Hem Chieu
Hem Chieu (
Chieu was a professor at the Higher School of
Arrest
On July 18, 1942, the French authorities moved to arrest Chieu and an associate, Nuon Dong. Chieu was alleged to have preached anti-French sermons to Khmer troops in the colonial militia in preparation of the revolt; the manner of his arrest deeply offended many other members of the
Reaction to Arrest
A large demonstration against the arrests, in which many monks took part, was organised two days later in Phnom Penh by Thanh and Chhoeun. Chhoeun marched at the head of the demonstrators, and several monks who would later take an active role in Cambodian politics, such as later Communist activists Achar Mean (Son Ngoc Minh) and Achar Sok (Tou Samouth) were present. The demonstration was broken up violently by the French, and Chhoeun was arrested and sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment).[2]
Death
Hem Chieu, "still preaching" according to an observer, was also sentenced to death by a military tribunal, later commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour.[3] He died in the notorious Côn Sơn Island prison in October 1943. While there he met several leaders of the Viet Minh, such as Phạm Văn Đồng and Tôn Đức Thắng, who afterwards related that Hem Chieu's heroic conduct in the prison led to sanctions which directly contributed to his illness and death.[4]
Chieu soon came to be regarded as a martyr by leftist Cambodian nationalists and insurgents of the
References
- ^ Kiernan, B. How Pol Pot Came to Power, Yale UP, 2004, p.42
- ^ Harris, I. Buddhism and politics in twentieth-century Asia, CIPG, 2001, p.60
- ^ Kiernan, B. How Pol Pot Came to Power, Yale UP, 2004, p.45
- ^ Kiernan, p.47
- ^ Harris, I. Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice, University of Hawaii, 2008, p.158