A Cambodian Coup: The Fall of Sihanouk

On March 18th, 1970, while Norodom Sihanouk was abroad, the Cambodian National Assembly voted unanimously to remove him from power. The men behind it expected to stabilise the country. Within weeks Sihanouk had joined a resistance front alongside the communists he had spent years hunting, and Cambodia was in a civil war it would not survive intact.

Time Period Covered: 1969 to 1970

Were the CIA responsible for the coup against Sihanouk? Why did Lon Nol and Sirik Matak finally make a move against the prince? What did Sihanouk's removal from power mean for the Khmer Rouge?

In the final episode of this season, Lachlan covers the circumstances surrounding the plot to remove Norodom Sihanouk from his position as head of state. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak will take advantage of the problem of Vietnamese troop presence on Cambodian land and turn it into a political necessity to oust the prince. They would make several miscalculations, and the plan would largely backfire, as Sihanouk joins a resistance front with who he thinks are the Khmer Rouge, as well as the Vietnamese, and receives Chinese aid. Lon Nol's new government will have to resort to terrible measures to try and deliver on their promises.

Sources

Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History” and “Brother Number One”
Short “Pol Pot”
Shawcross “Sideshow”
Heder “Cambodian Communism”
Sihanouk “My War With The CIA”
Osbourne “Sihanouk”
Jagel “Khmer Nationalist”
Haing Ngor “Survival in the Killing Fields”
Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”