Lon Non
Lon Non | |
---|---|
លន់ ណុន | |
Minister of Interior | |
In office 1970–1973 | |
President | Cheng Heng Lon Nol |
Prime Minister | Lon Nol Sisowath Sirik Matak Son Ngoc Thanh Hang Thun Hak In Tam |
Ambassador of Cambodia at large | |
In office 1973–1974 | |
Personal details | |
Born | General | April 18, 1930
Lon Non (Khmer: លន់ ណុន; 18 April 1930(?) – 17 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and soldier who rose to his greatest prominence during the Khmer Republic (1970–1975).
Non was the younger brother of Prime Minister (and later President) Lon Nol. As a result, he was often referred to as "Little Brother" (French: Petit frère) in political circles, in which he was regarded as a somewhat Machiavellian figure who was determined to protect his brother's monopoly on power. Non was executed by members of the Khmer Rouge after the Communist seizure of Phnom Penh in April 1975.[1]
Early life
Non was born in the early 20's,
Career
Under the administration of Prince
Political activity
Non's political motivation seems to have partly derived from an unswerving loyalty to his brother, and his machinations against the coup's other main figure, Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, caused serious divisions in the Cambodian administration. While Lon Nol was in poor health during 1970 and 1971, his brother and the army made it clear they would accept no other leader and made efforts to sideline Sirik Matak, who was given the title of "Prime Minister-Delegate". In 1971 Non raised his political profile by directing a moderately successful military operation, Akineth Moha Padevuth, driving Communist guerrillas from villages around National Route 3 (Akineth was a wizard and hermit in the Reamker on whom Non seems to have modelled himself).[5]
By early 1972 Lon Non finally managed to drive Sirik Matak from the government after organising groups of students to demonstrate against him.[6] When, later in 1972, presidential elections were held, Non boasted that the monolithic vote of the Khmer National Armed Forces had secured his brother's inevitable victory. Non, who was ultimately to become Minister of the Interior, also created the Sangkum Sathéaranak Râth (the Socio-Republican Party, PSR) as a political organisation to represent the interests of Lon Nol and the officer corps. The two rival parties, In Tam's Democratic Party and Sirik Matak's Republicans, refused to contest the elections to the National Assembly in September 1972, leading to the PSR's total dominance.
Non's faction of the party was referred to as the Dangkor group, distinguishing it from the rival Dangrek faction centred on veteran radical
Allegations of corruption
Evidence was found linking Non with international
The American government, the main supplier of aid to the Republic, began applying increasing pressure on Lon Nol to reduce his brother's influence, concerned about the latter's corruption, lack of moral scruple (combined with unusual ambition and energy) and his suspected implication in bombing and other attacks on his political rivals. Australian intelligence confirmed that Non had formed an assassination unit, called the "Republican Security Battalion", which used a fleet of yellow Hondas.[9] The US suggested a variety of posts to occupy Lon Non's energies, or induce him to get out of the country: in 1973, after Non was eventually forced to leave Cambodia, his wife was caught with $170,000 in US$100 bills at Orly Airport in Paris as she was leaving to join her husband in the United States.[10]
Death
Despite a period in America as the Republic's "
Soon after, Koy Thuon, a Khmer Rouge deputy front commander, organized the Committee for Wiping Out Enemies at the Hotel Monorom (11°34′12″N 104°55′05″E / 11.57°N 104.918°E).[15] Its first action was ordering the immediate execution of Lon Non and other leading government figures, who were probably executed on the grounds of the Cercle Sportif in Phnom Penh within hours. A later broadcast by the Communist authorities stated that Non had in fact been beaten to death by a crowd of "enraged" members of the populace, though the truth of this account is unclear.
References
- ^ a b Sakou, Samoth (2012). Hommes et Histoire du Cambodge (in French). Phnom Penh: Editions Angkor. p. 131.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Marlay, R. and Neher, C. Patriots and tyrants: ten Asian leaders, Rowman & Littlefield, 1999, p.177
- ^ a b Corfield, J. Khmers stand up!: a history of the Cambodian government 1970-1975, 1992, p.111
- ^ Kamm, H. Cambodia: report from a stricken land, Arcade, 1998, p.79
- ^ Corfield, J. Khmers stand up!: a history of the Cambodian government 1970-1975, 1992, p.113
- ^ Kiernan, B. How Pol Pot came to power, Yale UP, 2004, p.347
- ^ Corfield, J. History of Cambodia, ABC-CLIO, 2009, p.78
- ^ Scott, P. D. "Opium and Empire", Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, vol 5, 2 (Sep. 1973), 49
- ^ Clymer, K. J. The United States and Cambodia, 1969-2000: a troubled relationship, Routledge, p.69
- ^ "$170,000 in Cash On Mrs., Lon Non Is Seized in Paris". The New York Times. September 23, 1973. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "Lon Non's Plans", declassified teletype from John Gunther Dean, 26 Dec 1974 (Document 1974PHNOM17096)
- ^ Corfield, 1992, pp.228-229
- ISBN 978-0-7432-1532-9.
- ^ Corfield, 1992, p.230
- Tuol Slengin 1977.