49th Anniversary of Lon Nol Coup

49 years after the overthrow of Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s regime, many people still blame the United States for its role in the Khmer Rouge genocide. Prince Sihanouk was overthrown when he in Moscow on an official visit in 1970. The region was at its height of instability because of the Vietnam War. As such, the Prince was forced to live in exile in Beijing. Marshal Lon Nol took over the nation and renamed the country, Khmer Republic.

Sok Eysan, spokesman of the Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) said if there was no support from the US government, there would be no coup. Eysan said most Cambodians knew this, especially the victims of the three million (US) bombs. Chhang Song, the last Information Minister under Marshal Nol’s regime, said ousting Prince Sihanouk was a legislative decision. Song explained that it wasn’t a coup per se. “Legally, it was decided by the National Assembly. They legalized it. I would not call it a coup, I would call it a decision.”

Following news of Khmer Rouge to overwhelm Lon Nol’s forces, Song and Marshal Nol in April of 1975, flew to Hawaii to live in exile. Song said he was the only person with Nol. “Lon Nol did not change his mood. It was the same look. He did not look sadder than he was. He looked the same. I asked him why. He did not answer.”

The US continues to deny its role in the coup. It accuses China of supporting Pol Pot’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime. The US embassy in a Facebook post said there is no substantial evidence that the US was involved in a coup which brought Lon Nol to power. “Instead there is a lot of evidence which showed that the Chinese government actively supported the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979.”

And in counter blame, the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh accused the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of being involved in the ousting of Prince Sihanouk. The blame game continues.