”
“Even though I still carry the title of a playboy, I can proudly say that I am an upright man, a good husband.”
Despite being able to live peacefully as a king of indulgence under French protection, fate thrust him onto the world stage.
Towards the end of World War II, Japan occupied Cambodia. To completely expel French colonizers, Japan declared Cambodia “independent.” After Japan’s defeat, Sihanouk, armed with a declaration of independence, began to challenge the French.
The French had warned him: “Without the help of the French command and army, your country will soon be conquered by the Reds, and your independence will be lost.”
In 1953, amid the global wave of national independence initiated by the United States, Cambodia achieved true independence. Sihanouk also entered into real sovereign power.
The small country of Cambodia, which had never had the power to determine its own destiny, mistakenly thought it was Sihanouk’s ability and charm that allowed Cambodia to dominate the world stage.
He led Cambodia into the “illness of great powers” but lacked the “destiny of great powers.”
During the Cold War, as Southeast Asian countries began taking sides, Thailand, Laos, and South Vietnam sincerely followed the United States of the Free World. North Vietnam and Burma quietly conspired with the socialist camp.
Only our great Prince Sihanouk insisted on so-called neutrality: eating aid from the United States while cozying up to socialist China, playing both sides.
Such behavior naturally displeased the Americans, who began covertly supporting the “Free Khmer” hidden in the jungle. Thailand and South Vietnam constantly created trouble at the Cambodian border, and Western media continually criticized Sihanouk as the “Red Prince,” an “unethical person,” and a “pig daring to challenge a lion.”
In a fit of anger, Sihanouk broke off diplomatic relations with the United States in 1965. Simultaneously, due to dissatisfaction with socialist China secretly supporting the “Red Khmer” in the jungle, Sihanouk also had conflicts with the socialist camp.
A country with a population of only six million, where monks outnumbered soldiers, and even sending the army from Phnom Penh to the border was difficult, actually had conflicts with both major camps in the world.
Losing the support of major powers, Sihanouk, while vacationing on the French Riviera in 1970, was overthrown by General Lon Nol in a coup, ending his 29-year rule in Cambodia.
Five years later, the Lon Nol regime was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge, and Cambodia entered the infamous period of the Khmer Rouge.
Two changes of power, and the Kingdom of Cambodia experienced great suffering.
Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge and a devoted student of Chairman Mao of China, implemented a puritanical plan that annihilated half of Cambodia’s population. He ordered the execution of anyone who spoke a foreign language, wore glasses, or had long hair. He advocated de-urbanization, relocating everyone from Phnom Penh to the countryside, causing a massive famine. He prohibited all forms of art, entertainment, and education. He turned back the clock on the development of the Kingdom of Cambodia that King Sihanouk had painstakingly built. When asked why he did this, he said he was afraid — afraid that intellectuals would discover he was just a country bumpkin.
Imagine how heartbreaking this was for King Sihanouk, who loved Cambodia art and culture so much.
“The heartbreaking coup marked a new turning point in my life and the fate of the Khmer nation. Cambodia and I will never again encounter such pain and disaster. ‘Enduring hardships and enduring insults,’ this will be the title and central theme of my next book.”
“When I was born, this country had nothing, and when I left, it still had nothing.”
